The 71st Annual Conference & Marketplace is taking place in Washington, DC September 24-27, 2025.
*Please note the schedule change! In observance of Rosh Hashanah the conference will take place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday in 2025 with preconference tours and opening reception taking place on Wednesday, September 24.
IDA is seeking session proposals that provide tools and solutions to emerging trends related to the following place management domains of professional practice and subject areas.
Economic Development
- Entreprenuership; Office Conversions and Adaptive Reuse; Attainable and Affordable Housing; Innovation Districts; Future of Work; Nighttime Economy; Cultural Heritage Tourism; Business Recruitment and Retention
Planning, Design and Infrastructure
- Downtown Planning; Infrastructure and mobility; Designing Inclusive Districts; Sustainability
Policy and Advocacy
- Equity and Inclusion; government relations; Climate Change
Public Space Management and Operations
- Public Safety; Managing Public Space; Ambassador Programs; Technology Trends; Placemaking and Placekeeping
Marketing, Communications and Events
- Events and Festivals: Communications; Storytelling; AI
Organizational Management
- Governance; Finance and budgeting; Managing a team; board management
Leadership Development
- Board leadership; external relationship building;
Submission details are below. When submitting your session proposal, please remember the committee looks for diversity in topic, geographic region, race, ethnicity and gender in the make up of a panel. Previous conference session surveys have indicated a need for racial diversity in speakers and content related to small to medium size districts/budgets. Therefore, when submitting your application, we ask how your session will address these needs.
There are three types of proposals to choose from:
1. Breakout Session: This consists of a 75 minutes session with one moderator and three panelists adressing a topic in a domain of professional practice. This can include case studies
2. Workshop: 75 minute workshop where skills, strategies and techniques are shared with the audience. This type of program includes audience participation and interaction.
3. Single presenter submission: This is a 7-10 minute presentation on a specific topic related to one of the domains of professional practice. The single presenter will be matched with other presenters to make a complete 60 minute session.
Each submitter is limited to two submissions. Each speaker will be limited to two session speaking roles. When contacting speakers for your submission, please be aware if someone is already proposed for another session. All speakers must be confirmed when submitting a proposal. You will be asked to verify they have been notified when you are filling out the form.
Proposals submitted with a single vendor/consultant will not be considered
Joint proposals, including peers from multiple-size cities/budgets, will be given higher priority for consideration. Full consideration will be given to all complete submissions using the following guidelines:
- Proposal offers fresh topical ideas and reflects the diversity of IDA’s membership.
- Proposal includes three learning objectives. Please answer the following statement for each learning objective: “After this session attendees will be able to…”.
- Proposal is relevant to the work of place management professionals.
- Proposal includes innovative approaches and perspectives.
- Proposal engages the audience and presents forward-looking approaches to new challenges.
- Proposals may include a moderator and up to three speakers for a 75-minute session.
The deadline to submit proposals is Tuesday, January 28, 2025, 11:59 pm ET. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Carolyn Dellutri, CAE, CTP, CMSM, Director of Professional Development, at carolyn@downtown.org.
Submissions received after that date may not be considered. To get started, please complete the submission form (link to Submittable). You can stop, save, and return to work at any time before the deadline. When you’ve completed the form, please click ‘Submit’ at the bottom.
Please remember that speakers are required to register for the conference. Options for daily registration will be available.
Note: Submitting a session does not guarantee selection. IDA reserves the right to select ideas and speakers to fit the needs of our diverse audience. Registration will open in late spring of 2025. If you’re looking forward to Washington DC, start the conversation now on social media using #IDADC25.
Are you an expert in your field? IDA’s Top Issues Councils address a selection of the most pressing issues facing downtowns and city centers. This year’s Top Issues Council briefs cross a variety of topics that UPMOs face. Applications to join the 2025 Councils are open now and due by Friday, January 31, 2025 at 11:59 pm ET. Council work will commence no later than March 2025.
To be eligible for a Top Issues Council position, the applicant must be an IDA member. Further guidelines can be found below on the application. Questions? Contact Cathy Lin, AICP, Director of Research, at cathy@downtown.org.
- Programming for Inclusive Events: Events are a key way for downtowns and urban districts to reflect and celebrate the community within the district and the region around them, and to attract more local visitors to create a vibrant district. With increasing demand for authentic experiences, how can UPMOs reimagine, expand, collaborate, or empower community events?
- Police Partnerships: Safety and security continue to be a top priority in many downtown communities. As police forces work to increase hiring, UPMOs are actively partnering with local police departments to address shared downtown concerns, and working hand-in-hand for the downtown community. This Council will profile several examples of UPMO-Police Partnerships to highlight how and what they work on together, and the impact of such partnerships.
- Retail - Beyond Pop-Ups: Retail vacancies, particularly those that occupy large blocks of downtown or that have been vacant for a long time, are stark reminders of challenging economic conditions. Conditions for investing downtown have changed post-pandemic, and inflation challenges many business owners. How can UPMOs play a more active role to address large-scale retail vacancies with longer-term solutions, better engage the retail brokerage community, or propose new uses to retail spaces?
- Increasing Stakeholder Engagement in Your Organization: UPMOs unquestionably proved the value of the hyperlocal connection to their districts in the height of the pandemic and beyond. However, budgets may be reaching a tipping point as questions arise about the level of assessment funding available if commercial property values drop and municipal budgets are constrained. How can UPMOs can increase stakeholder involvement, through membership, volunteer committees, and other ideas?