2026 APA-WA Conference Planning Underway!

The 2025 Tacoma Conference still feels fresh, but planning for the 2026 Conference in Vancouver is already beginning!  You are encouraged to get involved!  There will be many opportunities to participate:

Core Conference Committee – this committee does the big-picture work on the conference (theme, and tracks, keynote speakers, etc.) and usually includes 6-8 planners from different parts of the state.

Host Committee – this larger committee is often populated by planners from the local community hosing the conference. They work on the Conference Receptions, Pub Crawl, Fun Run, and Welcome packet. They often also recruit session submissions from local planners for mobile workshops.

Program Committee – this medium-sized group has a short burst of effort, usually in June and July to sort through and select from the list of proposed sessions and work with speakers to refine their sessions, if needed.    It is important for this group to represent the breadth of the planning profession so that sessions selected meet the needs of Washington planners of all stripes.

Initial meetings will start in January, however, some of the committee’s work will occur later in the year. The Vancouver conference is scheduled for Wednesday through Friday, October 7‑9^th.

Want to know more about participating in conference planning?  Reach out to Nancy Eklund, AICP at [email protected].