Here at DRI Headquarters in Chicago, the office is buzzing with excitement as we make final preparations for our 2015 Annual Meeting next week (Wednesday October 7th – Sunday October 11th) in Washington, D.C.! I have included some tips and highlights below of how to get the most out of your Annual Meeting experience.
- Get inspired – the 64th and 65th Secretaries of State of the U.S., General Colin Powell and Madeline Albright, will be together on the same stage at 9:00 AM on Thursday.
- Get motivated – you’re out of the office, maximize your time at the event with an impressive lineup of keynote speakers, including: former U.S. Attorney General and Legal Counsel to President George W. Bush, Judge Alberto Gonzales; Legal Counsel to President Barack Obama, Kathryn Ruemmler; leading public opinion experts Peter Hart and Bill McInturff; award-winning author and historian Michael Beschloss; leadership expert and Tier-One Navy SEAL Rob O’Neill; award-winning legal affairs correspondent for NPR Nina Totenberg; and Paralympic gold-medalist swimmer Mallory Weggemann.
- Get connected – with real people, not emails at the Welcome Reception from 6:30-8:00 PM on Wednesday.
- Get noticed – the First-Time Attendees Orientation followed by a reception for new members is designed to help you learn how to maximize your DRI membership, discover programs of interest to you and leadership opportunities, and mingle with fellow new members.
- Get involved – Network with other members substantive law committees at practice area CLE sessions, committee dine-arounds, and business meetings occurring through the conference. If you are not currently a member of a committee, signing up is easy and free at: http://dri.org/Committee/CommitteeSignup.
- Get smarter – Earn up to 13 hours of CLE across a wide variety of sessions and topics featuring industry-leading speakers and moderators.
- Get business – the Annual Meeting offers unique networking programs to help you meet new colleagues including the Diversity Networking Reception, the Women’s Networking Luncheon, and the DRI Veterans Network Luncheon.
- Get happy– Thursday night, enjoy a Casino Night at the beautiful and historic Mellon Auditorium. Saturday night’s President’s Gala features cocktails, live auction, elegant dining, and a performance by Capitol Steps.
To further keep up with the Annual Meeting, make sure you look through the event brochure (www.dri.org/event_brochures/2015AM.pdf) and follow @DRI2015AM on Twitter. We will see you there!
Mark Jacobson — DRI Senior Coordinator, Membership Strategy
