--- title: "CEO to CEO: Necessary Toolkit Parts" id: "25491" type: "post" slug: "ceo-to-ceo-necessary-toolkit-parts" published_at: "2014-10-08T09:40:10+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T18:22:35+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/10/08/ceo-to-ceo-necessary-toolkit-parts/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/10/08/ceo-to-ceo-necessary-toolkit-parts.md" excerpt: "Beyond a smartphone or tablet, what is your one must-have item for your CEO toolkit when attending a conference?" taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "conferences" - "Leadership" - "Networking" - "Professional Development" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "For-Profit CEO / President / Owner / Partner" taxonomy_persona: - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » CEO to CEO: Necessary Toolkit Parts ### Spenser Villwock *CEO, Independent Electrical Contractors, Rocky Mountains, Denver* A stack of business cards, an open mind, and a big, welcoming smile. In the age of constant accessibility and social networking, everything still pales in comparison to face-to-face connections. I attend several conferences throughout the year and walk away nourished with critical information to advance our association, connections with friends, and a list of take-away ideas to integrate into furthering our mission and elevating businesses we represent in the Rocky Mountain region. ### Sylvia Henderson *CEO, Springboard Training, Olney, Maryland* Post-it notes are highly adaptable for a conference. I leave notes for people on the conference board. Individual sheets serve as bookmarks and section dividers in conference books. I write action items, reminders, and strategies on them and stick them on handouts. I write comments and questions to speakers and panelists, pass notes to other attendees, and leave notes for colleagues on their room doors in the hotel. And I write thank-you notes to servers and hotel staff to express my appreciation. ### Katherine Bassett *Executive Director, National Network of State Teachers of the Year, Washington, DC* The conference attendee list. I use this as my target list of people with whom I absolutely want to connect during the conference. If I don’t know what they look like, I Google them prior to the conference to find a photo. I then plan out my top-10 targets, my middle-tier targets, and my elevator speech for each. ### Michael Monti *Executive Director, Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, Washington, DC* < p>I always carry a small notebook, different from the legal pad I use to record my day-to-day business meetings. I attend conferences mainly for inspiration and to get new perspectives on what my association does. Even if the conference session I’m sitting in doesn’t give me content, it sparks my thinking to new ideas that I record in my personal notebook. [ASAE Staff](https://associationsnow.com/author/asae-staff/) [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/asae-staff/) Tags: [#conferences](https://associationsnow.com/tag/conferences/) [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/) [#Networking](https://associationsnow.com/tag/networking/) [#Professional Development](https://associationsnow.com/tag/professional-development/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoDJ Johnson Shares His Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/dj-johnson-shares-his-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoKathy Pabst, CAE Shares Her Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/kathy-pabst-cae-shares-her-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoAttend the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition in Los Angeles!June 9, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/06/09/attend-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition-in-los-angeles/) - [VideoAttend the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition in Los Angeles!June 9, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/06/09/attend-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition-in-los-angeles-2/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2014%2F10%2F08%2Fceo-to-ceo-necessary-toolkit-parts%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !