Both the early bird registration window and hotel room block are about to close for the 5th Annual Comp Laude Awards & Gala, scheduled for November 4th & 5th in Burbank, CA. The price goes up and the guaranteed room rate goes away after this Friday, October 14, 2016. I urge all interested parties to secure their spot for this event before that date.
So why does this matter? Why promote the event of a perceived competitor?
The answer is simple. The cause behind Comp Laude transcends the status quo in workers’ comp. It is an idea that promotes and defines the positive impact we – all of us – can have in people’s lives. It is a celebration of the good that can be found in what we do.
After all, we spend enough time dwelling on the negative. This event strives to show the world as well as remind ourselves that what we do matters to people. In the words of the Comp Laude promoters themselves:
The Comp Laude event started five years ago with a very simple premise: Workers’ compensation does a lot of good things for people experiencing the misfortune of a workplace injury or illness.
Each year since its inception, the Comp Laude event has seen exponential growth as people come to appreciate that remarkable things happen when workers’ compensation is executed as intended — The Grand Bargain is alive and well when we do the right thing!
Comp Laude was the dream and vision of the late David Depaolo of workcompcentral.com. David, as with many of us, spent a good deal of time talking about what the industry does wrong. But he also was a vociferous champion of the rarely discussed positive stories in workers’ compensation. Comp Laude is designed to recognize and celebrate injured workers, employers and industry professionals who go” above and beyond”, often defying expectations to deliver or achieve outstanding results.
I am proud to say my company is sponsoring the event this year, and am even more pleased that I will play a part in the program itself. I will get a chance to serve on a bloggers’ panel there, as well as have the opportunity to speak on behalf of Kids’ Chance of America. Kids’ Chance, providing scholarships and educational opportunities for the children of deceased or severely injured workers, is driven by workers’ comp volunteers of all stripes, and is a definitive example of what is good about our industry.
This year the folks at workcompcentral are working very hard to make this the best Comp Laude event ever. While they have always believed in the mission of the event, it is this year extremely personal for them. A successful event will not only further the positive cause of the industry, but it will also serve as a fond remembrance of the man who built the vision for the program. David is sorely missed both by his company and the industry, but in the form of Comp Laude he will continue to live on.
And a good life it should be.
You can download a Comp Laude flyer here, or in the Attachments Box in the lower right area of this page. I will hope you can join us for two days of education and celebration, reveling in the best our industry can offer.