Six Tips for Planning a Successful Statewide Conference

Statewide conferences offer a unique opportunity for program coordinators to connect with partnering agencies and subgrantees to disseminate information, provide training, share successful strategies, and form collaborative ventures. Within the Title I, Part D program, conferences may be used to orient new agency- and district-level staff to Part D programs as well as to introduce changes in laws or protocols. In addition, conferences encourage attendees to share challenges and ideas with their colleagues, meet new individuals employed in similar and related positions, network within and between different groups, and develop a sense of community within the field.

To help you plan your own statewide conference, NDTAC gathered recommendations and resources from several Part D coordinators and other professionals seasoned in planning State or regional Part D-related conferences [1]. Below, we consolidate information from these veterans into six detailed recommendations and provide links to sample materials and resources.

In addition to the tips they provide below, our interviewees encourage you to assess past conferences you have attended and think about the topics, formats, agendas, and other items that worked best for you as a participant.

1. Book a venue approximately a year in advance. In order to ensure you are able to obtain space at the most appropriate venue for your conference, start to think about the number of individuals you plan to have in attendance and book a venue accordingly as early as 1 year ahead of your planned conference date. The size of the venues available for your conference may also determine the limit for the number of attendees you may have.
   
   Other considerations to keep in mind when booking a venue include:
   • Meals and entertainment. If you will not be providing all meals, the conference center should be accessible to restaurants, ideally those offering a range of prices and cuisine options.
   • Transportation. Consider that not everyone will drive, so lodging should be within walking distance.
   • Entertainment/other activities. Consideration should also be given to what attendees will do in the evening(s). (Is onsite entertainment such as a gym, pool, bar, etc., available, or are there options in the surrounding neighborhood?)
   • Relative location in State. Hold conferences in varying regions of the State to make it easier for attendees from different areas to attend. Although the total number of attendees may not change, you are likely to get more locals at each conference and connect with a broader range of individuals over time.
   • Timing. Choose a time of year when weather (such as snow) is less likely to affect the ability of your participants to get to the conference. Be aware of the major annual conferences being held in your State in order to avoid conflict with existing events. Also, consider your State’s annual deadlines, testing periods, and other events.

   View a sample timetable, including month-by-month detailed tasks, used in planning a recent Washington State Community Collaboration Conference.

2. Start planning the details of your conference about 6 months ahead of your conference date. As the first step in the planning process, lay out a timeline detailing tasks that must be accomplished each month from start to finish. Form a planning committee consisting of subgrantees and other stakeholders, and try to include some representation from across your State in the committee.
   
   To organize planning of Washington State’s annual Community Collaboration Conference, for example, conference planners created a table projecting 6 months of tasks for each of the following categories and subcategories of duties:
   • Administration: Committee, Budget, Communication, Online Registration Program
   • Logistics: Hotel, Convention Space, Catering
   • Conference Content: Presenters, Keynote Speakers, Entertainment, Exhibitors, Conference Program
   • Materials: Bag Materials, Signage, Forms

Click on the links below to view past agendas, programs, session lists, and evaluations from statewide conferences in Washington State, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota.

• Washington State March 2006 Community Collaboration Conference Agenda, Program, and Session List
• Pennsylvania November 2006 N & D Leadership Symposium Conference Evaluation and Session Evaluation
• Minnesota May 2006 Title I, Part D Conference Agenda
• MN December 2005 Title I, Part D Workshop Evaluation
3. Decide on the focus or theme of your conference based on your target audience (e.g., those that serve youth who are N or D, facility administrators, agency administrators) and/or target programs (e.g., local education agency programs; Title I, Part D; all of Title I). Brainstorm with your planning committee and others to generate ideas. Questions to consider in setting the focus of your conference are: what information do you want or need to share with partnering agencies, subgrantees, and others, and what information are they most interested in?
   
   A good way to gauge what information your audience needs or wants for future conferences is to include such questions on postconference and postsession evaluation forms. Allow space in your conference evaluation forms for future presenter and topic suggestions, as well as for suggestions about improving current conference offerings (e.g., providing more time for certain workshops, inviting additional experts to present in a panel on a specific topic).
   
   Recommended agenda topics for any professional development conference include Federal program requirements (particularly application and plan requirements such as best practices in reading, math, and academic/vocational transition); Federal reporting; and Highly Qualified Teacher issues surrounding applicable Federal and State statutes. Planners of Pennsylvania's Annual Neglected and Delinquent Leadership Symposium also utilize their State educational agency monitoring instrument to crosscheck and ensure that planned sessions will assist participants in running programs aligned with the compliance mandates.
    

View the "Call for Workshop Proposals" flyer used by planners of Pennsylvania's 2006 N & D Leadership Symposium to recruit presenters.

4. Collaborate with others to help find and enlist speakers and presenters. You don't have to do it all yourself. Brainstorm speakers at the same time as you brainstorm topics. Ask program supervisors who they might recommend from within their networks or units. Try to recruit speakers from various parts of your State in order to heighten interest and draw statewide participants to your conference. Also, consider bringing in out-of-State presenters who might serve as "experts" on specific topics.
   
   Involving others in this process not only takes weight off your shoulders, but also generates interest and gets others vested in the event.
    

View the Save-the-Date Announcement, Conference Invitation, and Registration Form from Pennsylvania's 2006 N & D Leadership Symposium.

5. Use a variety of methods to get the word out efficiently.
   • Ask others to forward your invites. Send save-the-date announcements and invites to those you work with directly and to individuals at the highest levels of an agency or organization. Ask them to forward the invites and announcements throughout their units and to peers they work with, and have their contacts continue to pass the invitation down through their respective networks. Use both hardcopy and e-mail invites to reach a larger number of individuals.
   • Advertise. Post details about your event on your own Web site as well as on the Web sites and listservs of related groups and organizations. Spread the word at other conferences held throughout the State. Generate interest by getting session titles and names of keynote speakers posted on your Web site and out to constituents as soon as possible. Start tracking registration as soon as it opens to gauge whether you need to increase your outreach efforts.
     
     Planners of Pennsylvania's annual symposium have found that after a few years of running a conference, word of mouth becomes the most influential marketing tool and leads to increased participation each year.
      

Click below to view Web sites for Washington State's and San Diego County's conferences.

• Washington State's 2006 Community Collaboration Conference
• San Diego County Title I Parents Association Conference (2007)
• View the application for qualifying Minnesota's 2005 Title I, Part D Workshop as a continuing education program.
• View the Education Personnel Certificate of Attendance used by attendees of Minnesota's 2005 Workshop to apply for clock hours.
6. Market your conference by increasing its appeal and finding tangible ways to encourage participation:
   • Increase the appeal of your conference.
   • Offer conference sessions in a variety of formats. Try hands-on workshops, panels, and discussion sessions rather than only presentations.
   • Recruit sponsorship of your event by area businesses and vendors. Sponsorships allow companies the opportunity to give back to the communityand the field o f  education while advertising their services at your event through such means as free Internet cafes, product exhibition booths, and more. Such freebies also enhance the appeal of your conference to potential attendees.
     
     One way that Washington State leverages sponsorships to encourage participation is by having exhibitors and sponsors donate a few of their products for a raffle that is held at the end of the conference. Completed conference evaluation forms are then used as raffle tickets. The raffle serves as an incentive for attendees to stay through the end of the conference and to fill out evaluations. In addition to awarding sponsors' products as prizes, planners also typically include free registration for the following year's conference (which also makes for an early start on marketing) and educational materials in the lineup.
   • Offer relevant entertainment at your event by having kids from local schools or districts perform and showcase their artistic talents in dance, choir, and musical performances at scheduled times throughout the conference, such as prior to keynote speaker sessions.
   • Encourage participation. Offer credits such as college hours, teacher clock hours, and/or continuing education units for each conference session attended. Also, cultivate and advertise opportunities at your conference that you provide specifically for participant networking.

[1] Interviews for this article were conducted with the following individuals: Kathleen Sande, Title I, Part D State Coordinator/Program Supervisor, Juvenile Institutional Education, Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, P.O. Box 47200, Olympia, WA 98504-7200; Joseph Hiznay, Title I, Part D Consultant/Chairperson of PA Neglected and Delinquent Advisory Committee, Pennsylvania Department of Education, Division of Federal Programs, 333 Market Street, 7th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333; Thomas Gray, Former Title I, Part D State Coordinator, Minnesota Department of Education, 1500 Highway 36 West Roseville, MN 55113.

Published April 2007

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Additional Resources

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