Co-ops Connect Workshop Postponed to May 12-14, 2025
Hurricane Impact Results in Rescheduled Event: Mark Your Calendar Now
Conexon is sending this message to inform you that we’ve made the difficult decision to postpone Co-ops Connect 2024, originally planned for November 4-6 in St. Petersburg, Florida, as a result of the significant impact of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Our new workshop dates are May 12-14, 2025 at the same location, The Vinoy Resort & Golf Club in St. Petersburg.
Our thoughts are with all those affected by the recent hurricanes, including our electric cooperative partners, employees, customers, and communities we serve in Florida, Georgia and surrounding areas. Our hearts go out to all who have experienced such widespread devastation and loss.
Conexon recognizes that so many of our electric cooperatives have been impacted by storm damage and are focused on restoration efforts, working around the clock to restore power and broadband service. Many others have sent crews to assist their fellow cooperatives in need. As well, we have your comfort and safety in mind in light of the damage sustained to the Tampa Bay area and The Vinoy Resort & Golf Club property.
For these reasons, we believe it is in the best interests of all involved to postpone our event until we can come together to learn, network and celebrate with the impact of the 2024 storms well behind us.
Join Us for Broadband Education & Networking
RESCHEDULED: May 12-14, 2025
The Vinoy Resort & Golf Club, Autograph Collection
St. Petersburg, Florida
Hotel room block to reopen in November
The Vinoy Resort & Golf Club, St. Petersburg, FL
Conexon has secured a special rate of $349 per night plus applicable taxes and fees. The hotel room block to begin making your reservations for May 2025 will reopen in November.
The Vinoy has waived its resort fee for Conexon guests and offers amenities such as high-speed guest room Wi-Fi, wellness classes, tennis court access, E-Bike rentals, two cocktails at The Veranda or Paul's Landing, and two St. Petersburg History Museum tickets.
If you previously had a reservation within the Conexon room block for the November dates, your reservation has been automatically cancelled. If you reserved a room outside of the room block, please make sure to contact the hotel to cancel your reservation.
Revisiting Co-ops Connect 2023: Insights, Highlights and Gratitude.
It’s hard to believe Co-ops Connect 2023 ended over one month ago already! Thank you to every person who attended our workshop. Your presence and participation contributed immensely to the success of the event – the diverse range of expertise and experiences that each participant brought to the table truly enriched the overall learning environment for all of us.
Key Highlights from Co-ops Connect 2023:
Interactive Discussions: Participants engaged in thought-provoking conversations on gaining traction in competitive markets, broadband lessons from trial and error, the fundamentals of fiber construction and design, targeted marketing, and more!
Collaborative Spirit: The cooperative spirit throughout the workshop was unmistakable as individuals from various backgrounds came together to explore common goals and resolve shared challenges.
Networking Success: The event facilitated meaningful connections, fostering new friendships and a sense of community among attendees.
Top 5 Takeaways From Co-ops Connect
1. “If we don’t do it, no one else will.”
This has been a refrain of electric co-ops since the 1930s. Even co-ops that had previously not wanted to get into broadband have found it necessary.
As one CEO recounted, in their service territory 30 of 100 high school seniors were unable to graduate in 2020 because lack of internet access made it impossible to finish school.
2. “I was told that I’d have to get 60 poles changed the first week, 90 the second week, then get to a pace of 120 per week after that.”
This year, our clients will change out nearly 200,000 poles for their broadband projects. The pace of make- ready construction by electric co-ops is unparalleled.
If states are looking for ways to spend BEAD funds, Kentucky’s pole replacement program is a good model for other states.
3. “Co-ops can compete against anyone.”
Missouri’s United Electric Cooperative has 7,000 members and a populationdensity of less than 2 meters per mile. Yet its broadband subsidiary now has over 26,000 subscribers and is planning to build into St. Joe which has a population of over 70,000.
To those who think co-ops’ inherent advantage in broadband is due to their ownership of poles, co-ops, like United Electric, have proven that a co-op’s true competitive advantage is the ethos of service.
4. “I don’t know what smart grid will become, but I know I’ll be in a good position with a fiber network.”
Whether it is connectivity to all electric devices, voltage control, or a self-healing grid, smart grid and fiber broadband go hand in hand.
Electric co-ops deploying fiber are at the forefront of smart grid experimentation and innovation.
5. “The BEAD program is an excessive amount of funding; states will struggle to spend it all.”
The federal government, having committed funding for rural broadband through the CAF, RDOF, ACAM, CARES, and ARPA programs, will allocate BEAD funds to states by the middle of 2023.
Once the areas funded by the other programs are removed, the only places most states will be able to spend BEAD are in areas served by cable broadband. Cable will go to war over that.
Partnering with electric co-op clients across 24 states
Conexon can guide your electric co-op to a brighter, more connected future with fiber broadband.