Guest Report - November 2026

Meeting of the Minds

This was my first time going to MOTM. What an eye-opening experience it was. Prior to going I heard that I would meet people from all over the US; however, never imagined the number of SMRO's that was going to be there. I met people from all walks of life that all had a common denominator - freedom of the open road.

There was a huge array of different breakout sessions that you could attend, I was fortunate getting to attend bits and pieces of several different breakout sessions. If you didn't take the opportunity to go to any of the breakout sessions you missed out on a lot of knowledge that was being shared for you to take back and apply to your organization to expand and be more successful.

There was another common denominator that I had noticed; everyone is facing a struggle with obtaining and retaining the younger generations for the most part. There were a few younger people in attendance but I would say the vast majority were over the age of 50. Couple things that stick in my mind from one of the breakout sessions in regard to involving the younger generation: 1) They want to be heard. They have ideas to share but feel that when they speak up, they are being ignored and not heard. 2) They want to feel like they matter and can make a difference. They want to be asked to help and be assigned things to do. We need to encourage people to participate. We need to be open to everyone's ideas and opinions. We should be looking at having people assist outside of their comfort zones so that they can gain experience and grow. When a person stumbles or falls when trying, it is a good thing that allows them to learn, grow, and become stronger. Everyone needs encouragement and support at some time.

There are several other things that I could mention that I learned and experienced while attending MOTM, however just going to make a couple more comments. You never know who you will meet or what you might witness at MOTM. Anyone who was there this year witnessed a wedding proposal and I was told that was a first.

If you have not attended a MOTM or it has been a while since you have attended, you are truly missing out on meeting great people and obtaining an excellent wealth of knowledge. It is well worth your time.

Looking forward to going again.

Brenda