Ohio ACTE · For Discussion
ALL Ohio 2029: Themed Days by Audience
A working draft of a new format built around one move: a bigger venue, with a program that gives every Division, Chapter, and leadership group its own place in the week. Groups are arranged by audience, with shared all-member events that keep it feeling like one conference.
Does the venue hold the model?
Hilton Columbus at Easton
Current · Maxed out- Single grand ballroom, shared breakout rooms
- Constant airwall pulls and room turns
- Hotel, room nights automatic
Can't give every group its own room at once. This model outgrows the building.
Hilton Columbus Downtown
Fits · Recommended base- ~75,000 sq ft, ~40 breakout rooms
- Grand Ballroom seats ~1,500 reception
- 1,000 guest rooms; connected to the GCCC
Room for every group, a ballroom big enough for awards night, heads in beds on-site. Overflow into a GCCC pod if you grow.
Greater Columbus Convention Center
Fits · Biggest swing- Exhibit halls 72k–118k sq ft each, dozens of rooms
- Largest exhibit hall → strongest sponsor pitch
- Not a hotel, block moves to nearby properties
Most scale and revenue upside; most cost, complexity, and room-night risk. The reach option, not the default.
The week at a glance
Governance & arrival
Leadership & administration
All-member (everyone together)
Educator & pathways
Sunday
Governance & Arrival
Board, committees, early arrivals
11:00–4:30
Board of Directors meeting
1:00–5:00
Committee & task-force meetings; exhibitor move-in
5:00–6:00
New-member & first-timer welcome
6:00–7:30
Board dinner; opening reception
Monday
Leadership & Administration
Supers, treasurers, supervisors, services
8:00–3:30
Registration open
9:00–10:30
Assembly of Delegates (90 min)
10:45–12:00
Opening General Session + keynoteAll present
1:00–4:30
Admin tracks: Superintendents, Treasurers, Satellite Supervisors, A&I, CTEP, OCTA, WBL, Student Services, Special Ed, PR, each its own room
1:00–4:30
Shoemaker Institute, New CTE Administrator strand
1:00–4:30
ODEW leadership townhall & office hours
5:00–6:30
Exhibit hall grand opening reception
Tuesday
All-Member Day
Everyone together
8:30–10:00
Marquee keynote + State of CTEAll present
10:15–12:00
Cross-cutting sessions: AI, WBL, pathways, policy, open to all
12:00–1:30
Exhibit hall prime time; lunch on the floor
2:00–3:30
Career-Tech Excellence Awards (90 min)All present
3:45–4:45
Admin sessions wrap; educators arrive
6:30–9:00
Celebration / networking eveningAll present
Wednesday
Educator & Pathways
Teacher track by pathway + Shoemaker
8:00–8:45
Pathway kickoff by division room
9:00–12:00
Teacher track: OAAE, CBI, FCS/OATFACS, OBMEA, PACE, standards-aligned, hands-on
9:00–12:00
Shoemaker Institute, New CTE Teacher strand
12:00–1:00
Pathway lunch by division
1:00–2:30
Deep-dive labs; featured-pathway spotlight (ODEW review cycle)
2:45–3:30
Closing general session + send-offAll present
Which groups land on which day
Monday: Leadership & Administration
Groups whose work is governance, operations, and building leadership. Two-night core (Sun–Mon), present through Tuesday's awards.
Assembly of Delegates
Superintendents (OACTS)
Treasurers
Satellite Supervisors
Academics & Instruction
CTEP
OCTA
WBL
Student Services
Special Education
Public Relations
Shoemaker, New Administrator
Wednesday: Educator & Pathways
Instructional divisions and the standards-aligned teacher track. Arrive Tuesday for awards, program day Wednesday. One night off the classroom, not three.
OAAE (Agriculture)
CBI
FCS / OATFACS
OBMEA
PACE
Ohio CCS Chapter
Shoemaker, New Teacher
Design notes & open questions for the board
Keeping everyone together. A day-by-audience format could split into separate meetings that happen to share a hotel. The all-member events (the opening keynote, the marquee keynote, the awards, and the closing) all sit on Tuesday, when both audiences overlap. That is what keeps it one conference instead of several.
Hotel rooms are the real trade-off. Themed days mean some educators may come for a single night. The Downtown Hilton's 1,000 rooms on-site help with that, and a convention-center-only plan does not. Let's size the room block before we commit to a venue.
Division-to-day assignments are the board's to sort. Student Services and Special Education straddle both audiences and could flip. Sorting exactly who sits where is a good first task to hand the board, it turns "every group gets a seat" from a promise into their decision.
Some Divisions run their own conferences today. A few Divisions hold separate events that bring in revenue for them. If they decide to bring those under ALL Ohio, we will need to work out the finances with each one so no Division gives up income by joining in. That is a conversation to have early, Division by Division.
Featured-pathway rotation. Wednesday's spotlight follows the ODEW standards-review cycle, so a teacher has a reason to come the specific year their field is refreshed. Over a few years, every pathway gets its marquee moment.
