Mark your calendars for the ISPRA 2024 Fall Conference, Oct. 17-18, 2024! This year’s conference promises a blend of insightful sessions, practical tips, and valuable networking opportunities you won’t want to miss. Get ready for a series of interactive sessions designed to equip you with new skills and practical insights that you can implement in your communication strategies.
After our first day of learning, join us at The Revel Hotel for a social hour hosted by ParentSquare, followed by a Best Practice Showcase and the Communicator of the Year presentation!
Questions: Contact Diane Ostrowski, ISPRA President-Elect and Conference Chair
Thank you to our ISPRA 2024 Fall Conference sponsors: Apptegy, Class Intercom and ParentSquare!
Registration
Register for the fall 2024 conference
Registration Deadline: Friday, Oct. 11, 2024
Enter the Communicator of the Year Contest
Submission Deadline: noon, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024
Fee and Lodging Information
- Conference Fee for Members—$95
- Best Practice Showcase & Communicator of the Year Award Event Fee for Members—$25
- Conference Fee for Non-Members—$115
- Best Practice Showcase & Communicator of the Year Award Event Fee for Non-Members—$35
Hotel Block
The Revel Hotel, 11211 Hickman Road, Urbandale, Iowa 50322: Make a reservation. Code: ISPRA
Reservation Deadline: Friday, Oct. 4
Note: There are several other hotel options with a 2.5 mile radius of the conference and event venues.
Conference Schedule
Oct. 17, 2024 — 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
10 a.m. Check-in with light refreshments
10:30 a.m. Welcome
10:40 a.m. Session 1: Reimagining School Marketing: The Power of Collective Authorship
Marie Kressin, Apptegy
Reimagine school marketing by rethinking who tells the story of your schools. You’ll learn how to enable and equip the many voices of staff, teachers, and building leaders at scale. Collective authorship can impact teacher recruitment and retention, family engagement and participation, and even serve as a student enrollment tool by sharing millions of powerful moments that happen in schools each and every day.
11:30 a.m. Break, presented by Class Intercom
11:40 a.m. Session 2: Changing the Narrative with an Empowering Point of View
Ben Pankonin, Class Intercom
In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, the way schools tell their stories matters more than ever. Ben Pankonin, a seasoned entrepreneur and leader in the field of social media, will share strategies for transforming your school’s narrative by engaging the entire school community.
From empowering faculty to showcase their unique perspectives to enabling students to take an active role in storytelling, Ben will explore how shifting the point of view can lead to more authentic, relatable, and positive school representation. Learn practical tips for leveraging social media, strengthening internal collaboration, and fostering a culture where everyone has a voice in telling the school’s story.
Join this interactive session to discover new ways to elevate your school’s image and impact through the voices of those who know it best.
Key Takeaways:
- Engage faculty and students in creating authentic content
- Explore practical strategies for creating better school social media
- Learn how to shift narrative perspectives for a stronger school story
12:30 a.m. Lunch
1 p.m. Un-Meeting Round Tables
2:15 p.m. Session 3: It’s What’s Inside That Counts: Effective Internal Communications
Melissa McConnell, NSPRA
Staff inboxes are exploding with emails from secretaries, parents, students, colleagues, administrators, and the district. Important events and information are ignored, stress levels skyrocket, and maintaining morale becomes a myth. How to help? Learn how Melissa McConnell improved internal communications at the district level and advised similar practices at the site level, resulting in staff who were well-educated about district operations, deadlines, and incentives.
3:05 p.m. Break, presented by Apptegy
3:15 p.m. Session 4: Can Your Brand Influence Student Success?
Ann Pattison, ParentSquare
Your district’s brand has a large influence on the perception of your organization, and can even influence student success and family engagement and support. What should you consider to create a strong brand? In this session we will walk through the many aspects that go into a district’s branding – visuals, style guidelines, real-life stories, consistency, and more. We’ll share how creating a strong brand can help evoke emotion, build trust with stakeholders, and help establish your reputation. Attendees will leave with easy steps to establish their district’s brand, as well as several real-life examples, templates, and resources to reference when creating their own district’s brand.
3:45 p.m. Evening Session Preview
5 p.m. Social Hour, presented by ParentSquare
6 p.m. Best Practice Showcase and Communicator of the Year Award with heavy appetizers
Oct. 18, 2024 — 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
8:30 a.m. Welcome with light breakfast
8:45 a.m. Session 5: DIY District Marketing: How to Build Your Own Ad Campaign
Samantha Aukes and Shannon Cole, Ankeny Schools
In this session, we’ll take you behind the scenes of how our school district developed a successful advertising campaign without the help of an outside firm. Using the RPIE method (Research, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation), we’ll walk you through our process and provide actionable steps so you can maximize the impact of your advertising on a budget. You’ll leave with a customized plan and the confidence to implement it in your own district.
9:45 a.m. Round Table Discussions
10:45 a.m. Break
11 a.m. Session 6: Immersive Sound Bath
James Cozmo Sparks and Liz Sparks, MBA, QHHT, Center Me Now
ISPRA members will be enveloped in a soundscape experience as a unique way to relax, recharge, and refresh the mind, body, and spirit after two days of learning. With the help of amplifying equipment and sound healing instruments, the conference space will be transformed into an immersive, calming, and restorative environment.
11:50 a.m. Lunch Round Tables