Every year NESPA volunteers come together to attend the Congress of Committees, a meeting where our most engaged members come together to collaborate on chapter and board leadership and strategic planning for NESPA committees. Due to safety guidelines and to follow meeting restrictions currently in place, NESPA staff shifted this in-person event to a two-day virtual event for our volunteer members.

On the first day of the event, our speaker Alan Kleinfeld from Arrive Conference Solutions presented an interactive discussion entitled Role Models: Leadership in a Crisis. Each NESPA Chapter worked together via breakout rooms to discuss traits and scenarios which will help them both within their day to day jobs, and as a NESPA volunteer. In the evening of the first day, we also held a virtual happy hour for Volunteer Recognition.

Day two attendees spent their time developing tactics and action items for the upcoming year. NESPA's four super committees – Education, Policy & Governance, Programs & Services, and Membership – got to work on the best ways to develop tools and resources for our members and the industry as a whole.  Other committee goals include developing ongoing, virtual education, growth of education speakers, increased support and recognition of NESPA volunteers, development of member benefits through our money savings programs, and review of the current government affairs program based on lessons learned during COVID-19 pandemic.

NESPA staff and volunteers proved that even though we couldn't be together in the same building, our engagement, excitement, and innovation still exists.