At-a-Glance Conference Schedule

Best of Iowa 2024 Voting!

Friday Workshop Listings & Locations:

All workshops are in Building 7.

• This website also offers you driving directions to Ankeny and to the campus in Ankeny.
• Click here for detailed driving directions to the conference location

Event Locations and Additional Information: 

Friday: (All events in building 7) (Culinary Institute) Registration and Breakfast with be in the atrium as you walk into building 7. Workshops will be in individual rooms as indicated on the workshop schedule (above). 

Saturday: Registration, Breakfast, Keynote Speaker, Lunch, and Awards will all be in Building 5 (Student Center) and the sessions will be in Building 2 (Humanities building). For detailed room descriptions see the At-A-Glance schedule above.

Parking Information (FREE!)

Parking is free, no visitor permit is required, and you may park anywhere you find a spot in the parking lots.

For Friday workshops, we recommend parking in Lot E or F and entering through the main doors of Building 7 labeled "Culinary Institute". There will be signs inside the building to guide you. The Registration table (to pick up your name tags and conference information) will be located in Building 7 atrium as you enter.

For Saturday, we recommend parking in Lot M and entering through the main doors of Building 5 labeled "Student Center". There will be signs inside the building to guide you. The Registration table (to pick up your name tags and conference information) will be located in Building 5.

If Lot M is full, you can also park in Lots L or K and walk through the main campus to enter Building 5 from the other side. There is a large fountain in front of the main entrance to Building 5 on the campus side, so it should be easy to find. 

Friday Workshop Schedule & Information (All events in building 7-Culinary Institute)

A continental breakfast will be served starting at 8AM (Bagels, assorted pastries, fruit salad, coffee and juice)

Registration opens at 8AM and the first workshop begins at 9AM. We will feature many local presenters from around Iowa on a variety of topics such as novels, cultural presentations and classroom management and engagement for our interactive 3 hour workshops! For detailed descriptions pick up a copy of our conference program from our registration table or see digital detailed workshop listings here.

Lunch- On your own, choose from a variety of on campus options or local Ankeny restaurants. 

Friday afternoon we will host a welcome reception with appetizers and drinks from 4:30PM-6:30PM(Building 7 atrium)

Saturday Conference Schedule & Session Information

Registration and continental breakfast (Bagels, assorted pastries, fruit salad, coffee and juice) opens at 7AM and the first session begins at 8AM. Our conference this year features opportunities to learn with many talented local presenters from around Iowa, as well as a keynote address by Meredith White. For more details see At-A-Glance above.

Wi-Fi Availability

DMACC provides free Wi-Fi access to all campus guests (via the DMACC-Public network), with no additional log-in or password required. Bring your devices to stay connected throughout the conference.

Hotels

There are many affordable hotels in the Ankeny area. We have not reserved a block of rooms, so you are welcome to select your own hotel according to your needs. 

Here are some hotels located within a reasonable, 10 minute drive of the conference site (click on each hotel name for a link to their website): 

• Residence Inn by Marriott Des Moines Ankeny - 1515 SW Main St in Ankeny - (515)446-7300  
• AmericInn by Wyndham, Ankeny/Des Moines - 1610 SE Oralabor Rd in Ankeny - (515) 964-2004
• Courtyard by Marriott Des Moines Ankeny - 2405 SE Creekview Dr. in Ankeny - (515) 422-555

Food & Fun & Connection Opportunities

Our goal is to refresh our members at the conference this year. We will be hosting many opportunities for our members to connect, collaborate and enjoy time together!

Friday afternoon we will host a welcome reception with appetizers and drinks from 4:30PM-6:30PM(Building 7 atrium).

Saturday we are excited to offer two EdCamp style collaboration sessions as part of the conference. During each of these sessions, attendees will have a chance to meet and connect with other world language educators to share ideas about a variety of set topics such as, Assessment, Comprehensible Input (CI) techniques, new-teacher tips, warm-up routines, and class culture/community-building ideas, Authentic resources, cultural activities/ideas, speaking activities, technology, and curriculum This is also an opportunity to collaborate and process information learned from the workshops/sessions at the conference with others. 

Additionally during Saturday of the conference there will be two opportunities for EdCamp style sessions to connect with others and discuss a variety of different topics and strategies.

If you would like to explore locally, The District at Prairie Trail is a local hub of entertainment, food, drinks, shopping, hotels, the library, and public green space. Enjoy the murals and several patios. See more here.