Best Practice Sharing

Please fill this out and return it to so we can share it with our chapter leadership community.

Chapter Name:

  1. Program, Product, Service or Activity Name:
    The North Texas Economic Forum. Jointly hosted by ACG, FEI and NACD.
  2. Goal of the program/service/product and why:
    A premier event, providing a look at economic conditions and trends in north Texas, along with education and networking.
  3. What are benefits or values gained by members, prospects, attendees, etc?
  4. Interesting perspectives on the North Texas economic conditions and trends
  5. Education / CPE credits if applicable
  6. Networking with 500+ financial professionals in the region
  7. When was this program/service/activity launched?
    ACG-DFW had this program, on its own, for a number of years.
    Four years ago, we collaborated with FEI and NACD to put on a bigger, combined event.
  8. What is the format and logistics of this program or activity?

(e.g, how often does it occur, etc)

It is once a year, in mid to late January.
It draws about 600 attendees for the 3 organizations and is held in a large ballroom at an upscale hotel.
There is an afternoon educational speaker session, then happy hour networking, then a plated dinner with keynote speaker.

  1. What are measures of success for the program/activity?

(e.g., new members, new sponsors, higher retention rate, community support)

  • Number of attendees = networking opportunities, especially across groups
  • Sponsorship dollars = support from the sponsors
  • Survey and informal feedback from the attendees.
  1. What are/were the expected outcomes?
  2. A quality, high-profile event.
  3. Promote the brand of the event, and of the hosting organizations, including ACG
  4. What are some lessons learned?
  5. Generally, all about inter-group dynamics.
  6. Important to understand the economic models of each of the hosting groups
  7. Determine roles/responsibilities for all the activities to produce the event.
  8. Determine leadership roles for the broad, intergroup team. Communicate regularly.
  9. Work hard to get sponsorship dollars
  10. What will you do differently next time?
  11. Work harder to align the vision between the groups. Maintain leadership support from all groups.
  12. More regular and thorough team conference calls and/or coordination meetings.
  13. Start sponsorship efforts earlier and at higher levels.
  14. Figure out a way to promote it more deeply within the ACG membership.
  15. Better coordination between groups, including smoother registration.
  16. Address admin and working styles more deeply to avoid gaps and friction.

Additional Comments: