The best thing from IABC World Conference #iabc15

Aside from a few missed years, I regularly attend IABC World Conference. If you're a communicator and have never attended, it's definitely worth checking out at least once because you'll likely come back. This year's event was in San Francisco with more than 1,200 attendees. I had the fortune being on the conference's Program Advisory Committee and also spoke (and no, I didn't vote for myself). 

But regardless of where the event is held or how many attend (2015 was an increase over 2014's conference in Toronto), there's always one best thing every single year. 

The people

And this year proved no different. I want to take the time to thank those who worked hard to make the event a success, recognize some familiar faces and welcome new connections. 

Carlos Fulcher, Natasha Nicholson and the IABC staff
Of course, the IABC World Conference couldn't happen without volunteer involvement but it also takes staff to make it happen. In comparison to past World Conferences, it seems like the IABC crew was much more present and active. Executive Director Carlos Fulcher appears to be much more visible, engaging with members and non-members at the event. Natasha Nicholson, IABC's director of content, is always a delight to work with before the conference, wrangling volunteers and keeping the content machine running. And of course IABC is much bigger than just those two and I could never accurately put into words all that the rest of the staff do so I'll just say thanks. 

Preston Lewis
Preston is the founder & CEO of Intactic, this year's chair of the Program Advisory Committee AND always the first person I see when I go to registration at the event. . . without fail. Preston is a nice guy (probably too nice sometimes) and did a great job leading the PAC. It's always great to see and work with him. 

Elaine Beliakoff
This was the first time I had seen Elaine since the last time the World Conference was in San Francisco, back in 2009 (I think). We've both moved on to new jobs over the years but reconnecting at World Conference? It was like we had been in touch the entire time. She's now president-elect for the IABC Chapter in Orange County. I'm sure she'll do an amazing job there and in her new job. Look for us to (hopefully) co-present in 2016. 

Kat Drum
Don't let Kat fool you. She likes to dress in a chill California attitude but deep-down she's a hardworking Buckeye. (I can see her cringing as she reads this.) I met Kat at the 2014 World Conference through Twitter and we've stayed in touch since. From what I can tell, Kat is an all star at Aon Hewitt. She's one of those I turn to when looking to bounce ideas off of, knowing I'll get honest feedback. 

Steve and Cindy Crescenzo
I joke that Steve is the brother I never had. . . or probably wanted. But the truth is that there's mutual respect there. . . I think. Even if he likes to troll me about Indianapolis from his high and mighty Chicago perch. I went to Steve's morning workshop. Even at 7:45 am (and without mimosas or bloody marys), there was still a packed house to see Steve speak. It's impressive. And Cindy is more like Steve's better 3/4. She's the brains of the operation and does amazing work for their long list of clients. But together, they make quite an impressive team.

Kristin Mitchell
This shows the power of Twitter. Either during or after my session, I saw this Tweet. 

I thought, "Who is this Kristin Mitchell character and why does she care about Butler's mascot?" After an intensive investigation, it turns out that Kristin is like an Indianapolis superfan. . . all the way from Winnipeg. More than that though, she's a communicator who's dedicated herself to nonprofits in her career. (She also got bonus points for saving me a dessert at one of the breaks.) And now I know to always include pictures of Trip (@ButlerBlue3) in my presentations from now on.  

Shel Holtz 
It seems like everybody knows Shel. And that's for all of the right reasons. His blog. His podcasts. His workshops. He continues to hit the refresh button and always contributes to the industry. But that's not why I'm mentioning him. What impressed me about Shel is that he also volunteered as a room moderator. Someone like Shel doesn't need to do that. But someone like Shel chooses to do that. I've seen some other well-known people in this industry and others scoff at the idea of being asked to volunteer. Once again, Shel leads the way. 

Taylor Green
I'm generally not a fan of networking receptions, but it's great that the Heritage Region does host one every year. And that's where I met Taylor, a communicator and project manager for a Delaware school district. It was so interesting to hear the unique communication challenges that a school system faces. Education certainly has those. And think about the variety of audiences - faculty, administration, parents, students and community - and they all have an emotional connection. It can't be easy. But after seeing some of Taylor's work, it's clear she's successful with grace and creativity. 

Andrew Dixon
I first met Andrew at last year's IABC Heritage Region Conference. And right away it was clear to me that he just gets it. Those in sales in the internal communications world often get a bad rap for some reason. I've never understood it. Igloo hosted a private room off from "the hub" where people could sit and charge up. They had some clever "I'm a Bad Ass Communicator" buttons and shirts for people to grab. It's great to see people like Andrew and companies like Igloo step up and invest in these events. 

Gloria Lombardi
I don't travel internationally as much as I used to. But even when I did, I never had the chance to meet Gloria until World Conference. Gloria is the Community & Editorial Manager, Reporter at simply-communicate. She is truly one of the best Twitter follows (@lombardi_gloria) in the industry, regularly sharing great content and contributing her own. She's already published a helpful recap on the event. 

Newsweaver, Interact Intranet and Bananatag
And speaking of companies, there were many who set up booths and helped sponsor the World Conference. Without them, it wouldn't be as great of an event. So why these three? I'm isolating these three I've had many conversations with them before the World Conference but hadn't had the chance to meet the people behind the companies. These three companies, along with me and a few more, will be launching something very cool for the internal communications industry very soon. 

I certainly hope to see these and many more at next year's IABC World Conference in New Orleans. 

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I love hearing new thoughts and concepts around internal communication and employee engagement. If you'd like to continue the conversation, find me on Twitter at @chuckgose.