By Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP
The 2022 South & Appalachia Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit was the largest and one of the most distinct events of its kind.
More than 500 people were involved, including 414 registrants, 90 session leaders, and 75 volunteers. Unlike most conferences, where all the activities take place in a single building, the Summit sessions were held at several venues in downtown Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina campus. It was offered in a hybrid format, with one day of online sessions and two days of in-person sessions. The Summit was held November 1 online and November 3 and 4 in Chapel Hill.
What did participants most like about the Summit?
Among those who participated in person, several cited the networking and conversations with other participants, the quality of content and session leaders, Chapel Hill as a great place for the event, and a format that allowed participants time to connect and to learn about Chapel Hill.
“(I enjoyed) the richness, quality, and authenticity of conversations sparked by facilitators and engaged in by attendees,” said Dr. Kesia Blenn, who is the Arts, Culture & Education Manager for the City of Panama City, FL. “I loved the diversity in speakers and the content of their projects. I loved being able to openly engage with conversations topics that are often hushed back home. I loved being immersed into Chapel Hill. The walking – a little far in some cases but the integration into the city and different venues was absolutely wonderful and added a lot of value to this experience for me. Loved the socials. This is the most meaningful summit/conference I have ever been to and I have been to dozens. Please continue to build it and offer it. “
Among those who participated online, several cited the quality and diversity of content and speakers, as well as their enjoyment of the
Airmeet online conference platform.
“Thank you for making a portion available virtually for those of us who could not be there in person,” said Lisa Burk-McCoy, who is Grants Coordinator - Creative Communities & Arts in Health for the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts. “It's wonderful to have the opportunity to learn from colleagues in other regions. I loved the diversity of projects, and the increase in presentations that focused on communities that are often under-represented in these events - including the representation of rural communities! I look forward to reviewing the recordings of the sessions I missed. “
Summit registrants can see recordings of all the online sessions until January 15
This was the 16th Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit produced since 2014, and the fourth South (or South & Appalachia) Summit produced since 2018.
2022 South & Appalachia Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit demographics, activity and evaluations, by the numbers
Demographics
To learn more about this or other Summits, please contact CPC President Leonardo Vazquez at leo@cpcommunities.org or 973-763-6352, x1
The 2022 South & Appalachia Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit was the largest and one of the most distinct events of its kind.
More than 500 people were involved, including 414 registrants, 90 session leaders, and 75 volunteers. Unlike most conferences, where all the activities take place in a single building, the Summit sessions were held at several venues in downtown Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina campus. It was offered in a hybrid format, with one day of online sessions and two days of in-person sessions. The Summit was held November 1 online and November 3 and 4 in Chapel Hill.
The Summit also got rave reviews from participants, continuing an eight-year tradition of excellence in which more than 90% of participants surveyed said they enjoyed their Summit experience, gained a lot of useful knowledge, and made valuable connections.
What did participants most like about the Summit?
Among those who participated in person, several cited the networking and conversations with other participants, the quality of content and session leaders, Chapel Hill as a great place for the event, and a format that allowed participants time to connect and to learn about Chapel Hill.
“(I enjoyed) the richness, quality, and authenticity of conversations sparked by facilitators and engaged in by attendees,” said Dr. Kesia Blenn, who is the Arts, Culture & Education Manager for the City of Panama City, FL. “I loved the diversity in speakers and the content of their projects. I loved being able to openly engage with conversations topics that are often hushed back home. I loved being immersed into Chapel Hill. The walking – a little far in some cases but the integration into the city and different venues was absolutely wonderful and added a lot of value to this experience for me. Loved the socials. This is the most meaningful summit/conference I have ever been to and I have been to dozens. Please continue to build it and offer it. “
Among those who participated online, several cited the quality and diversity of content and speakers, as well as their enjoyment of the
Airmeet online conference platform.
“Thank you for making a portion available virtually for those of us who could not be there in person,” said Lisa Burk-McCoy, who is Grants Coordinator - Creative Communities & Arts in Health for the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts. “It's wonderful to have the opportunity to learn from colleagues in other regions. I loved the diversity of projects, and the increase in presentations that focused on communities that are often under-represented in these events - including the representation of rural communities! I look forward to reviewing the recordings of the sessions I missed. “
Summit registrants can see recordings of all the online sessions until January 15
This was the 16th Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit produced since 2014, and the fourth South (or South & Appalachia) Summit produced since 2018.
2022 South & Appalachia Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit demographics, activity and evaluations, by the numbers
Demographics
- 414 registrants from 155 communities in 30 states and the District of Columbia (369 registrants in person and online; 45 online only)
- 272+ organizations represented
- 73% of in-person Summit participants identified as executives or key decision-makers in their fields
- The in-person participants represented multiple industries. 93% identified as being from arts organizations; 44% as artists; 24% as educators; 13% from government organizations, 13% from architecture, planning, or civil engineering organizations; and 11% from grantmaking organizations. The percentages are greater than 100 because respondents could identify as being part of multiple industries.
- 83% of online participants identified as executives or key decision-makers in their organizations
- The online participants represented multiple industries. 94% identified as being from arts organizations; 11% as artists; 31% from community development organizations; 6% as educators; 19% from government organizations; 33% from architecture, planning, or civil engineering organizations; and 19% from grantmaking organizations. The percentages are greater than 100 because respondents could identify as being part of multiple industries.
Activity - 209 participants in the online pre-Summit
- 90 session leaders (session organizers, presenters, trainers, etc. )
- 81 session proposals submitted
- 75+ volunteers (Working Group members, session hosts, session reviewers, etc. )
- 44 sessions (17 online; 27 in-person) See the schedule at a glance.
- 24 sponsors and partnering organizations
- 5 summit session venues
- 5 organizations partnering as executive producers
EvaluationOnline (pre-Summit) [37 responses]
About the online Summit overall: - 100% enjoyed the online portion of the Summit
About the content: - 94% said they ‘learned a lot’ at the event
- 81% said they learned more than they expected to
- 97% said that what they learned was useful
- 100% said they were satisfied with the quality of session leaders
- 97% said they were satisfied with the diversity of session leaders
- 97% said there was enough time for audience questions
- 94% said there was a good mix of learning experiences
About networking: - 75% said they expanded their network
- 62% said there was plenty of time for networking
About the platform (Airmeet): - 88% said Airmeet (the platform used for the online Summit) was easy to use
- 84% said they enjoyed using Airmeet
In-person Summit [49 responses] - About the in-person Summit overall:
- 98% enjoyed the in-person portion of the Summit
- 65% strongly agreed with the statement “I enjoyed the Summit.
About the content: - 98% said they ‘learned a lot’ at the event
- 98% said what they learned was useful
- 71% said they learned more than they expected to
- 98% said they were satisfied with the quality of session leaders
- 98% said they were satisfied with the diversity of session leaders
- 91% said there was a good mix of learning experiences
- 82% said there was enough time for audience questions
About networking: - 100% said they expanded their network
- 87% said there was plenty of time for networking
About Chapel Hill and the conference format: - 96% said Chapel Hill was a good place to hold the Summit
- 61% said it was easy to get to the venues
- 83% said they didn’t mind going to different venues for the sessions
To learn more about this or other Summits, please contact CPC President Leonardo Vazquez at leo@cpcommunities.org or 973-763-6352, x1
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