I have the distinct privilege of inviting you to the EO Leadership Summit, a very special meeting of EO’s global leadership. The intent of this meeting is to gather our member leaders from around the world to align our thinking and actions globally, regionally and locally.

By participating, you will be able to better understand the organization’s overall strategic direction for the next several years, give important input into our annual operating plan and ascertain how our Committees, Sub-Committees and Task Forces all contribute and fit into the mix, all while developing and building out a plan of action with your regional leader colleagues to allow your region to execute on your regional goals during FY2008/2009.

This meeting has evolved into a very special two days, and for the first time the meeting includes ALL the member leaders from each of our five regions. One could argue that it is now the most important leadership meeting EO conducts each year, and keeping the momentum going while making sure we are aligned is the key objective of the Leadership Summit. For this reason, I strongly urge you to attend, and I look forward to seeing all of you at the event.  

Again, the meeting’s intent is for you to contribute. As such, it is fair to ask yourself: “What is in it for me?” Once a year, under one roof, for two extraordinary days, you get to hang out with EO’s “best and brightest,” the elected and appointed leaders of leaders … and this time it is in fabulous Vancouver, Canada!

Be prepared for a peer-to-peer experience that you will likely include in your top five of favorite EO experiences. In addition, we will be celebrating Canada becoming its own region with the Vancouver chapter on Thursday night. It is well worth the trip, and from my experience, attended this meeting will allow you to streamline your time with EO business while increasing your productivity and effectiveness. You will walk away feeling empowered and even more motivated, as we will provide you with the tools you need to guide you in your leadership role.

Please note that we are currently finalizing the agenda for the Summit, and we will update the Web site regularly. Based on initial conversations, we are expecting a record turnout for this event. 

Please plan to arrive on Wednesday, 10 September in time for an optional reception. If you are flying in later that night, we will start with breakfast at 8 a.m. on Thursday, 11 September. We are ending the meeting at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, 12 September, fully expecting folks will want to catch a plane home for the weekend. The only thing we ask is for you to NOT depart prior to 3:30 p.m.

Finally, thank you for stepping up and accepting the challenge and responsibility of being a leader of leaders in FY2008/2009. Come join us as we continue to build a better organization together!

Respectfully,

Todd Mendenhall
Board Liason to the Chapter Development Committee
EO Global Board of Directors

P.S. Allowance for the trip: Please book your own hotel and travel arrangements and submit reimbursement to your staff representative. You may request reimbursement up to the following amounts: ASAP - $2,480, Europe - $1,780, LAC - $1,230, US - $980, Canada - $980. All group food, beverage and meeting expenses are covered from Wednesday evening through Friday afternoon. 

In the history of our organization, member leaders have historically invested in their experience in leadership. The personal and professional return on investment they received justified any out-of-pocket expenses. In the past 20 years, the Global Board has invested more and more of your member dues to cover expenses related to member leaders getting together. This meeting is no exception, and the budget has increased every year (on average of 20 percent per year).

To create a life-long memory, members have been willing to invest on average US$500 of their own money. The out-of-pocket expenses may be incurred in one or more of the following ways: the reimbursement for a portion of the hotel or an extra night pending flight schedules. I am sure that all of you can understand the unexpected increases in airfare this year. To save money, please book your flights early. If you would like to share hotel rooms and/or coordinate your ground transportation with fellow members, please visit the EO Group for this event.