2022 Leadership Summit 

October 14 - 16, 2022
Sheraton Station Square, a Marriott Property
300 W. Station Square Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Registration is open now

2021 LCO Leadership Summit Vi

Sept 9 - Breaking News

Sheraton Booked - Doubletree Added
Read on to get information for the new hotel!

You have until September 19th to book at the discounted rate. So, here are some important points about room reservations:

Hotel costs for the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel - Green Tree

o   Rooms are $239 per night (plus fees and taxes)

o   Reserve your room here. If you encounter any issues with room reservations, please reach out to Dee DiDiano.

o   Parking at the DoubleTree is free. However, parking is public parking at Station Square. The garage and the lot right next to the hotel are $30/night with in and out privileges. However, all lots have hourly day rates as well. Here’s a link to all the parking rates.

·   Last Day to Book at the discounted rate: Monday, September 19, 2022

·   Directions and Transportation –

DoubleTree: 500 Mansfield Avenue Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15205. The hotel is 15 minutes from Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT). The hotel does not offer a shuttle service. 

Sheraton (where Summit sessions will be held): 300 W Station Square Dr Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219. Sheraton at Station Square is 20 miles from Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT). The hotel does not offer a shuttle service. 

Published Sept 9, 2022

Last Day to Submit for Scholarships and New Hotel Info

Fall is still a few weeks away, but it is imperative to make your plans for fall now. The list is long - apple orchards, cider mills, haunted hay rides, partaking in pumpkin spice latte (PSL) AND going to the 24th Local Chapter Officer Leadership Summit in Pittsburgh, PA. Will we see you in Pittsburgh next month? It is just over a month away, and just over a week away from ensuring you can get the discounted rate on the new hotel. The prices go up significantly after September 16th.  Are you registered yet? Grab your unseasonably early PSL and register for Summit and the hotel today! Need help with funding the trip, read on!

Scholarships! Is funding the reason that has stopped you from registering? If so, we have some great news for you! For the first time, the National Board is excited and proud to announce we are offering scholarship opportunities to LCOs that need financial assistance to be able to attend the HDI LCO Leadership Development Summit. We strongly believe that all LCO's should have the opportunity to attend the LCO Summit. We understand the budget constraints many people are currently facing and we are excited about this pilot program we are offering for the 2022 LCO Summit in Pittsburgh. To be considered for a scholarship, you must complete this form no later than the end of TODAY September 9, 2022. Please contact one of the board members if you have any questions. 

If financial reasons are not why you have signed up, but you are still unsure that you should attend, read on!  Last communication put a spotlight on a few of our illustrious speakers planned for Summit. This communication puts the focus solely on our Keynote speaker, HDI Lifetime Award winner - RaeAnn Bruno. Check out all the details to see how HDI LCO Summit can assist YOU in your  professional development journey. 

Keynote: Mind your EQ: The Intangible Impact of the Emotionally Intelligent
Leader
o Daniel Goleman, an emotional intelligence expert, states that “EQ (emotional quotient) is the new smart in the workplace.” We see evidence of this regularly at work. It’s not about IQ or experience alone – those who cultivate cooperation, encouragement, growth and success - are those who exhibit high emotional intelligence. In fact, the higher your EQ, the more insight and understanding you have of people. As a result, you will foster a healthy, happy, and productive workplace and successfully grow engaged, productive teams.
o Discover how to create more conscious and productive responses and new ways to increase emotional intelligence in your work life. Learn to embody the EI qualities to favorably impact and influence cultures, teams, and individuals. Turn the intangible benefits of Emotional Intelligence into tangible results.

 Rae Ann Bruno Workshop: Drive Organizational Success by Future Proofing the Employee Experience
o Providing a positive employee experience and focusing on employee well-being are key focus areas in today’s new world of work. In fact, they are critical to a company’s success. Yet, incorporating these words into mission statements and meetings or distributing employee satisfaction surveys won’t magically create a healthy, happy, and productive work environment. In fact, these limited efforts can have the opposite effect – companies could lose top talent and leaders won’t be able to engage their teams to grow and succeed.
o It is important to recognize how employee expectations have changed. Employees want to work for companies that align with their values – both inside and outside of work.  As a result, companies are faced with the challenges of:
 Attracting, engaging and retaining employees
 Providing a digital experience that enables productively working from anywhere
 Fostering successful communication and collaboration across a hybrid work
environment
 Growing employee, team and company loyalty
 Effectively managing multi-generational and hybrid teams
o The key to success is to create a great employee experience which in turn creates better customer experiences and drives organizational success. Attend this session to learn proven methods to build an experience culture and effectively build high-performing, engaged, successful  teams in this new world of work.

Wow those are some very powerful sessions! Further, you will have a better chance at some one on one conversation with Rae Ann, perhaps even around the firepit, than you would at conference. Are you going to continue to turn that down? Please plan to join us  at Summit in Pittsburgh, PA October 14-16, 2022.  In the meantime, join us on our Facebook group to start conversations with fellow LCOs!

For those that may not recall seeing all the information you need to plan your trip, check out the important details below for planning your trip to the HDI LCO Leadership Summit 2022:

When - October 14 -16, 2022 is when all the scheduled events take place, but if you are there by October 13th, you won’t be alone! Register today! There will be events starting as early as 9 am on October 14th and a BBQ on Sunday after the “official” Summit activities, so plan accordingly! If you are planning on attending the BBQ on Sunday after Summit ends, be sure to sign up here.

Where – Pittsburgh, PA. The Summit will take place at Sheraton at Station Square, a Marriott Property. However, the hotel is all booked up.

Read on to get information for the new hotel!

You have until September 19th to book at the discounted rate. So, here are some important points about room reservations:

Hotel costs for the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel - Green Tree

o   Rooms are $239 per night (plus fees and taxes)

o   Reserve your room here. If you encounter any issues with room reservations, please reach out to Dee DiDiano.

o   Parking at the DoubleTree is free. However, parking is public parking at Station Square. The garage and the lot right next to the hotel are $30/night with in and out privileges. However, all lots have hourly day rates as well. Here’s a link to all the parking rates.

·   Last Day to Book at the discounted rate: Monday, September 19, 2022

·   Directions and Transportation –

DoubleTree: 500 Mansfield Avenue Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15205. The hotel is 15 minutes from Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT). The hotel does not offer a shuttle service. 

Sheraton (where Summit sessions will be held): 300 W Station Square Dr Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219. Sheraton at Station Square is 20 miles from Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT). The hotel does not offer a shuttle service. 

Want to offset the costs by sharing a room or a ride to/from the airport? Check out the room share sheet and/or the ride share sheet. They are pretty light at the moment, but both are great options to keep costs lower. 

Many meals are included within the HDI LCO Leadership Summit Meetings and the Saturday night event for Local Chapter Officers, National Officers and Board of Directors. 

Still need assistance in convincing your manager?  We have a great template on the Summit website to help with that extra nudge. 

Call for Action:

Need Funding assistance - submit this form to be considered for a scholarship

Register for Summit

Register for the Riverboat Cruise. Everyone who is attending the Cruise must register, including any additional guests (fees will apply for guests)

Register for the after Summit BBQ

Published August 5, 2022

Published June 16, 2022

2022 LCO Leadership Summit - The Time is NOW to Register!

Summit? What is this Local Chapter Officer (LCO) Summit you speak of? It is tough to fully articulate what it is like, it is best experienced live and in person! This group is made up of some of the most brilliant, kind, inclusive, and fun IT/Support minded people in the business! Did IT and fun just get used in the same sentence? It sure did and it is true! So please plan to join us  Summit in Pittsburgh, PA in October.  In the meantime, join us on our Facebook group to keep the momentum alive!

Leadership Summit is an amazing experience with fellow LCOs to learn, have fun, and grow in your LCO role as well as your career! Has it been mentioned that it is also a lot of fun and a great place to make some connections (and friendships)? It is an experience like no other!

 Published May 26, 2022

2022 LCO Leadership Summit - Get Ready to Network!

Last week, approximately 30 HDI Local Chapter Officers (LCO) were able to participate in SupportWorld Live along with hundreds of other support professionals. It was a great opportunity for us to showcase what this organization is all about. There was a lot of interest in HDI Local Chapters and also some renewed interest from former officers wanting to be involved again! To quote someone on LinkedIn, “HDI is the most inclusive networking group”. How amazing is that? We are still feeling the “high” invoked from getting together, hugging, learning, and sharing best practices with each other. It is tough to fully articulate what it is like, it is best to experience it first hand!  The next best opportunity for that will be at Summit in Pittsburgh, PA in October.  In the meantime, join us on our Facebook group to keep the momentum alive!

Leadership Summit is an amazing experience with fellow LCOs to learn, have fun, and grow in your LCO role as well as your career! Has it been mentioned that it is also a lot of fun and a great place to make some connections (and friendships)? It is an experience like no other!

Published April 20, 2022

2022 LCO Leadership Summit is Coming Up - You Don’t Want to Miss Out!

In October 2021, about 35 of the HDI Local Chapter Officers (LCO) reunited for our first in-person Summit since June 2019! It was a great way to kickstart getting back together and while having 35 people in person was wonderful, how many more can we get to attend the LCO Leadership Summit in October 2022 in Pittsburgh, PA?

This is an amazing experience meeting with fellow LCOs in which you can learn, have fun, and grow in your LCO role as well as your career! Has it been mentioned that it is also a lot of fun and a great place to make some connections (and friendships)? It is an experience like no other!

Published Oct 18, 2021

2021 HDI LCO Leadership Summit is in the books!

Wow, where to start? It's long, but there is so much good information, we don't want to leave anything out!

Let's start with the ever amazing video by Donald Chew! This gives a glimpse into all fun that was had throughout the Summit weekend, as viewed by all the attendees. As you can see the fire pit tradition was kept alive, and was there dancing? You will have to watch to find out! While you are there checking out the video, don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Friday after a welcome lunch, we started off with a great icebreaker where we found that likely none of us will be auditioning for American Idol anytime soon, but had fun regardless. Doug Rabold inspired all of us with a rousing presentation around teamwork based around the Bayern Munich's soccer club. It was much needed and will help us to propel HDC forward!  We broke out into one of two sessions with Tom Wilk leading a timely discussion around mental health in the workplace, while Doug helped us (re) imagine Service Management. Then we all met back with Gregg Gregory where he had us spinning in all different directions before collectively pointing north (but not Tony North), which he followed with a rousing workshop to really hammer the information home. 

How could Saturday compete? Hard to believe after such an amazing start on Friday, but Saturday stood on it's own as an equally wonderful day! Adolfo kicked us off with something sure to become a new Summit tradition - Coffee tasting! It got everyone energized for Saturday. Whether you learned about taking a pulse point on your Service Desk with a health check or running a successful HDI Service and Support Awards season, you came away packed with knowledge. Next we had the treat of learning where to find tomorrow's talent and how to translate geek speak so the business understands. We finished Saturday morning with a game of rock, paper, scissors and crowned our newest champion in Rob Evelyn. Next year is your year Dan Conlin! After lunch, we got to have fun with finance led by Aaron Settepanella, while Shara Hutchinson led us through change, helping us to understand how to keep both customers and employees happy. Next, Liz Bunger led us in an in person LCO call packed with tons of need to know information for each of us officers. Affirmations is something that cannot be described here, but it is not something that you should miss. Let's just say group five took it to a whole new level. The last session for the day was led by Gil Brucken to talk about the challenges and obstacles facing local chapters, the organization, and how to overcome. The notes from that session are summarized by Gil and reside here, along with several other presentations from Summit. Saturday was made complete with pizza, wings, and bowling! We have a number of outstanding bowlers among us.

Our final day was not to be missed with Heather Beck and Dee DiDiano kicking us off with the presentation of awards:

Rising Star - nominated by Chapter Presidents, District Presidents and the Summit Planning Committee for the individual who is up-and-coming, is new on the scene and made a big impact, who has had significant growth/progress in the last year, or is thought of as an outstanding new officer went to Kirsten Petersen!

Keystone  - Has gone above and beyond their single officer role; has done good for the entire HDI Local Chapter community; behind the scenes helper; holds us together; unlocks our potential; HDC success could not be imagined without this person’s involvement. This award went to Tom Wilk!

Cornerstone - nominated by all Local Chapter Officers for the individual who made significant contributions within their chapter and has gone above and beyond their single officer role for their own chapter. This award went to Dee DiDiano!

Chapter of the Year nominees must have all core leadership positions filled and a succession plan established, must have membership growth in the past year, must have an active SilkStart website, must participate in the HDI Awards process and must submit financial statements on time. This year's winner went to Motown (Detroit, MI).

Congratulations to all of our award winners, well deserved!

We ended Sunday with the national anthem, watching the video, and hugs as we all parted ways to travel back home until we meet again. For those that weren't able to participate with us this year, we hope you will meet up with us in Pittsburgh, PA in 2022.  Interested in helping out with planning Summit? Be sure to reach out and let us know! It is a promise that you will have so much fun with the Summit committee, you likely won't even know you are working!