Community, anew: What’s to come at Argentum 2021

Randy Richardson has waited 15 months to be back among the industry professionals he holds so dear. Because the 2020 Argentum Senior Living Executive Conference went virtual at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Richardson, president and CEO of Vi, will be rejoining his industry peers in person at Argentum 2021, to be held September 13 to 15 in Phoenix. (See the end of this article for a link to a promo code for $200.00 off the conference.)

“There is nothing that can replace the interpersonal interaction with my industry colleagues,” says Richardson, who is also chair of the conference’s planning committee. “It’s incredible. We’ve been doing this virtually, and yes, it’s sufficed, but we’ve missed so much.”

Richardson will be one of about 2,000 combined attendees and exhibitors at the conference at the Phoenix Convention Center. From Oscar-winner and Alzheimer’s advocate Marcia Gay Harden to dining and hospitality insights to the new and innovative CEO Collaborative program, Argentum attendees have a lot to look forward to.

Most of all, they will be bound by the conference’s theme: better senior living, together.

“This business is very personal — it’s all about people,” Richardson says. “We’re taking care of people and we have a lot of people in our organizations who are committed to providing care and service to seniors. It’s a very personal business. So it only makes sense that our conference would be personal too.”

Here is a look at what’s to come.

An Oscar-winner, a health care CEO, a former Zappos executive — and a Heroes Work Here celebration

The conference’s keynote speakers have stories and paths that match this year’s personal feel. Former Zappos culture strategist Robert Richman grew a B2B culture business within Zappos, and now lectures and consults on company culture, while former Aetna CEO and author Mark Bertolini will speak on mission-driven leadership and lend insights into health care’s future.

Kicking off the conference is Oscar-winning actor Marcia Gay Harden, whose journey into the aging world is one that many professionals understand: the illness of a loved one. Harden’s mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2009, leading Harden to become her caregiver and to deliver Congressional testimony in 2018. Harden published Seasons of My Mother that year, a memoir about her mother, who passed away that winter. She continues to be a passionate advocate.

“We’re excited to have her,” says Brad Williams, senior vice president of business operations for Argentum. “She brings not only the star power but a common passion for seniors and aging.”

Harden will also serve as host of the conference’s opening Argentum Awards and Heroes Work Here celebration, sponsored by Benchmark.

“The past 16 to 18 months have been a challenge for the industry, and we really want to open the conference with this awards event,” Williams says. “This conference is a celebration of the entire industry. We feel like everyone has been a hero.”

Improving operations and boosting advocacy for your community

The opening event flows nicely into the conference’s content, and its two biggest areas of education and information: advocacy for your residents, staff members and the industry at large, and guidance for building better operational efficiencies.

“I don’t think regulators or the public necessarily understood exactly how assisted living, memory care and independent living fit in the long-term care continuum,” Williams says. “I think they have a much better understanding of who we are now. We certainly got their attention through the pandemic. We’re under a microscope, and what the industry has realized is that we did a good job.”

Helping residents and staff adjust to the new realities since COVID-19, and beyond, are a perfect tie with the theme and goal of building connections. To that end, the conference will offer a variety of educational sessions focused on improving operations, including deep dives and tracks focused on workforce development and HR, women in leadership, senior living design and more.

“It’s a new order, and we’ve had to figure out how we attract the right people into our business,” Richardson says. “I think those programs related to workforce and workforce development will be very popular.”

The CEO Collaborative

One of the new programs will be the CEO Collaborative — a closed-door program exclusively for owner/operator CEOs. This two-day program will cover some of the industry’s most pressing issues, including the regulatory state of the industry, increased policy scrutiny on assisted living, increased liability and risk management challenges and workforce challenges.

“We felt this was an essential addition to the program this year,” says Williams. “With CEOs from dozens of provider companies joining us, it will certainly prove to be a powerhouse program where leading industry voices will be working to move senior living forward and prepare for what’s ahead. If you’re an industry CEO, you’ll want to be here. And we need you here — your insight is critical.”

The conference program will also feature an “Insights from the C-Suite” mainstage panel, open for all conference attendees.

“One of the things that we really tried to focus on in the last few years, although we didn’t have [an in-person] conference a year ago, are the CEO panels,” Richardson says. “We are really giving people an opportunity to hear from industry leaders at a leadership level: what they’re concerned about and what they’re looking forward to. Those are big.”

Argentum 2021: building new connections

In the end, Richardson returns again and again to one aspect above all others: the personal connections. This means for everyone: from c-suite to frontline staff, from senior living operators to outside vendors.

“Everyone comes to get some education and some information, but they’re also coming to network,” he says. “It is, in my opinion, why this is one of the best networking experiences you can go to for the industry.”

He also notes the reality of budget crunches, and recognizes that attendees are taking a lot of steps to get there.

“The industry has been hit a little hard with COVID — we’re recovering, and we see a lot of positive signs now,” he says. “Attending the conference is a small investment to get ahead of where we’re going, because the recovery is happening very quickly, and you need to be at this show. This is the conference for the industry and it will continue to grow and be more prominent. I’d love to see you there.”

This article is sponsored by Argentum. On September 13-15, join your fellow senior housing leaders in Phoenix to hear from leading senior living executives and dynamic keynote speakers while discussing the trends and opportunities that are shaping the industry in 2021 and beyond. Be sure to visit Argentum’s conference website as more details develop and use code SHNSLEC for $200 off a Full Conference Pass!

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