Ask your supervisor and colleagues about what you do well!
Who else would know what you are most skilled at better than your supervisor and coworkers? These folks are going to be able to point out what you do well and what they look to you as the expert on. Some solid prompting questions can help you collect concrete topic ideas for your proposal. Examples include:

• What parts of our/my work do you think I excel in? 
• What parts of my job do you think I could teach others how to do because of my experience and knowledge?
• What do you believe has been my best idea since starting here?
• What topics do you believe I could speak on and provide expert advice to other camp pros?

Ask yourself: what brings you joy?
The most effective and favorite speakers we have often are presenting on topics that they have deep passion and joy for. Presenting at conferences should be challenging and fun for you, the speaker. Pick topics that interest you. You’ll shine more and the audience will appreciate your presentation if it’s something you find interesting to share. (This means if your boss tells you that you are very good at budgets but you find zero joy or have zero interest in the subject matter - find another topic.) 

What do you wish you would have known more about?
Our attendees love to hear from speakers who developed their craft through trial and error. What task or skill did you have to work hard to achieve your goals? What did you learn along the way - both positive and negative? What do you wish you had known prior to going into a project or task? Often our best presentations come from a place of exploration, innovation, and problem-solving. 

Just start writing!
If you want to present, just take the first step! Then, each step will come after another and before you know it- you'll have a proposal! Here are some suggestions of things to consider when submitting a proposal for Mid States:

1. The session length is 1 hour or 60 minutes. This will go by quickly, so the more narrow the topic, the better. Instead of “Human Resources at Camp,” a more effective topic could be “best interviewing practices for seasonal camp staff.” Attendees prefer to learn a lot about one idea than a little about a million ideas.
2. Clear titles! Catchy titles are fun and we encourage them, but they should also clearly state the overall topic of the session. Many attendees won't read a description if they don’t feel like the title sounds interesting or pertains to them. 
3. Descriptions should tell the attendees and committee three key messages: an overview of what will be covered, how the session will be presented (hands-on, lecture, etc.) and how your camp will be better because of it.  
4. Write a bio you’d include on your resume! Your bio will be used to help sell your session proposal to the committee, and then if picked, to the attendee. Everyone reads the bio. We recommend including the following in your bio: current role and type of camp/organization (nonprofit, private, day camp, etc.) current involvement in organizations and committee that increase your knowledge base (like ACA, NPRA, etc.) overview of past experience (not super detailed but broad statements,) education and training on this topic (what makes you qualified to share your knowledge?) Feel free to get creative, so long as it includes the important information that will help the committee and attendee know you are an expert on your topic. 

Still want to present at Mid States but need more help? Give us a call at 312-343-1070 x3 or x1 or email us at kim@acail.org or colette@acail.org. 

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Where did the Day Camp Conference go?: FAQs from September 2019

We have been hard at work rolling out exciting news regarding our spring conference events. As we continue to share more (and yes, there will be more news coming soon!) we wanted to share with you some answers to many inquiring questions from our excited community!

Q: Are you still doing the Day Camp Conference?
A: Last year we took a demographic survey of our attendees and learned some very energizing news. One of the highlights from that data collection was that close to 60% of the attendees are from and work with day camps. In previous years this number was much lower, but over the last ten years, we’ve worked hard to bring day camp-relevant content to our program. Because so many of our conference attendees work at or own day camps now, we examined whether a separate event was still relevant when the Mid States Camp Conference was offering many day camp sessions. Each year we find more Day Camp Conference attendees leaving the Day Camp Conference to attend sessions and events with Mid States. Our goal is to help our camp community operate great camps that change the world, so we continually reevaluate our program based on the data. This year, we will merge even more day camp content into the Mid States Camp Conference, while creating space and resources to tackle hot topics needs in the Executive Seminar (which will relate to all types of camps and organizations, day and overnight!)

So the answer is no, but it's also yes. It’s no, we are not offering the Day Camp Conference as a stand-alone event this year. However, the answer is also yes because our Mid States Camp Conference will be offering many sessions, speakers, and events geared towards our day camp professionals. 

Q: Will you have more day camp focused sessions in Mid States since you aren’t hosting the Day Camp Conference?
A: Yes! Each year we increase our day camp content. We are seeking education session speakers who can bring knowledge, innovations, ideas, and solutions for our day camp professionals. Learn more about submitting a session proposal at acail.org/callforspeakers.

Q: Is space really limited at the Executive Seminar? 
A: Yes, space is limited because the seating inside is limited. Due to the other events and programs happening at Pheasant Run and with Mid States, we won't be able to move the Executive Seminar to a different space if we exceed our capacity. This is why we encourage anyone interested in the Executive Seminar to register early.  We anticipate this event to sell out early based on the feedback & registration trends we’ve already seen.

Q: Is the Executive Seminar part of Mid States?
A: We view and are planning the Executive Seminar to operate and run alongside the Mid States Camp Conference, however it is a separate event. While a few speakers may overlap, the content provided by the speakers will differ greatly between the two events. There will also be a line up of speakers only available at Mid States and some speakers only available at the Executive Seminar. We encourage our community members to review the speakers, program, and schedules to determine which is best for them. For most of our attendees, we feel that the combo options of a Mid States and Executive Seminar registration will offer the most well rounded professional development opportunities for today’s director, executive, and aspiring professional. Call us at the office if you have more questions or would like to talk through which event is best for your needs.

Q: I want to be involved!
A: We know that isn’t exactly a question, but it's a common statement we hear. We are currently seeking committee members to help us plan our socials, career development events, increase our community-building initiatives, and work with our speakers to help them prepare. If you are interested, you can learn more at acail.org/volunteer.

Q: Is this keynote line up for real?
A: Yes, it's very real. We are just as excited as our community to welcome content experts from Disney, the Harvard Business Review, YouTube, and more to Mid States and the Executive Seminar! Learn more today at acail.org/midstates and acail.org/executiveseminar.

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