ESOP Association Announces Calendar of Key Activities Through June 2021

The ESOP Association is announcing its planned schedule of events and activities that will carry the employee ownership community through the end of this year and into 2021. While all plans at this time are necessarily subject to change—no one can anticipate exactly when or how the COVID-19 pandemic may affect our nation in the future—we feel it is important to share this schedule now, so our community can plan to engage in these important activities.

October 2020

Employee Ownership Month—October is famous for celebrating employee ownership, and to help make your celebrating a little easier, we have done some of the work for you. The latest addition: Five free quizzes for you and your fellow employee owners to take! These are great ways to help everyone sharpen their knowledge related to:

• ESOP Facts
• ESOPs and Employee Owners
• How ESOPs Work
• ESOP Advocacy
• ESOP Association History

After taking each quiz you will receive feedback on your answers and be directed to a special web page with additional related online resources, so you can keep learning. All five quizzes are available now in the Employee Ownership Month network on The HUB.

AACE Winners to be Announced—Judging for the Annual Awards for Communication Excellence is nearly complete, and winners and runners up will be announced in late October.

EOM Poster—The winning entry in the Employee Ownership Month Poster competition has been selected. All corporate members will receive one free poster. Want another copy? Limited quantities are available for sale in the ESOP Store.

November

National Election—Our elected representatives use voter registration lists to know which of their constituents actively vote, and which ones don’t. This is one reason why nothing is more important to employee ownership advocacy efforts than casting your vote. Don’t forget to request your ballot and send it in, or vote in-person, on Nov. 3.

ESOP 2020: Resilience and Renewal—[add link] TEA’s new virtual event provides the technical content you’ve come to expect from us in November and would usually receive in person in Las Vegas.

December

EOF/UPenn CEO Leadership Program, Part I—This unique, two-week program is designed especially for leaders of ESOP companies and their designated successors. The first week typically takes place in the summer but was moved to December in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A few slots remain for this program but are going fast, so we encourage you to register today.

International Employee Ownership Center—The ESOP Association and Employee Ownership Foundation will move into their new headquarters on Dec. 15. Planning has begun for a Grand Opening in spring 2021. To learn more about the amazing new capabilities this facility will offer for enhancing and expanding the employee ownership movement, see our press release or the cover story in the September ESOP Report. 

Winter Webinar Series Begins—Stay tuned for more information on the latest round of top-notch virtual content available from The ESOP Association.

January

Congress Sworn In—On Jan. 3, all new and returning members of Congress will take the oath of office. Mark the date, and make plans to congratulate your elected officials.

State and Regional Chapter Council Meeting—The first 2021 meeting of TEA’s 100+ chapter officers is tentatively scheduled for January 10-11. This meeting provides chapter officers the tools and training they use throughout the year to provide our members with top-notch programming and service. We are hoping to hold this event in the new International Center for Employee Ownership in Washington, D.C.; if conditions are not favorable for an in person gathering, this event will take place virtually.

Presidential Inauguration—The winner of the November presidential election will be sworn into office on January 20.

February

Professionals’ Forum—With a special focus on education, collaboration, and providing our professional advisors with the tools they need to service the ESOP community, this annual gathering of professional advisors to ESOP companies is unique in the employee ownership community.

Keep an eye out for an invitation—this event sells out quickly. Specific dates and location will be set soon, based upon evolving conditions.

AACE and EOM Poster Entries Due—Entries for the 2021 Annual Awards for Communications Excellence and Employee Ownership Month poster competitions will be due at The ESOP Association’s new headquarters location on Feb. 13.

Information on updated requirements for entering both competitions will be forthcoming.

Spring Chapter Meetings Begin—Keep an eye on your email and on The HUB for announcements of the spring events taking place in your chapter.

March

CEO Leadership Program, Part II—The second week of this program, originally scheduled for December, will take place March 21-25.

Spring Chapter Meetings Continue—Our 18 chapters typically produce more than 100 events each year, and spring is when it all gets started. Whether virtual or in person, these promise to be exceptional opportunities to learn and gather with local ESOP companies and advisors.

May

May 5-7, 2021, National Conference and Advocacy Day, Annual Awards Celebration and Gala—Held annually in Washington D.C., this year’s event will be a special opportunity for our community to gather once again.

The 2021 gathering will be especially important because of changes resulting from the 2020 fall elections and the national policy implications that could follow. Get your advocacy shoes ready! Make your plans today to participate in this critically important event that benefits all employee owners through advocacy and engagement with our leaders in Washington.

Next year will offer a much more intensive advocacy focus, with additional advocacy training and coordinated interaction with elected officials. We will also be moving to a newly renovated, more spacious venue—the Renaissance Washington, D.C. Downtown Hotel.

Finally, keep an eye out for announcements regarding the grand opening of the new International Center for Employee Ownership on Capitol Hill, your new home-base for employee ownership advocacy and education.

June

Employee Owner Retreat—This event, designed especially for educating employee owners, is expected to take place in June. Final details on location and dates are still being determined.

Summer Webinar Series Launches—Get ready for another round of outstanding content, just a mouse click away.

Chapter Summer Events Begin—We hope that by summer our chapters will be able to meet in person so we can gather for education, networking, golf, and barbecues.

The Rest of 2021

We continue to work on developing events to be added to the calendar later in the year. Last year’s inaugural Professionals’ Forum Summer Edition was so well received that we are working on plans for a second installment in mid summer 2021. And, as always, we will have a round of fall chapter meetings and our Employee Ownership Month celebration in October.

Next year, we look forward to a return of our premiere fall conference, Employee Owned, which is slated to take place Nov. 10-13 in the revamped Caesar’s Palace Conference Center.