Ethics for Meeting Planners
With any large gathering of individuals comes the opportunity for unethical behavior and the need for organizations to practice precaution and safety for attendees. This session will cover a review of meeting ethics basics, provide an opportunity for participants to workshop their ethical challenges or questions, and offer a chance for community conversation about what meeting planners might need to expect in the future. Participants are encouraged to bring copies of their meeting codes of conducts, event waivers, and policies, along with stories of challenges or situations that caused them to rethink their event planning.

Learning Objectives: 
• Identify core ethical considerations that arise in planning and managing large meetings, conferences, and events.
• Evaluate meeting policies, codes of conduct, waivers, and safety practices for clarity, effectiveness, and alignment with attendee well-being.
• Apply ethical decision-making principles to real-world meeting planning scenarios involving attendee behavior, organizational responsibility, risk, and safety.
• Discuss emerging ethical and safety challenges that meeting planners may need to anticipate in future events.

About the Speakers
Julie Marshall, CAE, CMP, has nearly two decades of experience in educational design, conference planning, and event execution. As the Director of Education at the Texas Library Association, she is passionate about creating impactful learning experiences and fostering connections within the association community. An active member of the Texas Society of Association Executives (TSAE), Julie holds both the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) and Certified Association Executive (CAE) credentials. She has been an invited speaker at numerous conferences and industry events, was the TSAE New Ideas Chair in 2024 and was honored with the TSAE Professional Excellence Award in 2021. Beyond her professional work, Julie enjoys walking, reading, and photography—and she’s always ready with a great book recommendation. Julie is supported by her loving family and the best dogs ever Max and Mollie and is known for solving problems and baking brownies--maybe that is the same thing? 

Lacy Compton, MA, CAE, is the Senior Director for Professional Learning & Publishing for the National Association for Gifted Children, a small-staff association that hosts a 2,000+ person annual convention for educators each year, along with multiple virtual events for educators located across the U.S. and internationally. Prior to her work with NAGC, Lacy served as the Director of Professional Learning & Partnerships for the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented, leading a team planning content strategy for both in-person and virtual events. She also has served as an Account Director with Strategic Association Management, helping lead and plan meetings for groups as diverse as the wine and grape industry and marriage and family therapists. She currently serves as chair of the TSAE Membership Engagement Task Force and previously served as chair of the TSAE New Ideas annual convention. Lacy loves tackling organizational challenges, finding unexpected ways to delight members and attendees, and discovering engaging new speakers.