Education. Networking. Raffle tickets. Business partners. Group activities. Humor (check out the name tags!).

That’s just some of what you get when you attend an SDA EDSymposium. This year it’s in Minneapolis/St. Paul, and OMG . . . you couldn’t ask for better weather! (There’s also a ton of construction going on—big time—right in front of the conference hotel; it’s the Nicollet Project, a revitalization of Minneapolis’ main street. But it’s cool; you just watch your step and follow the detours, and use the Skywalks to get to where you’re going.)

So what are Seattle chapter members Carol Spradlin, Carrie Thompson, Shannon Soady, Stacy Rowland, Gretchen Renz, and Judy Beebe doing in Minneapolis?

They are soaking up the education (so far, sessions on workplace ethics; ownership transition; the marketer and firm administrator; design risk; cyber challenges, and an NCARB session.) They are meeting other members from across the county and Canada. They are visiting the SDA business partners during the breaks (and picking up some awesome swag). They are buying raffle tickets to support the Past Presidents’ Council’s efforts to raise funds for EDSymposium grants. They are going to the Friday Night Dinner Rounds.

And then there’s Saturday to wrap things up: two educational sessions, a bus tour, the Annual Meeting, and the Awards Banquet.

At the Awards Banquet, the location for EDSymposium18 will be announced . . . and before you know it, Seattle chapter members will be gearing up for another great educational event by SDA national.