What’s ahead
The conference kicks off Wednesday, October 16 at the Loews Kansas City, MO.
If you wish to participate in pre-conference events, we recommend arriving in Kansas City Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning.
On Wednesday, you’ll be able to choose between our Day of Service events volunteering in KC — or — attending a pre-conference panel discussion, before joining our always awesome Opening Night Welcome Reception at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
Day of Service
Join your colleagues to help package diaper kits for HappyBottoms, KC’s diaper bank — OR — share your expertise and serve as a comms consultant for reStart, a nonprofit which empowers people experiencing homelessness. Learn more and sign up here.
Pre-conference panels
Learn what’s happening in Kansas City, MO from local and regional leaders. Sessions include: How local NPR and PBS affiliates are collaborating on a city-wide effort to cover the 2024 elections + How a group of nonprofits have found innovative approaches to closing the racial wealth gap + More to come!
Welcome Reception
Join us at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, famous for its extraordinary collection. From 6-8pm we’ll have light hors d'oeuvres and refreshments available with plenty of opportunities to connect with friends old and new.
Thursday, October 17 will be a full day of conference programming — tentatively planned for 8:30am-6:30pm.
keynote
Jonah Berger
Jonah Berger is a Wharton School professor and internationally bestselling author of Magic Words, Contagious, Invisible Influence, and The Catalyst. He’ll be sharing the power of language to influence and engage, the brain science behind understanding, and how communications and network building can help you achieve durable change.
SHOWCASE POSTERS
Learn from the real-world experiences of 70+ of your colleagues during these case study sessions. Here are just a few of the organizations presenting!
Learning labs
You’ll get to choose from expert-led sessions including:
keynote
The Power of Community + Building Your Network!
Ebony reed
Ebony Reed is the Chief Strategy Officer of The Marshall Project, and coauthor of Fifteen Cents on the Dollar: How Americans Made the Black-White Wealth Gap. She’ll join us to explore the power of unexpected connections, generosity, and gratitude.
Networking
Get your charm on and build your network! Connect with colleagues and peers at breakfast + lunch + Networking @ Night Happy Hour!
Friday, October 18 will be a half day of programming — tentatively scheduled for 8:30am-12:30pm (if you’re traveling home, we recommend flying out after 3pm CST on Friday!)
keynote
Sree Sreenivasan
Sree is an award-winning expert and scholar in digital communications and the CEO of Digimentors. He is the former Chief Digital Officer for New York City, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Columbia University. He’ll join us to explore the importance of attention, your digital and physical footprint, and the future of comms.
ShowCase Poster Sessions: More time to learn from the real-world experiences of 70+ of your colleagues.
Learning Labs: You’ll get to join one final expert-led deep dive learning session!
Keynote: The Clarence B. Jones Impact Award Winner Keynote — (don’t forget to vote) — our 2024 winner will be announced this summer.
The program will wrap around 12:30pm CT.
Still have questions? See our ComNet24 FAQ.
Ready to get registered?
What else?
Accessibility
The Network will be providing ASL interpreters and remote real-time captioning (CART) for all Keynote Sessions and will be able to provide those for Breakout Sessions upon request. Please email Tristan (tmohabir@comnetwork.org) if there is a barrier for your participation or if you need to share additional access needs by September 1.
Building Community/Connecting with Colleagues
You will have time to connect with other ComNet24 attendees throughout the program — including at meals, receptions, and happy hours.
You will receive an email in mid-September connecting you with other folks headed to Kansas City. In our Attendee Directory, attendee names and organizations are posted on a password-protected page. You’ll also be able to chat and direct message other attendees through the ComNet24 conference app, and Network members are able to connect all year long in The Network’s Slack Members Community.
Swag + Sustainability
We are bringing back the Swag Store!
Last year, we changed the way we do swag, as part of our commitment to reducing waste and enhancing the conference experience. It was a hit!
This year, we’ll again offer a variety of unique swag options to choose from, including local options reflecting the spirit of Kansas City, something ComNet-branded, and an option to donate to a local nonprofit in lieu of a physical item.
Stay tuned this summer to select your swag item! (Don’t worry, we’ll give you a heads up ;))