Association
Conference Architecture
Certificate Course
What You Will Learn
This certificate course teaches the practical design of association conferences. Through weekly live, hands-on classes, you will learn to think like a conference architect, designing purpose, connection, content, and operations into one intentional attendee experience, and leave ready to make meaningful improvements to your own event.
You earn one CAE credit, one CEM credit, and one CMP credit for each live class you attend, up to 8 of each.
8 Classes and 8 CAE, CEM, and CMP Credits
The Architect Mindset
See conferences through the attendee's eyes and design experiences, not just manage events.
Purpose, Personas, and the Attendee Journey
Define purpose before programming and design around why people attend.
Designing Connection: Networking, Breaks, and Community
Treat the spaces between sessions as valuable connection, not downtime.
Rethinking Conference Content
Move beyond lectures and panels toward engaging learning.
Space, Flow, and Conference Architecture
Use physical design to drive interaction and learning.
Supporting the Architecture: Logistics, Operations, and Execution
Make logistics support the experience, not drive it.
Conference Design Studio: Renovate Your Event
A hands-on working session applying the course tools to your own conference.
Design Critique and Leading Change
Present your redesign, get feedback, and learn to champion change.
Is This Course Right For You?
If your conference runs smoothly but attendees leave without the learning, connections, or results they came for, this course is for you.
Conference and Events Leaders
Directors, VPs, and executives who own annual and major conferences and want them to be more engaging, connected, and valuable.
Education and Engagement Leaders
Staff responsible for learning, content, and attendee experience.
Membership and Marketing Leaders
Professionals who shape why members attend and what keeps them coming back.
What's Included
About the Instructor
Lee Gimpel is the founder of Better Meetings, a Washington, D.C., meeting design, facilitation, and training firm, and serves as a Forbes expert columnist on meetings and facilitation.
He sits on the board of directors of the Association of Meeting Professionals and produced the Conference Organizers Summit.
He co-developed this course with the Association Academy to bring proven meeting design methods to association conference teams.
Enroll now! Spots are limited.
Only $699