2021 Accounting, Marketing & Customer Service Conference 

conference for this year – Fort Worth, the 5^th largest city in Texas, the 13^th largest city in the United States and a city known as the “City of Cowboys & Culture.”  Now that sounds like TSTCI!

So get your saddle bags packed – because REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN.

Don’t tell the others but this is by far our favorite conference to plan and to attend.  It has a lot to do with the variety of people that attend, the three disciplines represented and the array of educational topics that are covered.  At this conference, everyone comes to learn and work hard and then play!

So, while we are still fine-tuning some of the program, we wanted to get some information out to you and to open registration for this important meeting.  As many of you know, the Texas Legislature will also have completed the 87^th legislative session the end of May.  Therefore, in addition to the joint and concurrent educational sessions, we will also be updating attendees on new legislative actions that passed during this most recent legislative session.     

This July conference is always a powerful program and offers significant and necessary CPE credits for our attendees.  The CPE credits for this meetings program agenda will be 16 hours of Technical Credits.  The Early Registration discount is good until June 16, 2021. 

So register now to take advantage.

Every year, our industry deals with and feels changes to our industry – whether technology, customer service, customer expectations, regulatory or legislatively – and this year is no different.  These and other changes are pounding on the door to again alter the way we work, the way we provide service to our customers, the economics of and for the services we provide (or want to provide).  Our three days together at this conference will focus on the Who, What, When, How and Why of some of these issues.  We plan to provide “tools for everyone’s tool belt” so you will all return to your individual companies armed with knowledge and networking.

Wednesday afternoon July 7^th, TSTCI President Darren Patrick and Weldon will welcome everyone.  In the spirit of Go Big or Go Home and to give everyone a bit of “water cooler” type time to discuss and to digest some of the legislative and legal events that occurred during the just completed legislative session, Daniel Gibson (TSTCI Attorney and Partner with Richards, Elder & Gibson) will start us off with “Legislation, Litigation and Tariffs” or it could be called the 2020-2021 Trilogy of…. 

And boy did Broadband take on a whole new direction before, during and now after the depth of the pandemic.  During this conference, we’ll be looking at not only state actions and programs developed for broadband expansion reasons but also federal programs that look to helping with the affordability of broadband for some through the Emergency Broadband Benefits Program.  To bring the educational part of Wednesday to a close, we’ll look at some of the new technologies and devices – what we might want and what we don’t. 

The finale for the opening day will be our Welcome Reception from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.

We’ll begin again on Thursday morning with a breakfast from 7:00 – 8:00 am before the official kick-off of the Conference by TSTCI President Darren Patrick, Wes-Tex Telephone Cooperative, Inc.  Then TSTCI CEO Weldon R. Gray will get us started and introduce our Opening General Session keynote speaker, (being finalized at press time) who will help us on how to lead through motivation or motivate through our leadership! 

We’ll continue the morning in shared general sessions addressing topics like “Internal Controls – Best Practices – Why Do We Need Them – Or Why Would We Care?”  Nathan Paden, Bolinger, Segars, Gilbert & Moss, will guide us and lead us into why we should care. 

We’ll look at “Where We Want To Go and How to Get There” surrounding marketing of broadband services.  (speaker being confirmed).  And before we break for lunch, Clay Moreland, Bolinger, Segars, Gilbert & Moss, will again highlight another popular yet scary topic “Cyber Security – A New War Ever Day.” 

After lunch on your own, we will return for the afternoon in Breakout Sessions.

On the Accounting-side, we’ll look at “RDOF Phase II & Other Updates.”  We’ll also have a session on “Financial and Operational Benchmarking.”   In addition, Rebecca Van Nattan, Curtis Blakely & Co. PC will lead a session to deal with any and all of the newest “State Tax Updates."   Before we break for the day, Lauren Young & Jason Miller, Bollinger, Segars, Gilbert & Moss will take us through the “How & Why of Transactions with Affiliated Companies.”

In the Customer Service/Marketing Breakouts, we’ll explore “Hosted Business Services – How to Market, How to Sell.”   We will also continue our pursuit of helping our members know how important marketing of your company and your services really is to your bottom line.  Marketing is a multi-layer, multi-dollar advantage for any company.  It helps your sales, service and statistics…. Your bottom line.  To round out this full day, the Marketing/ Customer Service side will have an extended period for Roundtable Discussions.

After an evening enjoying the sights, sounds and smells (food or stockyards, your choice) of Fort Worth, we will begin Friday morning with a breakfast before our closing general sessions. 

We’ll have a PUC Regulatory Update – which after the past year with them should be a doozy!  An FCC and Federal USF update will follow. 

We can’t end one of these conferences with our now traditional update from Todd McElmurry, Curtis Blakely & Co., on “Tricks, Tips and Tools”    

Before we adjourn for another successful conference, Weldon will give a brief Legislative and State of the Association Update and then draw for the winner of the TSTCI PAC Raffle!

We strive to present information that is timely, relevant and useful to the attendees.  We always hope that you enjoy the meetings, the materials presented and the networking with other telephone workers.  TSTCI works hard to provide programs that help you learn something new or a new way of doing or viewing things.  Soak it up and take something back to share with others in your offices. 

We hope you know how much each of you matter to TSTCI.  We will adjourn this meeting for another year and look forward to seeing each and every one of you throughout the days ahead.

Special thanks to those Members and Associate Members who give their time, energy and talents to share their expertise with us through their participation as speakers, presenters, facilitators and sponsors of our programs.    

The TSTCI online registration process allows and helps participants register online and pay by check or credit card.  Just go to www.tstci.org and follow the link.  It’s easy, fast and a little fun.  The conference preliminary agenda will be posted to the website soon.  We are still in the process of confirming speakers.    

The Worthington Renaissance Fort Worth Hotel

200 Main Street

Fort Worth, Texas 76102

 

Online Reservations: https://www.marriott.com/events/start.mi?id=1607984844397&key=GRP

Group rates are available 2 days pre and post event prior to the cut-off and are subject to availability.  Cut-off date: for reservations for this conference is June 16, 2021

For hotel questions or concerns, contact Pat Holder, Event Planner at 512-349-7470 or [email protected].

The room rates for this conference are Single/Double - $189.00. 

Check-in/Check-out Times:         

Check-In – 3 p.m.          Check-Out – 11 a.m.        

Overnight parking at the hotel is $20.00+/day (TSTCI group rate) and valet parking is approximately $32.00+/day

Ground transportation to/from the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is available through Yellow Checker Shuttle.  The charge is approximately $19/person each way.  Rental car agencies are located at the airport.  There are also various ride share options to consider.

The objectives of this conference are to improve the skills and knowledge of accounting and other issues related to the telecommunications industry.  Participants shall receive 16 technical CPE credit hours for participation, and there are no prerequisites for participation.  We have registered with the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy as a CPE sponsor.  This registration does not constitute an endorsement by the Board as to the quality of our CPE program.  TSTCI Sponsor ID# 2349

Be sure to complete the Conference evaluation form and return it to the registration desk after the final session on Friday.  Thank you!

To register online, go to tstci.org.  You can make your payment by credit card or check.  Once you have registered online, make check payable to Texas Statewide Telephone Cooperative, Inc. (TSTCI) and mail payment to:  TSTCI, 3112 Windsor Road, # 338, Austin, Texas 78703.

Cancellation Policy:      No refunds will be given after June 16, 2021; however, substitutions will be permitted.

Please contact Pat Holder if you have any special needs or for general questions.  See the following contact information:

Pat Holder, Event Planner

Phone: 512/349-7470

Email: [email protected]

 

                                                                                  Before 6/16/2021    and on-site

Member – First Attendee                                                   $400                     $500

Member – Additional Attendee from same company         $350                     $500

Associate Member – First Attendee                                   $400                     $500

Additional Attendee from same company                          $350                     $500

Speaker                                                                              $200                     $200

Non-Member                                                                      $500                     $600

We are always looking and always grateful to those that help support these meetings by their generous sponsorship.   We appreciate all the extra support and include recognition of your company in the printed program, the displayed meeting signs and from the podium.   Sponsorships can be designated using the online form.  In addition, there are door prizes during the meeting.  If you would like to donate a door prize, please let us know that you’ll be bringing a door prize with you.  We encourage you to put a business card or sign designation of your door prize to show the attendees and especially the winners who donated what. 

We are also looking for an item for the PAC Raffle.  If you are interested in sponsoring the PAC Raffle item, please contact the office.

The TSTCI Board established the Discretionary Fund, which is used for important off-budget expenditures.   This fund is used for speaker expenses, when applicable, as donations to memorials, assists with PAC administrative expenses, and more.  The Discretionary Fund is included in the annual independent audit of TSTCI.  Since this fund is not used to provide campaign funds to candidates or office holders, corporate contributions are acceptable.  Contributions to this fund can be made online when you register or you may send corporate or personal checks made payable to the TSTCI Discretionary Fund to the TSTCI Austin Office at 3112 Windsor Road, # 338, Austin, Texas 78703.

Have questions about the Conference?

 If you have any questions or need any additional assistance, please contact Weldon Gray at 903-658-0055 or [email protected], Kari Rouse at the Austin office 512- 343-2587 or [email protected]  or Pat Holder, Event Planner at 512-496-0580 or [email protected]

 LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU in Fort Worth!