Thank you for taking time to read through the July issue of ACT News.  This time of year always brings forward certain emotions.  And I considered drafting something a bit esoteric about realization we are half way through the year, hopefully enjoying our summers, and how we are all likely taking stock of our businesses to finish the year strong.  But, against my lifelong challenge to remain brief, it hit me that this may be an opportunity to cut to the chase…and start paving the way for ACT's future.

Although we have begun talking about our strategy refresh when meeting with many of you in 1-1 and small group settings, we wanted to start socializing some of the progress.  To some, it might appear as though we are a bit radio silent.  Afterall, some of the workgroups have met with lesser regularity and we do not have a formal traditional scale ACT meeting on the calendar this year.  Rest assured, however, that this is not indicative of lack of effort or commitment from ACT or the Big I. We continue to have a key role in helping agencies and the industry embrace technology to enable new strategies and solve existing challenges.  In fact, we have been working very hard in several areas with the goal of making our efforts even more relevant, valuable, and focused in needed areas where we believe we can make a meaningful difference.

While details are still in flight, we've been collaborating with Big I senior leadership and members of our Executive Committee to shape this evolution.  There is great excitement as we reassess the areas/topics of focus, rethink how to maximize our workgroup models, explore ideas to better showcase the companies who have invested in ACT and the industry, and consider how we show up in the industry in quicker and more consumable ways.  In fact, we are already testing some of these concepts. 

• We have doubled our partner webinar efforts and are bringing more thought leadership around relevant ideas and leveraging the expertise our partners bring to each area.
• We launched our IMPACT Video Series featuring our partners' short reactions to specific prompts.
• We are using more and more partner content and thought leadership in ACT News.
• We have been more targeted with workgroups:
• Our Agency Cyberguide was fully refreshed with input from partners and agent members.
• Our Disaster Planning and Business Continuity materials are being updated with a core group from our workgroups.
• We continue to collaborate with partner companies and state associations for speaking engagements, panel participation, and workshop facilitation.
• We tested a different event format and got “Back to Basics" in October, featuring a smaller, more interactive approach.
• We have begun doing more targeted 1-1 work with partners looking to gain insights from our market presence.
• We continue to offer meetings with all our partners to share insights, discuss issues and opportunities, and explore ways to collaborate.

While a few traditional ACT activities are in refresh mode, we are moving forward, testing and learning, and working with passion and intent to bring even greater value and collaboration with our member agents and partner companies.  Your support now and in the future is as important and incredibly valued as it has been at any time in ACT's 25 years.  

Stay with us on this exciting journey - we promise it will be worth it. Here's to the future and many more years of shaping the needed technology and innovation conversations in our industry.

Chris Cline, ACT Executive Director