Chamber Professionals Bring Fresh Ideas Home From Milwaukee

The 2026 Events & Communications Conference Recap from Milwaukee

Jessica Adams didn't wait until she returned home to put an idea from this month’s ACCE Events & Communications Conference to work.

After attending a session on rethinking sponsorships, Adams, web and marketing specialist at the Greater Des Moines Partnership (Iowa), opened her laptop and emailed fellow board members of the American Marketing Association's Iowa chapter with ideas for an upcoming signature event. Although sponsorships fall outside her primary focus on websites and digital marketing, the session offered ideas she could apply to both her volunteer leadership role and the Partnership's upcoming investor campaign.

Adams joined 100 chamber professionals from more than 30 states in Milwaukee for ACCE's 2026 Events & Communications Conference. The three-day event explored strategies to elevate events, strengthen communications and generate nondues revenue. Here is what attendees took home and how you can put the same ideas to work at your chamber.

Creating Experiences That Build Belonging

For Paetyn Fritzler, events and programs coordinator at the Greeley Area Chamber of Commerce (Colo.), one of the biggest takeaways was the importance of creating experiences where people feel connected and included.

A keynote by Geraud Blanks of Culture X Design challenged attendees to examine the signals their events send before anyone walks through the door. Event names, promotional imagery and invitations can influence whether someone feels welcome or decides an event isn't intended for them.

Refreshing Signature Events

Fritzler also appreciated learning how other chambers are refreshing their events.

Jack Feria, director of membership engagement at the Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce, sees the conference as a chance to develop new ideas during the slower winter season.

“Our signature events have gone from selling fine to selling out. This conference is the perfect boost to refresh your outlook and make real changes for your chamber,” Feria said.

Connecting With Young Professionals

Sam Scinta, CEO, and Alison Lilla, senior director of operations and community engagement, of the La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce (Wis.) led a session on young professional engagement. The session explored university partnerships, mentorship and strategies for connecting young professionals to their communities.

Amira Adams, program specialist at the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (Wis.), shared how her organization is focusing more intentionally on young professionals who have recently moved to the region.

Tyler Bass, communications manager at the Greater Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce (Va.), identified the young professional retention session as a favorite. While he and his supervisor still plan to debrief on next steps, he hopes to build on the idea of having the chamber's board of directors take an active role as a resource for its ASPIRE Young Professionals.

He also wants to explore positioning the program as a “third place” for young professionals.

“Our speakers mentioned that the two places YPs spend the most time is at work and home. They need a third place where they can socialize and build connections,” Bass said.

He plans to work through ideas raised during the session to see how the chamber can turn its programming into that third place.

Exploring AI and New Approaches to Communications

For Jessica Adams, the conference reinforced the importance of adapting website strategies as AI changes how people find information online.

She found the AI visibility session led by Andy LeDuc and Aaron Stern of Mueller Communications especially valuable, appreciating the practical resources, including a glossary and recommendations for improving digital visibility. Many of the strategies reinforced work already underway at the Partnership.

Fritzler saw a different use for AI: brainstorming event concepts and developing plans.

The Value of Learning From Peers

While sessions offered new strategies and tools, attendees consistently cited peer connections as a major benefit of the conference.

“The lineup of sessions was strong, and the opportunity to network with others in the chamber world was even stronger,” said Brian Otten, marketing and workforce development director at the Greater Wausau Chamber of Commerce (Wis.).

For Fritzler, those exchanges were especially meaningful. Connecting with chamber professionals facing similar challenges gave her new perspectives on what other organizations are doing and ideas to bring back to Greeley.

From rethinking sponsorships to creating more welcoming events and experimenting with new technology, attendees left Milwaukee with approaches they can adapt to their chambers and peers they can continue learning from.

Visit ACCE's event calendar to discover upcoming opportunities to exchange ideas and strengthen your chamber's work.

ACCE thanks host chamber Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce and the sponsors who helped make this year’s conference possible: gold sponsor Chaymber; silver sponsors GrowthZone and Livability; and bronze sponsor ChamberSpeak.