By Frank J. Diekmann
I have spoken to a minor spreadsheet worth of credit union leaders in 2020 and I got the impression that the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown didn’t really sink in until CUNA cancelled the in-person Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC) for 2021.
Let me explain. I know that sounds a bit odd, as we are talking about intelligent people who have spent the better part of the past six months becoming experts in infectious disease, medical supply chains, tearing up plans and starting over, reassuring worried employees when they are worried themselves, and discovering how to create a cool Zoom background plus so much more, but here’s why.
All of that newfound and still-in-development expertise has come with a subconscious faith that it would all be over “soon” and the world would return to “normal.” While the cancellation of the in-person GAC hit many in the heart because of the missed contacts and friendships and long traditions that are all part of the fabric of conference, the hit to the head is GAC isn’t scheduled to be held for another six months. And that brings with it this very tangible reminder that the “soon” isn’t coming anytime soon, and the realization there’s another name for the “new normal” now. It’s called normal.
That isn’t to say a coronavirus vaccine will not be in place in March of 2021; it may very well be. (Whether people choose to be vaccinated is another question altogether, and perhaps in the future a question CU conference organizers will be forced to consider is asking attendees to prove they’ve been vaccinated. That should make for some fun discussions for the folks on the front lines.) But what the cancellation of a meeting that far in the future means is that for all of us suffering from COVID-19 fatigue, it’s just more fatigue.
A Tough Call
I wasn’t privy to the discussions, but I’m sure CUNA had few options in its decision on GAC. Cancelling the in-person event had to be everyone’s last choice—it’s a big branding experience, big noisemaker on Capitol Hill, and, let’s all be honest about it, biggest of all, a big revenue stream for the trade group. But the meeting requires extensive planning for the host, the vendors, the attendees and dozens of subcontractors. While that vaccine may be available ahead of GAC, what if it’s not? The last thing credit unions need are headlines about being the People Helping People Spread Coronavirus.
On the upside, the virtual GAC should allow more of the credit union community to participate. There’s never any shortage of crowing over the 5,000 who have physically attended in recent years, although the actual number of credit unions represented is far, far fewer. For all the pronouncements about “Main Street not Wall Street” from the main stage, that’s exactly where those Main Street CU managers are when GAC is taking place; back home on Main Street. The cost of the registration, plus the $350 a night hotels, the airfares and all the other expenses rule out attendance by the underserved CUs (which are the majority). It all adds up to a lot of the members’ dimes being spent, and many don’t have the dimes--or the time—to attend in person.
It will be intriguing to see the format and especially the interaction with the credit unions "attending" GAC 2021. If there has been one noticeable trend so far this year it is how much better associations have gotten in presenting meetings virtually. The awkwardness, the over-talking, the under-talking, the tech glitches have in large part been overcome in virtual events that are now much more slickly produced, primarily due to the adoption of pre-recorded presentations rather than live remarks.
If I could add another observation learned this year, it’s that an hour-long virtual presentation just seems to feel longer than an hour-long live presentation, perhaps because it’s just one of many things to focus on, especially when working from home. Here’s to hoping the GAC planners will keep it short.
None of us has any idea what 2022 holds, but I’ll wager we’ll see not just a hybrid GAC, but other hybrid CU meetings, as well, with the live event still taking place but a more robust (and not free) virtual package available, too.
As I wrote in this space a few weeks ago, I recently walked past the Washington Convention Center that is home to GAC and it was cold and closed and empty. That’s how the announcement GAC was going virtual next year felt to many: cold and closed and empty.
The Social Gene
Most humans are social animals and credit union humans have an additional social gene—they enjoy coming together and basking in the cooperative camaraderie. Even if GAC had nothing to do with Washington and Hiking the Hill, even if it stood for just the Gather Again Conference with no agenda at all, many would still attend to renew the old friendships, have some laughs, tell the same stories, exchange ideas and “promise to see you next year.”
Or, perhaps I should say, “CU next year.”
Frank J. Diekmann is Cooperator in Chief of CUToday.info and can be reached at Frank@CUToday.info. Mr. Diekmann is also author of the new book, ‘501 Name Tags: Everything You Need to Know About Business Can be Learned at a Conference & Forgotten in the Trade Show.” For info: www.501nametags.com.