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Speaker Submission

Call for speakers for the 2026 Texas Downtown Conference scheduled for November 1-4, in Downtown Amarillo, TX.

Deadline for Submissions is July 19, 2026

*Please no Keynote Submissions. This is for sessions only. We have a separate keynote selection process.

Address

Photos need to be 480 x 480. Make sure the photo is high quality. Please make sure that your photo's naming convention (i.e. taniamoody_texasdowntown.jpg) contains your name and organization. If you're planning to put together a panel and need to upload more than one headshot, you may do so here or send it back with the speaker agreement form, which will need to be signed and returned upon selection.

*You may use one of the photos to include your company logo.

We have allowed multiple image file uploads here, however, we sincerely encourage no more than 3 people in a panel. If you have more speakers/panelists, and need to upload more headshots, you can do so in the TXD Conference App if/when selected.
Upload requirements
What track below would your presentation fall into?
Who is your target audience?
Board Members
Chamber Directors
City Managers
Downtown Directors
EDC Directors
Elected Officials
Downtown Developers
Main Street Managers
Preservationists
Volunteers
DMO/CVB
Best for this Experience Level:
New (0-3 Years)
Intermediate (3-10 Years)
Advanced (10+ Years)
What community size does this BEST serve?
Small Rural Under 1k
Under 10k
Under 25k
50k - 100k
Large Urban 100k +
What current challenge does this address?

Ideal Length

  • 4–8 words = strongest
  • 25–60 characters = ideal
  • 10 words max before titles start losing punch

This will be the title we will use for the schedule. Please make sure this is concise, catchy, and conveys your content

*We reserve the right to make changes to accomplish the above objectives.

Ideal: 100–150 words
Maximum: 200 words

This is what the selection committee reads.

At 100–150 words, a presenter can clearly communicate:

  • The problem they're solving
  • Why it matters
  • What attendees will learn
Please no lengthy paragraphs, these are pullet points:

  • or -

Track 1: Doing More With Less

For Departments of One, Small Teams, and Volunteer-Driven Organizations

This was one of the strongest recurring themes from your member survey and conference conversations.

Potential Sessions:

  • The Department of One Survival Guide
  • Time Management for Downtown Professionals
  • AI Tools for Downtown Development
  • Leveraging Volunteers Without Burning Them Out
  • Building Capacity Through Partnerships
  • Getting Big Results on Small Budgets
  • Creating Systems That Save Time
  • Managing Multiple Projects Simultaneously

Audience:

  • Small town Main Street managers
  • Downtown directors
  • Chambers and EDCs wearing multiple hats

Track 2: Building a Stronger Downtown Economy

Recruitment, Retention, Expansion & Entrepreneurship

Members consistently ask how to fill buildings, recruit businesses, and support existing merchants.

Potential Sessions:

  • Business Recruitment That Actually Works
  • Business Retention Strategies for Small Downtowns
  • Building an Expansion Network Across Texas Downtowns
  • Supporting Small Business Owners Beyond Ribbon Cuttings
  • Opportunity Zones: What Works and What Doesn't
  • Creating Entrepreneur Pipelines
  • Downtown Market Analysis Made Simple
  • Turning Vacant Buildings Into Productive Assets

Audience:

  • Economic Development
  • Main Street
  • Chambers
  • Downtown Associations

Track 3: Funding Downtown Success

Grants, Incentives, Partnerships & Fundraising

Funding remains one of the most requested topics every year.

Potential Sessions:

  • Grants and Financing for Revitalization
  • Fundraising for Downtown Organizations
  • Creative Public-Private Partnerships
  • Leveraging Local Foundations
  • Funding Opportunities for Small Communities
  • Downtown Incentive Programs
  • Building a Sustainable Revenue Model
  • Making the Case for Investment

Audience:

  • Executive Directors
  • Main Street Managers
  • Board Members
  • City Leadership

Track 4: Preservation, Development & Redevelopment

Protecting Character While Preparing for the Future

This combines many of the concerns around vacant buildings, affordability, ordinances, and redevelopment.

Potential Sessions:

  • Building Ordinances for Smaller Cities
  • Substandard Structures: Tools and Strategies
  • Adaptive Reuse Success Stories
  • Preservation vs. Progress: Finding Balance
  • Affordable Downtowns
  • Climate Resilience and Historic Downtowns
  • Redeveloping Vacant and Underutilized Buildings
  • Green Investments in Historic Districts

Audience:

  • Planning
  • Preservation
  • City Managers
  • Downtown Leaders

Track 5: Marketing, Storytelling & Destination Development

Creating Places People Want to Visit

Many members struggle with promotion, branding, and understanding today's audiences.

Potential Sessions:

  • Telling Your Downtown's Story
  • Social Media Demographics Explained
  • Which Platform Reaches Which Audience?
  • Marketing on a Shoestring Budget
  • Destination Development Strategies
  • Creating Experiences Worth Traveling For
  • Building a Downtown Brand
  • Measuring Marketing Success

Audience:

  • Promotions Committees
  • Marketing Staff
  • Tourism Organizations

Track 6: Creating Vibrant Places

Public Spaces, Entertainment & Community Experience

Focused on making downtowns more active, engaging, and memorable.

Potential Sessions:

  • Creating Entertainment Districts
  • Developing Green Space in Historic Downtowns
  • Activating Public Spaces
  • Programming for More Foot Traffic
  • Nighttime Economy Strategies
  • Arts, Culture, and Downtown Activation
  • Events That Drive Dwell Time
  • Designing Places People Want to Stay

Audience:

  • Planners
  • Main Street
  • Parks
  • Tourism

Track 7: Leadership & Community Building

Building the Team Behind the Transformation

A recurring challenge is not projects—but people.

Potential Sessions:

  • Leadership Development for Downtown Professionals
  • Building Community Buy-In
  • Recruiting and Retaining Volunteers
  • Working with Boards Effectively
  • Coalition Building Across Organizations
  • Creating Downtown Champions
  • Succession Planning
  • Leading Through Change

Audience:

  • Directors
  • Board Members
  • Emerging Leaders

Track 8: Advocacy & The Future of Downtowns

Policy, Partnerships & Statewide Impact

This is a uniquely Texas Downtown track and one that differentiates TXD from many conferences.

Potential Sessions:

  • How TXD Advocates for Downtown Texas
  • Building Relationships with Statewide Organizations
  • Influencing Local Policy
  • Legislative Issues Affecting Downtowns
  • Main Street at the State Capitol
  • Partnering with TML, TEDC, TAC, TCCE and Others
  • Making Downtown Everyone's Business
  • The Future of Downtown Revitalization in Texas

Audience:

  • Executive Directors
  • Board Members
  • Community Leaders
  • Elected Officials

 

Track 9: AI for Downtowns

Practical Tools for Today's Downtown Professional

Not theory.
Not "the future."

Real tools attendees can start using Monday morning.

Beginner Level

AI 101 for Downtown Professionals

  • What AI is
  • What it isn't
  • Free vs Paid tools
  • Where to start

Prompting Like a Pro

  • How to get useful results
  • Prompt templates
  • Real downtown examples

Your First Week Using AI

  • 10 tasks to immediately save time

 

Real World Solution Examples:

Marketing & Communications

Create a Month of Social Media in One Hour

Using AI for Newsletter Content

AI Graphics Without a Graphic Designer

Video Creation for Downtown Promotion

Telling Your Downtown Story with AI

 

Economic Development & Revitalization

Using AI for Business Recruitment

Market Analysis Without Hiring a Consultant

Researching Prospective Businesses

AI-Powered Downtown Assessments

Creating Business Attraction Packages

 

Grants & Funding

AI as Your Grant Writing Assistant

Researching Funding Opportunities

Building Better Grant Narratives

Using AI to Strengthen Fundraising Campaigns

 

Administration & Productivity

The Department of One Toolkit

Meeting Notes, Action Items & Project Management
(Granola, Otter, Fireflies, etc.)

Building SOPs and Operational Systems

Managing Email Overload

Creating Staff Capacity Through Automation

 

Advanced Applications

Custom GPTs for Downtown Organizations

Creating an AI-Powered Resource Center

Building Downtown Chatbots

Using AI with GlueUp, CRMs, and Membership Systems

Automating Repetitive Administrative Tasks