Last October I was unable to attend the Partnership Symposium, a credit union conference sponsored jointly by FORUM Solutions and Trabian. I was greatly disappointed because my peers who were there said it was a highlight of their year.

So I’m very excited to announce that I have been invited to deliver a keynote at this year’s Partnership Symposium. Some of the other amazing speakers already announced include some of my favourite CU peers and thought leaders: Tim McAlpine, Morriss Partee, Robbie Wright and Gene Blishen (with more to follow I’m sure).

I have proposed the following as my topic, and I’d love feedback from you on this. Does it sound interesting? Am I missing anything at a high level?

Engaging with the Social Economy
A growing segment of the economy is being driven by social decision-making. Credit unions play a natural key role in this shift, both as community-focused organizations and as holders of significant consumer assets. This presentation will include examples of the emerging social economy, as well as a case study of ChangeEverything.ca, a social network created by Vancity which speaks to the values the largest credit union in Canada shares with the community it serves.

UPDATE (Feb 4, 2008): Ron Shevlin was just added to the lineup in a very interesting way:

Ron Shevlin will serve as the host for the 2008 Partnership Symposium. He will spend time with each presenter following their session to ask a couple of questions and engage the audience in asking their questions. This is an interactive conference and Ron will help ensure that everyone takes part!

I’m nervous and excited to work with Ron in this way. He’s tough, but all in search of making us better, more rigourous marketers.