WBA members,
First and foremost, I hope that you and your families are all safe and healthy!
As I realize this (sadly) is a recurring theme, it is with deep regret and sadness that the WBA Conference Committee and the WBA Board of Directors have made the difficult decision to cancel the WBA 2020 Summer Conference in La Crosse. Please know this was not an easy decision, yet the current state of affairs locally, statewide, and nationally make it difficult if not impossible to properly prepare for and plan our 2020 summer event.
The Summer Conference was scheduled for June 17 and 18, 2020 at the Radisson Hotel in La Crosse. I’m pleased to let you know that the Radisson is being tremendously accommodating. Not only are they not charging us a penalty, but they are also keeping rates the same for 2022. Note: The WBA 2021 Summer Conference is already scheduled for Sheboygan at Blue Harbor Resort and the 2023 WBA Summer Conference is already scheduled to be back at The Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake. Therefore, we’re moving La Crosse to 2022.
While there are many moving parts at the moment, I can share that at this point, it looks like we will roll our 2020 celebratory events into the 2021 WBA Summer Conference! Note: 2021 is also the WBA’s 70th anniversary so it will be an appropriate time for celebration! This will include honoring this year’s Hall of Famers, Local Broadcast Legends (stay tuned on the formal announcement for this year’s Hall of Famer’s and Local Broadcast Legends), as well as our WBA Distinguished Service Award Recipient, Dick Zaragoza.
The Young Professional’s Toolbox event will also be rescheduled, but a date has not yet been determined. Honoring our first Young Professional of the Year will also be rescheduled, although he or she will still be named in the next WBA newsletter.
While there are still many moving parts, we wanted to get the word out to you as soon as possible. You will certainly be hearing more from us as soon as we have additional details to share.
Yes, things may look “a little different” for some time, but rest assured your WBA is committed to you, our valued members, and making sure our events and all the member benefits that come with them are restored as soon as possible.
So, for now, keep up the excellent work!
With my sincere respect and admiration,
Michelle Vetterkind, CAE
President & CEO
Wisconsin Broadcasters Assn.
