We are less than a week away from the local government event of the year - #ICMA2016. Kansas City is sure to provide amazing opportunities for local government professionals to connect with thousands of other attendees and hundreds of exhibitors. If you want a more engaging experience this year, we suggest the following:

1. Download the ICMA Annual Conference Mobile App

Use the app for all things Conference. Find maps of the venue, view session handouts, access the event schedule, and create your own custom agenda.

[Download the Conference app now]

2. Endless Networking Opportunities

Get together with thousands of your local government colleagues who convene at this annual event.  Only at the ICMA Conference can you meet and mingle with the people who "speak your language" and encounter the same challenges, day to day. Compare and exchange experiences and ideas with your counterparts in public service. Here is where you can nurture lifelong friendships and make new connections with folks from around the region and the world!.

[Read 4 ways to network more effectively in local government]

3. Join the Conversation

Keynote speakers. Educational sessions. Learning lounge sessions, and more! If you hear an inspiring quote or great idea during one of these events, share it on Twitter (@ICMAEvents), Facebook (@ICMAOrg), or Instagram (@ICMAOrg). Make sure to use #ICMA2016 in your mentions!

[Get Social Now! with the Annual Conference]

4. Follow the hashtag #ICMA2016

See what other attendees are talking about, where they are going when the day is done and the networking begins, and other Conference news by following our hashtag #ICMA2016. Plus, new this year, the digital wall in the registration area and the ICMA Pavilion in the Exhibit Hall – where ICMA will be live streaming all of the chatter on Twitter (@ICMAEvents); the pictures on Instagram (Instagram.com/icmaorg) and the posts and pictures on the Facebook events page. Don’t miss your chance to have your posts on display!

[Start following now!]

5. Experience Kansas City

Take time to experience Kansas City! Live Jazz at 40 area clubs; Its acclaimed arts and museums: The National World War I Museum, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kaufman Center for Performing Arts and the College Basketball Experience, to name just a few. The Power & Light District, an 8-block entertainment hub just steps from the Convention Center with more than 50 restaurants, shops and nightclubs; Spanish-inspired Country Club Plaza, 15 blocks of outdoor shopping, dining and entertainment surrounded by dazzling fountains. And its world-class cuisine, a culinary crossroads of savory barbeque, upscale restaurants, James Beard award winners and farm to table favorites.

> See it and experience it.

> VisitKC

6. Share Your Experience at #ICMA2016

Have a specific session you are passionate about and want others to learn from? Were you inspired by a speaker? Picked up some knowledge or skill that you can immediately apply when you return home? Consider sharing your experience by writing for ICMA | Blog and the Annual Conference blog.

[Email Douglas Shontz at dshontz@icma.org to have your post included.]

7. Engage ‘Live’ on Facebook

Mark your calendar to go on Facebook to view and participate in three separate Facebook Live sessions highlighting diversity and inclusion efforts made by ICMA and other organizations. “Like” ICMA’s Facebook page for more info.

• ICMA University Symposium: Women in the Profession
  • Going live with 3-5 participants on Saturday, September 24 at 1:30 PM CDT
• Pat Martel’s Update on Diversity and Inclusivity Efforts
  • Going live with ICMA president-elect, Pat Martel on Sunday, September 25 at 11:00 AM CDT
• Building Diverse Leadership in Your Community and Your Organization
  • Going live with session leader, Raymond Gonzales, deputy county manager, Adams County, Colorado, September 27, 3:10 PM CDT

[Follow Facebook Live on the ICMA Facebook page]