A Meeting With History!
 

The League's 128th annual convention was held September 5-9, 2007, at The Williamsburg Lodge & Conference Center in Williamsburg, Virginia.

The registration desk and Exhibitors Show was opened on Wednesday afternoon, followed by a Welcome Reception for the attendees on the Virginia Lawn.  The Political Action Committee Silent Auction items were available for viewing in the Exhibit Hall.

Opening Ceremonies were held Thursday morning with a Welcome to Williamsburg Fife & Drum Processional and a Thomas Jefferson impersonator speaking about Colonial Williamsburg.

Robert J. Stroh, Jr., Chairman of the Illinois League and Robert M. Smith, Chairman of the Ohio Bankers League, called the meeting to order. 

Thursday speakers included:

Bruce Christopher, Psychologist, Humorist and Author addressing the topic of  "Bambi vs. Godzilla: Dealing with Difficult People."

Dr. David Hehman, President of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati discussed the "Federal Home Loan Bank System."

Mark Sievewright, Corporate Senior Vice President for Market Development at Fiserv spoke about "Today's Financial Marketplace: Finding and Securing the Future of U.S. Banking."

On Friday morning, the Spouse/Guest Event began with a buffet breakfast and was followed by a special presentation of "The Daily Lives of Colonial Women" of 18th Century Williamsburg.

Mr. Stroh and Mr. Smith called Friday's General Session to order, and the speakers included:

Edward L. Yingling, President & CEO, American Bankers Association and Bob Davis, EVP & Managing Director/Government Relations giving their "Industry Insights."

Barbara Ryan, Deputy to the Vice Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation shared the "FDIC Regulatory Perspectives."

Thomas A. Barnes, Regional Director/Central Office of Thrift Supervision presented the "OTS Regulatory Perspective."

John R. Bolton, Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations gave the "Word News."

The Illinois League's Annual Meeting was held after the speakers' presentations.  During the Annual Meeting, the new officers and directors were installed and recipients of "Years of Service" awards and the Arnold J. Rauen Award were recognized.

The "Silent Auction", held Friday evening during the Desserts and Cordials Reception, was a very popular event again this year.  Delegates and guests perused the many items for bid while enjoying the delicious desserts.

Special "Breakout Sessions" were held on Saturday morning.

Jeff Smith, Partner, Bricker & Eckler, led the "Directors Workshop -- What Every Director Needs to Know."

Steve Greene, President, Employment Law Compliance, Inc., led the session on "Six Most Common & Problematic Personnel Issues for Community Banks."

Janae Abegglen, Product Marketing Manager at Fiserv, led "Commercial Deposit Growth and Retention Strategies -- A Discussion of Best Practices." and

Mike Sobba, Vice Chairman/COO at Strunk & Associates, LP, led "How to Compete in Today's Economy -- A Timely Discussion on Non-Interest Survival Tactics."

The ILFI/OBL Golf Tournament was held on Saturday afternoon at Williamsburg's Gold Course, a Robert Trent Jones, Sr. course.

The Convention activities were concluded on Saturday evening with the Chairmen's Reception and Dinner.  The Capitol Steps were highlighted, performing song parodies and skits with their special brand of satirical humor.