The Event Management Forum supports a variety of learning and participation styles to allow participants to learn and engage in different ways. Depending on the session, you may experience one or more of the engagement levels described below.
Session schedule and format are subject to change.
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Active Listening
What this looks like for you
You’ll be present and focused, taking in information through listening and observation. You may take notes or reflect quietly, with the option to contribute to the discussion at your discretion. Active listening sessions are ideal for sharing foundational information, introducing new ideas, or providing expert insights in a clear and efficient ways.
You might engage by:
- Listening to presenter in a lecture-style format
- Viewing slides, visuals, or handouts
- Watching live demonstrations or process walkthroughs
- Reading provided materials during or after the session
Common tools: Presentation slides, handouts or PDFs, infographics, charts, or posters
Interactive Participation
What this looks like for you
You’ll have the opportunity to actively interact with the presentation by asking questions, responding to polls, or joining brief discussions. Interactive participation helps deepen understanding by inviting you to reflect, respond, and connect ideas to your own experiences.
You might engage by
- Responding to live polls or reflection prompts
- Participating in think-pair-share activities
- Asking questions during Q&A
- Adding thoughts to a shared board or activity
Common tools: Live polling platforms, shared whiteboards or flip charts,, shared digital spaces
Collaborative Engagement
What this looks like for you
You’ll be fully immersed in the session and working closely with others by sharing ideas, practicing skills, and co‑creating knowledge through hands‑on activities and group discussions. Collaborative sessions foster deeper learning through peer connection, problem-solving, and practical application by learning with and from one another.
You might engage by
- Participating in small‑group discussions or activities
- Scenario-based problem-solving activities
- Brainstorming or mapping ideas together
- Co‑creating resources or solutions to share with the group
Common tools: Facilitated group discussions, role‑play exercises, interactive stations, rotating group activities, shared digital documents
- Session 1 | 9:45 - 10:45 a.m.
- Session 2 | 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Roundtables | 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
- Session 3 | 2:15 - 3:15 p.m.
From Idea to Impact: A Collaborative Case Study of an Admitted Student Event Series
Presenter: Beth Johnson
Track: Business Management and Operations  |  Participation Level: Collaborative Engagement
Admitted student events are where planning decisions directly affect how students experience UW‑Madison and make their enrollment choices. In this interactive session, we’ll walk through a real admitted student event series from start to finish: why the event was created, the limits we worked within (budget, staffing, and time), how the work and staffing was organized, and how we evaluated the results. Participants will review real planning materials – event briefs, run‑of‑show documents, communications, staffing plans, and evaluation snapshots – then work in small groups to discuss key decisions, identify challenges, and analyze feedback. Participants will leave with practical tips, simple tools for planning within your capacity, and clear strategies for working with stakeholders and evaluating events.
Learning Outcomes
- Use simple, shared tools (documents, spreadsheets, and checklists) to stay organized and keep everyone on the same page.
- Identify key partners and decision‑makers and make clear, effective asks that help build buy‑in.
- Collect and use feedback in a practical way to decide what to keep, change, or drop for future events.
Organizing Listening Sessions
Presenter: Laurel Belman
Track: Event Logistics  |  Participation Level: Active Listening
Employees want to be heard and leadership wants to listen to them- especially when leadership is new to the University or their positions. How can you organize and execute a series of successful listening sessions for them? This session will present considerations and strategies when planning, executing, and wrapping up a series of listening sessions. Using the highly successful fall 2025 CIO Listening Sessions as its example, I’ll cover considerations around:
- Audience
- Session structure
- Contingency planning
- Marketing
- Surveys
- Communication
- Budget
- Celebrating success
You’ll walk away with a checklist of considerations and strategies to create a roadmap for listening session events that will satisfy leaders and employees.
Learning Objectives
- Attendees will learn what to consider with planning listening session events.
- Attendees will learn strategies for creating listening session events that will please stakeholders.
From Concept to Completion: Using Event Templates to Streamline Campus Event Planning
Presenter: Kristina Flores
Track: Event Logistics  |  Participation Level: Active Listening
Campus event planning often involves balancing multiple stakeholders, timelines, and details–sometimes with limited institutional memory or inconsistent processes. Well-designed event templates can serve as a powerful tool to bring clarity, consistency, and efficiency to planning efforts across campus. This session explores how standardized event templates can support planners at every stage of the event lifecycle, from initial concept through execution and post-event review.
Drawing on practical campus-based examples, participants will examine how the intentional use of event templates helps reduce oversight, improve cross-unit communication, and create a more predictable and manageable planning experience. The session will highlight adaptable templates that work across event types, including meetings, celebrations, student programs, and large-scale institutional events.
Learning Outcomes
- Identify core elements of effective event planning templates and explain how they support organization, accountability, and clear communication across event teams.
- Apply standardized templates to real campus event scenarios, adapting them to different audiences, scales, and levels of complexity.
- Implement at least one template-based planning practice in their unit or department to reduce planning gaps and improve event consistency.
Navigating Youth Activities on Campus: Safety, Purpose, and Practical Strategies for UW-Madison Event Managers
Presenter: Rachel Tatge, Ashley Rose, and Adrienne Rich
Track: Event Logistics  |  Participation Level: Active Listening
Youth activities are expanding across higher education, from academic camps and athletic clinics to community youth visits and admissions events. As UW-Madison welcomes more guests under 18 years of age, event managers play a critical role in planning mission‑aligned, safe, and institutionally compliant youth activities. But for many, the responsibility is clear while the path forward is not, leaving the planning process daunting and uncertain.
This panel brings together experts from the Office of Admissions and Recruitment, the Campus Visit Program, Recreation & Wellbeing, and the Office of Youth Protection (OYP) to demystify the policies, processes, and steps required to host youth responsibly.
Panelists will outline why institutions invest in youth activities, the range of event types that involve minors, and how event managers can effectively partner with OYP from the earliest planning stages. The session will highlight key safety measures, including training, background checks, supervision ratios, facility access, and emergency planning, along with common challenges such as third‑party compliance, incomplete documentation, last‑minute activity changes, and navigating risk management nuance. Attendees will leave with the tools and strategies they can immediately apply within their own units.
Learning Outcomes
- Apply a clear, step‑by‑step process to enhance institutional safety and compliance requirements at youth activities.
- Use a practical intake and communication framework to guide campus partners and external clients through OYP expectations.
- Anticipate and address common issues in youth activities using strategies shared by panelists.
Stop Reinventing the Wheel: Branding UW–Madison Events Without the Headache
Presenter: Angela Barian
Track: Marketing and Brand Strategy |  Participation Level: Interactive Participation
In this session, we’ll tackle one of the most common planning traps: starting from scratch every single time. We don’t have to live this way!
You’ll learn practical techniques, tips, and a few well-earned tricks for shaping a cohesive brand expression for your UW–Madison event, one that stands out because it stays on brand. We’ll also dig into a growing collection of tools, templates, and resources designed to make your life easier and your branding stronger.
Along the way, we’ll crowdsource ideas, swap stories, and do a little light commiserating about what actually happens in the wild. You’ll leave with fresh perspective, renewed creative energy, and some genuinely useful ideas you can put to work right away.
Learning Outcomes
- Identify and use UW–Madison brand tools, templates, and resources to streamline event planning
- Apply practical techniques to create a cohesive, on-brand event experience from concept to execution
- Foster buy-in from key stakeholders and decision makers
- Evaluate event materials and identify opportunities to strengthen brand alignment
Events 101
Presenter: Traci Wedekind
Track: Personal Development and Workplace Skills  |  Participation Level: Active Listening
Have you been asked to plan a hybrid conference featuring a keynote speaker traveling from out of town, necessitating accommodations, transportation and honorarium? How about a large celebratory event featuring an off-campus venue, catering, A/V, and more? If so, you may be wondering, “Where do I start?!”
Join staff from the School of Medicine and Public Health for a presentation on planning successful events at UW Madison. You’ll leave with a more nuanced understanding of where to begin using our “Setting the Table” technique, document templates you can use tomorrow to help organize your events, and access to resources and communities that can support your event production needs.
Learning Outcomes
- Where to start when planning an event (theme mapping, date selection, how you want your audience to feel, etc.)
- How to organize your event planning process (via vetted document templates such as planning timelines, show flows, support roles documents, run of show sheets, etc.)
- Resources available to help event producers beyond this session (Event Producers Group Community of Practice, etc.)
Additional Sessions to Be Announced.
Bowtie Your Events
Presenter: Darin Harris
Track: Event Logistics  |  Participation Level: Collaborative Engagement
Looking for a clear, practical way to design your next event from start to finish?
In this hands-on session, you’ll learn the Event Bowtie—a simple, proven framework used around the world to plan, design, and deliver impactful events of all sizes. Whether you’re organizing a small training or a large campus gathering, this tool will help you align logistics, flow, and participant experience into one cohesive plan.
Learning Outcomes
- A customized plan for an upcoming event you’re working on
- A clear structure to align purpose, process, and logistics
- Practical ideas to add thoughtful touches and unexpected moments that elevate the experience
Bring a real event you’re planning—so you can walk out ready to execute with clarity and confidence.
From Awareness to Action: Designing Inclusively for Disability Access
Presenter: Kyle Charters, Heather Stelljes, Annie Butler, and Ruben Mota
Track: Event Logistics  |  Participation Level: Collaborative Engagement
Dive into an overview of the key components involved in planning and executing a successful conference or event. Participants will explore four core areas of conference management: Program & Content Management, Finance & Sponsorship, Event Operations & Logistics, and Attendee Management & Communication.
Through these areas, the session will highlight how conference and event planners coordinate abstract submissions, schedules, speakers; manage budgets, contracts, and sponsor relationships; oversee operational logistics; and support attendee engagement through registration systems, communications, and branding.
Participants will gain insight into the behind-the-scenes processes that ensure conferences and events run smoothly and learn how effective organization, coordination, and communication contribute to a seamless event experience for speakers, sponsors, and attendees.
Learning Objectives
- Identify the four core components of conference and event management—Program & Content Management, Finance & Sponsorship, Event Operations & Logistics, and Attendee Management & Communication—and explain how they interconnect to support a successful event.
- Explain key financial and sponsorship processes, such as budget creation, contract management, revenue tracking, and building/maintaining sponsor relationships.
- Analyze how effective organization, coordination, and communication among planning teams contribute to anticipating challenges, smoother operations and a positive experience for speakers, sponsors, and attendees.
Elevate Your Events with Proven Strategies from UW Conferences & Events
Panelists: Amanda Jacobson, Katy Kiley, and Amanda Kocialkowski, Moderator: Matt Olson
Track: Event Logistics  |  Participation Level: Interactive Partcipation
Campus event planning often involves balancing multiple stakeholders, timelines, and details–sometimes with limited institutional memory or inconsistent processes. Well-designed event templates can serve as a powerful tool to bring clarity, consistency, and efficiency to planning efforts across campus. This session explores how standardized event templates can support planners at every stage of the event lifecycle, from initial concept through execution and post-event review.
Drawing on practical campus-based examples, participants will examine how the intentional use of event templates helps reduce oversight, improve cross-unit communication, and create a more predictable and manageable planning experience. The session will highlight adaptable templates that work across event types, including meetings, celebrations, student programs, and large-scale institutional events.
Learning Outcomes
- Identify the four core components of conference and event management—Program & Content Management, Finance & Sponsorship, Event Operations & Logistics, and Attendee Management & Communication—and explain how they interconnect to support a successful event.
- Explain key financial and sponsorship processes, such as budget creation, contract management, revenue tracking, and building/maintaining sponsor relationships.
- Analyze how effective organization, coordination, and communication among planning teams contribute to anticipating challenges, smoother operations and a positive experience for speakers, sponsors, and attendees.
The Briefing Paper: Staying Sane on Your Way to Event Success
Presenter: Sara Lomasz Flesch and Eleanor Conrad
Track: Personal Development and Workplace Skills  |  Participation Level: Collaborative Engagement
The devil can be in the details of event planning, but initiatives also can be derailed if planning team members don’t start off and stay on the same track. Join the co-chairs of the Wisconsin International Resource Consortium (WIRC) – a collaboration among UW-Madison’s nine area studies centers – who will walk you through the briefing paper template utilized by members to document the who, what, where, when, and all-important why of collaborative WIRC event planning.
Learning Outcomes
- Participants will receive access to the briefing paper template and learn how it serves as a road map to event success for all stakeholders – from planners and vendors to sponsors and attendees.
- Participants will learn how this tool lays the groundwork for team-building and accountability; ensures effective communication and prevents conflicts; and honors team members’ time and energy in support of event goals.
From To-Do to Done: Tools and Tactics for Better Project Management
Presenter: Sheena Hirschfield
Track: Personal Development and Workplace Skills |  Participation Level: Active Listening
Learn how to move from scattered to-do lists to well-executed plans using simple, effective project management strategies. Designed with event planning in mind, this session highlights how paid tools like Asana and free tools like Trello can streamline workflows, keep tasks on track, and bring clarity to every step of the process.
Learning Outcomes
- Understand the core principles of effective project management and how they apply to event planning
- See how to use tools like Asana and Trello to track progress and manage team collaboration
Parking & Transportation Planning for Campus Events
Presenter: Caryn Walline and Tony Hansbro
Track: Event Logistics  |  Participation Level: Interactive Participation
Planning a successful event at UW–Madison includes thoughtful coordination of parking and transportation to create a seamless experience for your guests. Transportation Services is a key partner in that process, helping you navigate available options, anticipate challenges, and support a smooth experience from arrival to departure. This session will provide an overview of parking and mobility options, highlight key factors that shape access and the guest experience, and outline how early coordination can set your event up for success.
Learning Outcomes
- Explore parking and transportation options available for campus events, including visitor parking, event parking, and multimodal travel solutions.
- Understand key factors (e.g., location, timing, attendance, concurrent campus activity, and construction impacts) that influence transportation planning and guest experience.
- Navigate the process for coordinating with Transportation Services, including timelines, communication points, and available support resources.
Session offered during Breakout 2 and Breakout 3.
Additional Sessions to Be Announced.
Open space roundtable discussions are self-directed, flexible conversations that allow participants to move freely between discussions at any time. There is no fixed schedule or required time at each table—participants engage where they feel most interested or where they can contribute most meaningfully. This format encourages everyone to contribute, listen, and learn from a variety of perspectives in a relaxed environment.
How it Works
- Multiple discussion topics taking place simultaneously at designated locations
- Participants decide where to join, how long to stay, and when to move on
- Conversations evolve organically as people come and go
What to Expect
- Engaging, informal, participant-driven discussions rather than formal presentations
- Freedom to move between conversations without set time limits
- Dynamic group sizes that change naturally
- Opportunities to meet and learn from a wide range of colleagues
Get involved! If you are interested in facilitating a roundtable discussion, complete the Roundtable Facilitator Interest Form. Facilitators will be assigned on a rolling basis. Please note, interested facilitators must be registered to attend the Event Management Forum.
| TOPIC | FACILITATOR |
|---|---|
| Alumni Engagement Events | TBA |
| Budgeting and Funding | TBA |
| Campus Event Venues | TBA |
| Career Development | TBA |
| Event Marketing and Promotion | TBA |
| Integrating AI into Event Planning | TBA |
| Off-campus Catering | TBA |
| Planning High Profile Events | TBA |
| Project and Event Management Tools | TBA |
| Promotional Items | TBA |
| Registration Tools | TBA |
| Student Engagement Events | TBA |
| Student Staff (Recruitment, Training, Management) | TBA |
| Sustainability | TBA |
| Virtual and Hybrid Events | TBA |
Reawakening Camp Randall Concerts: Bringing Live Music Back to a Historic Venue
Presenter: Shane Burgess, Reanna Roberts, Chris Hammes, and Alli Moerke
Track: Personal Development and Workplace Skills  |  Participation Level: Interactive Participation
After a 28-year hiatus, live concerts returned to Camp Randall Stadium—one of Wisconsin’s most iconic venues—through a highly coordinated partnership between Wisconsin Athletics and FPC Live. In the summer of 2025, performances by Morgan Wallen and Coldplay drew more than 100,000 fans to Madison, marking one of the most ambitious event undertakings in Camp Randall’s history. This session takes attendees behind the scenes of how these major concerts came to life. Presenters will walk through the collaborative planning process, operational buildout, and game‑changing lessons learned across event logistics, public safety, customer experience, and stadium operations. Attendees will gain insight into how two organizations navigated unfamiliar territory, adapted to constant change, and built a framework for future large‑scale live entertainment at Camp Randall. Whether you are planning your first major event or refining a well‑established process, this session offers practical takeaways on partnership, preparedness, communication, and the power of teamwork in delivering once‑in‑a‑generation experiences
Learning Outcomes
- Recognize the importance of relationships and strategic partnerships in planning and executing events of any size.
- Leverage subject matter experts early and often to strengthen planning, uncover blind spots, and improve operational outcomes.
- Navigate shifting conditions throughout the planning lifecycle, including how to adapt quickly while maintaining operational integrity.
- Develop contingency plans and decision‑making frameworks that ensure readiness for unexpected challenges before and during event execution.
The Event is Over, Now What? Designing Feedback Tools and Using Feedback to Improve Future Events
Presenter: Katherine Vaughan, MA
Track: Personal Development and Workplace Skills |  Participation Level: Interactive Participation
While collecting feedback is a standard part of event planning, designing feedback tools is often underprioritized compared to other parts of the planning process, which can lead to low responses rates, vague insights, or data that is difficult to interpret or act on. This workshop will equip event planners with practical strategies to design feedback processes that generate meaningful data to improve their future events.
Participants will explore the purpose and value of collecting feedback, including how to align questions with event goals and stakeholder priorities. The session will address common challenges such as survey fatigue, low engagement, and question design. Through real-world examples, attendees will learn how to design concise, user-friendly feedback forms that encourage completion while capturing important information.
The workshop will also introduce basic approaches to interpreting both quantitative and qualitative data, helping participants move from raw data to next steps. By the end of the session, participants will be able to create more effective feedback tools and use their results to enhance future events for event attendees and planners.
Learning Objectives
- Develop short, effective event feedback forms for events they coordinate
- Utilize best practices for incorporating feedback tools at events
- Interpret feedback data to inform future event planning
Getting Your Events Online: tools, tips and your big ideas
Presenter: Nick Weaver and Kedar Joyner
Track: Marketing and Brand Strategy  |  Participation Level: Interactive Participation
Ready to level‑up your event‑publishing game? Join the Office of Strategic Communication digital strategy team for a tour through all the tools you can use to get events online at UW–Madison, including today.wisc, the today.wisc WordPress block and the UW Events plugin. We’ll share handy best practices, highlight some slick recent upgrades (like schema and AI-based tagging!), and help you choose the right tool for the right situation.
Then we’ll flip the mic and hear from you. What’s working? What’s confusing? What’s on your wish list for the future?
If you publish events, or rely on them, you won’t want to miss this engaging, insight‑packed session!
Learning Outcomes
- Explain what options are currently available for publishing events on the web: today.wisc, today.wisc WordPress block, and UW events plugin, as well as recent updates that we’ve made to stay current.
- Learn best practices on how to use each of those tools
Small Shifts, Big Impact: Simple Enhancements That Elevate Any Campus Event
Presenter: Kristina Flores
Track: Event Logistics  |  Participation Level: Interactive Participation
Campus events don’t need large budgets or complex production plans to feel polished, engaging, and memorable. Often, small, intentional adjustments–rooted in thoughtful design, attendee experience, and operational efficiency–can dramatically elevate the quality of an event. This session explores easy-to-implement strategies drawn from real campus events of varying sizes, from small meetings to major institutional celebrations.
Participants will learn practical enhancements they can adopt immediately, regardless of their role, resources, or event type. The session blends facilitator-led insights with guided discussion, allowing attendees to share their own creative solutions and walk away with a collective toolbox of ideas. The focus is on realistic improvements that elevate an event for both planners and attendees.
Learning Outcomes
- Identify at least three low-effort, high-impact enhancements that can improve their work across a wide range of campus events.
- Apply simple strategies for elevating event flow, signage, communication, and environmental design using resources commonly available in campus units.
- Collaborate with colleagues during the session to exchange practices/ideas that strengthen campus-wide event quality and consistency.
Building Connection: Designing Events That Combat Loneliness and Foster Social Health
Presenter: Traci Wedekind
Track: Event Logistics |Â Â Participation Level: Interactive Participation
In today’s fast-paced, digitally-driven world, loneliness has become a growing public health crisis, impacting both personal well-being and organizational culture. This session will explore how leaders can design and facilitate events, meetings, and conferences that foster meaningful social connections, enhance collaboration, and promote social health. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies for effective meeting management, inclusive facilitation techniques, and methods to structure gatherings that address loneliness while cultivating a sense of belonging and community. Participants will also have the opportunity to share their own strategies for creating spaces where people feel heard, valued, and supported.
Learning Outcomes
- Effective Meeting Management: Learn practical tips and best practices for organizing and leading meetings that foster engagement, participation, and social connection.
- Inclusive Facilitation Skills: Gain insight into how to design events that prioritize inclusivity and ensure all voices are heard, creating a welcoming environment for diverse participants.
- Structuring for Social Health: Understand how to structure events, meetings, and conferences to intentionally address the public health crisis of loneliness by promoting social interactions and building supportive networks.
Green Events at UW–Madison: Planning and Executing Sustainable Campus Events
Presenter: Tim Lindstrom and Caroline Arciszewski
Track: Event Logistics |Â Â Participation Level: Interactive Participation
The Green Events Certification Program provides a straightforward, survey-based framework to help UW–Madison event organizers improve the sustainability of events of all types. Centered on six high-impact areas — venue, waste, transportation, food, communications, and materials — it equips event planners with practical strategies to reduce their environmental impacts. Through this approach, small, achievable actions can meaningfully advance sustainability on campus and become embedded into the event planning process. Learn how to incorporate these practices into your own event or get involved with the Green Events Certification Program to access tools and resources that support sustainable event planning, including the Free Food Alert program on our campus.
Learning Outcomes
- Participants will be able to apply sustainable practices across multiple categories to their event planning.
- Participants will learn about and gain access to resources regarding campus event sustainability.
- Participants will understand how to access and utilize the Free Food Alert program for their events.
Parking & Transportation Planning for Campus Events
Presenter: Caryn Walline and Tony Hansbro
Track: Event Logistics  |  Participation Level: Interactive Participation
Planning a successful event at UW–Madison includes thoughtful coordination of parking and transportation to create a seamless experience for your guests. Transportation Services is a key partner in that process, helping you navigate available options, anticipate challenges, and support a smooth experience from arrival to departure. This session will provide an overview of parking and mobility options, highlight key factors that shape access and the guest experience, and outline how early coordination can set your event up for success.
Learning Outcomes
- Explore parking and transportation options available for campus events, including visitor parking, event parking, and multimodal travel solutions.
- Understand key factors (e.g., location, timing, attendance, concurrent campus activity, and construction impacts) that influence transportation planning and guest experience.
- Navigate the process for coordinating with Transportation Services, including timelines, communication points, and available support resources.
Session offered during Breakout 2 and Breakout 3.