By Mark Lambert, ECC Future Leaders

Future Leaders take note: the 47th annual conference is right around the corner! We wanted to share with you some perspectives from our ECC Board as we look forward to the conference. We were honored to hear from Chair Mahesh Thadhani, as he shared his thoughts on the conference.

Question: As we prepare for the conference, tell us what excites you about this year's conference?

I am excited about the great speakers like General Peter Pace, USMC (Ret.), Ian Bremmer and Archie Manning to name a few that we have lined up for the conference. We work in a very dynamic industry, that's going through a lot of change right now in terms of low oil prices, global economic uncertainty, and lack of qualified and trained resources both in the home office and the field. Our conference speakers will provide insights on how we can succeed in our current environment.

Question: Tell us about your personal experience with ECC and take-aways from your leadership and involvement over the years.

I've been coming to the ECC conference for about 15 years and have had the privilege of experiencing the conference as an attendee, a Future Leader, and now a board member. I think that's one of the unique and wonderful characteristics of the ECC – the board is made of people who are regular conference attendees. We work hard to take into account the attendees' perspective and focus on making the conference a great experience. One of the other things I've learned from my involvement on the board and why I think the ECC conference is one of the premier conferences in our industry is that the board works extremely hard year-round to develop the conference and line-up the speakers and presenters that are relevant to the industry. I've had the honor of working with a group of highly dedicated men and women who have a passion for our industry and want to see it continue to thrive. By coming to the conference over the years, I've developed some long lasting friendships and relationships with my peers that I would not been able to do outside the conference.

Question: What advice do you have for Future Leaders as they prepare to attend the conference?

My advice for the Future Leaders is to take advantage of the opportunity you have to attend the conference. Participate in an as many sessions as possible and network with your colleagues from other companies. I know it can be difficult because everyone is so busy and dedicating 2 days to the conference is tough, but I am confident that it is a worthwhile investment of your time. Also, I encourage the Future Leaders to stay involved after the conference. The ECC and the Future Leaders have worked extremely hard to ensure there are activities to stay connected year-round with the mid-year meetings and the social events.