Confirmed Sessions: Logistics

If your proposal was merged with one or more others, please provide contact information to the LGC for the main point of contact for the combined session moving forward.

An official and final session title should be sent to the LGC by 9/25/15. The session title should, in no more than 10 words, convey the basic theme of the session. It should be creative so that it attracts participants’ attention and is inviting to a multi-disciplinary audience. Please refrain from using technical terms and acronyms. If your session title will remain as proposed, please confirm that with the LGC.

The official session description should be one paragraph and no more than 150 words. While you provided up to a 250-word description with your session proposal, space restrictions in the final program require that all session descriptions are no more than 150 words in length.

The description should accurately convey the material to be covered and should be written cleverly and concisely so as to make it stand out as compared to the other sessions in the same time block. Please do not use the description to list the speakers and what each will individually present. To view a sample session description, visit the conference web site (http://www.NewPartners.org), go to Past Events, and view one of the previous conference programs.

Along with your session description please include three “take-aways” that participants can expect to get out of your session. These would be similar to learning objectives, but need to clear, focused and relevant to the material covered. These will be included in the final conference program for participants to use in determining which sessions to attend. After the conference, participants will be asked to evaluate whether the sessions they attended provided the take-aways as described in the program. Below are some examples of take-aways that convey what we are looking for.

Examples of Take Aways:

1. Learn about 3 analysis, policy and implementation tools that were developed through a collaborative process in the Bay Area.
2. Participants will engage in three concrete, practical tools for engaging the public in community planning.
3. Participants will understand how Federal programs can be layered and leveraged in creative ways.
4. Participants will identify equity concerns shaping community and identify opportunities for treating such concerns as targeted, re-tooled, smart growth issues.
5. Learn about meaningful techniques to engage the public, especially non-traditional and disenfranchised stakeholders, in the planning process.
6. Participants will leave ready to engage their own colleges and universities  as resources for community development.

This year the LGC would like to ensure that content level is correctly identified for each session sessions, especially sessions that are designated Advanced. As such please read the content level descriptions below and confirm that your session falls into the correct category.

Beginner
Sessions are designed for the participant who is new to smart growth or only has a basic understanding of smart growth; these sessions are geared to a 101 level of comprehension. The goal of these sessions is to support people in exploring how smart growth can help them solve some of the challenges in their community. Presentations will often feature high-level information about the basic principles of smart growth.

Intermediate
Sessions are designed for the participant who is familiar with and has general knowledge about smart growth principles and concepts, but is hoping to gain a deeper understanding. These sessions are 201/301 levels. For example, attendees at this level may have implemented one or more smart growth principles but they now have more in-depth questions about a smart growth principle or they may be integrating several smart growth principles together as part of one project. Intermediate sessions should not spend a lot of time reviewing basic information about smart growth and other basic planning concepts and content presented should be new and unique to approximately half of the audience. These sessions should have a strong implementation focus, and emphasize the How Tos.

Advanced
Sessions are designed for the participant who is well-versed in smart growth and is currently working actively within their community to further the implementation of smart growth principles. Attendees will likely have extensive experience in the field and a sophisticated comprehension of smart growth. These are 401 and above level sessions, content MUST BE cutting-edge, complex and likely new to the entire audience. These sessions MUST HAVE an implementation focus, with a strong emphasis on the How Tos and Strategies or Tools.

Please provide a complete list of confirmed speakers in the order that they will present, to the LGC as soon as possible and not later than 10/23/15. Please also provide complete and current contact information for each speaker and the moderator, including: name, title, affiliation, address, phone and email. The LGC will follow up directly with all moderators/speakers regarding their registration and presentation needs. Please clearly identify who will serve as the moderator or facilitator for your session, and list them first in the roster of speakers.

If for some reason you cannot confirm all of your session speakers by the above deadline, you must contact Kelsey Wolf-Cloud (kwolfcloud@lgc.org) advance to request a short extension.

Moderators and facilitators play a critical role in creating successful sessions. It is important that a moderator or facilitator is chosen based on their demonstrated ability to be effective in this role, their clear understanding of the expectations of them, and their understanding of the issues to be covered in the session they are participating in.

Moderators should be prepared to do the following in their session: save each speaker presentation in the designated folder on the laptop provided in the meeting room, briefly introduce the session topic and speakers, keep each speaker to their allotted time, be prepared to ask questions, and field questions from the audience (if appropriate).

We understand that occasionally a confirmed speaker may need to cancel their participation. Speakers are responsible for notifying the session organizer of their need to cancel. Session organizers must make every effort to quickly replace the speaker and get approval from the LGC. The LGC must be notified right away if a speaker is no longer able to participate in a session. Once the replacement speaker is approved, all new speaker contact information should be forwarded to the LGC promptly in order to update the conference program and provide them with important registration information. PLEASE NOTE – a replacement speaker will not be considered part of the conference program if the LGC is not contacted immediately about their involvement.

Once we receive complete contact information for confirmed session moderators/speakers, the LGC will send each a unique access code to register for the conference. Moderators and speakers are required to register and provide a brief biography (50 words max), as well as acknowledge and accept the Media Release Terms and Conditions when they register. Speakers who plan to give a PowerPoint presentation will be asked to upload a PDF file version of their presentation IN ADVANCE of the conference through the online registration system.

Due to severe budget constraints this year, all speakers and moderators will be required to register and pay a significantly reduced fee to participate in the conference.

• Speakers wishing to attend only on the day they are presenting will pay $100 speaker rate (regular early-bird one-day rate for participants is $195).
• Speakers wishing to attend one or more additional days of the conference will pay $225 speaker rate (regular early-bird 3-day rates for participants range from $350-$400).

The LGC will provide the necessary registration access codes directly to each speaker/moderator. They MUST use the links that we provide them to register for the conference. All speakers and moderators must register by 12/4/15.

Any session or speaker needing equipment NOT listed below (such as Internet access, flipchart packages, etc.) will need to provide a specific request to the LGC by 11/16/15. The LGC will consider all requests carefully before deciding whether we are able to provide the additional equipment requested, and advise accordingly.

The following audio-visual equipment will be standard in each meeting room that will be used for breakout sessions and workshops during the 3-day conference:

• Laptop Computer / PowerPoint Projector
• Screen / Podium / Wired Microphones

Most meeting rooms will be set theatre-style (in order to allow for maximum attendance), and will include a head table and a standing podium.

If you would like to request a different type of room set-up for your session (rounds, classroom seating, etc.), please contact Kelsey Wolf-Cloud by 11/16/15 (kwolfcloud@lgc.org). All requests will be considered if received by that deadline, though approval is not guaranteed. The sooner special requests are received, the sooner they can be considered and decisions can be made.

Due to severe budget constraints this year, the LGC has a very limited speaker travel budget for this event. In addition to having to pay a nominal speaker registration fee, most speakers will not be offered travel assistance to participate in the conference. In an effort to assist as many speakers as possible who truly need assistance, we negotiate travel assistance on a case-by-case basis. We start with some basic principles, described below:

• We do not pay any speaking fees or honoraria.
• As a general rule, speakers representing small nonprofits, grassroots and community organizations, and local governments are given priority in allocating our limited travel funds.
• We ask speakers to determine what costs they can cover on their own before asking for any assistance. In nearly all cases, we cannot cover all travel expenses for any one speaker. If assistance is needed and funds are available, we might offer to split the cost of major travel expenses like airfare and hotel, or cover one or the other.
• We do not cover hotel expenses for speakers who do not need an overnight stay to give their presentation, or additional travel expenses associated with a speaker choosing to stay for the full conference.

We do not provide travel assistance to more than one speaker from the same organization/agency speaking in the same session.

The Conference Organizers may elect to DROP a session from the program if the above information is not provided by the established deadlines, and prior arrangements for an extension have not been made. Several sessions are on a “wait” list to be added to the program should space become available.

The host hotel for the conference is the Hilton Portland & Executive Tower. The special group rate for the conference is $151 (single/double). A hotel occupancy tax of 12.5% and a Tourism District Improvement tax of 2% will apply. Group rates will be honored three (3) days prior to the event starting and three (3) days after the event ends, based on availability. The reservation cut-off date for the group rate is January 18, 2016. After that date, the group rate is subject to availability and is not guaranteed. To make reservations, call 1-800-445-8667 and indicate that you are attending the New Partners Conference. To make your hotel reservations online, use the link below.

https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID=13873434

When contacting and confirming speakers for your sessions, please share the above details as necessary. Should you have additional questions, please contact either Michele Warren (mkwarren@lgc.org) or Kelsey Wolf-Cloud (kwolfcloud@lgc.org).

We look forward to working with you on finalizing your session and the final conference program. Thank you!