Q: Who can have a user account?
A: Any energy industry professional may create an account. Benefits and services available depend on membership status, determined by the email domain associated with the user account. A work email is recommended, as an account associated with a personal email does not qualify for member benefits.
Q: Why is a user account required to make a purchase?
A: All users must have or self-register to create an account before logging in and making a purchase in the WEI portal. The membership status of the account determines options and pricing available, and access to benefits and online services.
Q: How do I get a user account?
A: As of August 2015, WEI migrated active contact and account information into a new database. When you first arrive at our new site and take an action prompting you to log in, you will need to register for a user account the first time. If you’ve been actively associated with WEI in the last three years, there is a good chance your new user account will be associated with your email address. When creating an account, use your work email as your username.
If you’re certain you have a user account associated with an email you no longer have access to, you may also contact Member Services at 503.231.1994 and someone will assist you. If you don’t believe you have a user account, sign up for an account at the login page, and you will receive an account confirmation email within a few minutes.
Q: How do I change my password?
A: If you know your password, log into the WEI portal and navigate to “My Account” to change your password. If you don’t know if you have an account or forgot your password, use the “Forgot my password” link at the WEI login page (wei.force.com) to have a reset link automatically sent to your email address on record.
Q: Other than making a purchase, what else can I do online with my user account?
A: All users may manage contact information, communication preferences and request to join committees. Active volunteers serving on committees or program development teams can interact within the portal with other members of the committee or program development team, and upload and download documents. If you’ve attended a program, you also have access to the community of all attendees as long as it remains active, and private access to event materials provided by speakers. You may also view receipts for online purchases and find people you have met through the member contact and company directories (directories are available to members only).
Board members and key contacts for company memberships may also manage their company’s information that displays in the directory.
Q: I see that I am part of a group. How does this work?
A: You may be part of a group because you are volunteering on a program development team (PDT), or you’ve attended a conference. Membership in a PDT group allows you to engage with other members of the team privately, and share planning documents. Membership in a conference group allows you to engage with all attendees, and download event materials and presentations provided by the speakers. If you’d like to leave a group, contact Member Services at memberservices@westernenergy.org.
Q: How does the online member directory work?
A: Different than the member listing on our public site, the online member directory is only available to active members logged into the WEI portal. Search results may include all user accounts; each user can control whether their contact information is displayed in the portal via their profile. If you attended a program, you will have access to the program roster, an additional way to get in touch with people you met. You may search by name, title and company. To respect member privacy, we do not provide an electronic export of member contact information to anyone, including members and list marketers.
Q: Am I leaving the public site when I log into the WEI portal?
A: If you are logged into the WEI portal, you can toggle between the public site pages at westernenergy.org and the portal pages at wei.force.com. Depending on your browser settings, you will remain logged in for an extended period of time. It is recommended you log out and close your browser when you leave.
Q: What are my payment options?
A: Credit card payments are required at the time of purchase, and accepted for all orders processed by customers in the portal. If you received a statement by mail for membership dues, and the order does not appear online in your account, we kindly ask you pay by check to help us control online processing fees. If you are unable to use a credit card for processing an online order, log into your account to make sure the contact information is current, and contact Member Services at 503.231.1994 to manually process a registration order for payment by check.
Q: How do I register?
A: Log into your WEI portal account (or create one on the fly, following the directions at the portal log in). The programs and member pricing available based on your company’s membership are shown in your account. Navigate to “Events” and select your event. Many of WEI’s programs have multiple registration options. Please read all the instructions on the first landing page before proceeding. Vendor registrations combined with any other options for a program must be completed first, and then the option to add additional items will be made available within the portal for the correct price. Guest passes must accompany a program registration. Credit card payment is required for all online purchases. Note: If you were prompted to log into the WEI portal after selecting “Register Now” on a program page on our public site, you will be directed to that program in the online catalog.
Q: Can I buy membership online?
A: Memberships are not available to purchase online. Please reach out to us if you’re interested in membership and we’d be happy to help.
Energy company dues are custom, based on the company’s employee count. Contact Kevin Sullivan at sullivan@westernenergy.org or 971.303.1962 to pursue the conversation for energy membership.
For information on service company membership renewals and new orders, contact Kris Taylor at taylor@westernenergy.org or 971.930.2033.
Q: I need to modify or cancel my program registration. What do I do?
A: If you wish to attend additional opt-in sessions such as a networking event or reception that you did not sign up for when you first registered, you can login to the portal and modify your registration. For more complicated registration changes or for cancellations, contact Member Services at 503.231.1994. Modifications may require cancellation of the original order and re-registering. You may opt to contact the system administrator to cancel the order, and follow up with a new order through the WEI portal. Cancellations are subject to the following cancellation policies:
Due to contractual obligations, cancellations received 15 business days prior to the program will receive a full refund. Cancellations received 6 to 14 business days prior to the event will receive a refund, less a $100 administrative fee. No-shows and last-minute cancellations, 5 business days prior to the event or less, will be responsible for the full registration fee. Substitutions from your organization for the same registration are always welcome.
Optional networking events and a few select programs have their own cancellation policies due to planning obligations. The general registration cancellation policy applies in all cases, unless posted otherwise at the time of purchase. If this is the case, you will see this in the program details documented throughout the registration process.
Q: How does it work?
A: Membership is purchased by energy industry companies, and is billed annually. A typical membership starts on October 1st and ends on September 30th. Two types of membership are available for energy and service companies—service company dues are fixed and energy company dues are calculated based on employee count. Energy companies must have operations in western North America to qualify for membership.
Both membership types offer benefits to all employees with a user account and email address (also the user name) matching the domain(s) of the company or companies included in the membership. Membership is managed by the board member or key contact of the membership account.
Q: What are service company dues?
A: There are three levels of service company membership: Platinum at $12,000, Gold at $6,000 and Silver at $950.
Q: What are the benefits?
A: All members receive exclusive access to all online services in the membership portal, and member pricing for all programs. Executive forum participation for service companies is by invitation, and service companies receive unique access to sponsorship and vendor education opportunities. All members receive priority consideration in the editorial planning of Western Energy, building program development teams, and subject matter expert recruitment for all programs. Further, members build relationships with peers across the industry that have been known to last several decades. It is nice to know who to call for advice.
Q: How is membership status determined?
A: Membership status (member and regular) is determined by currency of dues payment by your company. Dues are billed annually to active members in July of each year, and dues renewal is due by October 1 of that year. Online member benefits will expire for any renewals past due. This impacts all user accounts associated with the company’s membership. If your company purchases a new membership anytime during our membership year (October 1 to September 30), payment is due upon receipt of invoice by email or mail.
Q: What programs are offered?
A: The most current program offerings are always at westernenergy.org/programs. WEI currently offers about 60 annual and bi-annual programs, ranging from 12-450 attendees, all over western North America. All of WEI’s programs are live and in person, with target audiences ranging from the C-suite to the field.
Q: What kinds of programs are offered?
A: There are four types of educational and networking programs:
Executive Leadership Summits
These highly tailored gatherings convene our industry’s most influential executives and thought leaders to discuss the opportunities and key challenges shaping our industry, offer broad global business perspectives, and build bridges between those who lead and serve in executive positions at energy organizations and industry supplier and service companies.
Generally limited to participants at the director level and above, these summits engage leaders in building peer-to-peer networks, sharing solutions and identifying upcoming trends. Lively exchanges take place among invited top business visionaries, influential public policy officials and media opinion luminaries. The result is a plethora of actionable insights that attendees can readily apply to their own organizations.
Most summits incorporate administrative activities for setting the management and leadership direction of WEI as a non-profit organization, leadership development vehicle, and volunteer-driven, training solutions provider. In contrast, the Business Acumen for Emerging Leaders program gathers high-potential business leaders with their peers for industry-wide exposure to diverse approaches in utility management and energy delivery.
Executive Forums
The fastest-growing section of Western Energy Institute’s program portfolio features a unique environment where members feel free to share concerns, successes, and new ideas in a peer-only environment. Offering 16 programs and growing, professionals like you–with direct experience in a particularly skillful function–together build a sense of community that will reduce isolation practitioners may feel from time to time in their career and utility.
Unless noted, all occur twice a year in the fall and spring. Invitations to attend are based on an organization’s membership status and the number of attendees that should participate from any one department or function within an organization. Typically, these meetings are primarily exclusive to utility members, and one to two senior-level invitations are extended to each engaged organization. To obtain an invitation to participate as an energy company member, or to deliver a brief and focused presentation as a service company member, reach out to the Western Energy Institute program manager in charge, listed on the general details page of all meetings open for registration.
Industry Forums
These annual events attract between 25-400 attendees, and anyone involved in the natural gas or electric industry can attend. Providing timely content led by known subject matter experts and industry executive panel discussions, audiences engage in these programs through sharing new ideas, experiences, and enthusiasm to work smarter at their job. Your participation will benefit your career, as your organization will reap the benefits of the networks you gain and can call upon anytime, and tips you’ll take away for aligning your own department and employees as you propel them towards innovative ways of running an energy organization.
Unless noted, all occur once a year in the fall and spring. To offer your expertise towards the planning or content presentation of any of these forums, reach out to the Western Energy Institute program manager in charge, listed on the general details page of all meetings open for registration.
Skills Development
In keeping with its mission of continuing education in the natural gas and electricity industry, Western Energy Institute holds skills development courses helping workers attain the technical qualifications and continuing education credits (applies to schools only) necessary to stay abreast of new business approaches, technologies and skill sets required for an increasingly competitive industry and energy organization management environment.
Q: How are programs managed?
A: The planning and implementation of each program is overseen by a WEI program manager (or multiple managers for larger programs) and the operations team. The content and speaker recruitment is overseen by member volunteers, called the program development team. A program development team is associated with almost every program we offer.
Q: What is a program development team?
A: A program development team (PDT) sets the vision and agenda of every program we offer. The commitment is 6-12 months, depending on the frequency of the program. Involvement in a program development may include participating in a handful of online planning meetings with a few to a dozen of peers in the energy industry, subject matter expert recruitment (including yourself and members of your department’s team), attending the program with sponsorship by your company, and spreading the word.
Leadership opportunities to chair a program exist for almost every program offered. The leadership and members of the team count on the WEI program manager to do everything from securing the program venue and equipment, to executing communications campaigns to increase interest and committed attendance.
Q: I have questions about a program I am interested in. Who do I contact?
A: The WEI program manager(s) associated with a program are listed on the general details of a program on our website.