CO-OP Financial Services is very proud to announce that the fourth annual THINK Conference will be held May 14-18, 2011 at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel in Anaheim, Calif. The hotel is located just 37 miles from CO-OP’s headquarters in Rancho Cucamonga, and it is right in the center of “Imagineering,” Disney’s term for innovative thinking. Incidentally, it also marks 30 years of credit union service for CO-OP. In honor of our anniversary, we hope you’ll save the date. East coasters, we’re coming your way in 2012 – stay tuned!
It is fitting then that we will be presenting the very first CO-OP THINK Prize finalists at THINK 11. It is our intention to excite, energize and inspire new ways of thinking, because it was this kind of pioneering spirit that prompted 32 credit unions to cooperate, share and create CO-OP Network back in 1981. In honor of their creativity and cooperation, we are introducing the first THINK Prize on the 30-year anniversary of their brilliant idea…if we do say so ourselves! What better way to celebrate than to create an opportunity for you to develop a shareable, movement-changing idea that can help make credit unions more nimble, progressive, innovative and smart. Of course, a $10,000 grand prize to move the idea along doesn’t hurt either.
We want to you be part of the selection process. More than that, we want to hear your ideas! Call for entry forms and submission guidelines for the CO-OP THINK Prize are now available at www.co-opthink.org.
Here’s a bit more information about how to participate:
The competition will proceed in three rounds, with Oct. 15, 2010, as the deadline for round one. Entrants are asked to complete a simple questionnaire that serves as a program proposal, establishing the specific idea and its merits to the industry.
Round one entries judged to be among the best will be invited to participate in a second round, in which remaining entrants will be asked to develop a business plan for the idea. The second round deadline is Dec. 31, 2010. The three finalists will be named around Jan. 31, 2011, and they will then work with a video production team to showcase the idea. The winner will be determined by THINK 11 conference attendees, online viewers and a panel of experts from the Filene Research Institute and CO-OP.
So what else is there to THINK about? Go to www.co-opthink.org and apply now!