2026 Members Services & Communications Summer Conference

Description

2026 Summer Member Services and Communications Conference 
June 3-5, 2026 (W 1-5:00, Th 8:30-4:30, F 8:30-12)
Chase On the Lake
502 Cleveland Blvd. W
Walker, MN 56484 

Agenda (subject to change) - Theme: Game Show
Wednesday, June 3
12:00   Registration
1:00     Welcome - Conference Begins
1:15     PSE Cost of Service & Trends - Ben Bratrud
2:15     Break
2:30     Safe Electricity: How it can help your co-op members - Kerri Tayler, Safe Electricity
3:15     Power Supply 101/Update - Jim Sherman, Dairyland & Ben F., Minnkota
4:15     TBD
5:00     Adjourn 

Thursday, June 4
7:30    Breakfast
8:30    Lexicon Project - Amber Allman, NRECA
9:30    MREA Legislative Update
10:00  Comms Topic - Amanda Groethe
10:45  Break
11:00  Breakout Sessions -  
              Bring your questions and be ready to share
               - Member Services - TBD
               - Communications - TBD
12:00  Lunch - (MNTEG Meeting)
1:00    Time of Day Demand Charges - Dan Ehrke, McLeod
1:30    Demand Charge Panel - Dan Ehrke,McLeod; Deanna Lefebvre, Clearwater-Polk; Jennifer/Angela, Beltrami
2:00    Break
2:15    GridEx, What is it? Why is it important for power reliability - Ben Fladhammer, Minnkota; Tommy Houdek, Wild Rice
3:00    Successful Goal Setting; Plan. Picture. Participate - Beth Knudson, BeThEnergy Consulting
4:30    Adjourn
4:30 - 6:00pm Vendor Networking Happy Hour at TBD

Friday, June 5
7:30    Breakfast
8:30    State of MN EV Grants - Michelle Kiley & Beth Croteau-Kallestad, State of MN
9:00   Turning Members Into Fans - Greta Brooks
10:00  Break
10:15  Outage Communication, Working well with your Operation Staff - Katie Jagiello, Oconto Electric Co-op
11:00  Keep Forward Going - Krista Ryan, Keynote
12:00  Adjourn 

*Don't Forget to Bring your Co-op Swag/Giveaways

WHO SHOULD ATTEND 
Energy, member service and communication managers and specialists, marketing managers, government affairs representatives and public affairs managers.

COST
Please See Registration page for pricing
 

HOTEL
Chase On the Lake
502 Cleveland Blvd W
Walker, MN 56484

218-547-7777 

You Must Call Chase on the Lake reservations desk at 218-547-7777 to get the room block rates.

Give the reservationist block: 183604
Room Block Ends May 3rd.
*At time of reservation, you will need to place credit card on file for hotel rooms and $200 down on condos.
**Please note that front desk will take a credit card for incidentals at check in.**
Hotel Rooms- If you cancel after 4:00 pm 48 hours prior to your stay you will be billed for one night stay.
Condos- Your $200.00 deposit is refundable if you cancel by 4:00 pm one week prior to your stay. If you cancel less than one week prior, your deposit will be held and you will be billed for the entirety of your stay.

Event Policies
MREA Event Cancellation Policy (Link to Full Policy) updated 12.19.2025

MREA Event Code of Conduct (Link to Full Policy)
MREA is committed to providing a safe, productive and welcoming environment for all participants and staff in MREA meetings, conferences, training programs, and events both online and in-person. All Event participants including but not limited to attendees, speakers, exhibitors, staff, students, guests and vendors, are expected to abide by this MREA Event Code of Conduct, and this code applies to all space and situations in which MREA meeting-related activities are being conducted, including virtual meetings and those sponsored by organizations other than MREA but held in conjunction with MREA Events. Participation constitutes agreement to comply with the Code of Conduct as a condition of attendance. 

2026 Late Registration
All events in 2026 will be subject to a $50 late registration fee for anyone that registers 2 weeks prior to the published event dates.