By Maralee Sautter, IDL SIG Manager
The STC Summit in Chicago was awesome! After several years of isolation, it was amazing to hug and talk to STC friends, and wave to those who wanted to keep their distance. Some wore masks, others held their arms out for hugs, and the remaining greeted with a fist or elbow bump, handshakes, or smiling eyes over a mask. The smiles were frequent, and the laughter was abundant. Because the number of attendees was modest, the atmosphere was congenial and intimate. The following recap highlights some of my experiences mainly in the IDL SIG manager’s role.
Sunday, May 15-Welcome Reception
On Sunday, my first official business was to host the IDL SIG table at Welcome Reception located in the exhibition hall. I collected business cards for our drawing and chatted with passers-by, while I waited for Mellissa Ruryk, my
partner in SIG fun, to arrive from Canada. About 15 minutes after the onset of the reception, Mellissa arrived like a tornado, packing bags and flush from running. After we laughed and greeted, she rearranged the table and settled in. It was a great start to the conference. I’m behind the table on the left, Mellissa to the right.
(Mellissa adds: I was a day late, having missed a plane because I couldn’t show a negative Covid test. Rules? What rules?)
Monday, May 16-Opening Keynote Session and More
The opening keynote session was Trustworthy: How to Foster Trust in a Brand Through Better Content, presented by Margot Bloomfield. I attended the opening session and several educational sessions during the course of the day and have a review of the session in this issue of IDeaL.
My leadership day ended at the Community Affairs Committee (CAC) session. During the CAC session, we sat at tables and engaged with the table host who spoke about a specific leadership topic. My table host was our very own
beloved Lori Meyer, the new incoming CAC director and one of the new STC Board directors. The outgoing CAC leader, Ann Marie Queeney, presented a recap of activities (slideshow) for 2021 and 2022. Then we got our “bingo” cards to fill out for the Deep Dive scavenger hunt, which culminated in a fun social event on Tuesday.
On Monday evening, I went to the Dine Around event. Mellissa Ruryk was the host of our restaurant, Adobe Gilas. She’s in the bright pink jacket. The conversation was fun. Of course, we had to have a debate over the “serial 
comma” and other language oddities.
Mellissa adds: Our other confreres were from left to right, Lael Butler, Charlotte Weddington, Maralee, Edward McHam, and the infamous Robert Delwood. The restaurant was lovely and the other 14 people who signed up to come with us never showed – they missed out on some great Tex-Mex. We thought it was apt to have a picture that said “Chicago” in it, despite none of us being motorcyclists.
Tuesday, May 17, IDL SIG Social Event, Honors Reception, and More
Tuesday was a busy day of activities for the SIG. Mellissa and I hosted the SIG breakfast where we gave out swag and exchanged tech comm books. It was great to catch up with members over a protein-packed breakfast.
I scurried off to educational sessions and ended the leadership day with a CAC Deep Dive Social and Networking Event. Princess Jamye Sagan wearing the tiara below (IDL SIG Treasurer & CAC director), presided over a sea-based trivia challenge. The CAC team drew completed bingo sheets out of an envelope to award the scavenger hunt prizes.
And then, I rushed off to the Honors Reception. 
If you have been in STC for any length of time, you know that attending the annual conference (Summit) is the culmination of a great many months of activity and planning. We use the Community Achievement Award (CAA) to plan the SIG activities during the year. We submit the CAA form in January each year, recording the many activities of the previous year.
We were excited to receive news of our Platinum CAA and were over the moon when we learned the IDL SIG won the “Most Improved Community of the Year” for the second year in a row. However, this time a few of us got to take the stage to receive the award.
Read a review of the many awards we won.
Wednesday, May 18 – Closing General Session and More
On the last day, I was able to attend two awesome education sessions and the closing session, The Courageous Career: Navigate Work Trauma, Unconventional Experience, and Self-Doubt to Reclaim Your Professional Purpose presented by Amber Naslund, before going to the airport to catch my plane back to Oregon. As usual, I was tired and energized by the conference on my return flight and for many days afterward.
Thank you, Chicago for hosting such a great conference. Looking forward to the Summit in Atlanta in 2023. Hope to see you there!
Addendum
Normally we have our annual general (business) meeting at the Summit, but this year we chose to have it virtually once again. Check out the festivities.
Here is a screenshot of our attendees, followed by a slide from the AGM presentation showcasing our more active volunteer members.
