Government meeting professionals operate in a unique ecosystem where collaboration across agencies, departments, vendors, and stakeholders determines success. This interactive webinar uses Patrick Lencioni's proven "Five Dysfunctions of a Team" model to help meeting professionals identify and overcome barriers that prevent teams from achieving extraordinary results.

In a speech at Colombia University, William Buffett offered to pay graduates 50% more for their services if they took a course to improve their communication skills. Ponder that for a moment — the world’s smartest investor will pay you 50% more if you simply take a course to improve your communication skills. And that’s not all. Research from Risely shows that good communication skills result in better morale, greater productivity, and an increase in profits. Additional research from Pollack shows that conflict resolution training reduces stress, improves performance, and reduces attrition. The bottom line: Employees who are trained in communication skills are more productive, engaged, and satisfied with their jobs. In this fun, engaging, science-based session, Jamie Turner will guide people through a step-by-step process designed to help people improve their communication skills. Here’s just some of what you’ll learn:

• The Connection Code: Using Jamie's Connection Code system, attendees will be able to improve communication and persuasion skills
• Emotional Intelligence: How to manage emotions in challenging situations
• Mentoring Others: How to find win-win solutions and create positive outcomes for both mentors and mentees
• Managing Difficult Conversations: How to handle difficult conversations with empathy and professionalism
• Creating a Positive Culture: How to create a positive culture where differences of opinion are seen as opportunities for growth and improvement
• Active Listening: How to understand the underlying issues and emotions involved in a conflict

Discover how a Minnesota lake resort set a new benchmark for inclusive hospitality by investing time and care into training their staff to thoughtfully engage with a visiting group of students that are blind and low vision. Throughout the weekend, employees learned practical strategies for clear communication, safe guidance, and creating an environment where every guest felt confident and welcomed.

This session highlights how meeting the accessibility needs of all guests not only enhances individual experiences but also strengthens a resort’s overall service culture. Attendees will learn how intentional staff preparation can deepen guest trust, elevate hospitality standards, and build a reputation for genuinely inclusive, memorable service.

Master the essential documentation and administrative workflows required for smooth, compliant government travel. Designed for government meeting professionals, this course breaks down the critical paperwork side of official travel—from securing pre-travel authorizations and personal vehicle approvals to assembling an airtight travel folder. Participants will learn how to properly process hotel credit card authorization forms, navigate tricky expense reporting nuances like personally paid parking on hotel folios, and eliminate the common documentation gaps that delay reimbursement. While drawn from practical state-level examples, the core principles align with both state and federal travel regulations (including GSA guidelines), equipping attendees from any jurisdiction with actionable strategies to ensure error-free travel processing.

In this energizing presentation, comedian and TEDx speaker Rory Gardiner shows leaders and teams how to transform everyday stress into sustainable performance and become more comfortable in the uncomfortable while navigating constant change. Blending real-world corporate experience with award-winning comedy and music, Gardiner delivers practical strategies to stay resilient, adaptable under pressure, and embrace uncertainty with confidence. Through humor, storytelling, and actionable insights, this session helps teams bridge generational divides, strengthen collaboration, and build a culture that is more agile, engaged, and ready for whatever comes next.

Step inside the real world of cybercriminals and discover how government agencies become targets. In this eye-opening, fast-paced session, cybersecurity expert Jeremiah Baker reveals the exact tactics hackers use to break into systems, manipulate employees, and exploit everyday vulnerabilities. Through real attack stories and clear, actionable insights, Jeremiah shows government meeting professionals how to strengthen digital safety, spot red flags, and protect their teams—without fear tactics or technical jargon. Perfect for anyone responsible for safeguarding information, people, or public trust.

In this session, discover the details of event insurance, why or why you don't need it, what it covers and how it may reduce your event liability and provides protection or you and your attendees. Topics covered include climate events, labor disputes, and terrorism coverage.

Learn how to stay emotionally grounded, mentally flexible, and professionally effective during ongoing change.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are no longer a "future issue" for government meetings—they are already changing how attendees, staff, and even agency fleets arrive at events. Yet, most government planners and suppliers lack clear, non-technical guidance on what "EV-ready" actually means when writing RFPs, selecting venues, or communicating with attendees.

This webinar translates EV adoption into practical steps for government meeting professionals. Participants will explore common EV charging scenarios at hotels, conference centers, and training sites. You will learn straightforward questions to ask venues and CVBs, and see examples of how charging can be framed as a matter of duty of care, sustainability, and attendee experience rather than just a technical detail.

Learning Outcomes

After this session, participants will be able to:

1. Describe how rising EV adoption, government sustainability goals, and fleet initiatives are beginning to influence venue selection, parking plans, and attendee experience for government meetings.
2. Apply a simple set of RFP and site-visit questions to evaluate a venue’s actual EV-readiness, including charging capacity, access protocols, pricing, safety, and communication.
3. Develop talking points to use with venues and internal decision-makers that navigate mixed signals, framing EV charging as a "duty of care" and logistical safety requirement, ensuring operational readiness regardless of the current political climate surrounding EVs.

Government travel extends far beyond meetings and events. This session takes attendees inside the world of federal transient lodging and the programs, policies, and trends that influence where and how federal travelers stay.

Designed for government meeting professionals who may be less familiar with the transient side of federal travel, this session will explore the federal lodging landscape and the role of FedRooms and DoD Preferred in supporting government travelers and agencies.

Attendees will learn how hotels become part of these programs, how the annual RFP and hotel selection process works, and how federal per diem rates influence hotel pricing and traveler decisions. We’ll also discuss current trends affecting government lodging, the growing role of technology and AI, and what hotels and government travel professionals should be watching as the federal travel environment continues to evolve.
Topics will include:

• The federal transient travel and lodging landscape
• FedRooms and DoD Preferred: how the programs work and why they matter
• How hotels are sourced, evaluated, and selected through the RFP process
• Understanding federal per diem rates and their impact on lodging
• Current trends influencing government travel and traveler behavior
• Technology and AI in government lodging
• What we're seeing today—and where federal lodging is headed next

Attendees will leave with a better understanding of how the transient side of federal travel connects to the broader government travel ecosystem and why it matters to meeting professionals, hotels, suppliers, and federal travelers alike.