You need a shot-in-the-arm, pick-me-up-and-shake-me, highly-caffeinated adrenaline rush.

Working in a vacuum sucks

It’s the beginning of a brand new year. For many of you it also starts a new budget cycle, and hopefully your budget grew a little this year.

Of course, that probably means expectations will be higher as well.

So the last thing you can afford to do is to be stuck in your office, trying to get better results using the same tools and recycling the same old boring themes you’ve tried to re-invent each of the last few years.

You need a chance to meet new people, experience new ideas. You need a shot-in-the-arm, pick-me-up-and-shake-me, highly-caffeinated adrenaline rush.

You need to go to a credit union marketing conference.

Some of our favorites are the CUNA Marketing and Business Development Council Conference (CMBDC), the MAC Annual Conference, and the CU Water Cooler.

CMBDC continues to be the biggest marketing-focused conference, with plenty of information for CUs of all sizes. Go early for the pre-conference workshops if you can arrange the time away.

MAC (Marketing Association of Credit Unions) is smaller, but also a bit friendlier. Most presentations are in the main room instead of having to pick a topic then run around to find it. But since MAC is “about Marketers, for Marketers, and by Marketers,” you’ll have lots in common with those around you.

Perhaps the most unique conference is the CU Water Cooler. Big ideas, unique perspectives, a mixture of people from different credit union departments, and even a few attendees from Canadian CUs make this event a must-attend. 

NAFCU’s Strategic Growth Conference is another option, and some of the state leagues also have marketing-oriented conferences. If you have any good recommendations to pass along to other readers, please add a comment below.

But if you can’t attend one of these conferences, at least be sure to connect with your peers and see what others are doing.

Because working in a vacuum sucks.

Kent Dicken
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