What Is ALTA SPRINGBOARD? Details Shared During Facebook Live Event

January 17, 2017

Looking around at the businesses of today and the changes they're making to succeed tomorrow, we know this is our opportunity to invest in lasting improvements. Telephones, taxis and hotels have turned into Skype, Uber and AirBnB. It's time to approach the industry in bold and new ways.

To offer title professionals a forum for fresh thinking and new insights, ALTA developed a new live-event experience called ALTA SPRINGBOARD.

ALTA President Dan Mennenoh ITP, NTP and CEO Michelle Korsmo participated in a Facebook Live event to invite the industry to attend the 2017 ALTA SPRINGBOARD, which will be held March 8-9 at the Omni Fort Worth in Fort Worth, Texas. Click here for the schedule and here to register. Early-bird registration and the hotel room block ends Feb. 3. You can view a recording of the live Facebook event here.  

“We’ve spent a lot of time listening to our members and learning what they want to experience at the conference,” Korsmo said. “We’ve provided a completely revamped format that gives attendees the ability to help advance their careers and grow their businesses. This is not a traditional meeting and will deliver a more personalized experience.”

Format

Walking through ALTA’s office, Mennenoh and Korsmo highlighted the significant changes that attendees will experience at SPRINGBOARD.

“You won’t sit in a conference room and have people talking to you,” Korsmo said. “We will start with a collaborative session with attendees at round tables. There will be a ring leader who will get the conversation started and assign duties to those in charge of zones. Then, we’ll distribute challenge questions on various topics.”

This collaborative approach gives attendees the opportunity to listen to others and learn new ways to solve similar problems experienced during their career or at their own company.

How vendors interact with attendees also will be different. Vendors are vital participants during a conference and have helped the industry with issues such as implementation of the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosures rule and compliance with Best Practices, such as protecting data and funds.

“With the innovation we are seeing, we have to find better ways to close transactions,” Mennenoh said. “Our vendors can really help us with this. This conference will help you get the time needed with these companies.”

Content

Faculty will lead the discussion on various topics including staffing, career advancement and customer experience. Within each topic, there will be different zones that will discuss different aspects of the issue. As an example, within staffing, conversations may revolve around onboarding, retention, training and professional development. For customer experience, discussions may dig into the closing experience, improving processing time, protecting data and funds and improving customer relationships. In the career advancement area, zone leaders may probe areas such as conflict resolution, how to be a good manager, how to advance in a company, improving efficiency and women in leadership.

ALTA will survey attendees before attending to learn what people want to learn or experience during SPRINGBOARD. This will help attendees decide which zone they will want to participate in during the conference.

Networking

The format provides individuals with a personalized experience. Attendees will spend more time sharing and networking instead of sitting back and listening. One of the exciting additions to the experience and to help attendees network is something called Brain Dating. This peer-learning hub will allow attendees to complete a profile, customize schedules and make online connections and schedule a Brain Date with fellow participants to discuss specific items.

“We all have our strengths and weaknesses,” Mennenoh said. “This is a great way to connect with others that have a level of expertise on a specific topic that you want to learn about or that someone may want to learn from you. You’ll be able to easily set up one-one-one meetings.”

This will be an easy way to meet and network with others, even for the introverts, according to Korsmo. Time will be available during the conference, but attendees will be free to schedule their own meetings.

Schedule

Instead of an opening reception the night before, SPRINGBOARD will start Wednesday morning. The meeting will go through the day. The opening day will conclude with a happy hour that will end at 6:30 p.m., giving the attendees the freedom to do as they wish during the evening. The meeting will pick back up the following morning. Committee meetings will be held after SPRINGBOARD has concluded. We want all the energy to be at SPRINGBOARD.

Attire

We’re changing up the dress code. SPRINGBOARD will be a jean-friendly conference. We want everyone to be comfortable and get the best out of the conference. Think of it as casual and comfortable.

Food

In the past, there have always been breaks for lunch. There will be smaller bites throughout the day so people can eat when they are hungry. No standing in line.


Contact ALTA at 202-296-3671 or communications@alta.org.