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Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2026 in Grand Junction
The CCA Annual Conference provides a forum for chamber professionals from across Colorado to educate themselves and elevate their chambers. Learn best practices in the chamber industry with keynote speakers, workshops, break-out sessions and essential peer connections.
The agenda below is subject to change.
2026 CCA Conference Agenda at-a-glance
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
12:00-4:00 p.m. Early Conference Check-in
Grand Junction Convention Center
12:00-4:00 p.m. GrowthZone Training: Separate Registration Required
Maintaining Your Database Health and Optimizing Member Engagement
Database health and maintenance is a journey, not a destination, and this session gives you five areas to monitor and a cadence of regular tasks (in both ChamberMaster and GrowthZone) to help ensure your data is the best it can be.
Keeping a member is far easier and less costly than rebuilding your membership base every year. We’ll cover some tips to encourage your members to be more engaged and have an open discussion to see what is working for your peers.
This training is free to attend, but advance registration is required. The session will take place at the Grand Junction Convention Center.
12:00-5:00 p.m. Group Excursions - Explore the Grand Valley
Make the most of your time in Grand Junction by experiencing a little more of what makes Western Colorado so special.
- From Legacy to Launch: Innovation & Entrepreneurship in Grand Junction | $45 per person
- Fruita Adventure: Pizza + Colorado National Monument | $65 per person
- Palisade Wine Country by Horse-Drawn Carriage | $145 per person
- Golf with a View: Redlands Mesa | $125 per person
Our optional conference excursions are designed to give attendees a taste of the Grand Valley beyond the meeting room, from local food and wine to outdoor adventure, entrepreneurship, history, and golf. Each experience offers a chance to connect with fellow chamber professionals while exploring the people, places, and industries that shape our region.
Space is limited for many excursions, so we encourage attendees to register early and choose the experience that sounds most like their kind of Western Colorado.
5:30-8:00 p.m. Group Activity: Block Party
Sponsored by Pinnacol Assurance: Start your first evening of the CCA Conference with a night of connection, fun, and local flavor during the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce Block Party.
More details to come. Some parts of this event may be self-pay.
2026 CCA Conference Agenda: Thursday, October 1
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2026
7:00 a.m. Check-in Opens
8:00 a.m. Sponsor Expo Opens
9:00 a.m. Opening Remarks & Welcome
9:15-10:15 a.m. Morning Keynote with Jennifer Reiser
Wildly Effective Leadership: Leading with Purpose, Creating Value
Chambers do what few other organizations can: bring people together, see what’s ahead, carry the community’s interests, create collective action, and keep moving when the work gets hard. Using leadership lessons from the animal world, this interactive session will explore what nature’s most effective leaders can teach us about the unique role Chambers play in their communities. Through storytelling, reflection, and conversation, participants will reconnect with why their work matters and consider how their Chamber can make an even greater impact. Come ready to think differently about leadership—and leave with a renewed sense of purpose for the work ahead.
10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Breakout Sessions
- Leadership - System Building for Sustainable Chambers
- Wendy Laros, ACE, IOM Kona-Kohala HI
- Workforce - Your Chamber's Role in Building a Competitive Workforce
- Abby Ault, Innovate Work Consulting
- Ed Sealover, Colorado Chamber of Commerce
- Chris Romer, Vail Valley Partnership
- Advocacy - Creating Policy Guidelines that Drive Impact
- Ann Hutchinson, Fort Collins Chamber
11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. Lunch & Annual Meeting
- Colorado Chamber Foundation - Rachel Beck
- Colorado’s economic strength depends on leaders and organizations willing to invest in the long-term competitiveness of the state. This session will introduce the work and priorities of the Colorado Chamber Foundation, including how research, education, leadership development, and collaborative initiatives can support a stronger business climate.
- Attendees will gain insight into opportunities for local chambers to connect with statewide efforts, access resources, and bring relevant research and programming back to their own communities.
1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Breakout Sessions
- Membership - Retention Starts on Day One: Creating Your Chamber's Retention Plan
- Josh Cross, ACE, Atascadaro Chamber, CA
- Advocacy - Building Relationships with Elected Officials
- Meghan Dollar, Colorado Chamber
- Lisa Hough, IOM, Adams County Regional Economic Partnership (AC-REP)
- Jeff Thormosdgaard, Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC
- Leadership - Convening is Your Superpower
- Patrick Ellis, Murrietta Wildomar Chamber, CA
2:15 - 3:15 p.m. Breakout Sessions
- Membership - Executive Conversations That Drive Membership Growth: Moving Beyond the Scripts to Peer-Level Business Discussions
- Dave Tabor, Colorado Chamber of Commerce
- Community Breakout - Solving the Unsolvable: How Chambers Are Addressing Childcare in Colorado
- Gary Community Ventures
- Tech Breakout
- Zeb Welborn, ACE, CCE, IOM, President & CEO, Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce, CA
3:30 - 4:30 p.m. "Ask Me Anything" General Session
General Session with Rotating Table Hosts
5:00 - 6:00 p.m. Reception & Silent Auction
Enjoy hors d’oeuvres and a hosted drink during happy hour while mingling with fellow chamber leaders, speakers, and sponsors before the Chamber Performance Awards Banquet.
The Silent Auction will remain open through the Chamber Performance Awards Banquet. Funds raised through the silent auction help support scholarships for chamber peers. Bidding closes at 8:00 p.m. Please ensure you pick up and pay for your items before departure from the conference.
6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Chamber Performance Awards
Dinner
Join the celebrations as we honor the top achievements in membership, communications, advocacy, and leadership. Awards will be presented in the following categories: Membership Retention, Membership Growth, Membership Dues Growth, Communications, Government Affairs, Best Idea of the Year, Team Member of the Year, and CEO of the Year.
2026 CCA Conference Agenda: Friday, October 2
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2026
Breakfast on your own
8:00 a.m. Silent Auction Winners Announced
9:00 - 10:00 a.m. General Session
Fast-paced, practical, and packed with ideas, this session will feature chamber leaders sharing strategies that have created results in their own organizations.
Presenters will offer concise ideas related to membership, events, communications, revenue, advocacy, leadership, community engagement, and chamber operations. Rather than exploring one topic in depth, the session is designed to expose attendees to a wide variety of approaches they can adapt to chambers of different sizes and capacities.
Attendees will leave with a collection of immediately usable ideas and an expanded network of peers they can contact for additional information.
- Angie Anderson, IOM, ACE, Glenwood Springs Resort Chamber Association
- Rich Millard, Royal Gorge Chamber Alliance
- Katie Slimko-Tuvell, IOM, Rancho Mirage Chamber, CA
- T.J. Sullivan, CCE, Parker Chamber of Commerce
10:15 - 11:00 a.m. General Session
11:15 a.m. Closing Remarks and Evaluation Survey
11:30 a.m. Conference Adjourns
Check-out for conference hotels is 11:00 a.m.