Speaker Opportunities
LGMA Annual Conference - Empowered Communities, Cultivating Connections
June 9-11, 2026 in Penticton
We gratefully acknowledge that we will be gathering on the
ancestral, unceded territory of the syilx / Okanagan People.
The LGMA Annual Conference is a three-day forum for information exchange, that brings together local government practitioners, subject matter experts, and partners from across British Columbia. Our goal is to provide participants with learning and networking opportunities that continue to impact their work throughout the year. We are looking for engaging speakers to present interactive sessions that discuss timely, thought-provoking topics, share lessons learned, and spark ideas on emerging trends to prepare local government professionals for the future and support excellence in service delivery to their communities.
The conference is being planned as an in-person event, and your submission should reflect your intent to physically be in Penticton for your session.
Theme & Learning Tracks
Empowered Communities, Cultivating Connections
Faced with emerging issues and increasing challenges of an ever-changing world, effective leaders reinvigorate relationships and cultivate connections while learning from each other and growing together. LGMA2026 will inspire; infused with local flavour, highlighting our host location Penticton and showcasing community solutions. Local government leaders, experts, and partners will return to their communities with a strengthened peer network and actionable ideas for a resilient future.
We invite proposals for sessions under one or more of the following learning tracks. Examples provided are intended as conversation starters to spark your own creative ideas.
The Power of Relationships
What are we doing to help build capacity and support our teams to adapt, grow, and evolve? How do we increase access to opportunities & resources and cultivate leaders? How can we strengthen our communities, our organization, and our professional networks? Discussions could explore:
• effective engagement and relationship-building (eg. Council/Board-staff; regional service collaboration; community/agency and other partnerships);
• creative ways to attract or retain staff;
• supporting employee mental health, wellness, and accessibility;
• team agility and adapting to change;
• seeking out mentorship or giving back through mentoring;
• tips or tools for emerging leaders;
Advancing Reconciliation
This track examines ways to meaningfully engage in reconciliation; build respectful, reciprocal, and long-lasting local government-First Nations relationships; and reflect upon and work toward decolonizing practices. Possible topics could include:
• actioning DRIPA legislation;
• decolonizing processes, systems, and policies;
• examples of policies and procedures that reflect the diverse citizenry and create welcoming spaces, places, and activities;
• actionable strategies to build mutually beneficial partnerships;
• examples of collaboration between local government and Indigenous Nations.
Livable & Sustainable Communities
How can we grow to equitably meet the social and economic needs of our citizens now and in the future? What approaches support positive economic, social, and environmental outcomes and contribute to community resilience or improved quality of life? Areas of interest could include:
• leveraging cultural & natural heritage in tourism initiatives;
• the power of arts, culture, and heritage;
• supporting local economic development;
• strategies for advancing climate action;
• emergency management approaches;
• energy efficiency & renewable energy projects;
• meeting increasing infrastructure demand;
• attracting healthcare workers;
• social or physical neighbourhood revitalization & accessibility;
• case studies that address social issues such as housing, food insecurity, mental health and addictions.
Emerging Tech Trends
Local governments are expected to leverage emerging digital technologies at increasing rates to streamline operations and meet citizen expectations. Have you used new technologies or applied existing technology in new ways to help local government administration or service delivery? What are best practices when navigating the digital journey? Focus areas could include:
• strategies that can help local governments mitigate the effects of a cybersecurity breach;
• leveraging automation, artificial intelligence, or new software solutions;
• tools relevant to emergency management;
• how technology is transforming work and how best to adapt to shifting demands;
• innovation in the digital age;
• building a roadmap to digitize and improve services.
Program Outline
The conference program will be built based on the session proposals selected. The outline of the three-day event follows this general format.
Tuesday, June 9
• full-day or half-day (morning or afternoon) workshops
Wednesday, June 10
• opening keynote (60-75 minutes), including Q&A and reflection question/intention-setting for the conference
• concurrent sessions (between 50 and 75 minutes)
• learning tours, networking and movement breaks
Thursday, June 11
• concurrent sessions (between 50 and 75 minutes)
• closing keynote or panel discussion (60-75 minutes), including Q&A and reflection & take-aways from the event
• evening gala and awards dinner
Submission
To submit your proposal, please complete the form below by
October 31, 2025.
We suggest that you have all the required information ready before you begin to fill in the form. If you wish to see the questions you need to answer before starting this application,
please click here for a PDF version of the submission form.
If you need support to develop an idea or if you have any questions about this process or the conference, please contact Vanessa at vgelhaar@lgma.ca.
Fill in the form below to submit your session proposal
(or click on the green link to open the form in a new browser tab)
Selection
Submissions will be reviewed based on the extent to which they meet the following criteria:
- Relevance to the local government profession and a broad spectrum of communities across BC. If you are not with a local government, consider a local government representative as a co-presenter;
- Presents diverse perspectives and encourages dialogue;
- Is innovative/shares new concepts or experiences or is informative with a unique application of known information, knowledge, or skills;
- Is solutions focused. If you discuss challenges and barriers, bring ideas to overcome them, as well;
- Provides tangible takeaways that can be applied to the attendee’s organization or that they can add to their practice (i.e. case studies, personal/professional examples, templates, resources, tools etc.);
- Is engaging and participatory. Preference for submissions that utilize interactive delivery formats or incorporate engaging components (e.g. workshop style, roundtable discussions, incorporate technology such as live polling, quizzes, word clouds etc.);
- Engages more than the head. We encourage sessions that get participants up and moving, challenges them creatively, encourages talking to each other, perhaps moving the session outside.
In particular for keynotes, the following criteria are considered:
- A dynamic speaker with a proven ability to connect with large audiences of local government leaders in a meaningful way
- Understands local government roles and unique challenges, and is familiar with BC context
- Is prepared to offer innovative ideas and creative, tangible solutions that will resonate, energize thinking, and help attendees support their organizations to thrive.
Proposals that best meet the criteria above and contribute to a balanced and comprehensive conference program will be recommended, with final selections to be made by the LGMA Board of Directors.
Selected speakers will be notified in early 2026 by email. Due to the number of submissions and limited session slots, even submissions that meet all criteria may not be selected.
Terms and Conditions
With the submission of a presentation proposal, the speaker accepts the following:
SUBMISSION
Submitters may be contacted to refine their proposals, and session titles and descriptions may be edited by LGMA. As only a limited number of proposals can be accommodated, submission of a proposal does not guarantee participation.
PARTICIPATION
As sessions may be scheduled during any of the planned workshop/session time slots, please do not submit proposals unless each speaker is available to present during the conference dates. If selected, all speakers will be requested to submit a fully-executed speaker agreement which will include timelines and requirements that must be adhered to (these include agreement to allow delegates to access presentations or other resources, and to have the session video recorded).
Each of the session speakers proposed commits to delivering the presentation in person. Should a speaker be prevented for any reason (e.g. due to illness), LGMA shall be contacted as soon as possible and the speaker will make every effort to support the search for a substitute.
SPEAKER BENEFITS
LGMA is confident that presenting at the conference serves as a platform for exposure to a wide group of local government practitioners. As such, LGMA seeks contributors who are willing to share their expertise without expectation of payment and in the spirit of networking. In addition to the exposure to an influential group of local government leaders, speakers increase their personal and professional visibility and credibility.
SPEAKER TRAVEL AND CONFERENCE EXPENSES
LGMA does not pay speakers of concurrent professional education sessions or workshops.
Speakers attending the full conference are required to register and pay the appropriate registration fee. Registration is not required to be a speaker at an individual session.
Speakers are responsible for making arrangements and paying for travel and other expenses associated with attending the conference, except if mutually agreed upon otherwise or if LGMA requests a speaker’s attendance.
For speakers solicited by the LGMA, it is the policy of LGMA to encourage a spirit of volunteerism to participate in the delivery of training programs. In doing so, however, speakers will be reimbursed for travel and accommodation expenses* incurred, where such participation has not already been funded by the speaker’s employer (*i.e. mileage or reimbursement at economy class airfare if less expensive than driving; out-of-town presenters will have one hotel night provided at the official conference hotel).
If an individual who is presenting at a session would otherwise already attend the session as a delegate or sponsor, then expenses will not be reimbursed except in exceptional circumstances.
NON-COMMERCIAL
LGMA education events are non-commercial learning experiences. Speakers are to present the respective subject objectively, in a vendor- and product-neutral way (i.e. not used for direct promotion of a product, service, or other self-interest). Our audience appreciates learning about technologies, services, concepts, and new approaches, but is sensitive to the sales promotion approach. Failure to comply will impact future consideration.
POST EVENT EVALUATION
The speaker agrees to be part of an evaluation process that asks conference attendees to evaluate their overall experience as well as each session they attend. Such session feedback is solely for LGMA information and will not be shared.
EVENT CANCELLATION
The LGMA is entitled to cancel or postpone a conference due to serious reasons (e.g. venue closure, disaster, emergency, etc.). If this is found to be necessary, the organizers shall not be liable for refunds of any expenses.