Join planners from across New York State for our annual chapter conference including the annual meeting and awards program. Save the date!

Wednesday, October 14 - Friday, October 16, 2026 in Albany NY

The 2026 conference, Upstate Renaissance: Collaboration, Momentum, Shared Prosperity, will explore real-world examples, tools, and innovative techniques to advance skills and knowledge in the following areas:

• Building consensus for long-term resilience and sustainability

• Recognizing and evaluating transformative redevelopment opportunities

• Applying equity-centered planning approaches

• And more!

The Conference will open with registration at 12 noon on Wednesday, October 14. Enjoy two and half days to engage in conversations on best practices related to various topics in our upstate communities, earn continuing AICP education credits, and build relationships with other members across the state.

Format:

Proposers are encouraged to submit for non-traditional sessions, mobile workshops, and traditional sessions. Non-traditional sessions can include problem-solving roundtables, “fast-fun-fervent” presentations, and peer-group sessions. Traditional sessions typically involve presentations and audience interaction with an expert panel. 

All sessions and presentations should emphasize useful takeaways for participants. Examples include breakthrough information that makes a convincing case for an innovative idea; usable tools and methods with an understanding of how and when to use them; and key resources for deeper examination of an idea or tool. Proposals should consider incorporating real world scenarios to walk participants through the application of an idea or tool. In the proposal, please note how you will structure the session to address the above areas of emphasis. 

All sessions must include some measure of facilitated interaction with the audience in addition to any traditional Q&A. At least one-third of session time must be devoted to facilitated interaction and Q&A. Also, in each session, spoken presentations should not run longer than 15 minutes without insertion of an interactive segment or a change of speaker. In the proposal, you will be asked to indicate agreement with these guidelines.

Some key considerations:  

-- Typical session duration should be 90 minutes total including time for Q & A. The committee will also consider double (3 hour) or half (45 minute) sessions.

-- The Conference Committee is seeking presentations that align with the conference theme and learning objectives, especially those with attention paid to presentations that reflect the interdisciplinary and intersectional nature of the objectives. You can review the conference learning objectives in the next section. 

-- If proposing a panel session or presentation with multiple presenters, please designate a primary contact person to make it easier for us to keep you informed. 

-- Session proposals that include non-APA members as presenters are welcome.

-- The conference committee may select individual presentations and combine them into a panel/joint presentation if complementary sessions are proposed.   

-- Each room will have a computer, projector and sound system. Please indicate any technical needs beyond this standard setup.  

-- Please note that slides used for selected sessions may be made available to NYU APA Members.

Mobile Workshops
The Conference Committee also invites proposals for Mobile Workshops that accomplish a dual objective:
- Provide valuable, relevant, AICP-creditworthy information on planning issues and success stories
- Expose conference attendees to the unique places, assets, character, and lifestyle of the greater Capital Region area. 

Proposals should specify if these tours require initial transportation to the walking/biking tour or if it is
accessible from the conference site. Mobile workshops are typically offered as either half-day or full-day sessions but will be considered for the standard session lengths of 45, 60, 75, or 90 minutes. Proposals should indicate whether classroom or meeting space is needed as part of the session before, during, or immediately following the mobile tour. If your mobile workshop requires transportation or equipment rental (i.e. bikes, scooters, etc.) and you are able to provide this at no cost, please include this detail in your proposal.

If you have a presentation that you would like to share at the conference, please submit your session proposal by 12am on May 29th, 2026, through this short online form.

More to come:

• Room block & registration to open in spring 2026.

• Call for sessions NOW OPEN

• Sponsorship opportunities available now!

• Posted in conference, capital district, western ny, central ny, genesee finger lakes, southern tier

• Tagged conference, CM

Primary Learning Objectives

Primary learning objectives serve three main functions: they determine the session content, clearly communicate the presentation’s aim, and give participants a basis for evaluation. Each session during the conference will be designed to meet a specific planning-related objective which align with the session’s relevance to planning practice and AICP core competencies.