Winter member managers conference goes virtual

When it comes to winter weather, it’s important to be prepared for the unexpected. The Member and External Relations team at Basin Electric were faced with last minute changes when the Winter Member Managers Conference, usually held in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was changed to a virtual meeting only a few days prior to the event. With forecasted winds of up to 45 miles per hour and up to a foot of snow, the Sioux Falls region was under a blizzard warning. Highways were closed around the city, which made travel impossible for those who would have otherwise attended the meeting. 

“We had been monitoring the weather over the weekend and knew it would be a topic of conversation on Monday morning. Changing the meeting from in-person to virtual meant a lot of things needed to happen before Friday,” says Sarah Elder, Basin Electric event coordinator. The team sprang into action knowing they had only a few days to prepare. 

“I knew it was going to be a busy week,” says Tom Leingang, Basin Electric strategic planning administrator. “Priorities were constantly shuffling, and communication was key.” 

Everyone had a role to play from communicating with members, updating PowerPoints and condensing the agenda, to testing lights, cameras, and microphones. “Greg and I created the set, hung lights, set up cameras and microphones, and tested it all to make sure everything worked,” says Michael Hardy, Basin Electric multimedia specialist III/senior audio-visual producer. 

LaDonna Carpenter, Basin Electric Support Center supervisor, said even though they were on a short timeline, they were ready to help. "We got very good at helping with virtual meetings when we were all remote during COVID-19 quarantine so this was another opportunity to use those skills." The Support Center fielded the calls and Carpenter coordinated directly with the Communications team on any questions or problems that came up.

Part of the meeting was an open question and answer forum. “We have a good system in place to make it easy to communicate what is happening in Webex with those presenting in the room,” says Terri Schuette, Basin Electric executive administrative assistant. 

During the meeting, the team was in the control room communicating non-stop about any adjustments that needed to be made. “We were also in contact with the people watching the event virtually, so we knew what they were seeing throughout the meeting,” Schuette says. 

Overall things went smoothly, and while the week had its challenges, in the end teamwork saved the day. “Because we came together as a team, we were able to pull off a successful virtual meeting,” Elder says. 

Although it was disappointing not to get together in person, Hardy says he was happy management had safety in mind and made the decision to go virtual. 

Feedback has been positive from the membership. 

Team members included: 

• Sarah Elder, event coordinator
• Michael Hardy, multimedia specialist III/senior audio-visual producer
• Tom Leingang, strategic planning administrator
• Janene Pudwill, multimedia specialist III/senior graphic designer
• Terri Schuette, executive administrative assistant
• Greg Wheeler, multimedia specialist III/senior audio-visual producer
• Members of the Support Center