In October, Josie (CEO & Principal Consultant) and Danielle (Senior Digital Strategist) partnered with NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising in Las Vegas during the association’s 2025 Annual Conference. We supported the event through real-time digital marketing and communications, working as an extension of NACADA’s team to enhance the social media experience and capture photo and video content for the organization’s growing content library.
What follows is a behind-the-scenes look at our approach, the collaboration, and the impact of this work.
Conference season has a way of sneaking up on even the most prepared teams. Calendars fill fast. Expectations rise. Everybody knows the annual conference is essential — for members, for momentum, for visibility — and that messaging around the event can make or break engagement. But the path from intention to execution can feel heavy, especially for lean teams.
When we began working with NACADA ahead of their 2025 Annual Conference in Las Vegas, there was an undeniable sense of excitement among the association’s staff. The Annual Conference is a special time — a few short days when their global community gathers for professional learning and the rare opportunity to be in the company of other hardworking academic advisors.
These are people who change lives. Their work is critical to the health of institutions, yet they are often unsung heroes on their campuses. This conference is their chance to be among colleagues who truly understand the challenges and nuances of advising students. It’s both a morale booster and a deep dive into best practices, led by people who fundamentally get it.
This was a moment that mattered. And the storytelling around the event needed to honor that.
Conference Communications: A High-Wire Act
NACADA is an international, mission-driven professional association with approximately 14,000 members. Like many associations, they were navigating a familiar set of realities:
- A small-but-mighty staff juggling multiple priorities
- Limited time and capacity during a high-stakes event
- Growing expectations for real-time digital engagement
- A desire to connect with both attendees and members who couldn’t be in the room
The pressure of communicating during an event of this scale is immense. Audiences expect immediacy and authenticity. Conferences are no longer just in-person experiences — they live online before, during, and long after the closing keynote.
This year’s event also sets the tone for next year’s registrations. For associations that depend on revenue from key events to support operations throughout the year, the implications reach far beyond a single week on the calendar.
The Challenge
In previous years, NACADA had handled conference coverage internally. But during the event itself, their small team was fully committed to attendee check-in, technical troubleshooting, customer service, and the countless on-the-ground details that keep a conference running smoothly.
That left little room for capturing more than a few photos on the fly — never mind immersive, intentional storytelling.
At the surface, the request sounded tactical: Help us cover the conference on social media.
But underneath, the challenge was deeper. This was about clarity, capacity, and trust. NACADA already had everything necessary for an exceptional on-site and online experience. What they needed was support in capturing that experience and extending it beyond the conference center walls.
The Process: Designing for Presence, Not Panic
For an event of this magnitude, winging it wasn’t an option.
We worked closely with the NACADA team to ensure everyone entered conference week prepared and confident. That required transparency, documentation, and trust. NACADA was handing us the keys to their most public-facing channels. It was important that they felt aligned and comfortable every step of the way.
Before the Conference: Building the System
Most of the work happened before anyone set foot in Las Vegas.
We began with a production schedule — a shared Google Sheet that served as our master calendar for key conference moments. Together, we mapped the flow of the attendee experience, including:
- Registration and check-in
- Pre-conference workshops
- Opening keynote
- Welcome reception
- Exhibit hall opening
- Breakout sessions
- Mid-conference activities (like the wellness room and silent auction)
- Poster sessions
- Awards ceremony
- Closing keynote
For each block of time, we noted when and where it was happening and who would be responsible for capturing photos or video.
With the schedule mapped, we moved into content planning. A second tab in the production document helped us identify where social media could add value and build momentum throughout the event. We centered our planning around people and purpose, asking:
- What do members want from the association’s digital channels during conference season?
- When is it most helpful to deliver these messages?
- How can social media deepen connection and community?
From there, we built a clear posting schedule — documenting content types, platforms, and timing in a way that was visible and accessible to both Team Josie and NACADA.
Throughout this phase, we met regularly with NACADA’s Executive Director and Director of Marketing and Communications. As first-time NACADA conference attendees, we relied on their insider perspective to understand the nuances a schedule can’t capture — the tone of the welcome reception (a fabulous party), the level of engagement at pre-conference workshops (small groups, deep in conversation), and the logistics of navigating a massive conference center (shoutout to wayfinding features in the conference app). Their insights helped us plan content that matched the energy of each moment.
Next up, we moved into content creation, which included:
- Pre-writing content to reduce day-of decision fatigue and streamline approval processes.
- Pre-designing branded graphics
- Creating shared photo and asset folders
- Organizing contact lists for staff, our team, and photographers
- Aligning on voice, cadence, and roles
This stage wasn’t flashy, but it was foundational. Preparation created breathing room and made space for creativity and real connection.
During the Conference: Bringing It to Life
Once the conference began, our focus shifted to implementation with intention.
For four days, we managed NACADA’s social media presence across LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. This included:
- Publishing posts according to the pre-set schedule
- Ensuring every core session received photo and/or video coverage
- Capturing candid moments and B-roll video for year-round use
- Conducting on-camera interviews with members, sponsors, and leadership
- Editing mobile video for same-day or next-day posting
- Monitoring and responding to comments, DMs, and mentions
Because the systems were already in place, we could stay engaged with what was happening in front of us. The storytelling felt alive, not rushed.
After the Conference: Making the Impact Last
Too often, conference stories fade once the event ends. We were intentional about extending the impact.
In the days following the conference, we:
- Reviewed data and performance across platforms
- Created a clear report highlighting reach, engagement, and insights
- Pulled clips from interviews for future use
- Organized photos and videos into client-ready folders
- Debriefed with NACADA to review results, share recommendations, and celebrate
The goal wasn’t just to measure impact. We wanted to support NACADA as they built on the success of this year’s event.
What Shifted (The Outcomes)
In just a few days:
- 125+ pieces of content published
- 83,000+ impressions
- 2,400+ engagements
- 294 new followers
But beyond the numbers, a meaningful story emerged.
Managing social media during the Annual Conference stopped feeling like a scramble for the NACADA team. They could trust the plan — and trust themselves to be present. What once felt heavy became collaborative. What once felt rushed became intentional.
A Moment of Reflection
This work reinforced something we see again and again across associations and institutions:
Sustainable, engaged digital communities don’t come from doing more. They’re built by doing the right work earlier and honoring the people behind the screens.
When strategy and storytelling work together, content becomes a bridge — connecting moments, members, and ultimately, the organization’s mission.
Key Takeaways
- Conferences require a digital strategy before doors open
- Preparation is a form of care — for staff and community
- Real-time storytelling works best when systems are in place
- The most powerful content lives beyond the event
What This Means for Your Association
If this story feels familiar, you’re not alone.
Many association teams are navigating the same tension, wanting to show up meaningfully for members while protecting staff capacity. Conferences are high-impact moments, and they deserve care, planning, and storytelling that reflect their importance.
This work is about building systems that holistically support community engagement and make it possible for association teams to be present and engaged at their own events.
If you’re planning a major event and wondering how to extend its impact without stretching your team too thin, we’d love to support you. Our Engaged Association work is designed specifically for organizations like yours — associations that care deeply about their members and want a digital strategy that’s sustainable, human-centered, and effective.
We provide flexible, right-sized support, including:
- Pre-event digital strategy and content planning
- Real-time social media management during conferences and events
- On-site photo and video capture, including interviews
- Post-event reporting, analysis, and content organization
