2018 Annual VACEOs Retreat
2018 CEO RETREAT REGISTRATION CLOSES APRIL 11!
Join us again at the Omni Homestead Resort for top-notch speakers and unmatched learning and networking opportunities found only at our Annual Retreat. Make time Wednesday and Friday for activities such as golf, zip line, skeet shooting, The Cascades Gorge Hike and more. Below is a great summary of what you can expect. Want more detail? Visit our 2018 Registration page or our Retreat FAQ page today!
DATES
April 25-27, 2018
WHERE
Omni Homestead Resort
Hot Springs, Virginia
SCHEDULE – UPDATED!
Wednesday, April 25
Noon – 6:00 pm: Recreational Activities
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Speed Networking and Dinner
9:00 pm – 1:00 am: Late Night Hospitality
Thursday, April 26
8:30 am – 9:30 am: Registration
10:00 am – 11:45 am: Steven Kotler, “Bold.” Based on his work with Peter Diamandis, Steven will contrast “exponential entrepreneurs” against the “linear-thinking executives” who work in major corporations. The exponential entrepreneurs are paving the way for a new world of abundance by finding big problems and exploiting the “Six D’s”: digitalization, deception, disruption, demonetization, dematerialization, democratization.
12:00 pm: Lunch
1:00 pm – 4:30 pm: Track 1 – Blue Ocean Shift expert Katrina Ling will lead you in this half-day workshop, during which you will develop blue oceans for your business. Blue Oceans are unfished, and without competition, unlike red oceans, where the water is red with the blood of competition.
1:00 – 1:45 pm: Track 2 – Bo Burlingham, “The Entrepreneurial Journey: The two biggest questions that every company owner has to answer.” Building a company is not a construction project. It is a journey, and—like all journeys—it has a beginning, a middle, and an end. The end is not the creation of a great business. That’s the middle. The end comes when you leave that business. Some may leave feet first, but everyone leaves sooner or later. To have a successful journey, there are two questions that every owner must answer: What exactly will make my company great, and what does it take to have an exit that will leave me, not only financially independent but also happy and proud, with a strong sense of accomplishment? Those happen to be the topics of two books Bo Burlingham has written: Small Giants and Finish Big. In his talk, he will share what he has learned.
2:00 – 3:30 pm: Track 2.1 – Workshop with Bo Burlingham “The Entrepreneurial Journey Workshop.” In the first half of this workshop, participants will discuss what they like most about the companies they have built and what they can do to make those companies even greater than they already are. In the second half, participants will turn their focus to their eventual exit, and what they can be doing now to make sure they have the options they want when the time comes.
2:00 – 3:30 pm: Track 2.2 – Workshop with Steven Kotler “Hacking Human Performance”. Learn how performance athletes, Navy SEALs, Google’s innovators and others boost information and inspiration through altered states, often called a state of “flow.”
6:30 – 9:30 pm: Party at the Gun Club (Western Theme)
Friday, April 27
7:00 am – 10:00 am Breakfast
9:30 am – 11:45 am Closing Session with Colleen Stanley
Keynote: “Five Ways CEOs Screw Up Sales”
Workshop: “Emotional Intelligence in Sales”
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm Lingerers Reception
SPEAKER LINE UP
Bo Burlingham, Steven Kotler, Katrina Ling and Colleen Stanley! Review our Speaker Lineup.
HOTEL INFO
Book now! Reserve your room by April 4, 2018, through this link: OmniHotels.com/VACEOSretreat2018 or call 800-838-1766.
Sights and Sounds from the 2017 VACEOs Annual Retreat
While the 2017 VACEOs Retreat at the Homestead is over, we’ve got a few memories we’ll take with us. Here’s a few of our favorite moments.
Related article: 2017 VACEOs Retreat: Here’s Our To-Do List >
2017 VACEOs Retreat: Here’s Our To-Do List
Annnnd that’s a wrap! Another great VACEOs Retreat is under our belts. We took a pause from work, enjoyed ourselves, connected and learned. Our tranquil setting this year – the luxurious Homestead Resort in Hot Springs – gently eased us into two days of self-reflection and study as each speaker, in their own way, invited us to take a look inward and then take action.
Our opening speaker, Marshall Goldsmith, asked us to take a hard look at ourselves and our behavior. He shared great leadership coaching tactics and concluded his lecture with this personal coaching advice:
1. Be happy now.
2. Life is short, so have fun now!
3. Help people.
4. Have a dream and go for it!
Joel Salatin challenged us to aspire to NOBLE goals – not those of the traditional business sort. We won’t soon forget his lesson on “10 Ethics-Based, Contrarian Business Ideas,” focusing on a world in which sales targets and trademarks don’t exist, the local ecology is honored, and the phenotypical uniqueness of life – including seasons, cycles, ebbs and flows – is respected.
And like Goldsmith, Salatin reminded us to enjoy NOW: “The times of our lives will always trump the paychecks of our lives.”
Related article: Sights and Sounds from VACEOs Annual Retreat (Video) >
We were in awe of – and inspired by – the life of Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour. The Marine combat pilot and inspirational speaker reminded us that our actions affect many. She challenged us to make gutsy moves, to ENGAGE with our employees and partners, and to “squeeze the juice out of life.”
And while our last speaker, Connor Lokar, Economist at ITR Economics, spoke about business indicators and wage and consumer growth indexes, his ultimate message was relatively simple: To thrive during what he expects to be a year of growth and acceleration, the first step is to look inward; more specifically, to understand what business cycle you’re in and where you’re going. Essentially, “Carpe diem!” Seize the day and act accordingly, because a potentially injurious economic tidal wave is a’comin’.
Here’s our checklist from the Retreat. What’s on yours?
VACEOs Post-Retreat Checklist
3 Things To Do:
- Determine what business cycle I’m in and how to react to important market indicators.
- Determine one thing I can do to make a positive difference for myself and the world, and then tell someone to make me accountable.
- Make a gutsy move to live an amazing, adventurous, epic, juicy life!
Virginia Council of CEOs Honors Chuck McCabe’s Legacy with Establishment of Leadership Award
The Virginia Council of CEOs (VACEOs), a non-profit association serving 200 small and mid-sized business owners, announces the establishment of the Charles E. McCabe Leadership Award in honor of founding chairman and VACEOs member Chuck McCabe.
The Charles E. McCabe Leadership Award recognizes VACEOs members who make significant leadership contributions to the Council. Chuck McCabe, CEO of Peoples Tax and The Income Tax School, was appropriately named as the first recipient of the award during the recent 2017 VACEOs Retreat.
In his address to Council membership during the award ceremony, current VACEOs Chair Neal Lappe said, “Chuck McCabe was the leader who made Virginia Council of CEOs come to life.”
Under McCabe’s leadership, VACEOs – which began as a state chapter of a small national organization – did not dissolve when the national organization folded one year in. Today, nearly 20 years after it began, VACEOs has grown into a successful, thriving association that is currently expanding into the Charlottesville area. (Learn more here.)
(Image below: Four original VACEOs members celebrate during Speakeasy event at 2017 VACEOs Retreat. From left to right:, Phil Conein, TECHEAD; John Carrico, Ukrop’s Dress Express; Bernard Robinson, Networking Technologies and Support, Inc.; Chuck McCabe, Peoples Tax & Business Services and The Income Tax School; Connie Hom, Buckingham Greenery.)
“When I began interacting with fellow CEOs in the national organization, I became enamored with the experience,” McCabe said during his acceptance speech. “I am proud to have been the driving force behind bringing this invaluable CEO peer support concept to Richmond. Our founding Executive Director, Scot McRoberts, also deserves tremendous credit for the growth and success of VACEOs. I am so thrilled to see what this organization has become over the last several years, and I sincerely thank you for this award.”
About the Virginia Council of CEOs
The Virginia Council of CEOs is a non-profit association that serves CEOs of small and mid-sized businesses in Virginia. The Council was founded in 2000 to connect CEOs so that they can learn and grow together. With 200 members in Central Virginia at this time, the Council is forming new CEO Roundtables in other parts of the state in 2017. Learn more at http://www.vaceos.org.
2017 VACEOs Retreat Registration and FAQs
Excitement is running high, as this year the event is held at the historic Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia.
2017 speaker lineup >
View schedule >
2017 VACEOs RETREAT FAQs
Q: What do I register for? The Registration page has a lot of stuff on it!
A: Start with CEO Retreat Registration. That is your main ticket to the Retreat, covering meals and program from Thursday morning to Friday mid-day. Then, consider coming in on Wednesday – most participants do – for the Opening Reception. And, to maximize your time making connections, you can choose one of the group activities on Wednesday – Golf, Ziplining, or the Cascade Gorge Hike. Or enjoy the many resort activities available to you.
Q: Do I need to book a room?
A: Yes. As soon as possible! We have a block of rooms reserved through April 5. Use the special group link found in your confirmation to make your reservation
Q: Should I bring my spouse or significant other?
A: The Retreat program is designed just for members and sponsors. We recommend that you immerse yourself. After all, this is a “retreat!” We will have guest tickets for our two evening social events. Some folks have their spouse join them on Friday afternoon for an extra night or two of R&R. We have a reception Friday night just for the “lingerers.”
Q: Is there a dress code?
A: Not really. Let’s call it business casual or resort casual. Relax and be comfortable. There may be stricter dress codes in the Homestead dining room.
Still have a question? Please contact Connie.
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