THIS CONFERENCE ONLY HAPPENS ONCE IN A HUNDRED YEARS.


No other planning document yet produced has had a more lasting impact than Daniel Burnham and Edward Bennett's 1909 Plan of Chicago. Commemorate the 100th anniversary of this Midwestern legacy at the 2009 Upper Midwest Planning Conference, September 24-26, held right in the heart of Burnham's kind of town.


Here's what makes this a truly Centennial event:

A totally new conference format.

Mobile workshops are not optional at this conference - they're the very heart of it. Well over 40 mobile workshop sessions will insert you right into the pulsepoints of the metropolis.

Seal the deal on your Certification Maintenance.

Nearly 15 CMs in two and a half days (including requirements for law and ethics), all before the end of the first mandatory reporting period ever – need we say more? If you're not yet AICP, a pre-conference AICP exam training course is offered to help you ace your certification.

Affordable.

Even in this economy, there's never been a more affordable Chicago planning conference jammed with so much. Low rates include all mobile sessions, plenary experiences, and the opening reception – even breakfasts and luncheons are included. You only pay extra for the extras; the essentials are essentially covered. What's more, reserve one of the first 350 room nights at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, and we'll throw in a subsidy – bringing your room cost to an unbeatable (and unbelievable) $119 per night at a very contemporary hotel practically on the spot where it all started on the banks of the Chicago River. You'll be staying at the center of everything at the base of the "Magnificent Mile."

Killer evening skyline.

The opening reception at Navy Pier thrusts you out into Lake Michigan for gorgeous views, lush greenery, and conversation you can actually hear and enjoy. Then stroll the pier on a fall evening for one of the most awesome evening skylines you'll ever witness. Retire that evening happy.

Centennial mega-plenaries.

The enduring legacy of the Plan of Chicago. The 2016 Chicago Olympic Bid. The Virtual Burnham Initiative and state-of-the-art visualization. Centennial plenary events will rekindle the magic of 100 years of planning history...and inspire for the next 100.

PowerPlanningPalooza.

50 high-octane topics in two hours. Micro-bursts of intense dialogue, debate, and display. Mass organized chaos. What's not to love?

More food for thought than you'll have room for.

Feed the gut as well as the brain in one of a dozen carefully-picked restaurants scattered throughout Chicago's ethnic neighborhoods. Costs a bit extra...but you'll be so glad you did.

Burnham Colloquium.

The conference concludes with a thoughtful and energizing convocation on the history of our profession and its prospects for the future; what we've learned from Burnham and where we've gone without him; and how we recapture that magic to once again stir the blood. Go home inspired. (Or stay in Chicago through the weekend and go home inspired, rested, and happy.)

Join forces.

This Centennial convocation is plugged into Burnham celebrations happening throughout Chicagoland in 2009, and the American Planning Association has gotten together with the American Institute of Architects and Landmarks Illinois to jointly co-sponsor this event – re-integrating planning, architecture, and preservation in the very spirit of Burnham himself.

Your once-in-hundred-year opportunity only stays open for so long.

Start your centennial celebration today at www.ilapa.org. Early registration discounts end August 28. Now is the time to make big plans.

"Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans. Aim high in hope and work....Let your watchword be order and your beacon beauty." - attributed to Daniel H. Burnham



Click here to download your personal registration guide to the 2009 Upper Midwest Conference.