Page 20 - FDCC Flyer Winter 2023

Looking Back
The 2023 Annual Meeting Programs
at The Broadmoor Resort by Marisa Trasatti – Program Chair
Marisa Trasatti
When we heard the FDCC was going back to the Broadmoor Hotel for this year’s Annual Meeting,
we could not wait to start planning. Our programming theme:
There were minimal PowerPoints to place more emphasis on those on-stage. Speaking of presenters, we managed to showcase 26 members during this five (5) day program!
wins, some misses, but all were invaluable learning experiences. Thank you to all who attended
and made this convention possible. We have read all of the survey responses and valuable ideas and comments, which will be very helpful in the way we
plan our future meetings and programs. We also need to thank our sponsor partners – without whom our meetings would not be able to take place: American Jury Centers, Avalon Health Economics, Exponent, InQuis, JS HELD, MDD, RDT, Rimkus, Rust Consulting, TopDogLegalMarketing,andSEA. I am grateful.
Now, let us look back:
Our convention team experimented with a new approach to the learning environment set-up, utilizing minimal AV, and designing a triple track of programming during the plenary with thought leader theater opportunities before the plenary began each day. Our room staging used roundtables to encourage
more interaction between audience members, reminiscent of FDCC’s Corporate Counsel Symposium. There were minimal PowerPoints to place more emphasis on those on-stage. Speaking of presenters, we managed to showcase 26 members during this five (5) day program! Moreover, we integrated an interactive tech lab, created a women’s High Tea, and hosted
a first ever diversity breakfast which helped launch a renewed commitment to making FDCC more diverse! We could not be prouder of members, Sean Griffin and Imoh Akpan, for coordinating that standing room only diversity event. We also held fewer panels, and offered more solo speakers, to provide variety in the programming format. Our mantra throughout
the meeting was that our members are the best of the best, so why notfocusonthemintheplenary and Thought Leader Theatre presentations, as opposed to for-pay speakers—of which we had none.
Our first ever Master of Ceremonies, Dan McGrath of Hinshaw & Culbertson, LLP, offered a seamless progression from plenary program to program. Each day started with several “Thought Leader Theatres,” opportunities running in caucus rooms, before the Plenary began. The “TLTs”, as we referred to them,
“Want more, do more, be more... at the Broadmoor” transcended our planning as we strove to engage not only our members but also their entire families. My planning crew and I were ever aware of
how special this setting is to the FDCC and especially to those
who attended back in 2013. The convention team and I understood we had high standards to meet
but remained undaunted by the challenge. Thankfully, we had
a strong group of shepherders (Heather Sanderson, Alycen
Moss, and Valerie Kellner) who broughttheir“Agame”.Itwassuch a rewarding and fulfilling pursuit, and I look forward to doing it again as Convention Chair for the 2024 Annual Meeting in Toronto.
The picturesque Colorado Springs in the shadow of the Cheyenne Mountains was a wonderful place to spend our week of fellowship. As I sit here and reflect on the entire experience, I cannot help but smile. We tried a lot of avant- garde programming ideas— some
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