The Performance Excellence Network hosts a variety of learning events to:

  • Promote professional and leadership development.
  • Share best practices and insights regarding organizational improvement and performance excellence.
  • Promote networking with other leaders and professionals interested in continuous improvement.

Learning events include short, one-hour breakfast forums; one- and two-day workshops; livestream and video-on-demand events; and conferences. All content for PEN learning events have been vetted, and all events are deeply discounted as a benefit for PEN members.

Upcoming Events

PEN Offers a variety of upcoming events -- webinars, hybrid breakfast forums, workshops, conferences! Please keep an eye on our events calendar to find events of interest for you and your organization.

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PEN WorksPENworks

PENworks is the largest, most powerful conference focused on performance excellence in the region.

  • Learn best practices from dozens of local, regional, and national organizations on the journey to excellence.
  • Explore methods, tools, insights from speakers in all sectors: businesses, healthcare organizations, education institutions, nonprofits, and governmental agencies.
  • Explore best practices in leadership, strategic planning, customer focus, use of measures/data, workforce engagement, innovation, resilience, operational excellence, and many, many more!
  • Network with hundreds of eaders and professionals committed to continuous improvement and achieving performance excellence.
  • Gain inspiration, energy, and momentum to start, sustain, or accelerate a journey to excellence!

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Fall Conference

PEN hosts a conference (or "retreat") every that focuses on a specific and timely topic. The fall conference boasts a blend of practitioners sharing best practices with consultants and trainers who provide in-depth sessions for hands-on learning and application.

Previous topics include innovation, employee engagement, leadership, change management, resilience and managing stress.  With over 250 attendees, this is a unique opportunity to learn about a specific issue with professionals from education, business, healthcare, non-profits and service organizations.

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breakfastBreakfast Knowledge Forums

Knowledge Forums are monthly breakfast sessions that allow participants to network and learn with leaders and professionals who are sharing information on principles, processes, and practices that improve performance of organizations, individuals, and/or communities.

Though we have suspended in-person discussions right now due to COVID, historically we offered monthly forums in six communities: Minneapolis (first Thursday), St. Paul (second Wednesday), Rochester (first Tuesday), Twin Ports (third Wednesday), Mankato Area (third Tuesday), and Black Hills (third Thursday).  We are exploring how/when to resume hybrid offerings, rotating locations across the region.

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Workshops

PEN workshops are longer learning events (half-day or longer) that focus on topics important to driving continuous improvement and performance excellence.

  • Workshop topics are relevant and current.
  • Facilitators have been vetted as qualified/expert by PEN.
  • Workshop sessions are open to PEN members (at a 50% discount) and nonmembers.

Workshops offer deep learning on techniques to improve your organization, your leadership, and your results -- on topics such as effective leadership, customer focus, strategy design and execution, organizational measurement, workfoce engagement, innovation, process and operations improvement, conflict resolution, and many, many more!

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PEN-on-Demand (Livestreaming & On-Demand Videos)

Can't join us in person, no worries!

PEN offers a growing number of digital programs as an alternative to attend events in person, offering:

  • Flexibility – of where and when you hear the content.
  • Convenience – avoid the hassle of commutes for busy professionals.
  • Application – attend as a team in your organization to facilitate learning and application to your environment.

Livestreaming our live breakfast discussions or offering online webinars every other Thursday!  Just visit our upcoming event page and register to participate by stream/Zoom.  Free for members ($20 for non-members).

PEN-on-Demand is a free digital library of over 150 recorded past sessions.  Search for topics that represent challenges or strategic objectives for your organization or team!  Check out this powerful resource by visiting here!

Webinar seminars -- PEN is pleased to announce a partnership with The Lean Six Sigma Company, which brings a full curriculum of Lean, Six Sigma, and process improvement webinars to PEN members at a discount! Click here for more information!

Partner Events

PEN is pleased to announce upcoming events of partners who offer forums that advance continuous improvement and performance excellence. The following events are scheduled:

 

Non-Profit Partners

 

Other Partners

Roundtables

PEN Roundtables are uniquely designed to accelerate performance and improvement within participants’ organizations.

Specifically, the goals of these roundtables are to:

  • Share ideas and solutions across organizations.
  • Solve real business problems in a collaborative format.
  • Explore best practices from regional, national, and international experts.
  • Enhance leadership skills and build long-term relationships with like-minded individuals.
  • Promote value beyond your investment of time/money – provide a measurable ROI.

PEN Roundtables:

  • Facilitated.
  • Join together leaders and professionals from a wide variety of organization types, including business, education, healthcare, non-profits, and government.
  • Both directed and organic in the topics that are discussed.
  • Use outside resources such as Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, and guest speakers to provide rich content for participants.

For more information or to explore what cohort will work for you, please contact us today.