Join your conference chair Erica Colaianne to meet the conference faculty, learn about the exciting three days of the conference, and discuss how to get the most out of your time here in NOLA!

We’ve entered a new era of needing to meet our audiences where they are — but now we are often the ones trying to keep up. Gen Z and Gen Alpha grew up with social media and understand how it works, and can be a determining factor for when it doesn’t work for brands. These audiences have expectations of brands and how they engage on social media. Join us to hear insights from four different perspectives including experiences that have been successful and ones that were learning opportunities.

Social media platforms provide us with so many opportunities to build communities on behalf of our brands in part because they are so widely used by people for communicating.  When challenges arise that impact our communities, these platforms serve as the spaces where they will express their concerns, thoughts and frustrations. Join us for a panel discussion about the importance of listening to what people are sharing and how it might alter the content for that day, as well as how to manage communities across social media platforms during challenging times and tough situations. 

Learn how a simple social media post asking , “Who has the best burger in Iowa City?” was leveraged into a successful and repeatable content strategy that your organization can (and should) steal for your alumni engagement communications. This CASE Circle of Excellence Award-winning strategy will show you how to listen to your online audiences to identify opportunities to create deeper engagement that achieves your organization’s goals.

Departments, athletics, student clubs and organizations, trolls that exist to haunt your waking dreams. Everyone on campus wants their own social media account, making your job as a social media manager way more complicated and stressful than it needs to be. But with a little planning, organization and acceptance, you’ll find that these accounts are not hinderances, but partners in telling your college’s story. 

A thriving social media audience requires more than just posting content to fill in the calendar gaps — it needs genuine connection, relevance, and authenticity. This session explores strategies for follower growth by sharing the content people truly want to see, leveraging trends to stay ahead of the curve, and creating an authentic presence that resonates with your desired audience so they will hit that “follow” button. Join us to learn practical tips and proven methods to elevate your platform and foster meaningful engagement.

In today’s crowded landscape of campus-wide giving campaigns, alumni engagement and advancement professionals often face fierce competition to capture attention and donations. This session, "Standing Out in the Crowd: Amplifying Alumni Engagement in Competitive Campus Giving Campaigns," will give you strategies to help boost your unit’s impact in campus giving campaigns, build stronger connections with alumni and drive campaign participation. We’ll explore unique approaches that will distinguish your department and align your unit’s goals with broader institutional objectives while creating personalized, impactful messaging that resonates with your audience.

Education institutions from PK-12 schools to international universities are constantly buzzing with activities, events, and incredible stories to share, but how can they all possibly be captured to showcase the full capacity of a busy and engaged campus. Our panel will examine how education institutions can elevate their students' voice, build engagement on social media platforms, and develop student leaders who provide confident and value-focused content for social media. Participants will learn to develop tailored strategies, gain leadership buy-in, and balance unique department identities with institutional branding to connect authentically with key audiences.