New business/education conference

I made the following announcement in the August issue of the Business/Education Partnership Forum newsletter:

Put a big, red circle around July 2008 on your calendar – we’re going ahead with the business/education partnership conference that I mentioned last month.

Thanks to the feedback we received over the past month, it’s clear that there are people out there who want an opportunity to network with others in the field, and who want to pick up practical information they can use to improve their partnership practices and outcomes. Like many of you, I’ve felt for some time that this industry needs some kind of hub where people can come together to learn from one another, and I’m hoping that this conference can help to fill that need.

A year is actually not that much time to put together a national conference, so we’ll be moving quickly over the next few months to put together a broad-stroke agenda, identify a specific date and location (right now we’re thinking somewhere in or near Washington DC), and issue a call for speakers. I’ll offer updates as they’re available.

I’ll also continue asking members of this community for feedback and guidance, both in the form of group surveys and individual conversations. The last survey was very helpful in gauging the interest in a conference and identifying some specifics such as the timing and structure, so thank you to all who participated. And thanks also to those who contacted me directly – your thoughts were helpful and motivating.

If you’d like to share thoughts or suggestions on this new conference, I’d love to hear them; as I mentioned, we’re still in the formative stages, so your input will make a difference. You can reach me by email at brett@dehavillandassociates.com or call 704-944-3134.

Best regards,

- Brett

If anyone out there has an interest in this conference - either attending, sponsoring, or offering thoughts on how we can make it a great experience for people in the industry - please do contact me. I'd love to hear from you.