2021 Annual Meeting Goes Virtual

Posted on August 18, 2021 by Heidi Simpson

One of the Association’s most cherished and time-honored traditions is getting together each fall for LeadingAge Minnesota’s Annual Meeting & Leadership Forum at Madden’s Resort near Brainerd. The LeadingAge Minnesota Board of Directors voted to convert our planned in-person meeting to a virtual event.

The decision comes against the backdrop of rising COVID 19 case counts in Minnesota and the spread of the virulent Delta variant of the virus. While the Board weighed proceeding with an in-person event with requirements for vaccination and indoor masking, the prospect of outbreaks remained at a time with increased public attention on long-term care settings. To read more, read the message from Erin Hilligan, the LeadingAge Minnesota Board Chair, and Gayle Kvenvold, President and CEO.

Our tradition is to hold our Annual Meeting in conjunction with our partners at the Minnesota Hospital Association. MHA has also decided to cancel the in-person elements of their conference.

We will work quickly to shift our focus to bring you a concrete plan for the virtual Annual Meeting. In the meantime, we want to share the following:

• Hold the dates Sept. 22–24! We will get you details about what to expect for a virtual format ASAP!
• If you’ve reserved a room in our Madden’s or Cragun's room block, your reservation will be canceled automatically. There will be no penalty to you.
• If you've reserved lodging outside of the room blocks, either at Madden's, Kavanaugh's, or another hotel, cancel your reservation as soon as possible.

Be assured that LeadingAge Minnesota will offer you stellar educational opportunities in an online format and will work quickly to firm up the schedule for a virtual Annual Meeting program.

Scholarships Available, Apply by Aug. 20
Eleven full conference scholarships are available for financial hardship, courtesy of Annual Sponsors Compeer Financial, Eide Bailly LLP, Elim Preferred Services Inc., Essity (provided four scholarships), McKesson Medical-Surgical, Pathway Health (provided two scholarships), and Professional Portable X-ray Inc.