Place-based, multi-venue conference design

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Event Type: Leadership Conference & Annual Association Conference (alternating years)

Audience: State-level arts agency leaders and broader professional membership (approx. 400 attendees)

Format: In-person

Role: Conference Management & Strategic Planning

Timeline: Ongoing client relationship

This national association historically alternated between a smaller leadership conference and a larger annual conference, hosting each event in a different city each year. While a host hotel served as the primary conference hub, the organization intentionally incorporated offsite venues to showcase the work of local host organizations and reflect the creative character of each location.

The challenge was designing conferences that balanced logistical complexity with meaningful, place-based programming—ensuring offsite sessions felt purposeful, accessible, and fully integrated into the overall event experience.

Each conference was designed with the destination as an active part of the program rather than a backdrop. Working closely with association leadership and local host organizations, I supported both strategic concept development and full conference management.

Key elements of my role included:

• Identifying and vetting offsite venues that aligned with conference themes and learning goals
• Supporting session development tailored to the physical and historical context of offsite spaces
• Managing logistics, transportation, and accessibility considerations for multiple venues
• Contracting and coordinating offsite vendors and partners
• Managing artist engagement, including performers, storytellers, youth arts organizations, and graphic recorders
• Overseeing core conference operations, including timelines, vendor coordination, and onsite execution

One example included hosting a breakout session on creative reuse in a former courthouse that had been repurposed into an arts education space—allowing the venue itself to reinforce the session content.

By integrating local venues and artists into the conference design, each event offered attendees a deeper connection to the host city and its creative ecosystem. Offsite sessions enhanced learning objectives while reinforcing the association’s mission and values in tangible, experiential ways.

Despite the added complexity of multi-venue programming, conferences remained cohesive, well-paced, and operationally smooth—supporting both leadership-level engagement and broader member participation.