WEI Spring Energy Symposium

Help us Spread the Word

2010-11-16T07:27:00.000-08:00

The program mailer for SES is on its way to your desk and the full digital brochure will be ready by the end of the month. Help us spread the word internally by posting this to your break rooms, intranet sites and forwarding to colleagues.

SES Planning Dates

2010-08-23T08:25:00.000-07:00

Hey PDTs,

As mentioned, here are the planning dates you saw on the 11th. The key date to remember is October 22nd, when we need to have all speakers booked and a short session description for the brochure. Thanks for helping us save some paper by receiving this information electronically!

2011 SES Planning Schedule Released

2010-07-14T07:49:00.000-07:00

This will be provided onsite for all PDTs, but as a sneak peek, here is the latest version of the conference layout for 2011:

Save the Date for 2011

2010-02-22T11:26:00.000-08:00

We have secured our venue for the 2011 SES in downtown Seattle, WA at the Grand Hyatt from March 16-18, 2011. We picked this location for several reasons including its proximity to several members, the ability to take the new Link Light Rail from the airport, room rate and quality of facilities. It may not be as sunny as Tempe, AZ but we're going to have just as much fun sampling the world class food, entertainment (within walking distance of the Pike Place Old Market) and other networking events we'll provide.

We also selected the new Wednesday-Friday format as there are several city-wide events filling up venues earlier that week and to allow folks to stay over the weekend. See you there in 2011!

Date for August Planning Meeting for 2011 Set

2010-02-19T12:00:00.000-08:00

Interested in joining the Program Development Teams responsible for this annual event?

Mark your calendars for our one day, intensive planning session in Portland, OR on August 11th from 8:00-4:00 PM. We've moved the group downtown, right off the MAX light rail to the brand new Courtyard by Marriott property near the Pioneer Courthouse Square. We've also negotiated a great rate of $115/night for those that need to travel in the night before.

If you have not participate before, contact Tai Danforth, Senior Program Manager at danforth@westernenergy.org and 971-244-4968 to join this leadership and networking opportunity prepared by WEI’s Board of Directors and Executive Planning Committees. When submitting your interest please include your full contact information, desired track, and any interest in track leadership opportunities (Chair, Vice Chair, Mentor). All new 2011 Program Development Team members will receive a brief one-on-one virtual visit with Tai to help prepare you for this intensive brainstorming and planning session as well as review your role lasting from August 2010 to March 2011.

Come be a part of a conference designed by members for members—we make hard work fun!

SES Attendance Update

2010-02-15T12:00:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

As we are just a few weeks out from the big event, many members have been asking, "How are the attendance numbers?" At peak, we will have over 170 participants with 75% of that number composed of utilities. We also have double the number of vendor participants this year with 12 displays. Distribution by track is as follows [may not add up to total delegate number due to those not assigned to tracks]:

Communications: 21
Customer: 39
Human Resources: 26
Innovative Business: 19
Regulatory: 18
Sustainable Resources: 24

Thank You Platinum, Gold and Program Sponsors

2010-02-01T12:00:00.000-08:00

To our vendors, thank you for being a part of what we believe may be one of the most successful Spring Energy Symposium's WEI has managed! Attendees can learn more about our vendor roundup by downloading/viewing the latest vendor roster at the individual track schedules at www.westernenergy.org/ses or directly here.

Our 2010 Platinum Sponsors are:

Black & Veatch
Economists.com
Henkels & McCoy
KEMA
Siemens
T.D. Williamson, Inc.
Vertex

Our 2010 Gold Sponsor is:

PECI

We'd also like to thank our Monday, March 8th breakfast and lunch sponsor, The Mosaic Company.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T12:00:00.001-08:00

Happy holidays and happy new year to all of our planning members. In case you did not receive it yet, look for a small thank you to arrive in the mail...

New SES Brochure Available for Download

2010-01-01T12:00:00.000-08:00

Help promote the event internally by sharing the newly posted SES brochure available on the SES Program Details Page: http://www.westernenergy.org/ses/brochure.pdf

New SES Schematic

2009-10-01T17:00:00.000-07:00

Updated schematic with finalized order of events. Thanks to all those who have sent in their session titles and speakers. The next deadline is October 30th for all session descriptions and speaker bios to WEI. WEI staff is in the process of providing logistical information to PDT confirmed speakers and registration will open this week.

RE: Adjustments to Customer Track Schedule

2009-09-02T10:48:00.000-07:00

There was a small mix-up regarding the order of the Customer Track sessions. The original schematic created in the August 4th meeting holds true and the subsequent planning outlines provided by WEI are not the correct ordering of sessions. We realize this may impact a few of the booked speakers and their availability so we wanted to get this message out ASAP to avoid that as much as possible. An accurate schedule will be made available to the Customer PDT today and the conference schematic will also be updated at the PDT planning portal.

Unique Spotlight Opportunity for WEI's Service Company Members

2009-08-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

Whether providing subject matter experts, sponsoring breaks and meals, or helping us market an event, WEI's service company members are an essential part of what we do here at WEI. With the advent of WEI's first SES blog, we invite service company members who are intending on displaying and participating in SES to step forward now and commit, and in return of an early commitment, they will receive three editorial spots and their logo on continuous display at this blog as well as links to their site.

This blog is open to the public, and focused readership includes WEI's SES Program Development Team members, members of our Executive Planning Committees and general membership. For more information on this unique opportunity, contact Tai Danforth at danforth@westernenergy.org or 971.255.4968.

Corporate Office Has a New Name - Innovative Business

2009-08-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

Just a quick announcement, the "Corporate Office" track which includes topics such as:

Knowledge & Records Management,
Visualizing Your Way to Better Performance (Business Intelligence, Data Warehousing, Reporting, Team Site Dashboards, SharePoint), and
The Aesthetics of Governance - Elegance & Politics (Governance and Valuing IT in the business)

will now be called "Innovative Business." In addition to a CIO panel, this track will also have a power table with an emphasis on "Going Green."

Currently Planned Conference Calls by Track

2009-08-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

Here is a quick list of currently scheduled conference calls by track all in Pacific Time:

Innovative Business (Previously Corporate Office) is meeting every other Monday, starting August 11th from 9:00-10:00 AM

Regulatory meets every Thursday, starting August 13th from 2:00-3:00 PM

Subgroup for Customer Engagement meets every Tuesday, starting August 18th from 1:30-2:30 PM

Sustainable Resources' first meeting is August 26th from 10:00-11:00 AM

Human Resources meets August 27th, September 10th and 24th from 3:00-4:00 PM

Communications meets every other Wednesday, starting August 19th from 9:00-10:00 AM

For dial-in info, contact Tai Danforth at danforth@westernenergy.org

Updated Conference Schematic

2009-08-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who came out to show your support and share your invaluable expertise at the August 4th Planning Meeting. Updates are forthcoming, but here is a quick look at the updated conference schematic:

What is a Program Development Team Member?

2009-07-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

There are three main Program Development Team roles: Mentor, Chair (and sometimes Vice Chair), and Member. All roles are integral to making all of WEI's annual meetings a success (including SES), and without the leadership and expertise of our membership, we would not be able to design the intelligent and streamlined meetings we've achieved in the past. We are happy to report that many of our members continue to share how much they derive best practices and new ideas from these networking and educational opportunities that directly apply to their job and assist in making improvements to their organization.

The PDT Member collaborates with their team to design a robust agenda for their track that addresses the greatest universal challenges, the right experts to discuss such challenges, and the perfect format for each session (roundtable, workshop, lecture, etc.). Their participation is needed in regular planning calls which will be scheduled and general availability determined during the August 4th planning meeting.

The Chair (and sometimes accompanied by a Vice Chair) will ensure the planning stays on track, and will interview potential subject matter experts to determine if the topic is heading in the right direction. They may even go as far as asking for a draft outline or sample slides for a previous presentation to determine if they are a right fit for the conference objective. The meat of the planning will take place during some of our busiest months, mid-August through mid-November. By mid-November, a hefty brochure with the full agenda, session abstracts and speakers will be published online. Adherence to this timeline is essential in making sure the event is adequately advertised in advance and the Chair and/or Vice Chair is pivotal in making that happen.

The Mentor is a seasoned WEI member who may be a member of the Executive Planning Committee and is an invaluable resource to our planning team. They may not attend all calls, but will be available to make sure all the best topics are on the planning table, can further define what the Executive Planning Committees are looking for, and may also offer advice on speakers to approach or solve any obstacles that may arrive in planning such a big event.

For more information on these roles, visit WEI's website using the left navigation bar and select Committees>Roles & Responsibilities.

Preview of Draft SES Agenda Schematic

2009-07-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Spring Energy Symposium draft agenda is starting to shape up and will undergo even more changes at the August 4th Planning Meeting in Portland, OR. The Program Development Teams (PDTs) will break out by track to brainstorm, prioritize and start plugging in hot topics and recommended subject matter experts for each session. Currently, there are five sessions per track including the Power Table (whose final time slot is subject to negotiation).

What are the Tracks for SES?

2009-07-27T21:27:00.000-07:00

A few of our members recently asked, "What are the tracks for the 2010 Spring Energy Symposium?" Set by our Executive Planning Committees in May 2009, separately known as Customer Connections and Corporate Services, the following six tracks will premier at SES 2010:

Communications
Customer
Sustainable Resources
Regulatory
Human Resources
Corporate Office

The objective for each track is defined in the notes accompanying this May 2009 meeting, and will be provided during the August 4th Planning Meeting Portland. For further information about getting involved in a track as a Program Development Team Member, Chair or Mentor, please email Tai Danforth at danforth@westernenergy.org.

August Planning Meeting in Portland

2009-07-21T09:27:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Western Energy Institute's (WEI) first blog, designed to support our members and wonderful volunteers planning the 2010 Spring Energy Symposium, at the Tempe Mission Palms in Tempe, AZ from March 7-9, 2010. Here all interested parties will find updates on tracks and planning meetings, information about the logistics of the conference, and general support for our members throughout the planning process, which will primarily occur during the months of August through November.

To kick off the planning (following a round of nominations within WEI's Executive Planning Committees), Program Development Teams (PDTs) will have an opportunity to learn more about the objective of this annual event and meet by track to establish topics to cover and subject matter experts to procure. If you have not registered for this free meeting already please do so right away. The meeting will be August 4, 2009 in Portland, OR at the Sheraton Airport Hotel from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Directions and hotel information is available here.