BROOKINGS South Dakota State University Extension hosted a successful Energize conference in Platte with 150 attendees.
Energize, an annual community development conference, was May 6-7 and drew 150 attendees. Peggy Schlechter, SDSU Extension community vitality program director, said it is most attendees ever for an Energize conference, and praised the Platte community for its warm welcome.
You can tell people love their community and want to show it off, Schlechter said. I know that when people left Energize, they had the best possible impression of Platte.
Coordinated by SDSU Extensions community vitality team and hosted in a different South Dakota town of 5,000 or fewer people each year, Energize is an opportunity for community and business leaders to gather, gain new perspectives and share ideas about revitalizing rural communities.
A walking conference, breakout sessions are held at various locations around town. Through those breakout sessions, attendees get to interact with business owners and other community members. Previous conferences have been hosted in Hot Springs, Wessington Springs, Fort Pierre, Milbank, Lemmon and De Smet.
Networking is an important part of the event for many. Margaret Doom, a first-time attendee, said the event truly lived up to its name and gave her renewed energy to return to her role as the director of Wagner Area Growth, Wagners economic development agency.
Im not a conference person typically, but I thought this was awesome, Doom said.
The community vitality team is accepting applications for next years conference. They are due by July 1. To apply, visit extension.sdstate.edu/energize.
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