The NADC is America’s premier annual conference for interscholastic sports administrators. This year, more than 2,000 ADs are expected to attend the event on Dec. 13–17, 2019, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.
The conference has something for everyone—with tons of NIAAA Leadership Training Institute (LTI) classes, workshops, general sessions, exhibitors, and NIAAA meetings to choose from, you’ll have no problem filling your schedule.
The more you put into the NADC, the more you’ll get out of it. With that in mind, we have three expert tips that can help you maximize your conference experience.
1. Plan ahead!
First thing’s first: What are your goals for attending the NADC? Think about what you want to accomplish, study the NADC schedule, and choose the classes, sessions, and workshops that can help you reach those goals.
For example, if you’re struggling to keep up with the legal side of athletics, this conference has you covered with several LTI athletic administration professional development courses (scroll down a bit!) on the evolving legal issues in interscholastic sports, including:
You may also be interested in operations and management courses such as:
You’ll also want to sprinkle in a healthy dose of workshops, which are shorter sessions designed to give you an overview of topics. Our recommendations include:
You’ll also want to identify trade show exhibitors—including potential technology and compliance partners—who can help you achieve your goals.
2. Network like it's your job
One of the major draws of any conference is the chance to catch up with old colleagues, but you also want to meet other ADs who understand what it’s like to be in your shoes. How great would it be to meet a colleague who turns into a lifelong friend that you can troubleshoot problems and celebrate successes with?
Although you’ll have plenty of opportunities to schmooze with other ADs in between sessions, the National Athletic Directors Conference has some special events just for networking, including:
3. Keep up the momentum after the conference
After attending a conference, you’re going to be brimming with ideas and excitement. So don’t lose that momentum—be ready to bring everything back with you and implement it in your day-to-day.
Start by reviewing your NADC goals and sharing what you’ve learned with colleagues who couldn’t attend the conference. Then, get everyone on board with your ideas by working collaboratively on a plan for rolling out new strategies and technologies.
One last thing: When you’re at the National Athletic Directors Conference, keep your eyes open for special offers, including these three you don’t want to miss:
Executive Directors, we're excited to see you at the NADC/Liaison Breakfast Meeting, which kicks off bright and early on Monday, Dec. 13 at 7:30 a.m. Our CEO, Clay Burnett, will share a few words about what FinalForms is all about. We hope to see you there!
In the meantime, learn how you can increase compliance, improve student safety, and reduce risk by scheduling a demo with FinalForms.