Where - Las Vegas, Nevada, Caesar's Palace Convention Center - a fabulous venue for the expansion of our minds and bellies (or maybe that was just this reporter.) Next year Credit Congress will be Dallas, Texas, so plan ahead with those budgets for 2017. 

Who - Over 1700 credit professionals nationwide attended this year's credit convention. Men and women with differing levels, backgrounds, and industries with the common goal of gaining knowledge. I read a sign walking down the hall to the opening session that read: "NACM - Strength in Members." This statement struck me - we really are an association of members and our membership matters! We, as credit managers, are valuable.

Who's Who - A big shout out to two Shanes from our local association. Shane Inglesby, CCE, Geneva Rock Products, was a speaker at the convention opening as a member of the NACM National Board. Shane Norman, CCE, Wheeler Machinery, received the NACM National 2016 CCE Designation of Excellence Award at the opening session. If you meet up with one of these two Shanes be sure to give them a pat on the back for representing NACM Intermountain and our credit profession so well.

When - June, 2016. Credit Congress is usually held in May or June. Next year the dates are June 11th to 14th. Again . . . put it on the calendar for 2017.

What - The broadening of our understanding of the credit world around us. Classes were taught in many areas: Legal - including bankruptcy trends and how to enforce judgments; Accounting - special classes on managing tax documents and another on forensic accounting;   Supervisory - featuring building up employee development; Computers and the Internet had focus classes on cyber security and another on cloud computing; Global - Discussions of the risks and challenges in selling internationally; Economics and Politics were also discussed and how those trends effect our companies and credit policies. There were also classes on skills we all need like how to manage people (at work or at home) and how to tell is someone is lying to you. There were many, many more. There is something at Credit Congress for every credit professional to learn no matter what skill level you are. We all need to keep up with the changes around us to stay ahead.

Why - The expansion of knowledge for ALL credit professionals including classes and information for the novice in the credit world to the expert keeping up with changing laws and trends. The classes can be taken on a "pathway" in which specific classes are designated for beginners, advanced, and financial or international to name several. Accreditation classes and tests are provided at the convention for those wishing to attain CBA, CBF, or CCE. 

How - NACM provides classes taught by other credit professionals, lawyers, government officials, authors etc. NACM reaches far and wide for an expert in the topic to be discussed. Sometimes more than one is needed for a class or panel discussion. The speakers are always on topic, courteous, and open to questions and information. 

Speakers - Did you know that three of our local credit gurus were speakers this year. . . Georgette Bevan, CCE, NACM Business Credit Services, Susan Archibeque, CCE, Nicholas & Company, and D'Ann Johnson, CCE, Roofers Supply. THANK YOU to these three women. You have all inspired me at some point in the many years I have known you! These women devoted time and effort to pass on knowledge to others at credit congress and have also taught at our local educational chapter, ICEL (Intermountain Credit Education League.) If you are looking to broaden your credit skills locally, please check out this group. To check out ICEL click here.  

Conclusion: This reporter has attended many Credit Congresses over the decades. This one was outstanding. I brought back a huge bang for the buck for my company in just two of the classes I attended. I find the information I get from Credit Congress classes to be invaluable tools in the arsenal that every credit manager needs. I learn new things in classes. I network with other professionals in and out of my industry. Many of the other local attendees I talked to agreed. Please plan to attend next year in Dallas, TX. Get working on those budgets and talk to your supervisor for approval. HINT: One strategy for getting approval for your credit congress trip could be: You could mention that many companies spend thousands of dollars for salespersons and mechanics to get and keep certifications, keep up with sales trends and techniques to get new customers or have current customers buy more. Why wouldn't the company spend a small amount of those funds to get the credit department updated with the most current information and trends in the credit world in order to save the company money?

See you next year in Texas for another great educational opportunity for credit professionals!