Time | Session |
|---|---|
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM | Registration Open |
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Networking Lounge |
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM | Lunch |
12:30 PM – 1:00 PM | Welcome Remarks
Join us as we kick off this year’s Commference with remarks from our President, Anna Scholl. |
1:00 PM – 2:10 PM | Opening Plenary: 2024: What Just Happened?
Michael Frias will share a brief preview of Catalist’s 2024 election analysis to set the tone for the rest of Commference. Then, ProgressNow affiliate Executive Directors from blue, red, and swing states will talk about communications lessons learned from last year and how we move forward. |
2:15 PM – 2:55 PM | Remarks from Arun Chaudhary |
2:55 PM – 3:10 PM | Break |
3:10 PM – 4:25 PM | Breakout Sessions Group A
Disinfo in 2025 and Beyond We know from Trump’s first term how he and MAGA supporters spread disinformation online. Learn from disinformation experts on the specific challenges and threats we can expect to see in 2025.Emerging Digital Platforms and Tactics Given that we need to take advantage of new ways to reach voters where they are, what are those tactics and platforms? What have we learned in recent cycles about what needs to be done in future cycles to avoid further losses?Rethinking Rural: Messaging that Connects How do we reach and effectively communicate with rural voters, especially voters of color? Hear from those working directly with rural communities to learn what works and to dispel the myth that rural communities have no diversity.Messaging to Resist Authoritarians |
2:30 PM – 4:30 PM | Networking Lounge |
4:25 PM – 4:35 PM | Break |
4:35 PM – 5:20 PM | Remarks from Elizabeth Shuler, President of AFL-CIO |
Time | Session | |
|---|---|---|
7:30 AM – 2:00 PM | Registration Open | |
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM | Breakfast Served | |
9:00 AM – 9:15 AM | Opening Remarks
The second day of Commference will begin with a special video message and remarks from Anna Scholl. | |
9:15 AM – 10:30 AM | Saving Healthcare, Taxing Billionaires There’s a a battle royale shaping in Congress that will have dire implications for millions of people’s healthcare, for family budgets, and for state economies. Republicans are proposing to slash nearly $1 trillion in health care funding to states in order to finance a new round of tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations. This isn’t the first time Republicans have attacked Medicaid and the ACA, so we know that protecting healthcare is a fight we can win through bottom-up organizing. People are telling their stories, talking to their governors, and mobilizing to stop Congress from taking away our healthcare to finance a permanent extension of the Trump tax law. We’ll talk with state- and national-level advocates who are leading the charge to keep healthcare accessible, affordable, and in the hands of the people. | |
10:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Break
| |
10:45 AM – 12:00 PM | Breakout Sessions Group A Repeat
Disinfo in 2025 and Beyond Emerging Digital Platforms and Tactics Rethinking Rural: Messaging that Connects Messaging to Resist Authoritarians | |
10:30 AM – 3:30 PM | Networking Lounge | |
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM | Lunch | |
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM | COMMSTalks: Modeled after the popular TEDTalks format, the ProgressNow COMMSTalks showcase leaders and their work.
Lost in Translation: Fixing Progressive Latino Communication MaryEllen Veliz, DSPolitical Winning on Abortion Rights Without Gestational Limits Laura Chapin, Cobalt AFSCME Strong: Effectively Uplifting Our Union Members’ Stories in the Face of Anti-Worker Attacks Kalina Newman, AFSCME The Road to Revenue: How we Built a Fairer Tax Code and Won on the Ballot Treasure Mackley, Invest in Washington Now AI for Persuasion: Real-World Impacts in the 2024 Elections Miriam Erickson, Blue Rose Research | |
2:00 PM – 2:15 PM | Break | |
2:15 PM – 3:30 PM | Breakout Sessions Group B The Heroes of Our Story: Centering Working People Across Race, Geography and Issues Winning Jobs is a working people-centered narrative architecture for talking about jobs, work, and the economy that resonates across race, geography, and issues. Learn more about the narrative and how to effectively incorporate it into your own messaging.AI for Creatives Who Give a Damn Change Agent AI and ProgressNow will lead a training on using AI for content creation. Join this hands-on session to learn more about AI tools and gain firsthand experience using AI to create effective content.Influence for Impact: Building a Creator Strategy In 2024, organizations jumped into creator partnerships—but most were last-minute, transactional, and treated creators like ad space instead of allies. It’s time to change that. Join this session to learn how to launch a creator program that drives real impact, builds lasting relationships, and mobilizes creators around your cause.Using Race-Class Narrative IRL Race Class Narrative is an empirically-tested narrative that names race and class to neutralize the use of dog-whistle racism, persuade and mobilize people, and win on the issues we care about. Learn how it has been applied in winning political campaigns and how to apply it in your own context and messaging. | |
3:30 PM – 3:45 PM | Break | |
3:45 PM – 5:00 PM | Own the Message: Our Channels, Our Power After last year’s loss, and now that we are in a second Trump term, how should progressive communicators be utilizing owned media? What worked in 2024 and what needs to improve? Learn from owned media entities and progressive partners who rely on owned media strategies. | |
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM | Commference Networking Reception presented by MO WIN Join ProgressNow and MO WIN for a networking reception at Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals, to celebrate Commference, connections, and ballpark snacks! |
Time | Session |
|---|---|
7:30 AM – 12:00 PM | Registration Open |
7:30 AM – 9:00 AM | Networking Lounge |
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM | Breakfast Served |
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM | What Funders Learned (and What They’re Betting On)
As we enter a new cycle, what lessons did funders learn from last year and how does that shape how they are thinking about this year and beyond? Hear directly from philanthropic leaders about their view on the current landscape and communications strategies worth the investment. |
10:00 AM – 10:15 AM | Break |
10:15 AM – 11:30 AM | Breakout Sessions Group B Repeat
The Heroes of Our Story: Centering Working People Across Race, Geography and Issues AI for Creatives Who Give a Damn Influence for Impact: Building a Creator Strategy Using Race-Class Narrative IRL |
11:30 AM – 11:45 AM | Break |
11:45 AM – 12:30 PM | Remarks from St. Louis Alderman, Rasheen Aldridge |
12:30 PM | To-Go Lunch and Close |
