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When & Where

August 24 to August 27, 2013

Hilton San Francisco Union Square

San Francisco, CA

2013 NADO Annual Training Conference

NADO.org > Upcoming NADO Events > 2013 NADO Annual Training Conference

Overview

CLICK HERE (PDF) to view the conference program.

Several sessions at the conference have been approved for AICP CM credits!  Click here for a list of sessions.

ATC 2013: Regional Resilience in Action!

What do you get when you mix about 650 people from 42 states (plus America Samoa and the District of Columbia) with 40 learning opportunities (plenary and breakout sessions, learning labs, conversation cafés, and mobile workshops), outstanding presenters, trainers and facilitators, and unlimited networking occasions?  An energetic, relevant, and timely conference!  Throw in a fantastic location like San Francisco and you have a training event that truly offered something for everyone.

We have received positive feedback about the content and format and, of course, the location.  From the outstanding learning labs on Saturday and Sunday that covered a variety of topics (CEDS, roles of policy officials, performance evaluations, the Affordable Care Act, audits and communicating with many audiences) to the closing plenary session on Tuesday afternoon that provided tools and tips for building advocacy skills, attendees had many choices when it came to topics covered.

The fast paced opening plenary seemed to energize attendees, and the luncheon presentation by USDA California State Rural Development Director Glenda Humiston evoked discussion about rural-urban connections.  Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Matt Erskine updated attendees about EDA’s programs.  And the Tuesday morning plenary that delved into the relevancy of regional development organizations in 2013 was cause for much discussion and thought.

The conversation café’s provided format’s for planners, GIS staff, and aging program staff to talk openly about the challenges and opportunities they face.  And the mobile workshops to Sonoma County to experience the wine and tourism sectors were hugely popular, as was the visit to NextSpace to learn about innovative options for the self-employed.  The exciting Resilientville Game, followed by a tour of Diamond Heights neighborhood to learn about the importance of building community as a means to assure optimal response during and after disasters, offered attendees a fun and meaningful learning experience.

The 2013 Innovation Awards Reception was very popular this year…we feel in part due to the energy still buzzing from the opening plenary earlier in the day where 12 winners shared their projects, but we also know the iPad raffle helped bring people to the reception.  No matter what the cause, there was much lively conversation and information exchange!

NADO thanks each and every speaker, facilitator, and moderator for their roles in making the conference a success.  As well, we thank all of the attendees for taking the time to travel to San Francisco—we know that in these times of tight budgets and increased demands on staff, it is not easy to be away from the office (and home) for even a few days.

Making appearances for the first time at a NADO ATC: the conference app and Wi-fi for all attendees in the meeting rooms and break areas.  Thank you Dale Graver and VC3 for making the Wi-fi possible.

Be sure to visit the Agenda and Presentations page for the speaker presentations.

SAVE THE DATE!  NADO's 2014 ATC will occur August 23 - 26 at the Hyatt Regency in Colorado's Mile High City, Denver!