Register now for 2021 MMA Annual Meeting & Trade Show

The MMA’s 42nd Annual Meeting & Trade Show is fast approaching, and now is the time to sign up for this exciting virtual event, to be held on Jan. 21 and 22.

Register by Jan. 6 to lock in the advance registration rate of just $85 per person for a dynamic, timely and engaging two-day conference, which will use a highly interactive online platform called Chime.

As always, the Annual Meeting will feature:
• A range of informative and timely workshops
• Compelling and inspiring speakers
• A general business meeting and important policy updates
• A robust Trade Show featuring the latest services and solutions for cities and towns

There will also be creative networking opportunities – and fun!

For this year’s event, attendees will participate from their homes and offices, eliminating the need for travel and accommodations. And the two-day meeting will be held on a Thursday and Friday, rather than the typical Friday and Saturday.

The 2021 event theme is “Leading Through Challenge and Change.”

The workshop and speaker lineup are now set – with the recent addition of Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito – and the MMA has launched a new Annual Meeting website with all the latest information.

In addition to Baker and Polito, the featured speakers are:
• Bestselling author and Robin Hood Foundation CEO Wes Moore: “Evolve, Adapt, Inspire: The Tenets of Transformational Leadership”
• Framingham Mayor Yvonne Spicer, interviewed by the Rev. Liz Walker, formerly of WBZ-TV news
• Diversity and bias expert and author Risha Grant: “Get Rid of the BS (Bias Synapse)”

Fifteen interactive, 45-minute workshops will cover topics including cybersecurity, economic and fiscal outlook, governing remotely, net zero emissions, thriving while working virtually, public health lessons from the pandemic, helping local businesses, municipal and labor law updates, mutual aid in public works, workforce diversity, engaging on equity, pandemic permitting, policing bias, and water resources.

“The MMA Annual Meeting is one of the events I look forward to every year,” says Weston Town Manager Leon Gaumond. “It gives me an opportunity to hear best practices from around the state and even gives us some needed facetime with our colleagues (even if it’s virtual facetime).”

Brianna Sunryd, communications manager and community participation officer in Amherst, notes several advantages of a virtual meeting.

“The online format will allow me to attend more sessions than I normally would be able to in-person,” she says, “and provides easy access to the content, speakers and recordings, even after the conference has ended. Not having to travel or pay for accommodations provides flexibility and cost savings that will make the event more accessible than ever.”

Westwood Town Administrator Chris Coleman agrees.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, the MMA has been providing several virtual meetings each week and continues to find new ways to improve members’ experience and knowledge,” he says. “I am confident that this experience will lead to a well thought out and planned virtual Annual Meeting.”

Registration details
Online registration is available at www.mma.org/am-registration. Registrants may also make reservations for the Women Elected Municipal Officials Leadership Symposium, which will be held as part of the Annual Meeting on Thursday, Jan. 21, at an additional cost of $15.

Only online registrations will be accepted this year. MMA staff are happy to help anyone who needs assistance. Attendees may use their unique username and password to register. Those who don’t have a username and password, or who have forgotten them, may email amregistrations@mma.org.

Registrants will receive details and log-in information in January.

MMA Partnership Program members qualify for member rates. All Partnership Program members must renew membership with payment by Jan. 1 in order to register for and attend the MMA Annual Meeting & Trade Show. Partnership Program renewals or applications will not be accepted during the Annual Meeting.

For more information on the Annual Meeting, contact Timmery Kuck at 617-426-7272, ext. 106. For Trade Show and Partnership Program information, contact Karen LaPointe at 617-426-7272, ext. 154.