This year’s ICMA Annual Conference, September 22-25, in Boston, Massachusetts, combines a cost-effective, high-quality professional development opportunity; networking; and information sharing—now when you need them most—with a vibrant and thriving  location in the heart of New England. Our conference site provides a unique blend of the old and the new, history and history in the making, and the 99th Annual Conference educational program has been developed to provide attendees with a revolutionary experience!

Under an overall theme of “Revolutionary Leadership”, the conference will feature a variety of programmatic enhancements proposed by the 2013 Conference Planning Committee including educational sessions with more interactive room sets and presentation styles; inspirational afternoon “featured speakers”; a “learning lounge,” where small numbers of attendees can hear short presentations on focused topics; an “experts bar” for one-on-one advice on social media, digital devices, and resumes; and so much more.  The planned program is sure to satisfy your need for the latest information about local government management and leadership!

To spread the word about the conference, we ask that you, as a state association officer or staff member, share the information below concerning the 2013 conference scholarships, membership/registration campaign, and discount registrations with your state colleagues through your listserv, email, and other communications, and link directly to the ICMA conference site at icma.org/conference.

Host Region Registration Discount

Any ICMA member from the host region who is attending his/her first annual conference is eligible to receive $200 off the conference registration fee. The host region includes Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Also, any nonmember in the host region who joins ICMA can receive the $200 registration discount PLUS half-price ICMA membership for a year.

State-Based Conference Scholarship Program

ICMA provides complimentary conference registrations to any state association that establishes a travel-and-housing scholarship. There is no limit to the number of comp registrations a state association can request, so long as they are willing to underwrite the cost of travel and housing for the state association member. These comp registrations can be used by either a non-ICMA member or a member who could not otherwise afford to attend the conference. Encourage your state association to establish one or more state-based ICMA Annual Conference Scholarships this year. Contact us at customerservices@icma.org if you have questions.

FYI, here are some important dates to keep in mind:

• The preliminary program will be provided in an abridged format in the June issue of PM magazine. Full descriptions and a PDF of the preliminary program will be provided at the conference website at icma.org/conference and at icma.org/pm (effective June 1).
• June 3 — Online Registration and Housing bureau open.
• July 11 — Cutoff for the most affordable, early-bird registration rates.

Thank you for your assistance in helping your ICMA member and nonmember colleagues attend the world’s largest event focused on local government leadership and management skills building, training, and networking! Contact us at customerservices@icma.org if you have questions.

Sincerely,

Ross

Ross Hoff
Conference Director

Carpooling/Shared Travel: icma.org/conferencegroup
Twitter: twitter.com/icmaconference (tweet using #ICMA13)
Facebook: facebook.com/ICMAORG