EO22: Our Largest and Best Ever Employee Owned Conference

Thank you to the more than 2,000 employee owners and ESOP professionals who attended Employee Owned 2022 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas!

EO22 kicked off with quite a bang, as opening keynote speaker Joe Theismann captivated attendees with his inspirational tales that combined stories of leadership, performing at the highest levels, and overcoming adversity. This was actually the second time this year that Joe spoke to TEA members. After his performance during our CEO Summit in August, we were so impressed that we wanted to make sure our broader membership got to hear his unique brand of wisdom, delivered with his inimitable combination of charm, wit, and humility.

This year’s event was our largest and most comprehensive yet, featuring more than 120 speakers and more than 60 concurrent sessions. Our concurrent sessions, the heart of EO22’s educational programming, covered all aspects of ESOP operations, governance, leadership, and culture and provided learning opportunities for the most seasoned ESOP veterans and new employee owners alike. The TEA team worked hard to secure speakers who were among the top experts in their respective fields, ensuring that attendees would have access to the most relevant, timely, and impactful information in each of our concurrent sessions.

Day Two’s keynote speaker, Michael C. Bush, is one of the foremost experts on what makes a company truly great. His organization, Great Place to Work, creates many of Fortune Magazine’s annual Best Workplaces rankings, including the 100 Best Companies to Work For and the World’s 25 Best Workplaces lists. In his lively, engaging presentation, Michael clearly identified the key traits of the best and worst kinds of leaders and companies, and made a highly compelling business case for an Innovation By All approach to workplace culture.

Also taking place at EO22 was the 2022 edition of the Annual Awards for Communications Excellence, the AACE Awards. Competition for this year’s awards was fierce, as many ESOPs vied for top honors and submitted entries that impressed our judges and made deciding the winners very difficult. More information on this year’s winners can be found here. And don’t forget, with the deadline for 2023 submissions coming up this spring, it’s not too early to start thinking about your ESOPs entries for next year’s AACE Awards!

To close out the conference, TEA President and CEO Jim Bonham delivered the final keynote address of EO22. Titled A Turning Point: Two Futures, One Opportunity, Bonham provided his keen insights gleaned from his long career in senior leadership positions in business and politics. Jim’s address focused on why ESOPs are as strong as ever, as well as pitfalls that lie ahead for our community and the ways we can address these issues before they bloom into crises. Jim’s address is a must-watch for anyone concerned with the future of ESOPs and our unique community and culture. If you missed this speech, or any of the other keynote speeches or concurrent sessions, conference attendees can access them for 30 days following EO22.

As with all Employee Owned events, the networking and social activities were also not to be missed. There was a buzz in the air during the opening reception at EO22, as employee owners and ESOP professionals gathered to reconnect with old friends and make new acquaintances in our revamped and expanded Communities & Pavilion space. Opening night also featured our first ever Women in ESOPs event, hosted by TEA Vice Chair Karen Ellis and EOF Chair Cindy Turcot along with other women members of the TEA Board of Directors, to celebrate the contributions of women in the ESOP community.

On the second night of EO22, we once again took over the famous Eiffel Tower restaurant at the Paris Hotel for two great events. Our annual Celebration of Employee Ownership benefitting the Employee Ownership Foundation was a big hit, with great food and drinks being served against the backdrop of the Bellagio fountain across the street. Our 007-themed event was a great success, and the fundraising leaders for our annual ESOPATHON event were announced. After that wrapped up, our emerging leaders closed out the evening with a late-night event featuring table game lessons hosted by Vegas pros.

EO22 was truly a comprehensive, technical, and inspirational event—we’re already looking forward to next year!

Did you miss any sessions at EO22 that you wanted to attend? We’ve got you covered! All EO22 General Sessions and Concurrent Sessions are now uploaded and available for attendees to watch at their convenience until December 15, 2022.

We’d also like to thank our many sponsors for their critical support of EO22 and employee ownership. Their generous contributions make it possible to hold the most comprehensive, informative, and fun events for employee owners throughout the United States. We couldn’t have done it without you!

If you couldn’t join us in-person or virtually for EO22, Employee Owned 2023 is less than a year away! We’ll be back at the fabulous Caesars Palace in Las Vegas from November 8-10, 2023. Please mark your calendars and save the date, EO23 will be here before you know it!

In the meantime, check out the 2023 events calendar for Spring Chapter events, dates for the Professionals’ Forum and CEO Summit, and TEA’s National Conference 2023 in Washington, DC.