Quest for Excellence Conference Information

We look forward to your participation in the 35th Quest for Excellence Conference! We want to ensure that you are well informed and have the materials you need to be an engaged participant. To maximize your conference experience, please read all of the following important announcements and check out our Quest conference App! 

This webpage includes information on:

• Online Access to Conference Materials
• The Quest for Excellence Conference App
• Conference Wi-Fi access
• Special Amenities at the Gaylord National Harbor
• Pre-Conference Workshop 
• Registration
• Sunday Welcome Reception
• Conference Meals – Wilson Ballroom
• Vegetarian plated lunch alternative
• Sponsors, Exhibits, and Display Tables
• Bring a Water Bottle and Solar Eclipse Glasses
• Tuesday Baldrige Foundation Awards Luncheon
• Shola Richards and Robert Martichenko Keynotes
• Discounts Available on the Baldrige Framework
• Social Media
• Conference Evaluation

Online Access Information to Conference Materials - Available Now!

Quest presentation handouts, attendee listing, and conference-at-a-glance are available on the Quest Web App and the Quest Mobile App. Event URL: https://quest35.events.whova.com 

The Quest for Excellence® 2024 Mobile App

We encourage attendees to use The Quest for Excellence® 2024 Whova app to enhance your experience with a customizable schedule, viewable presentations, social sharing, networking and much more!

Mobile App | Event code: quest35app

Attendees receive an email invitation to download the mobile app in advance. Please use the email address you registered with Quest to sign in. For returning Whova users, log in with your previous email and password.

1. Open the email you received to automatically log in to the Quest app.

2. Create a password and type in your name. 

3. The app will take you to the Quest page automatically, if using the email you received. If not, search for it and select the join button on the bottom of the Quest description page and enter the Quest invitation code you were sent.

Web Portal | Event URL: https://quest35.events.whova.com | Event code: quest35app

Attendees using the web portal will use the Event URL to open the page. Select “Sign up here” if you don’t have an account and fill in your email and password.

If you want copies of any of the materials for use on site, please download these materials before you leave home. You may leave them on your hard drive for access or print and bring them with you to the Quest Conference.  

 Printed materials will not be provided on-site at the conference. If you have any difficulty connecting to the site or downloading a file, this is most likely due to heavy traffic on the site, so please try again later.

Whova Quest App Emails

If you do not receive the Quest app invite you may have unsubscribed from Whova emails. Contact support [at] whova.com (support[at]whova[dot]com) and request to re-subscribe. Then stop by Registration and request to resend the app invite. We want you to join us!

Conference Wi-Fi Access

Wi-Fi in conference meeting rooms: We are offering free Wi-Fi in the conference meeting space. Here’s how to access it:

1. Turn on Wi-Fi in the device.
2. Look for the network: Quest WiFi by Baldrige Institute and select. 
3. Enter the password quest2024 
4. Click ok for authentication

Wi-Fi in sleeping rooms:  Attendees staying at the Gaylord receive free Wi-Fi in their sleeping rooms. Here’s how to access it:

1. Turn on Wi-Fi on the device
2. Connect to Gaylord Hotels network
3. Redirect to splash page
4. Log in using last name and room number

Special Amenities at the Gaylord National Harbor

For Quest attendees staying at the Gaylord, the resort fee is included in your room rate, and it entitles you to several amenities which include National Harbor bus transportation to a number of locations through-out National Harbor, a daily credit for dry cleaning in the amount of $10.00, limited local and domestic long-distance telephone calls, high-speed internet access in guestroom, two bottles of Aquafina water per room per day, Fitness Center access & pool, and a coupon book with a valued savings of over $100.

Pre-Conference Workshop

The Baldrige Beginner and Intermediate Pre-Conference Workshop (separate registration required) will be held Sunday, April 7 from 1:00-4:00 pm in Annapolis 1-2. This workshop, which will be facilitated by Karen Kiel Rosser of Mary Greeley Medical Center (Baldrige Award recipient, 2019), will cover material for beginner and intermediate Baldrige Criteria users. 

Registration

Baldrige Criteria Pre-Conference Workshop check-in opens at 12 noon at the Conference Registration Desk outside of the Wilson Ballroom on Sunday, April 7. Quest registration opens at 2:00pm on Sunday and closes at 6:00pm. Registration will resume on Monday, April 8 at 7:00am.

Contact Showcare at quest [at] showcare.com (quest[at]showcare[dot]com) with questions related to registration. 

Sunday Welcome Reception

Please join us to kick off the conference at our welcome reception Sunday at 6:00pm in the Wilson Ballroom BCD section.  Meet and network with representatives of the Baldrige community, including Award recipients, Examiners, Judges, Overseers, Foundation members, Alliance for Performance Excellence representatives, Communities of Excellence participants, and more. The reception will feature an assortment of food, including crab cakes, carving and pasta stations, appetizers and desserts, complimentary soft drinks, and a cash bar.  

Conference Meals – Wilson Ballroom

Conference meals will be served in the Wilson Ballroom – the same room as the plenary sessions. On Monday, a buffet lunch will be served.  On Tuesday, a plated lunch will be served. Breakfast and lunch buffets will be placed in the Baltimore Foyer, which is located out the doors at the back of the Wilson Ballroom.

Vegetarian Plated Lunch Alternative

If you requested the vegetarian meal when you registered for the conference, you will receive a printed meal ticket for the Tuesday lunch with your badge when you check in at registration. At the lunch, simply place the ticket on the table in front of you to let the hotel staff know to provide you an alternate lunch option. Since a buffet lunch will be served on Monday that includes vegetarian choices, a ticket is not needed. The standard meals will be suitable for those who have indicated specific food allergies or no pork products. The Gaylord prepares the meals to meet the needs of most attendees.  

Sponsors, Exhibits, and Display Tables 

Thank you to all of our conference sponsors for their amazing support. Special recognition goes to Gold Sponsors TATA Chemicals and The Baldrige Foundation Institute for Performance Excellence as well as Silver Sponsors Dallas College, Elevations Credit Union, and Mid-America Transplant.

Be sure to visit the exhibits and sponsor display tables in the Wilson Foyer, which are open during breakfasts, lunches, and coffee breaks.

We have sponsor-provided conference bags available near registration. 

Bring a Water Bottle and Solar Eclipse Glasses

Bring your own water bottle to take advantage of the water stations located throughout the conference meeting space. Quest will not have sponsor-provided water bottles this year. If you wish to view the solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, please bring your own solar eclipse glasses.

Tuesday Baldrige Foundation Awards Luncheon

All conference attendees are welcome to join the Tuesday Baldrige Foundation Awards luncheon in the Wilson Ballroom. This event will feature the presentation of the Foundation’s 2024 Leadership Awards.

Shola Richards Keynote – Monday, April 8

Shola Richards is the CEO and Founder of Go Together Global™, the best-selling author of "Making Work Work", and "Go Together", and he is a civility writer with a passionate worldwide following. His articles and extremely popular "Go Together Movement" email series have been read by readers in over 160 countries, and his work has been featured on the Today Show, CBS This Morning, Forbes, Black Enterprise, Complete Wellbeing India, Business Insider Australia, and in numerous other outlets all over the world who recognize him as an authority on workplace happiness and engagement.

Robert Martichenko Keynote – Wednesday, April 10

Robert is a business leader, author, speaker, educator, strategic advisor, and Chair of TrailPaths Incorporated, a People Development and Technology Company whose purpose is to create Meaningful Employment Environments™.  To achieve this goal, TrailPaths has developed organizational assessments, interactive learning modules and digital platforms to humanize organizational decision making, modernize leadership behaviors and advance team member participation in the workplace. Previously, as a business leader with an entrepreneurial focus, Robert spent over fifteen years as the founder and CEO of the LeanCor Supply Chain Group, an organization focused on implementing lean principles across the end- to- end supply chain.

Discounts Available on the Baldrige Framework

The 202​3-2024 Baldrige Excellence Framework is available in printed and PDF electronic versions to Quest conference attendees at a 20% discount.   Attendees can order copies from ASQ during the conference and up to 30 days after the conference at https://asq.org/quality-press/2023baldrige. Use discount code QUEST2024 when you order to receive the discount. A limited number of individual, single copies of the Baldrige Excellence Builder and other Baldrige materials are available at the Baldrige Program booth 

Social Media 

We welcome you to use the hashtags #BaldrigeQuest and #ExcellenceInspired in tweets you send before and during the conference. Please share your insights, learning, and inspiration for all!  

Conference Evaluation      

We welcome your feedback on the Quest for Excellence conference. This year you can complete the Quest evaluation in the mobile or web app. Please take a moment and complete the evaluation.

 We look forward to seeing you at the 35th Quest for Excellence Conference!  

Please contact us at baldrige [at] nist.gov (baldrige[at]nist[dot]gov) if you have questions prior to the conference. Address on-site questions to the Conference Registration Desk.