Hotel Information:

This year’s event will be held in Omaha, Nebraska at Embassy Suites Omaha – Downtown/Old Market

To say that the credit union industry is facing some of the most unique and complicated challenges in our lifetime may be an understatement. During our last Police Officers’ Credit Union Conference in May 2009 in Atlantic City we tackled some of those issues. Many of those same challenges, however, continue to persist today and almost certainly will far past the time we hold the Seventh Annual Police Officers’ Credit Union Conference in Omaha, Nebraska on May 2, 3, and 4, 2010.

That’s why our theme for the 2010 event will be on credit union survival. For our police credit unions under $100 million in assets we will be offering a program that has been requested over the past few years – Strategic Planning. This will not simply be a discussion or a session on planning. The program will be hands on and focused on each credit union’s unique problems, vision, and goals. By the end of the conference, each credit union will have at minimum a solid framework for a strategic plan that they can take back to management and board members not in attendance.

While the strategic planning curriculum will be beneficial to credit unions of any size, there are some that will be in attendance that may have already held a strategic planning session for their management and board. For those that fall under that category, they are welcome to bring their plan to be reviewed during the conference by the facilitators and participants. There will be value in reviewing the progress made in the plan for those that share them, as well as for those going through the process during the conference in that they will be able to learn from real-world examples.

For those attendees that would prefer to not attend either a portion of or the entire strategic planning process there will be breakout sessions provided. These will include discussions on using social media to market your credit union, how to navigate new challenges presented by our regulators, and finding alternative credit union providers given the impending restructuring of the corporate credit union system. A tour of the local police facilities in Omaha is also being planned. You will find a preliminary agenda for the event attached.

As with our prior events, Bator Training & Consulting, Inc. will manage and facilitate the 2010 program to be held in Omaha, Nebraska. Also, joining us in the management and facilitation of the conference will be our new Platinum Sponsor – S.T.A.R. Resources. The host of the Seventh Annual Police Officers’ Credit Union Conference will be Omaha Police Credit Union. The program will take place from May 2 to May 4, 2010 at the Embassy Suites Omaha – Downtown/Old Market.

The facilitators of the Strategic Planning track and some of our breakout sessions will be three experts that have led our programs before:

• Ken Bator, President of Bator Training & Consulting, Inc., who has facilitated several credit union strategic planning sessions in the past for institutions ranging from $10 million to $250 million in assets. He has also been an executive of two corporate credit unions and a $500 million natural-person credit union. Bator is an expert on management, marketing, and business development.
• James Butler, PhD, VP of Risk Management for Bator Training & Consulting, Inc., was a featured speaker during our inaugural Police Officers’ Credit Union Conference in 2004 in Chicago. He has two decades of experience in the financial services industry and is an expert on economics, consumer and commercial lending, and ALM.
• Mary Elizabeth Murphy, CPCC, Managing Director and Owner of S.T.A.R. Resources, has been a featured speaker during the Police Officers’ Credit Union Conference the past two years. She has helped credit unions and law-enforcement agencies reach new levels of performance through her training and is the author of the recently released book RESET Your Buttons. Murphy is an expert in organizational leadership and management effectiveness.

The early-bird rate for the event is $429 per person. For spouses and guests of attendees that would like to attend the reception and meals during the event but not the educational portion we offer the spouse/guest package with an early-bird rate of $79 per person. Those wishing to take advantage of either or both early-bird rates, can do so by completing the enclosed registration form and mailing it with the appropriate payment to:

Bator Training & Consulting, Inc.
P.O. Box 4844
Naperville, IL 60567

While there will certainly be flexibility during the conference, we ask that you list the number of attendees from your credit union that plan to attend the Strategic Planning Track and those that plan to attend the Breakout Track. This will help us greatly in our preparation for the event. We also strongly encourage those credit unions that will be attending the Strategic Planning Track to bring one laptop for the group. This will allow you to develop and write your credit union’s plan during the conference.

Early-bird registration will be available until January 31, 2009. The subsequent price per attendee will be $499 for the full conference and $99 for the spouse/guest package. Lodging may also be reserved at the Embassy Suites Omaha – Downtown/Old Market at reduced rates as low as $129 per night for the evenings of Sunday, May 2 and Monday, May 3. To make a reservation, and receive the special rate, simply call the Embassy Suites directly at (402) 346-9000 by April 1, 2010. Be sure to specify that you will be attending the Police Officers’ Credit Union Conference.

If there are any questions, comments, or concerns you may contact Ken Bator, President of Bator Training & Consulting, Inc. at 630-854-6380.

We look forward to seeing you in Omaha in May!