Let’s face it, it’s been a tough year. With lay-offs, re-orgs and struggling morale, our HR teams are feeling overworked and under-appreciated. Please join us for an uplifting evening with a true practitioner in partnering with HR. Before dinner, Paul Gulick will discuss several experiences, from his lengthy career, during which he partnered with HR to maintain a sense of teamwork and company culture during tough times.

In addition to hearing from Paul, we will share stories of partnering with the executive team “in the trenches” during tough times. Please come prepared to share and to be inspired by others.

About Paul Gulick Paul E. Gulick has been an active and successful entrepreneur in the Portland, Oregon, area throughout his career. Most recently, Paul served as Chief Technology Officer at Planar Systems, Inc., a global leader in specialty display systems. He joined Planar following the acquisition of Clarity Visual Systems. Prior to founding Clarity, Paul was a co-founder of InFocus Corporation. Paul has partnered with HR during several occasions including strategic planning in a downturn, an acquisition and a company sale.

Confused about the economic recovery and what it means for you and your organization? So are we! For the past few years, the HR Committee has presented an annual event focused on “networking”. This year’s event continues the trend … with a twist:

TechAmerica provides the moderator; YOU will be the panelists!

Dr. Jeff Johnson, PHD, SPHR Jeff Johnson, PhD., is a currently a Senior Talent Management Consultant with Right Management. He has been consulting with organizations for over 10 years, working with managers and executives in various industries and at different levels. Jeff helps organizations build key leadership competencies, enhance strategic talent management acumen, and make optimal talent movement decisions. Jeff successfully built a private practice focused on leadership assessment, organizational development, and strategic talent management and holds an MS in Organizational Development and PhD in Industrial & Organizational Psychology from PSU.

Dr. Johnson will start the session with some thought provoking questions and ideas:

• Preparing for the recovery - It’s coming –are you prepared?
• Strategic talent acquisition as an increasingly competitive advantage
• How to get employees motivated to become fully engaged in their jobs
• Capitalizing employee production while promoting innovation
• Loyalty – how to maximize employee commitment to your organization
• Compensation: How to leverage intrinsic motivation when cash is not available
• Building leadership throughout an organization – why it is more important than ever?

Before the event you will be asked to provide your ranked interest in the Recover, Retool, Retain subjects. We will seat the event based upon interests. Don’t worry – you won’t miss a thing! After half an hour of table discussion with your peers, each table will report out on the highlights of their discussion.

Cost: $35 Tech America members, $35 SAO and OEN Industry members, $55 nonmember technology companies, and $95 other nonmembers

Thank you ACME Business Consulting for sponsoring this event!

Sponsored by TechAmerica, the Social Networks and the Enterprise Unite event will showcase how technology company leaders and employees are establishing a new set of best practices to mine, measure and apply online social networking in the technology industry. April 1 at 7:30 a.m. at Multonomah Athletic Club. TechAmerica Members $125, nonmembers $175.

This webinar led by Leslie Bottomly, partner at Ater Wynne LLP, will cover employment law basics for start-ups. Topics include: hiring, firing, discrimination, wage and hour compliance, and development of policies and procedures.

Speaker: Leslie Bottomly, Partner, Ater Wynne LLP Leslie Bottomly’s practice focuses on employment matters. She regularly advises public and private employers on such matters as employee discipline and termination, compliance with family and medical leave, discrimination, wage and hour, and other employment laws, development of employee handbooks, drug testing programs and international issues. Serving as Ater Wynne LLP's Director of Human Resources gives Leslie unique insight into the practical challenges employers face day to day.

Items For Purchase Click here to use your OEN Member Login Information to register for the OEN Member items. (Please note that if the item is grayed out it means you have not yet logged in)

Available Items Price Qty
OEN Member Registration $0.00 *
Non-member Registration $30.00

About the Workshop: The twenty first century is a knowledge worker driven era. New methods of managing acquiring, nurturing and retaining talent will be essential for a competitive organization. In this half-day workshop, a series of presenters will bring tools every HR leader should have in their toolkit and executive should hear.

Session 1 (8:00 – 9:00 a.m.): From Start-Up to High-Growth: Shaping a Culture for Success The shift from a start-up culture has caused many promising companies to stumble. EthicsPoint president and CEO David Childers will present the step-by-step process his company took to consciously reconstruct its corporate culture. This two-year-long project has helped EthicsPoint exceed growth and revenue expectations and position itself for international expansion.

Session 2 (9:00 – 10:00 a.m.) Turning the Job They Have Into the Job They Want For many companies the downturn has stalled growth, which in turn has left employees feeling “stuck” in their jobs. This dissatisfaction can be especially difficult in technology companies where employees are attracted to working fast paced growth and changing environments. Via Skype, Dr. Jane Dutton from University of Michigan will share the Job Crafting Exercise, a low cost, powerful tool that the Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship has developed.

Session 3 (10:15 – 11:15 a.m.) Performance Appraisals – The Next Act Few issues in management stir up more controversy than performance appraisal.

There are many reputable sources - researchers, management commentators, psychometricians - who have expressed doubts about the validity and reliability of the performance appraisal process. Some have even suggested that the process is so inherently flawed that it may be impossible to perfect it. At the other extreme, there are many strong advocates of performance appraisal. Some view it as potentially the most crucial aspect of organizational life (Lawrie, 1990). Dr. Steve Hunt will talk about how the performance management process is shifting from an administrative process used to justify pay decisions to a forward focused tool for enabling business execution.

Complete workshop information can be found here: http://www.techamerica.org/talentmanagementworkshop

Details: When: Thursday, September 30, 2010 Time: 7:30 – 11:30 a.m. Where: Multnomah Athletic Club, 1849 SW Salmon St., Portland, Ore. Cost: $195 TechAmerica Members, $225 Nonmembers (Group rates available - email [email protected] for details)

Social media may be a good way to find people, but the fact remains that face-to-face networking is still best for building relationships and for attracting customers and employees. Good networkers are not born, they are created, and anyone can improve their networking skills – skills that will contribute to leadership and professional growth.

Special guest, Kathy Condon, Executive Coach, International Professional Speaker, Trainer and Author will present strategies on how to make your next networking event a fun experience where you can build critical business relationships. No matter if you are an Introvert or an Extrovert, this event will teach you simple networking techniques that you can use right away. To help put your new-found knowledge to the test, you will also have the opportunity to participate in a short networking exercise.

This event will get you started on developing and/or broadening your network early in the new year! As one of Kathy's client's recently said, "A handshake is worth a 1,000 emails."

Who should attend? VPs of HR, HR Directors, HR Managers, HR Generalists

More information on Kathy: Kathy's book “It Doesn’t Hurt to Ask: It’s all about Communication” was named “Best Book Finalist by USA Book News” in the business category. She is completing her second book “Face-to-Face Networking is Dead. WRONG! The book on networking” which she expects to release at the end of January 2011.

http://www.kathycondon.info http://www.kathycondon.info/blog http://www.twitter.com/KathyCondon http://www.linkedin.com/in/kathycondon

Event Details: When: Wednesday, February 2, 2011 Time: 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM Where: Oregon Zoo, Skyline Banquet Room, Portland, OR Cost: $35 TechAmerica Members, $55 Nonmember Technology Companies, $95 Other Nonmembers

To Register: TechAmerica Oregon, (503) 624-5715

Thank you First Tech Credit Union and Mercer for sponsoring this event!

Please join the TechAmerica Oregon HR Committee for a fun and informative networking opportunity at the beautiful new Beaverton facility of the Oregon Food Bank (OFB).

Rick Wills, Retired CEO, Tektronix and current Oregon Food Bank Board Member, along with Gina Taylor, OFB will give an overview of the OFB’s mission, explain the important contributions they are making, and share how other companies in the area are contributing. You will learn about group volunteer options where your employees can build camaraderie while making a big difference for the more than 240,000 people, per month, who eat meals from emergency food boxes. Tours of the facility will also be available.

We hope that you will join us for an informative and enjoyable way to network with other HR professionals, meet new people and learn more about volunteer opportunities for your company.

Event Details: When: Tuesday, March 8, 2011 Time: 5:30 – 7:00 PM (networking, facility overview and tours)
Where: Oregon Food Bank West, 1870 NW 173rd Ave., Beaverton, OR 97006 Cost: $30 members and nonmembers, $25 multiple-person discount (4 or more) - appetizers, wine and other refreshments will be provided Portion of the proceeds will go to support the Oregon Food Bank

To Register: TechAmerica Oregon, (503) 624-5715

Thank you Ball Janik LLP for sponsoring this event!

Ball_Janik

“I have never seen the demand for emergency food this high.” — Rachel Bristol, CEO, Oregon Food Bank.

Help make a direct impact in the fight against hunger and give the gift of time this December! Bring your team and volunteer with the TechAmerica Oregon Human Resources Committee on December 6th at the beautiful new Oregon Food Bank (OFB) Beaverton facility.

We hope that you will join us for an informative and enjoyable way to network with other technology industry professionals, meet new people and have fun while fighting hunger in your community.

Event Details: When: Tuesday, December 6, 2011 Time: 9:45 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

 9:45 a.m. – check-in
 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – volunteer shift in the Perishable Repack Room 
 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. – Networking lunch in the Conference Room 

Where: Oregon Food Bank West, 1870 NW 173rd Ave., Beaverton, OR 97006 Directions Fees: $25 members, $30 nonmembers A portion of the proceeds benefit the Oregon Food Bank To Register: TechAmerica Oregon, 503-624-4871

Thank you Ball Janik LLP for sponsoring!

Companies with well-aligned cultures are 6x more successful. The key isn’t that there is one right culture but rather that everyone is pulling in the same direction. Join us for a dinner forum and hear how transforming a culture can maximize performance.

Martha Stuckey from Autodesk will share how they transformed their performance management practices and self-service model to enhance their culture and increase their engagement.

Tim Wolters, the founder of RoundPegg, will share how management and organizational design research, along with psychological practices can help you get more out of every single employee. The research is clear, those who fit the culture stay longer and are more committed to the organization.

Special Guests: Martha Stuckey, HR Director, Autodesk Martha Stuckey, SPHR, is a Human Resources leader with over 25 years experience in the profession. Martha’s career has been with large global companies including Nike Inc., Alexander & Alexander Inc., and May Department Stores. Martha is skilled in partnering with executive and senior leaders to achieve business results, as well as executive coaching in a “trusted advisor” role. Martha’s particular expertise is global HR management; she has extensive experience managing global HR teams including an expatriate assignment in Hong Kong.

Tim Wolters An inventor and serial entrepreneur from Boulder, Colorado. He is a well-known industry thought leader in the area of using statistical modeling to extract knowledge from unstructured data sources. His work pioneered the use of advanced analytical non-linear correlation models in building business applications.

Event Details: When: Tuesday, March 6 2012 Time: 5:30 – 8:30 PM (5:30 – networking reception, 6:15 – dinner and discussion) Where: Morton’s The Steakhouse, 213 SW Clay Street, Portland, OR Fees: $95 TechAmerica Members, $120 Nonmember Technology Companies To Register: TechAmerica Oregon, 53-624-4871

Thank you Radford for Sponsoring!

Agenda: 6:00--7:00 Networking and no-host dinner 7:00--7:30 Introductions and announcements 7:30--8:30 Main Presentation (followed by Q&A):

RSVP to meetup.com/itpro-70 Proprietor to Employer; What's the Process?

The presentation will cover:

Mind Mapping
The Business Plan
Wheel of Employment
Dangers of Going it Alone
Core vs. Non-Core Functions
Risk Management Myth or Reality?
Distraction to Profit
Reaching the Next Level
Tools & Resources

Presented by Troy Neimann: Portland Representative for HR Support

Experience: As an advisor in tactical human resource strategies for over seventeen years. He is a licensed insurance broker, professional in human resource management and retirement plan fiduciary analyst.

Website: http://wedohr.com

CREATING AND PROMOTING A CULTURE OF INNOVATION: With Facebook's Former VP of HR: Beth Steinberg

Beth will talk about her experience at Facebook as VP of HR and the strategies and tactics she used to build an attractive culture and retain the talent that helped fuel Facebook’s explosive growth. She will share some stories about her time at Facebook and other leading technology companies and will talk about some roles that a CEO/Founder can play in helping to build a great team and market corporate culture in support of recruitment efforts.

• Learn strategies and tactics used to attract and retain the talent that helped fuel Facebook’s explosive growth
• Learn what roles a CEO/Founder can play in helping to build a great team and market corporate culture in support of recruitment efforts
• Gain strategies that local companies can use to attract C-level talent as well as top-notch developers in a market that is growing more competitive by the day
• Gain helpful insight for Tech leaders and companies with complex organizational and growth issues

Agenda 5:30pm Doors Open, Cocktails and Networking 6:00pm Program Begins 8:00pm Program Ends

Click Here for information and to Register.

Competing for Talent in a New World

Event Details: When: Wednesday, February 13, 2013 Time: 7:30 - 9:00 AM Where: Webtrends, 851 SW 6th Ave., Suite 1600, Portland, OR Cost: $25 Members, $45 Nonmembers Register: TAO - 503-228-5452

Sponsor: First Tech Federal Credit Union

A common dilemma among organizations today is the need to alter corporate strategy to compete in an ever-changing world. With that, a major challenge facing CEOs and others in the C-Suite, is how to encourage employees to embrace the new strategy and change their everyday behavior as a result.

In this panel-led discussion, we will explore how executive sponsorship, HR leadership and employee messaging combine to create adoption of the new strategy, the need for accountability and ultimately change a company culture.

Topic Points:

· How to align the strategy with the employee base to ensure it becomes rooted in the DNA of the culture.

· How to develop and execute initiatives to build alignment with the corporate strategy.

· What are the critical elements of an effective communication plan that delivers and regularly reinforces the key components of the strategy to all levels in the organization.

· What are the effective accountability methods for ensuring that employees at every level are operating in alignment with the strategy.

Panelists include:

· John Major – Founder and Managing Partner, Summit Core Strategies

· Ellen Raim – VP of HR, Cascade Microtech

· Ania Osinska-Bulloff – Employment Brand Specialist, Tripwire

This will be a highly interactive event allowing plenty of time for the audience to ask questions of the panelists. Feedback and personal insight are highly encouraged.

Event Details: When: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 Time: 7:30 - 9:30 AM (7:30 - light breakfast and networking, 7:45 panel and Q&A) Where: Jive Software, 915 SW Stark St #400, Portland, OR 97205 Cost: $25 Members, $45 Nonmembers Register: TAO at 503-228-5452

Sponsored by: Radford

About the Event Health care reform presents an opportunity to position your health benefits for recruitment and retention. Faced with "play or pay,” you can still play while managing health care costs. Catch-up on the changes coming online in 2014, maximize your health benefits offering and learn about moving to a self-funded plan.

What Will You Learn? - How to navigate the Affordable Care Act (ACA) components in place for 2014
- How to leverage the ACA environment for recruitment and retention of talent - How one company made the decision to manage costs through self-funding its health plan

Panelists: - Suzi Alligood, SPHR, Director of Training and Development, Xenium HR -- provides HR consultation and training to growing businesses, with expertise in recruitment and retention

• Kristen Clark, VP People and Culture, Urban Airship -- Kristen has international experience leading human resources and a track record of implementing cost containment strategies

• Zach Fritz, Benefits Consultant, The Partners Group -- Zach has expertise in creating competitive and sustainable health care plans, and works with mid-size and larger employers with self-funded plans

• Iris Tilley, Attorney, Barran Liebman, LLP - The focus of her practice is employment and benefits law

Moderator: - Sarah Ryan, Managing Partner, Jackson Lewis, LLP -- Sarah is regarded as a leading employment lawyer and actively involved in the Portland human resources community

Who Should Attend? HR professionals in small to mid-size firms, benefits and compliance representatives for growing startups, tech firms curious about moving to a self-funded health insurance plan.

Event Details: When: Tuesday, October 15, 2013 Time: 7:30 - 9:00 AM Where: Thetus Corporation, 34 NW 1st Ave Portland, OR 97209 Cost: $25 TAO Members $45 Nonmembers

HR Forum Series Sponsors: CBRE Executive Forum

In today's technology services industry, it is increasingly difficult to source, attract, and retain top technical services talent. The demand for services has evolved from traditional models to much more complex solutions. This evolution makes finding employees skilled to support increasingly complex technical services a constant challenge. Why? Because we now have to seek professionals with the right balance of technical chops and business acumen.

The goal of this event is to address these issues with an open discussion forum with some of the industry’s top services brands, discussing best practices and processes for talent acquisition and retention. You will leave with an arsenal of real-world knowledge that will help your organization attract better and more qualified prospective employees, improve the quality of new hires, and retain the valuable team members that your organization worked so hard to acquire in the first place.

PANELISTS J.R. Storment, Chief Customer Officer, Cloudability Jeff Miller, Director and Founder, EdgeLink Anne Buckley, Senior Manager Technical Support, Salesforce.com

MODERATOR Susy Dunn, Vice President of People, Jama Software

TAO members helping TAO members!

Jackson Lewis attorneys Sarah J. Ryan (current chair of the TAO HR Forum) and Mark Crabtree will present an overview of Portland’s new Paid Sick Leave Ordinance. The presenters will describe upcoming changes that every employer with Portland operations and those with employees who spend occasional time in Portland will need to consider in advance of, and once the new law becomes effective on January 1, 2014.

The overview will include a discussion about best practices for coordinating existing PTO and sick leave policies with the new law, the changing landscape of managing employee attendance and details about the tracking, posting and notice requirements under the new law. Come get your questions answered and ensure your sick leave policy and practices will satisfy the new requirements. Doors will open at 7:30 and the program will begin promptly at 8 a.m. and end by 9 a.m. An additional half hour will be allowed for additional questions and answers. Coffee and snacks will be provided.

Details: When: Thursday, December 5, 2013 Time: 7:30 - 9:30 AM (coffee and snacks will be provided)

Cost: This event is free, courtesy of Jackson Lewis and Webtrends, and a double room has been reserved so you can bring team members. However, pre-registration is required so we can plan for space.

The landscape for compensation and corporate governance has been changing at a dramatic pace of the past several years, driven by a combination of greater public attention to governance practices over compensation combined with significant new regulations and increased calls for accountability from both boards management alike. Our panel will discuss some of the key trends that are critical for public companies as they navigate this rapidly changing landscape, and for private companies contemplating an IPO in their future.

Topics will include: Impact of recent "say on pay” results and how it is shaping decisions for public companies as well as those companies looking to go public Best practices in executive cash compensation and performance based equity design that will enable corporations to align compensation to business results and shareholder interests ISS and Glass Lewis major policy updates covering realizable pay and peer group selection methodology SEC policy and governance news including the implementation of Dodd-Frank, CEO to worker pay ratios and pay for performance disclosures An update on what is required to include in your proxy CD&A

Panelists: Tracy Bean, Partner, Mercer David Knopping, Partner, Radford Brit Wittman, CCP, CECP, Director of Executive Compensation, Intel Corporation Moderator: Aliza Scott, Vice President of Human Resources & Organizational Development, Tripwire, Inc.

Social Security benefit strategies are like finger prints. Everyone s strategy is different. The Social Security personnel will not provide guidance for your benefit issues. Rick will explain some of the things you should understand and consider when applying for your Social Security benefits.

What is:

Early Retirement Age
Full Retirement age
Deferred retirement age (credits)
Spousal Benefits

What other factors should be considered when choosing to accept Social Security benefits.

How does continuing to work affect your benefits?
What about other income sources?
Life expectancy versus total benefits received.
The effects of inflation

Questions and answers

Meeting notes are downloadable at: http://occa.org/files/SSNotes.pdf

Agenda:

6:00--6:20 Networking
6:20--7:00 No-host dinner
7:00--7:30 Introductions and announcements
7:30--8:30 Main Presentation (followed by Q&A):

"Will they really hire me??" This is far and away the most common question we get from career-changers considering jumping feet first into immersive training with Code Fellows. Our answer is, "YES," but don't take it from us: Come hear from PDX tech hiring managers and their code school-trained developers! Find out what they were looking for and why they hired these code school grads.

CollegeNET Inc.: Ron Floyd, Web Developer // Tyler Roy-Hart Production Manager & Lead Developer

Nike: Laura Kuhner, Web Developer // Katie Boyd, Web Developer

Working as an international HR professional is a challenge in so many ways. How can you best prepare for success in your role? Our international HR colleagues are willing to share their ideas and experiences with you and answer any questions you may have. This is a great opportunity to collaborate and create HR contacts around the world.

The TAO HR Committee is excited to bring together a panel of international HR leaders to discuss the opportunties and challenges we face when expanding into global markets. This event will include a panel presentation with topics such as:

-How to Hire Internationally -Employment Contracts -Benefits -Labor Law -Culture

The event will also include time to connect individually to explore questions for those curious about entering into EMEA, APAC and India.

This has been one of the top requested topics by HR leaders/practitioners in both large and small organizations so we hope you are able to attend!

Join us remotely early afternoon on Wednesday, August 17th for our second of three webinar series geared to help ease the busy Summer season of benefits decisions. Our lunchtime presentation and discussion will provide HR professionals with a well-rounded panel of speakers sharing innovations that are leading a new world of customized healthcare.

Part two of the series will focus on the role innovation still largely plays in the sometimes more traditional market of healthcare. As the health needs of employees evolve, there is a new baseline expectation of employees to have quick and personalized solutions at their fingertips.

Questions to be answered during this session:

-How do I continue to increase custom value to individual employees across an entire company? -What options are there for increasing employee engagement across multiple channels? -What are different ways that employers are increasing digital access to wellness without compromising privacy?

Speakers and moderator to be announced soon!

Registration is here: https://www.techoregon.org/events/innovation-and-its-impact-creating-new-world-healthcare

Please join us on September 21 for the final webinar in our series designed to help HR professionals make benefits decisions and get ready for open enrollment season. This lunchtime presentation and discussion will focus on some of the key regulatory changes and reporting requirements that generate the most questions and take the most time to untangle.

The webinar will cover the following topics:

-What do I need to know about 1094/1095 reporting? -What is the status of the PACE Act and the reclassification of small groups? -Is the Cadillac Tax gone for good? -How will all of the mergers and other market disruptions affect me?

Did you miss our first two sessions on HR Benchmarking & Trends and Innovation and Its Impact in Creating a New World of Healthcare? Recordings of these webinars are available to TAO members for free! Message TAO for a copy of the presentations and recordings.

Attendance of all 3 webinars is not required, so we encourage all HR professionals to join us on September 21st!

Thank you to our sponsors! Regence - https://www.regence.com/web/regence_individual/

Onboarding and mentoring is important with any new member of your team, but especially so with those who are new to the industry. Successful support and mentorship enables new engineers and developers to contribute to your team’s success as quickly as possible. Both existing and new employees benefit from the increased employee satisfaction and retention through mentoring.

Our panel of seasoned mentors and managers will share lessons learned while mentoring new tech talent as well as engage in a Q&A session. LaunchCode staff will be on hand to explain our apprenticeship and job placement program and answer any questions on how to find your next great tech hire through LaunchCode.

Top Benefits - Enable new engineers and developers to contribute to company success faster - Improve satisfaction and retention of both existing and new employees - Create better relationships and community within your teams

Human.School is a development-focused learning experience designed for people operations people (official or unofficial!) - the administrative assistants, the operations coordinators, the office manages - in small, but growing companies or nonprofits.

It’s unlike any conference you’ve been to before: you and 99 other professionals will experience two high-intensity, high value days of learning and applying experiences to create a full-fledged people ops strategy. You won't have to choose between concurrent sessions and speakers, and you'll be treated like a VIP the whole time. Human.School takes a practical approach to learning full cycle people operations, something most HR and culture events don’t do.

Oregon Techworks and Technology Association of Oregon have teamed up for a one-of-a-kind event to help your business thrive. At this pop-up coworking day you’ll not only have a change of scenery for your workday and opportunities to meet other like-minded entrepreneurs in the tech space, but you’ll hear practical solutions that will drive business success while empowering your workforce’s journey. Plus, you’ll get a chance to meet Techworks and TAO partners whose services can save your company time and money and streamline human capital management. At 12pm, we’ll have a conversation with industry leaders about how compensation, benefits, and learning & development contribute to your human capital management and impact your employees’ experience. Bring all your burning questions about strategically integrating: -Compensation -Benefits -Career advancement

You’re invited to a pop-up coworking day brought to you by Oregon Techworks Association. During the event there’ll be coworking areas for togetherness, breakout rooms for private conversations or calls, and of course, a delicious lunch.

Stop by for an hour or two or stay the whole day. But make sure to reserve your spot - seats are limited!

Join us for an interactive debate about work location policies for your team, and how different models can affect productivity, culture, and engagement. We’ll hear from folks with differing views about these topics and it’ll be sure to be a lively conversation!