You know I always enjoy having guest writers for my weekly letter. This week, a team of dedicated long-time AME volunteers want to share “Why Your Team Should Be at AME Milwaukee 2026. Together.”
Cheryl Jekiel and Kevin Bennett are volunteer co-chairs for our large group attendees, Accelerator Program, for the AME Milwaukee 2026 International Conference | October 26–29 this year. Cheryl and Kevin would like to share their “why” you should bring your team.
Kevin shares, "As Co-Chairs of the AME Accelerator Program for Milwaukee 2026, we have spent decades helping organizations build cultures of continuous improvement. Again and again, we have seen the same pattern. One person returns from a conference with ideas. A team returns with shared understanding, shared commitment, and the momentum to put those ideas into practice. This is the very heart and soul of the AME Accelerator Program.
For me, it comes down to what happens when operations and manufacturing leaders step outside their own building and into someone else's. Defensiveness drops, curiosity comes up, and people start asking better questions. That is the moment genuine improvement thinking begins."
Cheryl adds, “Every year, teams reach new levels of focus and enthusiasm at the conference, which extends afterward through specific plans developed during the conference. All of our volunteer facilitators are deeply committed to making each group's experience as valuable as possible.
What the AME Accelerator Program Delivers
When you register ten or more people, you receive much more than a block of conference registrations. Each Accelerator Program group is:
- Paired with an experienced facilitator before, during, and after the conference. Your facilitator will assist your team to select the sessions that best fit your organization's goals, connect with the right people, and make sense of what they are learning throughout the week.
- Concierge-level support throughout the conference
- Daily facilitated team debriefs that turn observations into action
- Early access to workshop and plant tour registration
- Reserved seating at keynote presentations
- Introductions to speakers and experienced practitioners
This year, Accelerator Program participants will also receive exclusive access to a two-part learning experience with Richard Sheridan’s team from Menlo Innovations, one of the world's leading examples of people-centered leadership and workplace design.
Why Bringing a Team Changes Everything
A team returns with shared experiences and a broader view of what is possible for themselves. They challenge one another's thinking, build on ideas from different sessions, and leave with a common understanding of where their organization can improve and how to move forward together. That is why organizations that invest in bringing teams continue to return year after year.
And listen to what participants are saying:
- Bob Cermak, Minerals Technologies: "One way we get a return on our investment is that we meet to process key learnings and discuss how to apply them back on the job. Everyone completes action plans, we follow up, and later we share those learnings across the company."
- Mike Burns, McKee Foods: "The impact is engagement. People come back invigorated or challenged... whatever it is that makes them click and go, 'Hey, I can do something with this."
If you're considering bringing a team to AME Milwaukee 2026, we will help you build an Accelerator Program experience that fits your organization's goals and helps your team get the greatest value from the conference. Please reach out to us now and make the most of this opportunity. For more information contact:
- Kevin Bennett kb@improvingyourbusiness.com.au
- Cheryl Jekiel cheryl@leanleadershipcenter.com or
- Andy Kirschner, akirschner@ame.org
Thank you to Cheryl, Kevin, Bob, and Mike for sharing the value of bringing a team to the AME conference. Whether you are bringing a team or coming alone, we hope to see you at the AME Milwaukee 2026 International Conference October 26–29 where we will connect with our amazing membership. Remember we have some great conference prices right now!
As always, please stay safe and keep looking out for one another.
