IACCE Fall Conference

November 4 & 5, 2026

Embassy Suites by Hilton Rockford Riverfront

416 S Main St, Rockford, IL 61101
(815) 668-7878

Hosted by the Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce

Make your hotel reservations here! (Room block ends October 14, 2026)
This is IACCE’s premier educational event of the year. It’s created exclusively for chamber professionals who want to strengthen their organizations, sharpen their skills, and lead with greater impact. Through inspiring sessions, practical education, candid peer exchange, and purposeful networking, you’ll gain actionable strategies you can put to work immediately—whether it’s improving operations, increasing member value, or navigating change. You’ll leave with fresh ideas, trusted connections, and the confidence to move your chamber and community forward.
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  • Early Bird registration for IACCE members is $425 for the first atttendee from your chamber and $400 for each additional attendees from your chamber. The Early Registration Discount ends September 30.
  • Regular registration for IACCE members is $450/$425
  • Optional Add-ons:
  •  Raffle tickets – 5 for $20
  •  Scratch-off lottery tickets – 1 for $10
  • Silent Auction donation – $25.

Registration includes conference sessions, social event and meals.

Embassy Suites by Hilton Rockford Riverfront

Make your hotel reservations by clicking here! Room rates are $169/night plus tax

Flying to Rockford? You can rent a car or use Rockford Rides – https://www.rkfdrides.com/ – be sure to mention the Rockford Chamber for a discount!

Questions? Contact Lisa Weitzel at lisa@iacce.org or (217) 585-2995.

Sponsorship Information

Sponsoring IACCE’s annual conference is an exclusive opportunity for you to meet with chief executives and staff members representing chambers of commerce throughout Illinois. In addition to attending the conference for its professional development programs and networking experiences, these chamber of commerce leaders come seeking innovative solutions to challenges they face, and unique products or services that may further enhance their current benefit packages for their members. 

thinking strategically in a time of uncertainty

Agenda

(subject to change)

2:30–4:30 p.m.

Pre-conference session

Introduction Into Leading Your Chamber (Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce – a few blocks from the conference hotel)

Led by Jessica Linder Gallo, president & CEO, Peoria area chamber of commerce

8:00 a.m.

Registration opens

9:00–10:15 a.m.

welcome & Opening keynote (Ballroom)

The Ten-Cent Decision

presented by Laurie Guest

For chambers of commerce, value is proven in moments, not mission statements.
Every interaction with a member, answering a question, delivering a benefit, promoting a program, or supporting a sponsor, quietly shapes renewal decisions, engagement, and non-dues revenue. While big initiatives matter, it’s the small, nearly cost-free decisions that most often determine whether members see real value or just another invoice.
The 10¢ Decision® zeroes in on those moments.
In this fast-paced, practical keynote, Laurie Guest shows chamber leaders how small shifts in communication, service, and follow-through can strengthen member relationships, increase engagement, and uncover missed revenue opportunities without adding staff, stress, or budget.
Bonus: Every participant receives Laurie’s Simple Six Pack, a set of practical tools chambers can use immediately to improve member experience and value delivery.
Because for chambers, small decisions don’t stay small, they show up in renewals, reputation, and revenue.

10:30–11:30 a.m.

Breakout Sessions

Decoding AI: Strategy, Policy & the Fine Print

Amy Boston – Threology HR

Best Membership Practices for the Future

dawn Mushill, President & CEO/ Troy, Maryville, St. Jacob and Marine Chamber of commerce

Rethink, Retire, or Try It: Chamber Programs in Motion

Katie Koester – President & CEO, Effingham County Chamber of Commerce

11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

sponsor carousel(Ballroom)

meet our sponsors!

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Every 5 minutes, the bell rings and you move to the next table. A fast, friendly way to meet all our sponsors, several of whom may be running their own drawings — plus a free conference registration up for grabs at the end.

12:15 – 1:00 p.m.

lunch (Ballroom)

1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

afternoon keynote (Ballroom)

Strategic Intelligence

Pamela j. green

Making Better Decisions in Complexity
Most leadership challenges today are not caused by a lack of effort or communication. They are caused by decisions made without clear framing, shared priorities, or aligned action.
In this keynote or interactive session, leaders are introduced to Strategic Intelligence as a practical discipline for navigating complexity. Using the DISCERN Loop, participants learn to pause reactive thinking, discern the right problems, clarify trade-offs, and move forward with aligned action.
Audience outcomes
Improved decision quality under pressure
Clearer strategic framing and prioritization
Stronger alignment across leadership teams
Practical tools leaders can use immediately

2:15–2:45 p.m.

breakout Sessions

ReadyNation Report: The Economic Cost of the child Care Crisis

Sean Noble/ReadyNation

Build non-dues revenue through chamber travel

Saeed Parker/Indus travels

3:00-4:00 p.m.

breakout Sessions

One Chamber’s AI Journey Begins

Steve Olson/Mclean County chamber

What’s Working: Chamber Strategies for Workforce Development

Matt Duffy/Dekalb Chamber, charlie Moore/mclean county chamber & dave sabathne/western dupage chamber

4:00–4:30 p.m.

Snack break & Sponsor visits

4:30–5:30 p.m.

breakout Sessions

Engaging Your Board Members: Make them Feel Seen & Heard

Beth Lynch/Sandwich Area Chamber

Sometimes a board can lose sight of the vision, become demotivated or even a little shell-shocked. It helps to remember you are working with people – not just a board of directors. Beth describes how you can use personal interaction, regular meetings and mini board retreats to invigorate and redirect your board. If you are stuck in an endless cycle of events for the sake of events or a board that debates, worries and delays seemingly forever… come refresh your own view, strategize a plan and hone your ability to cast vision in subtle and overt ways. Learn how to get your board members to share from their heart, share openly and prepare for real work. Learn how to listen for opportunities to steer the ship in organic and non threatening ways – using the sting of truth in subtle and non-confrontational yet direct ways.

Using Your Data: Wrapping Up the Year & Powering into the Next

Shari Pash

Better Events, Better Margins

Nicole Benjamin & Rudy Flores/Lincoln Square/Ravenswood Chamber

5:30–7:00 p.m.

cocktail hour

8:00-8:30 a.m.

Morning keynote

The Real Cost of AI (And Why Most Businesses Are Guessing)

Alex Sejdinaj/Code Works

AI is being adopted faster than any technology in modern history, and most businesses are still guessing at what it costs them. Alex Sejdinaj of Code Works and Rollie Jobs breaks down what AI actually costs, the stages of sophistication businesses move through and where most get stuck, and the practical role your organization can play. Includes a look at the data center boom driving all of it.

8:45–9:45 a.m.

breakout Sessions

The 11 Forces Facing Chambers – and How to Act on Them

David brown, rebecca ryan/Next Consulting

Most executives spend fewer than five minutes a day thinking about the future — even though 95% say strategy is part of their job. The result? Chambers that are planning without foresight. Reacting instead of leading. The Quick Sort changes that in a single workshop.

Join David G. Brown (Greater Omaha Chamber, ret. CEO) for an engaging, expertly facilitated tabletop card game built around the 11 future forces identified in ACCE’s Horizon 2035 — the forces most likely to reshape your community and your chamber’s operating environment in the years ahead. You’ll move from vague awareness of these trends to a clear point of view on which ones demand your attention now, so you can build more future-ready work plans and strategies.

Volunteer Engagement: “Street Teams” – The DeKalb Model for Member Visits

Anna Wilson/Dekalb chamber

From Grant Hunting to Grant Ready: Building Your Chamber’s Funding Ecosystem

Nicole Van Hyfte/The Nicole Van Hyfte Grant Labs

Chamber professionals ask this question constantly: “Are there grants for chambers, and where do I even find them?” This session starts there — but the real goal is bigger than finding a list of funding sources.
We’ll unpack what actually makes an organization “grant-ready”: the internal systems, documentation, and project framing that let you compete for funding instead of just searching for it. Then we’ll widen the lens to the chamber’s role as a connector — helping local businesses, nonprofits, and municipalities understand grant readiness, find resources, build partnerships, and navigate the requirements that stall good projects before they start.
You’ll leave with practical tools for your own organization, plus a clearer picture of how your chamber can become part of your community’s funding infrastructure.

10:00–11:00 a.m.

Breakout Sessions

One Chamber’s AI Journey Begins

Steve Olsen/Mclean County chamber

Retention by Design: Engage Members before they drop

Maria Gonzales/Berwyn development corp

Creative Events

Kaili Harding, Westmont Chamber of Commerce

11:00 a.m.

annual awards Luncheon (Ballroom)

12:45-1:45 p.m.

Breakout Sessions

From the Mic to the Table:  A Practical Guide to Chamber Advocacy

Ian tobin – Lincoln square/ravenswood chamber of commerce

Advocacy doesn’t end with a legislative agenda. Using Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood as a case study, this session takes a closer look at how community governance really works and how chambers can move from reacting to decisions to helping shape them. Learn practical approaches to building influence, cultivating relationships, and becoming a respected partner in local decision-making.

A panel of valuable connections for your member businesses

HR Essentials: From Hire to Fire (and Everything In Between)

pam green

2:00-3:00 p.m.

breakout Sessions

What Chambers Need to Know to Register & Truly Lobby as an Entity

Neil Malone, Naperville Area Chamber of commerce

Strategic Volunteer Development: Strengthening Boards & Committees

Shari Pash

The Role of chambers in economic development

Everett Butzine & Caitlin PUsateri, Greater Rockford chamber of commerce

3:30-4:30 p.m.

breakout Sessions

Illinois Chamber of commerce & U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Jimmy clayton, Illinois chamber of commerce & Kevin courtois, U.S. Chamber of commerce

Connecting Community and Commerce panel on the community-centric chamber model

Mike Putz, Wheeling Chamber of commerce & Ian tobin, Lincoln square ravenswood chamber of commerce

Tale of Two Chambers – How they successfully Merged

Chasity savage, DBR chamber of commerce & Marino Cecchi, Buffalo grove/lincolnshire chamber of commerce

4:30 p.m.

Conference closing

thank you to our 2026 Sponsors

Platinum Sponsor

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Registration Sponsor

Bronze Sponsors

Cancellations

Should you need to cancel your registration, please email Lisa at lisa@iacce.org. Please note the following:

  • If your cancellation is submitted before October 1, IACCE will refund the full registration fee. 
  • If the cancellation request is submitted on or after October 1, IACCE will refund 50% of the registration fee. 
  • No refunds will be issued after October 15. 

IACCE reserves the right to make real-time changes to conference content and offerings as it deems necessary, and in such situations no refunds, partial refunds or alternative offers shall be made outside of the stated cancellation policy listed above.

Special conference policies

  • By attending Fall Conference, you understand and accept your photo may be taken and used for promotional pieces.
  • If COVID or other restrictions are enacted, IACCE will abide by all state requirements

Interested in speaking at our 2026 conference? Submit your session here.