Preview of the 2023 Fall Conference & Supplier Showcase
Episode Description
Tyler Campbell, executive director of the Kentucky Rural Broadband Association, joined the podcast to discuss the upcoming 2023 Fall Conference & Supplier Showcase from October 10-12. You can register for the event here.
Transcript
Transcripts have been lightly edited for clarity and readability.
Intro: The following program is brought to you by the Tennessee Broadband Association. Lead Tennessee Radio, conversations with the leaders moving our state forward. We look at the issues shaping Tennessee’s future: rural development, public policy, broadband, healthcare and other topics impacting our communities.
Carrie Huckeby: Hello, I’m Carrie Huckeby, the executive director of the Tennessee Broadband Association. And my guest on this episode of Lead Tennessee Radio is no stranger in the broadband industry or to the hallways of the Kentucky Capitol. Tyler Campbell is the executive director of the Kentucky Rural Broadband Association. Welcome, Tyler. I appreciate your time. I know you’re busy with speaking engagements and meetings, so thanks for being here.
Tyler Campbell: I always appreciate the opportunity to be on Lead Tennessee. I really enjoy listening to your podcast, and it’s always good to be a part of it.
Carrie Huckeby: Thanks, Tyler. Well, the Kentucky Tennessee Fall Conference, as you well know, we’ve been chatting a lot about it and discussing the upcoming agenda. But it’s right around the corner. It’s October 10th through the 12th. New location this year in Franklin, Tennessee, at the Franklin Cool Springs Marriott. But before we jump in and talk about the fall conference, I know big news is that you rolled out a new name, new logo, back at your conference at the end of May. So I just wanted to pick your brain a little bit about that to see what the objective was behind changing your name and how that’s going.
Tyler Campbell: Well, thanks. I appreciate the question. And I think it’s like a lot of folks now, you know, you analyze your marketing strategy and your core missions every so often. And as part of our strategic plan for the association, we were really taking a look at our mission statement and what our focus was going to be over a 3 to 5 year period. We met a lot of objectives that we were trying to do at the Capitol and marketing and appealing and our social media was all a part of our focus of our strategic plan. And one of the things we wanted to really do was take a look at who our members are, who we really represented. You know, our association has existed in some form or fashion since 1937. At one time, it was the Kentucky Independent Telephone Association, the Kentucky Telephone Association, and then back in 2010, you know, obviously as access lines and Internet became more of a focus, we went from the telephone association back in 2010 to the telecom association, Kentucky Telecom Association. And, you know, it was just another opportunity for us to sit down and, you know, after another ten year period had passed, you know, our focus really has been on broadband. And we really are the voice of Kentucky’s rural broadband providers. So we wanted to really hone in on that and have our name echo who we really are, what our core mission and values are.
Tyler Campbell: And so that’s what we did with the rebranding of our name. We focused on having rural as part of our name. We wanted to separate ourselves from other groups that may have broadband in their name or cable and broadband, because we really are Kentucky’s premier trade association for the rural broadband industry. And so that’s why the Kentucky Rural Broadband Association’s name was selected by our board. And I’ve been really happy with the results. You know, we were pretty well known as a telecom association, but I think the rollout has been very nice and steady. You know, we started the process last year. We went through several iterations of a new logo design, and we really wanted something that appealed not only to our rural and agricultural roots here in Kentucky, but also, you know, obviously what we do, bringing world class broadband to some of the most remote areas of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. And I think you see that reflected in our logo. And we certainly are very happy with the results that we’ve seen. I think we’ve gotten a lot of compliments on our logo. People are very receptive to our mission and our focus being the Rural Broadband Association. So I’ve received a lot of positive comments both from our association members, our associate members, our vendors and also individuals that I’ve interacted with at the Capitol.
Carrie Huckeby: Yeah, I think it’s a good idea. It was a great idea. It looks good. I have to ask, do you have a jar sitting around? We had to do that with, or we laughed about doing it, is having a jar sitting around for every time you called us “TTA” instead of “TNBA.” Do you have a KTA jar where you have to throw in a dollar every time you use the old name?
Tyler Campbell: Yeah, a lot of people still say KTA. And the hardest thing for me to do is when I answer the phone at the office is to remind myself to say, “This is Kentucky Rural Broadband Association.” I still want to say, you know, “This is KTA.” And so I do kind of have that jar there where I’m sitting there to remind myself. I do have like a little sticky note next to my phone that just says, “Say, Kentucky Rural Broadband Association.”
Carrie Huckeby: Yeah, sometimes that habit is hard to break, isn’t it?
Tyler Campbell: And it really is. And especially when, you know, you’ve had a lot of success. You know, I know TTA has had a lot of success down there, and now with TNBA and you know, you get used to that. People get used to it, and the same with our association. So it’s a little bit of a change, a sea change for us, but I think most people are starting to adapt to it. I’m excited to, you know, continue to have the name out there, particularly for our first fall conference under the new association name.
Carrie Huckeby: So registration is open for the conference. The hotel block is filling up pretty fast. We have space, I think, for about almost 100 tabletops this year, and about a third of those are sold, I believe, the last time that we talked. Speaker proposals are coming in. We were very fortunate to get several of those. Looks like it’s going to be a good turnout, Tyler. What can attendees expect to see and hear on the agenda?
Tyler Campbell: Yeah, I think you’re going to see a great turnout. Our registration numbers are exceeding this point in time compared to last year. You’re right. It’s over a third now of the booths for the supplier showcase, the table tops for the supplier showcase, have already been reserved. And so, I think you’re going to see a very well attended meeting from both our member companies, our telco member companies, but also associate members from both associations. And I think you’re going to see a great group of speakers that we have. We’ve invited some top notch speakers to come in. We’re still working on those. But our speaker proposals, I will say, are very interesting. I mean, we have everything ranging from some of the hottest topics in the industry today, talking about cybersecurity and artificial intelligence and what that can mean for your telco. You know, there’s others that are ranging from strategic planning, you know, what succession planning look like for your association, workforce development. And then, you know, you’re always going to have that experience at the supplier showcase with seeing the latest and greatest in technology and advancements for your telco. And so we have a lot of suppliers that are, I think, very excited to participate in this year’s meeting. And again, as I stated just a few moments ago, I mean, we’re seeing registration numbers that well exceed what we did last year. So I think it’s going to be one of the most well attended fall conferences that we’ve ever had.
Carrie Huckeby: Yes, I think so, too. And I’m looking forward to it. And on that note, you and I have had conversations about how much we enjoy talking to our members and networking with our members at our conferences. That gives us a chance to do that at our annual meeting and then at the the fall meeting. But we’ve talked about how many new faces we’re seeing, and new companies that are becoming members of both of our associations, and they’re grabbing a tabletop at the show. So from our member broadband companies, who can the vendors expect to see in attendance walking around the showcase? And, you know, why is this such a good opportunity to have a tabletop at the show?
Tyler Campbell: Yeah, I think that this show is really unique in a lot of ways. I think, one, you just have great participation from both associations. You will generally have key employees, whether you have a lot of GMs and CEOs that take part in this meeting. But you also have their CFOs, the the CTOs, the chief technology officers, their central office supervisors, their main network engineers. Those are the individuals that attend this meeting. So the folks that actually make the decisions on what they are going to purchase and look at in terms of putting these products in place in their network in order to implement any kind of equipment changes or upgrades. Those are the individuals that participate in the show. So if you’re a vendor out there that you’re on the fence about participating, I would highly urge you to reserve your tabletop as soon as possible. As Carrie already mentioned, the hotels are filling up fast, but the supplier showcase, the tabletops, are going quick. And so we’re just a couple of months out now. And so those tabletops will get harder and harder to come by the longer you wait. So I always think this show is so unique in the fact that you do have such great participation from the telcos. And it really is the decision makers at those telcos that participate in this meeting.
Carrie Huckeby: I agree. And for those that are new to this upcoming show, and just as a reminder to the others, what’s the breakdown of the agenda? The days are October 10th through the 12th, but tell us what happens on each of those days.
Tyler Campbell: Yeah, I always refer to our first day as like our networking day, that Tuesday. You get a chance to get settled and to really acclimate to the conference. But that Tuesday, we are going to have our annual luncheon and golf scramble between our Kentucky and Tennessee members and our vendor members this year. So Tuesday afternoon, we will be out at the golf course. So Towhee Golf Club, a beautiful course. Carrie and I were able to tour it. And I know your folks have played there during your annual meeting, annual convention, back in June.
Carrie Huckeby: They did and enjoyed it.
Tyler Campbell: It’s a wonderful golf course. So that first networking day, we will have golf. We will have registration that will open back at the hotel later in the afternoon. And later that evening, we will have a welcome reception for all of our guests. And then Wednesday, the 11th, October the 11th, that’s the meeting day where we have all of our sessions. So you have your general sessions in the morning, followed by a business luncheon, and then we will have our series of breakout sessions later that afternoon. And then later that evening, like I said, being from the South, Kentucky and Tennessee, we like to feed you. So we’ll have another reception later that evening. But Wednesday is really one of those days where you have an opportunity to hear from some of the best and the brightest in terms of what’s out there in our industry. The latest happening in both Washington DC, what may be happening with your network from some of our vendor members, what they’re seeing. And then like I said earlier, those hot topics that you’re really seeing that are just now filtering out into the broadband space, like artificial intelligence and how that impacts cybersecurity. Those are all topics that you’re going to hear from this fall conference.
Tyler Campbell: So that Wednesday is always, what I call the meat and potatoes day. You really get the crux of the conference there that day. And then finally, we ended on what I consider a really big high note, which is the supplier showcase. That’s where on Thursday morning, you know, we dedicate an entire half day, that half morning, to our vendors and having our folks walk around and visit with all the vendors that are in that space. And so it’s a great opportunity for our vendors to interact. It’s a very, what I consider, a casual atmosphere. You know, we encourage people to visit each and every booth that we can. That space really does do a good job to accommodate those booths and so people can walk around in what I consider a very relaxed environment. Interact with the vendors that they are looking to do business with or they have relationships with. So it’s another great opportunity for those individuals to to touch base and to get to know people that they may not have had an opportunity to get to know. If you’re a vendor, it’s a great chance to display your products in a very relaxed environment.
Carrie Huckeby: Yes, it is. And one note, we normally get quite a few questions about when can the vendors set up for the showcase. And that’s on Wednesday afternoon, usually after 4:00 pm, something like that. So you can set up. Now, we will be using every one of the salons at the Franklin Marriott. So, you know, it might take the hotel a little bit longer to to get everything ready, but normally that set up is Wednesday afternoon or early Thursday morning, if you like to come in at the last minute. But then I think on our website, Tyler, there’s a link. If they request electricity or need Internet, they can find everything on that registration site. So mention that. Where do they go to register for the meeting?
Tyler Campbell: Yeah. Our registration page, you can actually access our registration page on kyrba.org or tennesseebroadband.com. Both of our websites do have links to those registration pages. It’s really easy to access from those. You can go under upcoming events on our Kentucky page. I believe, it’s on the main page of your website as well. So literally it’s a click of a link, and it takes you directly to that third party registration page. You can fill it out, and there are so many things that you can select on there. Your conference registration, general registration. If you’re a vendor, the opportunity that you have there to select your tabletop as well as the conference registration. And for anybody that’s registering, that is interested in a sponsorship opportunity, we have plenty of those to advertise your business while we’re there. Again, those sponsorships range anywhere from a couple hundred dollars for a golf hold sponsorship to, I think up to $2,500 for some premier sponsorships. And so there’s several opportunities for you to get your company’s name out there for you to be a sponsor and participate in the meeting. And it’s all on those on that third party registration page. And as Carrie indicated, if you’re a vendor and you need to select, you know, power for your booth or to have a hard wired Internet connection, there’s a link that takes you directly to the hotel, and you can purchase that directly from them. So we try to make it pretty easy where everything’s right on that registration page.
Carrie Huckeby: So speaking of the hotel, Tyler, cut off for the hotel block and for meeting registration. When is that?
Tyler Campbell: So the registration cut off, I believe, for the hotel is September the 18th. We can technically take registrations for longer than that, but if you want to get in on the registration link for the hotel, the cut off is September the 18th. And then also our sponsorship cut off is about the same time, I believe, Carrie, in terms of getting everything to print. So if you are interested in registering and being a sponsor, we encourage you to do that as soon as possible because that deadline is coming up in mid-September.
Carrie Huckeby: You’re right. We like to have the name badges and the signage for the breakout sessions and all the sponsorship signage, the slide show that we use during the conference. We like to get that to our printers and all, like early September before that cut off. It just makes things easier to ensure that things arrive on time. So you talked about golf at the beautiful Towhee Golf Club in Spring Hill. For those that haven’t played there before, it is about 20 minutes from the hotel. It’s a very easy drive. That crew and team out there have been great to work with at our conference, so I’m looking forward to that. October weather, I bet will be really nice. June wasn’t too bad, but October is always beautiful. But I hear there’s a rumor, Tyler, that there may be a cornhole competition.
Tyler Campbell: Yeah, I think we’re going to try something different at the fall conference this year for the folks that aren’t golfers. And this is a tradition that we have at our annual meeting in Kentucky. We have a morning and afternoon cornhole competition. I guess I don’t know if it’s from our love of SEC football and tailgating that this spills over, but it’s always been really popular at our annual meeting. And when we were visiting there at the golf course, you and I both noticed that they had a set of cornhole boards out to the side over there near that pavilion that they have. And they made it sound like it would be really easy for us to do something along those lines of doing a cornhole competition. And so we’re giving it a shot this year. So if you’re not a golfer, while the folks are out golfing, if you’re interested in participating in our cornhole competition while folks are out golfing, we’re going to have something for you, too. You can still come and register and grab a lunch and still participate on that first day of the conference on Tuesday, October the 10th. You’re going to be able to participate in our afternoon cornhole tournament. So I think it’s, for the folks that don’t golf or may not be the best golfers and want to look for something different, this is an option for those folks to do something fun that afternoon and still be able to compete. I think everybody likes to win no matter what. So we do a pretty good job with giving away prizes and stuff like that. So I’m sure we’ll have a good competition up there.
Carrie Huckeby: Do you see a little friendly competition maybe in our future of Tennessee playing Kentucky? Or maybe broadband member companies playing vendors? I mean, there’s some potential there for a little friendly competition, don’t you think?
Tyler Campbell: I do. That’s typically what takes place at our meeting. Of course, I will say this now, the vendors are pretty good about knowing who are really good at these competitions. So sometimes it’s like trying to stack a golf team. They can pick a partner that they know is really good at cornhole. So you got to watch some of these folks now. They’ve been around long enough to know who’s pretty good at competing in these competitions. So they’ll select a partner, then probably help them, give them a little bit of an advantage.
Carrie Huckeby: Oh, I see how it is. I’ll have to keep that in mind then. You mentioned a little bit about sponsorship opportunity. Is there anything particular? I mean, I know we asked for sponsorship of the golf luncheon and, of course, the beverage cart is always popular. And also at the meeting, I think, we have break sponsorships and lunch and just things like that. Is there anything else you want to add to that?
Tyler Campbell: Well, I will just say that a lot of sponsorship opportunities are still available. I always think it’s a great opportunity to, again, to advertise because, you know, we have signage and printed recognition in the program. We’ll scroll your company logo during the general sessions. So it’s just a great opportunity if you are wishing to engage, whether this is your your first conference, or you’ve been around from the beginning. And this is our 29th joint meeting, Carrie, as our two associations. So if you’ve been around whether this is your first time or your 29th time, it’s always a great opportunity to engage our members and advertise your company. So again, those sponsorships can range from a couple hundred dollars for, you know, a golf hole sponsorship to, I think Carrie, we have some premier sponsorships that are $2,500 to even $5,000. But if you’re a premier sponsor, you’re the only name on the sign. And if you’re really wanting to step up and do that and be the only one to to advertise in that way, there are some opportunities for you to do that. So I really appreciate all our companies, both your platinum members and our premium members. Several of those groups have already stepped up to sponsor, and I really do appreciate the associate members that have already secured tabletops. You know, it’s always really gratifying to see how well this meeting is supported each year by our telco members. But our associate members, too, I mean, they’re really engaged. And this is just a great opportunity for them to interact with both of our association members. So I’m really excited about this conference. Again, I think it’s going to be very well attended, maybe the best attendance we’ve ever had at one of these events.
Carrie Huckeby: I think so too. And I agree with everything you said. We could not do it without our members and our sponsors, and I’m so appreciative of what they do. Not only, you know, grabbing a table top and having those conversations with our broadband members, but also sponsorship and, you know, and I love always recognizing them on social media and in the slides and things like that. So I’ll join Tyler in saying, thank you very much. Couldn’t do it without you. Well, Tyler, anything else that you can think of before we wrap it up? I really appreciate you talking to me.
Tyler Campbell: Well, no, I appreciate the opportunity to be on here and to interact. And like I said, just really looking forward to the meeting. And like I do want to say that if you’re listening to this, and you’re wondering what our agenda is going to look like, stay tuned. We are going to announce our full list of speakers and our meeting agenda very, very soon. And so all of our folks will be able to see who is going to be participating in our meeting. So really excited. Carrie, I will say not to toot our own horns on here, Carrie, but I feel like we’ve we spent a lot of time going through these speaker proposals and talking to potential, you know, general session speakers and two keynote speakers. And so I think we’re going to have a very informative agenda. I’m really excited about it.
Carrie Huckeby: Yes. And I will also say that this is our second year, although it’s the 29th Conference, you and I, this is our second conference of working together on it. And I’ve really enjoyed working with you, and I look forward to working with you on this one and many more.
Tyler Campbell: Well, just thank you again. I really look forward to working with you again this fall, and it’s always a pleasure for me to be on here. I enjoy talking with you, and I always enjoy working with you.
Carrie Huckeby: Thanks, Tyler. My guest has been Tyler Campbell, executive director of the Kentucky Rural Broadband Association. You’ve been listening to Lead Tennessee Radio, produced by the Tennessee Broadband Association. Cooperative and independent companies connecting our state’s rural communities and beyond with world class broadband.