2026 Confirmed Sessions 

Idea Cafe - Thursday Lunch - This is an interactive lunch designed to spark meaningful conversation and share real-time insights with your peers.  Grab your meal, Pick your room, join the conversation, and leave with actionable ideas. 

• Create: Dreaming up bold new concepts
• Collaborate: Diving into sponsorship strategy
• Elevate: Tackling operational challenges
• Communicate: Exploring marketing trends
• Innovate: Looking ahead to future technology

Placemaking Essentials

Lisa Middag, Senior Director for Economic Development for the Mpls Downtown Council and Downtown Improvement District

Whether you’ve used the term of not, chances are your events work has touched on aspects of placemaking. This class is your opportunity to learn what placemaking is, what it is not, and how you can apply the practice and principals of placemaking in your events planning work to connect better with audiences and support stronger event outcomes.

Learning Objective #1: Learn how placemaking can be used to engage communities inclusively and foster collaboration and communication.

Learning Objective #2: Gain an understanding of placemaking as a process, including adapting to create flexible solutions based on the community’s ideas, and facilitating the transformation of their ideas into authentic place outcomes.

Learning Objective #3: Attendees will recognize the critical phases of placemaking implementation, including program development, budgets, and in-kind contributions, and how to foster inclusive design processes, assure resilient program management, and evaluate program strategies.

Ten Experts, Ten Projects - Ten industry experts discuss ten real-world challenges they have faced while producing festivals and events across Minnesota. In this fast-paced session, each expert shares how they approached a challenge in a variety of different function areas that include: logistics, vendors, rentals, funding, sustainability, accessibility, design and marketing. Expect practical ideas, fresh perspectives, and actionable takeaways you can use right away.

Confirmed with details coming soon:

• Grant Writing Workshop 
• AI 102 
• Social Media Marketing 
• Sustainability at Events
  
• THC/Cannabis Management
  
• Service Dogs & Public Events