Welcome to Denver! Please stop by the registration desk between 12:00-12:45 pm to check in, pick up your nametag and conference material.
1:00 – 1:15
Introductions and Welcome
Join conference leadership to kick off the conference and discuss how to get the most out of your time in Denver.
1:15 – 2:30
No Turning Back Now: Opening Plenary Session
In-person events are making a steady comeback and we couldn’t be more thrilled. But what does that mean for our virtual and hybrid programming? Is it in-person, virtual or hybrid? The faculty says all! These engagement formats are here to stay and there’s no turning back now. Join conference chairs and faculty in this dynamic conversation about lessons learned, the current landscape of events, and exciting opportunities ahead.
2:30 – 2:45
Brain Break and Moments of Reflection
2:45 – 3:45
Interactive Workshop with Conference Chairs and Faculty
“Whatever made you successful in the past, WON’T in the future.” -Lew Platt, former CEO of Hewlett Packard
As we look past the pandemic into the new age of engagement and events, our ability to be creative is more crucial than ever. Harnessing our collective ideas to form new and engaging content for our event stakeholders will not only lead us out of the pandemic but set our shops up for the future.
During this reflective, hands-on workshop you’ll learn tools to harness your individual and team’s creative powers to ignite the imagination. From new-to-the-industry to seasoned leaders, these inventive techniques will increase idea generation, and can lead to increased job satisfaction. We think you’ll have a lot of fun, too!
4:00– 5:00
Plenary Session
Spilling the Tea: Taking Risks and Failing Forward
Let’s face it: special events are often about wins. The grandest gala, unprecedented levels of fundraising, record-breaking attendance—you name it. We like to celebrate the wins but who’s talking about failures? (Insert gasp here!) We’ll spill on stories from the trenches of how blunders create space for reimagined, meaningful, and engaging events. Remember, no one ever learned anything from getting it right all the time.
5:00 – 6:30
Not Your Usual Networking Reception
See event strategy in action as you build community with conference faculty and colleagues from around the globe who speak your language. Join us for some merriment in the “Mile High City!”
6:30
Conference adjourns for the day
Dinner on your own; what a great time to make connections and build community with our colleagues! You’ll have the opportunity to sign up for a dine around with conference attendees.
8:00 – 8:50 AM
Community Connections
Kick-off day two with a small group-themed roundtable conversation on all things special events. Breakfast provided!
Prickly Topics to Wake You Up and Get the Gears Turning
I don’t want to speak to you at 8:00 AM, Brenda!: Communicating boundaries in a remote and/or hybrid world
Coffee Talk: Navigating difficult topics with co-workers and organizational friction
There’s never any money in the banana stand!: Stretching your event dollars and getting creative with resources
Help! I’m overwhelmed and need a longer snorkel: Prioritizing in a hectic environment
I’d rather walk than talk: Group morning walk around downtown Denver
9:00 – 10:00
Plenary Session
Say Something!: Storytelling and Special Events
As vehicles for communication, events inform, connect, and inspire. In this session, we’ll explore the power of storytelling through events to support strategic goals, enhance the guest experience, and increase engagement. We’ll discuss the strengths of ethical storytelling and how it affects your audience. Attendees will take away tools and tactics for strengthening event programing with intentional storytelling.
10:00 – 10:15
Brain Break and Moments of Reflection
10:15 – 11:15
Elective Sessions
Attendees’ choice! Pick one of the electives that most interests you.
Planning with a Purpose: Building Events That Leave a Lasting Impression
For whatever reason, most of us have forgotten or abandoned the human focus on engagement. Let's take a step back from cost saving, ROI, and logistics and re-frame the conversation towards a new goal. How can we design events and experiences with more purpose? What outcomes do we want for our attendees? And, how can we create meaningful and lasting memories? Together we'll explore how to refocus our lens and build fresh approaches to creating a new generation of engaged attendees.
Developing an Effective Engagement Strategy:How to Stop Drinking from the Firehose and Create a Strategic Plan
What is strategy? What does it mean to be strategic? How can a strategic plan help us? In this session, we will explore the fundamentals of what it means to have a strategic engagement plan, how having a plan will help you streamline your work and achieve more, and where to begin with creating a plan for your institution. Join us to learn how to develop the funnel that will help slow the firehose and filter the chaos into a priority-aligned plan.
High-Level Donor Events: Borrow These Ideas, Please!
So many of the fundraising events we do tend to be more “friend-raising” and it can be hard to quantify your return on investment. This session will highlight several tried-and-true events that you may borrow to engage your donors and help solidify their philanthropic intentions. Please come prepared to share your event ideas, as well!
11:15 – 12:45 PM
Lunch on your own or with some friends!
Enjoy lunch with colleagues before the afternoon program. You’ll have plenty of delicious dining options close to the hotel to choose from.
12:45 – 1:45
Plenary Session
Leveling Up: Career Growth in the World of Special Events
In this conversation, you’ll learn from faculty how they have leveled up their careers and gain actionable strategies for doing the same and advocating for yourself. No matter your experience, this conversation will offer meaningful content and a boost of confidencefor all.
1:45 – 2:00
Brain Break and Moments of Reflection
2:00 – 3:00
Elective Sessions
Data and ROI in Events
What does it mean to have a more data-driven approach to alumni events? How do you know if your event achieved its goals? This workshop will cover how to position events and event data as a deliberate step in a broader pathway towards driving institutional goals and objectives. You will learn about the alumni event data lifecycle and best practices in using and analyzing event data in a virtual and hybrid world. Understanding these strategies and your data will empower you to communicate more effectively with stakeholders and colleagues and showcase the impact of your work.
Cross-Campus Collaboration: How to use Referent Power to Motivate and Inspire
Institutional events bring new meaning to the word collaboration. Whether virtual, in-person, large or small, these complex projects require the support of multiple departments and vie for competing human, physical and financial resources. When successful outcomes depend upon external buy-in and participation, learning how to develop referent power is a mission-critical skill. In this session, we will discuss the nature of referent power, and how you can develop it within your organization and community. You’ll leave with techniques for building this strength, and tactics for advancing strategic relationships with colleagues across your institution and in your community.
The Science of Belonging: How to Design More Inclusive Events
Designing events is as much a science as it is an art. In this session, we'll explore the science of gathering and how it affects human interaction and connectivity. We'll explore threats and rewards, empathy in design, and how physical space can make all the difference between inclusion and exclusion. You'll walk away with an understanding of how neuroscience can affect your attendee's experience and how to make space work for you on any budget.
3:00 – 3:15
Brain Break and Moments of Reflection
3:15-4:15
Elective Sessions
Pick one, any one!
More Than an Event Planning Powerhouse: Leveraging Events to Develop the Donor Pipeline
From students, alumni, donors, and friends events play a powerful role in discovering, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding our constituents. Join us for this session to build your knowledge and skills for utilizing events to increase engagement and develop the donor pipeline. You’ll acquire tools for maximizing partnerships, critical thinking in event planning, and identifying long-term, strategic sustainable opportunities for your organization. Remember, you’re more than an event planning powerhouse!
How to build an innovative alumni program that drives broad and deep constituent engagement
In 2021, Concordia University’s CU at Home program was recognized with excellence awards by the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE) and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE D1) for its success in increasing alumni engagement and building constituent affinity through a comprehensive alumni program.This session will cover the context of a successful alumni program, CASE’s Alumni Engagement Metrics and share event types, templates and strategies for maximum ROI.
Attendee Choice:
Attendees will have the chance to vote on a bonus elective that will occur during this time.
4:15 – 4:30
Brain Break and Moments of Reflection
4:30 – 5:00
Faculty Lightning Round Q&A
The faculty leadership team wants to hear from you! This is a time to ask your burning questions, share in thought partnership, and leverage insights from industry leaders and your peers.
5:00
The conference adjourns for the day
Dinner on your own; what a great time to make connections and build community with our colleagues! You’ll have plenty of delicious dining options from which to select.
8:00 – 8:50 AM
What’s Percolating?
Join colleagues for small group roundtables. These themed conversations are an opportunity to discuss with peers, share reflections and reinforce lessons from the previous days. Breakfast provided!
8:50 – 9:00
Brain Break and Moments of Reflection
9:00 – 10:15
Interactive Workshop with Conference Chairs and Faculty
The Solution Room
This on-the-move session is designed to drive deeper engagement with conference material and themes. Part brainstorming and part informational, this activity will involve participants in collaboratively exploring challenges and ideas related to the conference themes. Faculty will then select from crowd-generated challenges and discuss possible solutions, tools, and tips to take your work to the next level.
10:15 – 10:30
Brain Break and Moments of Reflection
10:30 – 11:30
Closing Plenary
The Power, Purpose, and Future of Special Events
In a philanthropic landscape that is increasingly crowded, events are a powerful tool bolstering engagement for any advancement team. In this session, we’ll wrap up our time together hitting on the meaningful impact events have on our constituents, institutional priorities and the value they bring to our teams. We'll also uplift the importance of you and the unique opportunities to influence your organization. This feel-good session is sure to inspire and serves as a great capstone to the conference.
