Communicate in Full Color

Speaker: Scott Schwefel, Author and Leadership Coach

Communicate in Full Color is centered around the Insights Discovery model, which uses four color energies to help individuals understand their communication styles and improve interpersonal interactions. Enhance self-awareness by recognizing your own communication strengths and challenges, improve teamwork and leadership through better understanding of personality dynamics and adapt communication strategies to connect more effectively with colleagues, clients and stakeholders. Gain insights to strengthen relationships by learning to appreciate and work with different personality types. With engaging storytelling and practical applications, Scott Schwefel delivers actionable insights that empower teams to communicate more effectively and drive better results in the workplace.

Boosting Membership With the ABC Retirement & Savings Plan
Speakers: Larry Crocker, Fiduciary Consulting Group Inc., and Steff Chalk, Fiduciary Consulting Group Inc.

Learn how the ABC Retirement & Savings Plan delivers significant value, savings and protection to ABC chapters and members. Find out how the plan is driving recruitment, retention and members’ financial security. Discover insights into leveraging the plan’s flexible design, reducing liability and taking advantage of auto-enrollment, profit-sharing and Roth 401(k) options. Explore proven and practical strategies for streamlining benefits management that empower members to achieve a competitive edge.

Deploying an Effective Construction Field Leadership
Program for Members
Speakers: Wendy Harris, Vice President of Education, ABC Ohio Valley; Cathy Tyler, Director of Workforce Development, NCCER

Effective field leadership is crucial to the success of any construction project. Helping members prepare and upskill their field leadership will have a positive impact on profitability, safety and client satisfaction. Learn how to implement a comprehensive, value-adding construction field leadership program for members. Gain the knowledge and tools necessary to deploy this type of program at your chapter.

60-Minute Deep Dive: Maximizing Leadership Impact with Insights Discovery (invitation-only for chapter leaders)
Following his "Communicate in Full Color" keynote, Scott Schwefel will lead an exclusive 60-minute deeper dive session for chapter leaders. This interactive session will leverage the full-length Insights Discovery Personal Profile to provide a comprehensive, in-depth look at each participant’s unique leadership and communication style. Using the powerful Insights Discovery framework, Scott will guide leaders through:

• Understanding your personal leadership style: How your natural strengths and potential blind spots impact decision-making, communication and team dynamics
• Adapting to different personalities: Practical strategies for flexing leadership approaches to better connect with volunteers, staff and stakeholders
• Enhancing motivation and engagement: How to inspire action and commitment by leveraging the right communication techniques for different personality types
• Managing conflict and driving results: Tools to navigate challenging conversations, resolve disputes and create a culture of collaboration

Marketing and Events Magic: Peer-to-Peer Power Hour

Ready to spark fresh ideas and tackle event marketing like a pro? This collaborative session brings marketing and events gurus together to share creative solutions, swap best practices and brainstorm strategies that truly engage members. Bring your challenges, success stories and big ideas—leave with actionable insights and inspiration to take your events to the next level!

Membership Professionals Campfire Session

Gather ’round the campfire for an informal peer-to-peer session where membership professionals can share their best practices, success stories and valuable lessons learned. This relaxed, open-forum discussion will allow you to connect with peers, exchange ideas and dive into real-world strategies that are driving results in member recruitment, engagement and retention.

Peer to Peer by Job Function—Education Professionals

Learning from peers who are facing the same challenges you are is a powerful and time-tested strategy for personal development. You’ll be paired with chapters employees who are subject matter experts in your job function. Bring your best ideas, examples and challenges to share!

Peer to Peer by Job Function—Executive

Join this session for chapter executives and work with fellow leaders and experts to share strategies and tackle challenges. Bring your ideas, share your experiences, and leave with practical insights to boost your chapter's performance and improve your leadership skills.

Websites That Wow: Tips for Compliance and Performance

Learn how to take your chapter’s website from good to great with tips on accessibility, branding and functionality. This session dives into hyperlinking rules, ADA-compliant color contrast, image optimization, SEO basics, font standards, ad placement strategies and analytics tracking. Gain free tools and actionable insights to maintain a site that wows your audience while staying compliant!

Cultivating a Member Workforce Pipeline With the Coalition on Adult Basic Education

Speakers: Cathy Tyler, Director of Workforce Development, NCCER

Creating a workforce pipeline is critical to address the continued workforce shortage. During this session you will learn how to engage with COABE to gain access to work-ready adults for your members and how to partner with COABE as a resource to deliver trade education for those adults just beginning their journey.

Building Strong Partnerships: Leveraging Relationships and Sponsorship Opportunities for Mutual Success

In today’s interconnected world, the ability to forge and maintain meaningful relationships is crucial for growth and success. This session will explore the art of building lasting partnerships and how to unlock the power of sponsorships to create win-win opportunities.

Culture Creators: Boosting Connections With Contractors

A panel of proven membership leaders will explore the essential components of building a strong chapter culture that fosters meaningful connections with members and drives sustained engagement. Learn how to create an inclusive environment that resonates with your members, ensuring they feel valued and motivated to stay involved. Get the tools and insights you need to take your membership experience to the next level.

Build, Maintain and Enhance Your Chapter’s Health and Safety Offerings

Speaker: Joe Xavier, Senior Director of Health and Safety, ABC National

Do you find it challenging to get members excited about health and safety? Learn how to maximize your success using nationally promoted programs. This session includes a summary of all the health and safety tools and best practices and where to find resources to enable your chapter to be a leader in health and safety.

Tech Partners Unpacked: Maximizing ABC’s Marketplace and Alliance
Featuring: ABC Tech Alliance Partners
Moderator: Matt Abeles, Vice President, Construction Technology and Innovation, ABC National

Dive into the power of ABC’s Tech Marketplace and Tech Alliance during this speed-networking session! Discover the innovative tools, resources and exclusive member benefits these partnerships offer. Discover ways to support member success and showcase value to your chapter. Walk away with fresh ideas and strategies to make the most of these tech-driven collaborations!

Bridging the Gap: Leveraging National Government Affairs Resources

Take your chapter’s advocacy efforts to the next level! This session reveals the powerful tools, resources and support available from the national government affairs team. Learn how to keep your members informed, engaged and ready to take action on key issues. Discover strategies to turn national efforts into local impact and drive meaningful change in legislation that supports merit shop construction.

Speed Networking With the ABC National Government Affairs Team

Connect with your ABC National government affairs experts and get your burning questions answered—from how a bill becomes law to communicating the merit shop philosophy. Enjoy quality one-on-one time with the team, discover ABC’s robust advocacy for members and empower your chapter with insider insights. Don't miss this exclusive opportunity to engage directly with the team to discover tips to engage your chapter!

Best of ABC Recognition and Luncheon

This fun awards luncheon honors the incredible achievements of our chapters and celebrates staff anniversaries that showcase years of dedication and excellence. It is a great time to reflect on milestones, applaud hard work and recognize the passion that drives our success together!

Freshly Baked: New Approaches to Old Topics

Discover new ways to elevate your own membership program. Join us for this interactive panel session where you can tap into the collective wisdom of some of the most innovative membership professionals in ABC. Through real-world examples and candid discussions, experienced membership directors will highlight fresh ideas for member recruitment, engagement and retention, as well as creative solutions to the challenges they have faced.

Exploring ABC Apprenticeship Programs and Debunking the Top 10 ERISA Myths

Join us as we delve into the intricacies of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and debunk the top 10 most common myths. This session aims to highlight and clarify common misunderstandings related to the administration of chapter apprenticeship and training programs.

Digital Marketing Demystified: Unlocking Tools and Tactics

Get ready to conquer digital marketing with confidence! This session will unveil the secrets of SEO, analytics and ads, making them easy to understand and fun to apply. Whether you’re promoting events, growing membership or driving engagement, you’ll gain practical tools and tips to level up your strategy—without techy jargon or headaches. Bonus: insider tricks to make your digital campaigns shine!

Accreditation: Navigating the Process

This panel discussion will focus on the accreditation process. We’ll explore how the scoresheet is developed, how the process of accreditation is conducted and tips for a successful accreditation experience.

Marketing + Membership Peer-to-Peer Mashup: Driving Success Together

Calling all marketing and membership pros! This collaborative session is your chance to swap success stories, brainstorm creative strategies and tackle common challenges. Discover how marketing can supercharge membership growth and retention and walk away with fresh ideas and actionable tips to boost engagement and strengthen your chapter’s impact. Let’s succeed together!

Working With Committees: Maximizing Members’ Efforts

As a staff liaison to a committee, you have an incredible opportunity to help members have a positive leadership role in the chapter. This session explores your responsibilities and offers best practices on how to effectively work with your chapter committees. Come prepared to learn and share!

Design. Engage. Convert. Mastering Social and Email Strategies

Elevate your marketing game with essential tactics across social and email channels. Learn to craft stunning graphics using Canva, target audiences for enhanced email conversions and build social media campaigns that boost engagement. Discover actionable strategies—from AI design hacks to scroll-stopping posts—that drive results and build lasting connections, no matter your experience level.

Awesome Onboarding

A panel of top membership directors will share the art of creating an onboarding experience that not only welcomes new members but sets them up for long-term success and engagement. This session will show you how to craft a seamless, impactful onboarding process that leaves new members feeling excited and empowered.

Celebrating 75 Years of ABC: Where We Started and Where We’re Going

Join ABC National Chair David Pugh and ABC President and CEO Mike Bellaman as they lead a conversation about ABC’s past, present and future celebrating our 75th anniversary. Starting with the merit shop philosophy and our founding principles, they will explore the rich history and bright future of ABC. Share your passion for the merit shop, fair and open competition, and the next 75 years of ABC excellence.