Conference Planning

• Building Stronger Tribal Communities: Conferences for the Office of Native American Programs
• Facilitating Collaboration with Neighborhood Networks Conferences
  
• Building a Solid Foundation with the HOME 2000 Conferences

Challenge Solution Benefit

Challenge
"Building Stronger Tribal Communities Through Planning" was the first interagency conference focused on planning in Indian Country. The Office of Native American Programs (ONAP), part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), wanted to bring together various federal agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Interior, and the Department of Health and Human Services to plan and execute the conference. Facing the challenging prospect of involving multiple agencies in the already complicated task of planning and organizing a large conference, HUD turned to ICF International for conference design and logistical support.

Solution
ICF International worked with representatives of various federal agencies and tribes to develop track themes, session content, training materials, and speaker points. ICF International also managed plenary sessions; arranged for a resource room, a reception area, and luncheon; and coordinated with local tribes and government agencies sponsoring conference events. By combining logistical expertise and organizational precision with our strong knowledge of Native American housing issues, ICF International produced a conference that delivered genuine value to participants.

Benefit

• Over 700 participants attended the "First Interagency Conference on Comprehensive Planning in Indian Country: Building Stronger Tribal Communities Through Planning," held November 28-30, 2000.
  
• Positive evaluations from the conference revealed that participants gained new tools and resources from the conference in areas spanning housing and economic, facility, and code development.
  
• Program managers from HUD and other agencies felt comfortable leaving the logistics and management of the conference in the hands of ICF International. Managers were instead able to focus attention on networking and brainstorming with tribal leaders during the conference.

Challenge Solution Benefit

Challenge
With a mission to help bridge the digital divide for low-income Americans, the Neighborhood Networks program depends on its ability to bring human, economic, and technology resources together to bolster community technology centers in HUD-assisted housing. These centers provide computer equipment and facilities residents can use to educate themselves and pursue employment opportunities. To achieve its objectives, the Neighborhood Networks program must successfully network and collaborate with staff, residents, and community representatives towards common goals. The Neighborhood Network conferences were designed to facilitate this collaboration by allowing interested stakeholders to network, gain information and training, and recognize and learn from the accomplishments of others. As a manager of the Neighborhood Networks initiative, ICF International was critical in making these conferences a success.

Solution
ICF International executed two successful Neighborhood Networks conferences. The first was a 400-person national conference held in Kansas City, Missouri. This conference, held in July 1999, was a HUD Best Practices Symposium in which ICF International ran a series of events related to the Neighborhood Networks initiative. The second, held December 5-8, 2000, was a virtual conference consisting of four 90-minute sessions. For the virtual conference, participants were linked in a conference-call format to speakers, whose presentations were available online via the Internet. The virtual conference drew an average of 85 participants for each of the four days.

For both conferences, ICF International planned content development, developed internal and external marketing materials, interviewed speakers and helped them develop talking points, and devised and scheduled tracks and plenary sessions. ICF International also provided expert logistical support for site selection, contract negotiation, lodging, evening activities, registration, on-site support, coordination of offsite visits to centers, and audiovisual equipment support. Reviews of both the on-site and virtual conferences were very positive.

Benefit

• HUD was able to reach staff from a large number of Neighborhood Networks Centers and address topics that are key to Neighborhood Networks success.
  
• Participants gained tools, stories, and training to advance the work of Neighborhood Networks Centers.

Challenge Solution Benefit

Challenge
HUD's Office of Affordable Housing, part of HUD's Office of Community Planning and Development, recognized that the tenth anniversary of the passage of the Cranston-Gonzales National Affordable Housing Act was an excellent opportunity for a capacity-building conference. The HOME 2000 conference, sponsored by the Home Investment Partnership (HOME) Program, was designed to bring together housing experts, federal officials, and local grantees to assess the status of the HOME program established by the act, to share challenges as well as best practices, and to celebrate ten successful years of increasing availability of affordable housing. To ensure the success of this conference, HUD turned to ICF International's conference professionals.

Solution
ICF International managed the logistics and content development of the three HOME 2000 Conferences. These conferences were held from July to November 2000, in Washington, D.C., San Antonio, Texas, and Berkeley, California respectively. The conferences combined hands-on training sessions with panel presentations and group discussions. ICF International handled content development of three conference tracks: "Construction Management," "Building CHDO Capacity," and "Maintaining Investments in Affordable Housing." ICF International used in-house technical experts in the HOME program as well as our extensive experience in HOME training delivery to develop comprehensive training materials and talking points for presenters and trainers. ICF International also worked with another contractor to handle logistics for hotel space, food, and registration.

Benefit

• Our professionals ensured success of the conferences through excellent management and organization of logistics and conference substance. We also worked effectively with the client to maintain consistency and accuracy throughout the two-day events.
  
• Participants left each session with new tools and ideas, contacts, and a greater appreciation for the HOME program.
  
• The conferences were completed successfully within budget. ICF International continues to work with HUD's Office of Community Planning and Development to build capacity for HOME program grantees.