2019 Annual Conference Schedule

Note: Session times and topics are subject to change.

Tuesday through September 3, 2019

4:00 p.m.

Board of Directors Meeting - Mattie Silks

Wednesday - September 4, 2019

Pre-Conference

8:00 a.m.

Pre-Conference Registration - Lower Level 2

8:30 a.m.

Pre-Conference Sessions

  • Fast, Free, and Fabulous: Filling your Toolbox with New, Effective Strategies - Colorado Ballroom A/B/C/D
  • Lean Production Strategies for Targeted Communications - Colorado Ballroom G/H/I/J
  • Listening, Dialogue and Time: Critical Components of Effective Resident Engagement and Participation - Colorado Ballroom E/F
  • Navigating Every Day and Extraordinary Events - Denver Ballroom 1/2/3
  • Visibility is Power: Media Secrets Uncovered - Denver Ballroom 4/5/6

11:00 a.m.

Pre-Conference Luncheon - Penrose Ballroom (Lower Level 1)

General Conference

11:00 a.m.

General Conference Registration Begins - Lower Level 2


12:00 p.m.

Gathering for First Timers - Colorado Ballroom A/B/C/D 

Presenters: Tom Bryson - City of Farmers Branch, Texas and Brian Ligon - City of Mont Belvieu, Texas

12:30 p.m.

Opening Session - Colorado Ballroom E/F

I AM DENVER - Storytelling Project

What Denver's Chief Storyteller Is Learning About Listening

In local government, communications is often about getting out City Hall's message—using the media, social channels, speeches, and other means to reach residents and talk to them. Denver's Rowena Alegría believes City Hall communications is missing the opportunities that come with listening?—?especially when it comes to the city's underrepresented peoples. As the city's recently appointed Chief Storyteller, her role is to find those people, engage them, give them voice, and, in the process, capture Denver's yesterday today and tomorrow. Bloomberg Cities says that I Am Denver, the resulting multimedia community storytelling project, is as much an experiment in resident engagement as it is a pipeline of digital content. Come get a peek at what the stories look like, how they're helping to frame a new model for how the city engages with community and maybe even explore your own I Am Denver story.

Presenter: Rowena Alegría | Chief Storyteller - City and County of Denver, Colorado

2:15 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions

  • Can They Really Say That? Local Government and the First Amendment - Colorado Ballroom A/B/C/D
  • Crafting Website Content that Works for ALL Residents - Colorado Ballroom G/H/I/J
  • The Nature of Your Place: How Your City's Natural Assets Can Inspire Your City Brand - Denver Ballroom 1/2/3
  • Think like a TV Producer - Denver Ballroom 4/5/6

3:30 p.m.

Networking Break

3:45 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions

  • What Prepares You For This? Lessons from the Virginia Beach Workplace Shooting - Colorado Ballroom A/B/C/D
  • Practical Marketing Tips for Practically Insane Ideas - Colorado Ballroom - G/H/I/J
  • I Just Downloaded It From The Internet, Which is to Say, I May Have Stolen It... - Denver Ballroom 1/2/3
  • Driving Employee Engagement - Denver Ballroom 4/5/6

5:30 p.m.

Welcome Reception

6:30 p.m.

Restaurant Romp

Thursday - September 5, 2019

7:00 a.m.

Breakfast - Colorado Ballroom E/F

8:30 a.m.

Facebook for Local Government: Tools, Best Practices, and Q&A - Denver Ballroom

Come learn about the latest tools, tips and best practices that can help you better reach and connect with members of your community on Facebook, and ask us your questions about the platform.

Presenter: Eva Guidarini | U.S. Politics & Government Outreach - Facebook

9:45 a.m.

Nextdoor Front Porch Chat: Lessons Learned, Trends, and Best Practices - Denver Ballroom

Operating in over 241,000 neighborhoods in 10 countries, Nextdoor is the essential app for the neighborhood with the purpose of empowering neighbors everywhere to build stronger local communities. Nextdoor for Public Agencies -Nextdoor's free government interface- serves as the neighborhood engagement platform for thousands of government agencies looking to reach large quantities of residents in service areas, neighborhoods, and across their municipalities.

During this interactive "Front Porch Chat" with Joseph Porcelli, Public Agency Lead and Ambassador of Community at Nextdoor, Joseph will address 3CMA members' most pressing questions about Nextdoor. He will also share lessons learned, trends, and best practices that have emerged over the last couple of years.

Presenter: Joseph Porcelli | Public Agency Lead and Ambassador of Community at Nextdoor

10:45 a.m.

Networking Break

11:00 a.m.

Fear and Loathing on the Innovation Trail - Denver Ballroom

Congratulations, you committed to innovation and process improvement! You know it won't always be sunshine and rainbows but aren't quite sure what to expect. Your colleagues are going to have some thoughts and feelings, so now is a good time to start thinking about change management before the change manages you. Sarah Moss has served two stints in local government communications and community engagement, lived to tell the tales, and distilled them into practical amateur psychology lessons to apply in your work.

Presenter: Sarah Moss | Civic Dreamer and Doer - Sarah Moss, Inc.

12:00 p.m.

Savvy Awards Luncheon - Colorado Ballroom E/F

2:00 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions

  • Facebook Insights, Advertising, and Advanced Techniques - Colorado Ballroom A/B/C/D
  • Fake News - It's Real! Mopping Up a Fake News Story that Goes Viral - Colorado Ballroom G/H/I/J
  • Back In Charge: Strategies to Reclaim Time (and Peace) from Social Media Management - Denver Ballroom 1/2/3
  • Building Trust through Strategy and Performance Communications - Denver Ballroom 4/5/6

3:15 p.m.

Networking Break

3:45 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions 

  • Authentic Engagement in the Fake News Era - Colorado Ballroom A/B/C/D 
  • Get Street Smart about Communications - Colorado Ballroom G/H/I/J 
  • Savvy Film Festival - Colorado Ballroom E/F
  • Developing a Social Media Plan That Gets Results - Denver Ballroom 1/2/3 
  • Everything You Need to Know for the 2020 Census - Denver Ballroom 4/5/6

Friday - September 6, 2019

7:30 a.m.

Breakfast & 3CMA Business Meeting - Colorado Ballroom E/F

9:00 a.m.

Concurrent Sessions

  • What Leaders Can Learn From Hurricanes: Crisis Communication and Messages of Resilience - Colorado Ballroom A/B/C/D
  • Creative Branding for Community Engagement - Colorado Ballroom G/H/I/J
  • Do Less with More! How Small Communications Teams Can Let Go of Control Without Sacrificing Their City or County's Reputation - Denver Ballroom 1/2/3
  • Making the Most of your Social Media Presence - Denver Ballroom 4/5/6

10:15 a.m.

Networking Break

10:45 a.m.

Concurrent Sessions

  • Broadening Citizen Engagement or Reaching Under Engaged Audiences - Colorado Ballroom A/B/C/D
  • Felix's Bag of Tricks for Public Information Professionals - Colorado Ballroom G/H/I/J
  • Community Engagement for Strategic Success: Using Community Input to Make Better Decisions - Denver Ballroom 1/2/3
  • Beyond Transparency: Creating a Culture of Engagement - Colorado Ballroom 4/5/6

12:00 p.m.

General Conference Adjourns