Michigan Lean Consortium upcoming events

MLC Text Messaging Consent (Monday, November 17, 2025)

Mon, 17 Nov 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Sign Up to Receive Text Messages from the Michigan Lean Consortium!

Stay connected with the MLC — right from your phone!
By registering for this “event,” you’re giving the Michigan Lean Consortium permission to update your member profile so you can receive helpful text (SMS) messages from us.

✅ What you’ll receive:

Event announcements and reminders
Membership renewal notifications
Occasional surveys or quick polls

This isn’t a real event — registering simply gives us your consent to activate text messaging on your profile. The MLC will handle the update for you so you don’t have to log in and do it yourself.

Our Promise:
We value your trust. The MLC will only send messages that are relevant and timely — never spam — and you can opt out at any time.

Informed Consent for Text (SMS) Messaging

With your consent, The Michigan Lean Consortium (MLC) would like to send text (SMS) messages to the mobile number you have provided in our records. By providing your informed consent where indicated, you acknowledge that you have understood the information below and agree to participate in our text (SMS) messaging service.

Purpose and Description: MLC’s text (SMS) messaging service is designed to provide you with helpful information, reminders, and notifications via text messages sent to your mobile phone. We may use text (SMS) messages to communicate with you for a variety of purposes, including:

announcements and reminders related to MLC events

reminders about membership renewal

surveys and polls

Voluntary Participation: Participation in our text (SMS) messaging service is completely optional. While we aim to keep messages timely and relevant, you may opt out at any time if you no longer find them valuable.

Benefits and Risks: Benefits: The text (SMS) messaging service aims to keep you informed about the MLC by providing an additional method of convenient and timely communication.

Risks: While every effort will be made to protect the security and confidentiality of information transmitted through text (SMS) messages, there are inherent risks associated with all electronic communication. These risks include unauthorized access, loss of privacy, and potential breach of sensitive information. It is important to be aware that text (SMS) messages may not be entirely secure and could be intercepted or accessed by unintended recipients.

Potential Costs: Standard text messaging rates may apply through your mobile carrier. Please check with your provider for any applicable fees. The MLC does not charge any fees for participating in our SMS messaging service.

If you would like more information or have any questions, please contact admin@michiganlean.org.

MLC Lean Virtual Coffee with Alex Suchman (Friday, September 11, 2026)

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 12:30:00 GMT

Join us for a MLC Lean Virtual Coffee!

Virtual | Free For Members | 8:30am - 9:30am

Topic: Kaizen Needs Courage: How Play Builds the Safety to Speak Up

You already know Lean's best idea: the person closest to a problem often sees it most clearly, no matter what their title says. It's a real departure from "leadership knows best."

But knowing that and living it are two different things. Ask around, and most employees, new hires and veterans alike, will tell you the same thing: pointing out a problem feels risky. Suggesting a fix to someone above you feels riskier. That discomfort doesn't disappear just because a company calls itself a lean organization.

So what actually gets people past that fear? In this session, we'll look at an answer you might not expect: games.

We'll dig into why play, not just games in a general sense, is one of the few tools that gets people speaking up before they've even noticed they're doing it. You'll leave with:

A clear case for why play builds psychological safety faster than a values statement ever could.
Practical ways to work with teammates who communicate differently under pressure.
A couple of exercises you can try in your very next meeting.

If this session sparks something for you, stay close: a few weeks later, I'm leading a Play Facilitation Certification for MCL member people who want to build this into a real skill, not just a one-off exercise.

Presenter:

Alexandra Suchman

CEO & Co-founder | Barometer XP

Alexandra Suchman is CEO and co-founder of Barometer XP, a company that helps organizations build cultures where people feel connected, valued, and free to do their best work, using games and experiential learning instead of lectures and slide decks. She turns play into a research-backed tool for building trust, psychological safety, and stronger team performance. A Certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Alex was recently featured in Kaizen Made Easy's Top 9 Leadership Conversations and is a go-to speaker for SHRM, PMI, and ATD. She holds an MPP from The George Washington University.

What is a Virtual Coffee?

A Virtual Coffee offers a relaxed and engaging platform to connect with Lean professionals and explore meaningful discussions in a collaborative virtual environment. These sessions combine the best of our Coffee Chats and Book Club, offering a platform to discuss all things Lean, share professional challenges, and explore solutions with like-minded peers.

Opportunity to connect with other Lean practitioners and like-minded individuals.
Attendees are able to ask questions, interact with the presenter and other attendees virtually.

Why attend?

Leverage Collective Knowledge: Tap into the expertise of our MLC membership.
Focus on Lean Implementation: Discuss practical applications of Lean tools and strategies.
Networking Opportunities: Expand your network of Lean professionals.
Share and Learn: Exchange best practices and gain insights from others' experiences.
Stay Engaged: Stay connected with the MLC community and learn about upcoming events.

Join us for a session filled with ideas, insights, and inspiration—all from the comfort of your home or office!

Cost

Members: Free

Non-Members: $20

New To The MLC?

At the MLC, we do our best to be inclusive at every level of experience, whether it’s a conference, Gemba walk or any other of our membership activities.

An individual or organizational membership gives you a year’s worth of great Lean learning and networking at low- or no-cost!

Virtual Certification: The People Side of Process (Tuesday, October 06, 2026)

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Members Only Benefit

Join us for a Lean Virtual Certification!

Virtual | Tuesday - Thursday, October 6 - 8 | 1 PM - 5 PM

Topic: The People Side of Process - Play Facilitation for Lean Practitioners

The biggest barriers to flow rarely show up on a process map. They show up in who feels safe speaking up during a team walkthrough, whose definition of "done" quietly differs from everyone else's, and why a change effort stalls the moment someone's afraid to admit an experiment failed.

This 3-day virtual certification gives Lean managers a practical, research-backed methodology for facilitating play-based learning that surfaces - and resolves - exactly these relational breakdowns. In this program, you'll learn how to:

Turn play into practice. Specific game mechanics map directly onto the real challenges your teams face, so a well-chosen game becomes a safe, low-stakes space to explore root causes and try out new ways of communicating and working together before it matters on a live project.

Learn what status reports can't tell you. As you facilitate, you'll pick up real insight into how the people you manage handle risk, where their communication styles clash, and what conditions bring out their best thinking.

Get more out of your team. That insight is exactly what lets you drive better performance and real engagement out of the people you lead.

Make improvement stick. People apply what they experience far more readily than what they're told, so this becomes a repeatable way to make continuous improvement work hold up long after the training ends.

Over three half-days, you'll practice facilitating in front of peers and leave with a set of games tied to the challenges Lean managers face most often.

Facilitator:

Alexandra Suchman

CEO & Co-founder | Barometer XP

Cost

Members: $1,500 (40% off standard pricing — exclusively for MLC members)

New To The MLC?

At the MLC, we do our best to be inclusive at every level of experience, whether it’s a conference, Gemba walk or any other of our membership activities.

An individual or organizational membership gives you a year’s worth of great Lean learning and networking at low- or no-cost!

Registration Cancellations

We understand that plans change. In the event you are unable to attend an event, refunds will be issued in full for cancellation refund requests received in writing via the events@michiganlean.org email at least seven (7) days before the event. Refunds will not be issued when less than a seven (7) day notice is provided. After submitting your cancellation refund request via email, please allow up to ten (10) business days for your refund to be processed. If the event is rescheduled, all purchases will be honored for the rescheduled event date. If the event is cancelled, all purchases will be refunded in full.

MLC Lean Virtual Coffee (Friday, October 09, 2026)

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT

Join us for a MLC Lean Virtual Coffee!

Virtual | Free For Members | 8:30am - 9:30am

What is a Virtual Coffee?

Opportunity to connect with other Lean practitioners and like-minded individuals.
Attendees are able to ask questions, interact with the presenter and other attendees virtually.

Why attend?

Leverage Collective Knowledge: Tap into the expertise of our MLC membership.
Focus on Lean Implementation: Discuss practical applications of Lean tools and strategies.
Networking Opportunities: Expand your network of Lean professionals.
Share and Learn: Exchange best practices and gain insights from others' experiences.
Stay Engaged: Stay connected with the MLC community and learn about upcoming events.

Join us for a session filled with ideas, insights, and inspiration—all from the comfort of your home or office!

Cost

Members: Free

Non-Members: $20

New To The MLC?

At the MLC, we do our best to be inclusive at every level of experience, whether it’s a conference, Gemba walk or any other of our membership activities.

An individual or organizational membership gives you a year’s worth of great Lean learning and networking at low- or no-cost!

MLC Lean Virtual Coffee (Friday, November 13, 2026)

Fri, 13 Nov 2026 13:30:00 GMT

Join us for a MLC Lean Virtual Coffee!

Virtual | Free For Members | 8:30am - 9:30am

What is a Virtual Coffee?

Opportunity to connect with other Lean practitioners and like-minded individuals.
Attendees are able to ask questions, interact with the presenter and other attendees virtually.

Why attend?

Leverage Collective Knowledge: Tap into the expertise of our MLC membership.
Focus on Lean Implementation: Discuss practical applications of Lean tools and strategies.
Networking Opportunities: Expand your network of Lean professionals.
Share and Learn: Exchange best practices and gain insights from others' experiences.
Stay Engaged: Stay connected with the MLC community and learn about upcoming events.

Join us for a session filled with ideas, insights, and inspiration—all from the comfort of your home or office!

Cost

Members: Free

Non-Members: $20

New To The MLC?

At the MLC, we do our best to be inclusive at every level of experience, whether it’s a conference, Gemba walk or any other of our membership activities.

An individual or organizational membership gives you a year’s worth of great Lean learning and networking at low- or no-cost!

MLC Lean Virtual Coffee (Friday, December 11, 2026)

Fri, 11 Dec 2026 13:30:00 GMT

Join us for a MLC Lean Virtual Coffee!

Virtual | Free For Members | 8:30am - 9:30am

What is a Virtual Coffee?

Opportunity to connect with other Lean practitioners and like-minded individuals.
Attendees are able to ask questions, interact with the presenter and other attendees virtually.

Why attend?

Leverage Collective Knowledge: Tap into the expertise of our MLC membership.
Focus on Lean Implementation: Discuss practical applications of Lean tools and strategies.
Networking Opportunities: Expand your network of Lean professionals.
Share and Learn: Exchange best practices and gain insights from others' experiences.
Stay Engaged: Stay connected with the MLC community and learn about upcoming events.

Join us for a session filled with ideas, insights, and inspiration—all from the comfort of your home or office!

Cost

Members: Free

Non-Members: $20

New To The MLC?

At the MLC, we do our best to be inclusive at every level of experience, whether it’s a conference, Gemba walk or any other of our membership activities.

An individual or organizational membership gives you a year’s worth of great Lean learning and networking at low- or no-cost!

2027 Grand Rapids Lean Summit (Friday, March 19, 2027)

Fri, 19 Mar 2027 12:00:00 GMT

9th Annual Grand Rapids Lean Summit

Save the Date

Friday, March 19, 2027

Bundle & Save

Get even more value from your 2027 learning experience by bundling the 2027 Grand Rapids Lean Summit with the 2027 Annual Conference. When you add the Annual Conference during Grand Rapids Lean Summit registration, you'll receive our exclusive bundle pricing and secure your spot at two premier MLC events designed to inspire new ideas, practical learning, and meaningful connections, all with one registration process.

How It Works

Select the Annual Conference add-on when completing your Grand Rapids Lean Summit registration.
We'll take care of the rest! Your Grand Rapids Lean Summit registration information will automatically be copied to your Annual Conference registration, no additional registration is required

New To The MLC?

At the MLC, we do our best to be inclusive at every level of experience, whether it’s a conference, Gemba walk or any other of our membership activities.

An individual or organizational membership gives you a year’s worth of great Lean learning and networking at low- or no-cost!

Disclaimer

By registering for Michigan Lean Consortium (MLC) events, you acknowledge and agree that photographs, videos, and other media taken during the event may be used by MLC for business purposes, marketing, and promotional materials. If you have concerns, please contact the event organizer prior to the event.

Summit Registration Cancellations

2027 MLC Annual Conference (Tuesday, August 03, 2027)

Tue, 03 Aug 2027 19:00:00 GMT

Save the Date

August 3 - 6, 2027

Hagerty Center | Traverse City

What You Can Expect

Up to Three Days of Powerful Learning

Two full days of breakout sessions and keynote speakers
Practical, real-world applications of Lean across industries
Actionable insights you can bring back to your organization immediately

Bundle & Save

Get even more value from your 2027 learning experience by bundling the 2027 Annual Conference with the 2027 Grand Rapids Lean Summit. When you add the Summit during Annual Conference registration, you'll receive our exclusive bundle pricing and enjoy two premier MLC events designed to inspire new ideas, practical learning, and meaningful connections, all with one registration process.

How It Works

Select the Grand Rapids Lean Summit add-on when completing your Annual Conference registration.
We'll take care of the rest! Your Annual Conference registration information will automatically be copied to your Grand Rapids Lean Summit registration, no additional registration is required.

Hotel Information

Bayshore Resort

Traverse City, MI Ph: (231) 935-4400

Group Rates:

Room Type	Rate
Standard	$269/night
Eastside	$279/night
Bayfront	$339/night

Rates plus 11% tax, based on single or double occupancy. Additional guests in a room incur a $10/person/night surcharge. Guests 17 and under stay free in a parent's room.

How to Reserve: Call the hotel directly and reference "MI Lean." Booking link coming soon — call-in reservations only for now. Ph: (231) 935-4400

Book by: Thursday, June 3, 2027

Check-in: 4:00 PM | Check-out: 11:00 AM

Please note: Bayshore Resort is entirely non-smoking; a $200 fee applies for smoking anywhere on property, including balconies and the beach.

Park Place Hotel & Conference Center

300 E State Street, Traverse City, MI 49684 Ph: (231) 946-5000

Group Rate: $309/night (Double Queen or King, Historic Tower) Rates subject to 6% sales tax (if applicable), 8% facility fee, and 5% local assessment.

How to Reserve: Call the hotel directly and reference the "Michigan Lean Room Block." Booking link coming soon — call-in reservations only for now. Ph: (231) 946-5000

Book by: Sunday, June 20, 2027 Rooms not reserved by this date will be released and are subject to availability and prevailing rates thereafter.

Check-in: 4:00 PM | Check-out: 11:00 AM

New To The MLC?

At the MLC, we do our best to be inclusive at every level of experience, whether it’s a conference, Gemba walk or any other of our membership activities.

An individual or organizational membership gives you a year’s worth of great Lean learning and networking at low- or no-cost!