MBA Research Conclave: A Curriculum & Teaching Conference

MBA Research Conclave: A Curriculum & Teaching Conference

The Premier Gathering for Business, Marketing, Finance, Management, and Entrepreneurship Educators!

Who Should Attend?

The national MBA Research Conclave: A Curriculum & Teaching Conference is designed specifically for teachers and administrators of Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs in Business Administration, including those who focus on:

  • Entrepreneurship
  • Finance
  • Hospitality/Tourism
  • Management/Administration
  • Marketing

This conference is designed to meet the needs of:

  • High School Teachers
  • Community/Technical College Faculty
  • (Special track for college faculty)
  • Supervisors and Directors
  • Curriculum specialists
  • Counselors interested in student opportunities
  • Teacher Educators
  • BPA, DECA, FBLA advisors

Conference Goal

The goal of MBA Research Conclave: A Curriculum & Teaching Conference is to provide teachers and administrators with a comprehensive overview of contemporary curricula, pedagogy, and program development strategies, including dialogue with leading educators and industry executives. Specific objectives of the conference are to provide practical, take-home strategies and tactics relative to:

  • Implementation of project-based instruction (classroom implementation)
  • Use of technology in the classroom to enhance learning
  • Industry-validated standards and adaptations for programs-of-study and performance-oriented courses
  • Detailed information regarding proof-of-learning assessments, including industry-based certification options
  • Industry best practices, including contemporary case study discussions in finance, human resources, management, and marketing
  • Integration of core academic standards within the business administration program-of-study
  • Use of student organizations (e.g., BPA, DECA, FBLA, or FCCLA) to apply and reinforce learning, to provide leadership development, and to engage students in the learning process
  • Product development (including model program design, branding, and strategy) and marketing of contemporary Business Administration programs (secondary)
Participation

Averages 200, with approximately 80% from secondary, 10% from post-secondary, and an additional 10% from other settings. Participants include high school and community college faculty; local administrators; DECA, BPA, and FBLA advisors; state supervisors; teacher educators; and others interested in program development.

Presenters

Include senior-level Fortune 1000 managers (typically VP and above), entrepreneurs with a unique story, and leading educators, including successful classroom instructors.

Academic credit

Academic credit is offered annually by several different colleges and universities. Specific offerings and requirements are at the discretion of the sponsoring colleges. Documentation for continuing education credits (CEUs) is available at no additional cost.

Teacher feedback about MBA Research Conclave, including video endorsements.

Location:

Denver, Colorado

MBA Research Conclave: A Curriculum & Teaching Conference has become the single most important conference attended by many business and marketing teachers. This four-day conference expands over the course of a weekend to help accommodate the greatest number and minimize days out of school without sacrificing the extremely high-quality programming this unique conference offers.

Make plans now to join us!
October 13-16, 2023

Hotel Reservations:

Grand Hyatt Denver

1750 Welton Street
Denver, Colorado 80202

Click here to take advantage of the discounted group rate.

Date extension: Reservations for the room-block close on September 27, 2023.

Be a Presenter

MBA Research Conclave: A Curriculum & Teaching Conference aims to provide teachers and administrators with a comprehensive overview of contemporary curricula, pedagogy, and program development strategies, including dialogue with leading educators and industry executives.

We will consider all high-quality proposals, but there are five focus areas for sessions this year – designed to fit the needs of secondary and postsecondary business and marketing instructors, CTE administrators, and state administrators. The focus areas, along with areas of interest, for 2023 are:

Teacher-to-Teacher Classroom Strategies to include one or more of the following:  Student credentialing • E-Learning • Flipped Classroom • Integration of work-ready skills • Mentoring • Project Management • Project-Based Learning (PBL) • The middle school classrooms • Student engagement • Work-Based Learning (WBL) • CTSOs • The post-Covid Classroom • Using social media • Utilizing apps in the classroom • Innovative classroom techniques

Growing Your Program to include one or more of the following: Communication strategies • Unique partnerships between secondary/postsecondary • Use of data for program management and improvement • Teacher credentialing • Creating an Action Plan • Student recruitment • Building the pipeline from middle school • Branding/Marketing your program • Engaging business and industry • The changing classroom • Administrator/Counselor/Teacher collaborations

Using MBA Research’s Resources to include one or more of the following: Understanding the National Standards • Learning Center • High School of Business • Developing a Course through Curriculum Builder • Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative • Understanding a LAP • Best Practices for LAPS • ASK Certification Exams • Using our course guides • Middle School Curriculum

Teaching Principle-Based Ethics to include one or more of the following: Ethics in the Classroom • Best Practices for integrating ethics • Strategies to determine the impact on students • How to use different types of ethics-based resources • Using supplemental resources to integrate ethics

High School of Businessto include one or more of the following:  Engaging business and industry • Effective steering teams • Developing strong articulation agreements • Strategies for Project-Based Learning (PBL) • Student recruitment • Learning Center strategies • Using data for HSB program promotion • The successful HSB student • Building your program around a Student Based Enterprise

Call for Proposals

Share your ideas, best practices, and strategies with educators nationwide.

The call for proposals is now closed.

Submit Your Presentation Proposal

The Celebration!

Our Social Event

The Celebration! is always a big hit during MBA Research Conclave. It is a time that allows attendees, presenters, and MBA staff to come together to celebrate all the hard work you do to ensure students a bright future and a time of just plain fun! Come ready to have a great time!

Ticket required:

  • FREE with conference registration before August 31
  • $49 for conference registrants and guests not registered for the conference after August 31

NOTE: This event is very likely to sell out. We strongly recommend early registration or advance purchase of tickets.

This year, we’ll be cultivating curiosity and igniting our sense of purpose at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science—Join us for a night at the museum!

College Credit and CEUs

College Credit. You can receive one college credit for attending MBA Research Conclave (for an additional cost). This is through Valley City State University (VCSU) in North Dakota.

Potential CEU Credit. You can document attendance for each session that you attend at MBA Research Conclave by completing the evaluation for each session and documenting your attendance in our MBA PD portal.

More information on college credit and potential CEU credit will be available in the conference registration packet and the conference app.

Pre-Conference Workshops

Pre-Conference Workshops are available at no cost. Sign up for Pre-Conference Workshops when registering for Conclave.

HSB Teachers Only: Getting the Most Out of Your Learning Center Account
Friday, October 13, 2023 – 1:00 pm  – 3:00 pm
The Learning Center is an integral part of the HSB curriculum. Spend time with us as we take a deep dive into the most pressing “how-to” requests that HSB teachers ask. Learn how to retrieve instructional materials, navigate the Learning Center platform, and learn what’s available to get the most out of the resources for you and your students. NOTE: You must have an active Learning Center account to participate in this workshop. This is a 2-hr workshop. Following the session, an additional hour will be available for FAQ, collaborating with other HSB teachers, or working one-on-one with the trainers.

Non-HSB Teachers Only: Taking an In-Depth Look into the Learning Center 
Friday, October 13, 2023 – 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Do you currently have access to the Learning Center but are unsure how to use it effectively? Spend time with us as we look at the resources available in the Learning Center, how to access them, and share best practices teachers use to get the most out of using the Learning Center. NOTE: An active Learning Center account is required to participate in this workshop. This is a 2-hr workshop. Following the session, an additional hour will be available for FAQ, to collaborate with other teachers, work one-on-one with the trainers, etc.

Empowered: Engagement for Real-World Success
Friday, October 13, 2023 – 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
WARNING: Fun, engaging, hands-on PD session! Empowered focuses on helping you create an exciting, individualized classroom where learning is not just for the moment but for a lifetime. Students learn to think critically and build skills to create value for themselves and others with our Foundational Principles of success. Leave this session with activities to help establish your classroom culture and impact your classroom immediately!

Tours

Pre-Conference Tour

Downtown Denver Walking Tour: Dive Into the People & Personalities Behind Denver’s Business Development—Past, Present, and Future

Friday, October 13, 2023, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm (1.9 miles)

Best Tours of Denver Owner Billy Bradshaw will be our guide on this historic tour through the downtown area. After a brief intro from Mr. Bradshaw on his own entrepreneurship story, we will set off on the tour where participants will learn about some of Denver’s greatest businesspeople and innovators, then and now.

You’ll develop an understanding of social responsibility and community outreach by Denver businesses, hear examples of individuals who came from humble beginnings to later become highly successful in business, and see how Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park fame are taking what they’ve learned from creating unorthodox comedies and putting that knowledge to work in the restaurant world.

Wear comfortable shoes, grab your shades, and join us as we learn about some of the following visionaries, entrepreneurs, and many more:

  • Daddy Bruce – Learn why, in 1985, the city renamed E. 34th Ave, “Bruce Randolph Blvd.”
  • Dana Crawford – Still alive today, Ms. Crawford is a pioneer in the preservation and restoration of some of Denver’s most historic buildings.
  • Emily Griffith – A true visionary in education and a champion of immigrants in Denver, find out why Griffith’s model of support and opportunity for immigrants is still in use today throughout the U.S.
  • Barney Ford – Born into slavery in 1822, Barney Ford became one of the most prominent businessmen in Colorado. See how the State of Colorado has recognized and honored Ford at the State Capitol.

You can sign up for this tour ($39) at registration!

Post-Conference Tour

Calling All Craft Beer Lovers: Wynkoop Brewing Company Tour

Monday, October 16, 2023, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Join us for a tour of Wynkoop Brewing Company, a pioneer in the American beer landscape since their start in 1988, and the first brewpub in the now beer-rich, craft beer heaven of Colorado.

Their thirst for beers beyond the status quo led them to hand craft porters, meads, and cask-conditioned beers (way before cask was cool) and other current craft beer fixtures that beer lovers had never tasted before. Now is your chance to see behind the scenes!

On this tour participants will:

  • Learn about the unique brew process
  • Get acquainted with select ingredients
  • Hear about brewing philosophy from a Cicerone-trained guide

For safety, we will be viewing the brewhouse and fermentation cellar from behind the glass and then gather to hear from Katy Bale, Director of Operations at Breckenridge-Wynkoop Restaurant Group.

Katy will share her experience navigating recent trends in supply chain management, including responding to changes in consumer demand amidst ongoing labor and staffing constraints. Participants will learn about trends in training and development and the critical skills needed by employees today.

Katy Bale, Director of Operations

Breckenridge-Wynkoop Restaurant Group

Katy Bale holds a Master of Business Administration in organization leadership from Regis University in Denver, Colorado. A key player in providing education and training to new hires and current employees serving several locations across the Breckenridge-Wynkoop Restaurant Group, Katy is a highly qualified leader leveraging 15 years of progressive experience. She develops and delivers training and development programs to employees in diverse roles. As a strategic business partner with executive management, she takes a process-oriented approach to transform businesses into high-efficiency environments.

You can sign up for this tour ($49) at registration!

Business & Education Speakers

Presentations by business leaders and educators are a highlight of MBA Research Conclave. These sessions provide teachers with a window into current trends in the workplace and classroom-ready strategies that they can bring back to share with their students.

Sponsors and Exhibitors

MBA Research Conclave: A Curriculum & Teaching Conference allows you to interact with business and marketing teacher leaders, state supervisors, and others interested in teaching business and marketing education at the secondary and postsecondary levels.

Some of the best and brightest teachers and administrators nationwide attend MBA Research Conclave annually. While it is a smaller conference, you will have the chance to impact approximately 200 decision-makers from across the country— state and local supervisors who influence purchasing and business and marketing teachers who make purchasing decisions for their programs.

There are many sponsorship opportunities available. Our 2023 Sponsorship Prospectus is now available. Click below to access it!

2023 Sponsorship Prospectus

Who Attends?

State supervisors (30+ states annually) and lead teachers of business and marketing:

  • 150+ teachers who are engaged at the state and national levels
  • The majority are CTSO Advisors
    • BPA
    • FBLA
    • DECA
  • Thought leaders and trendsetters from across the country
  • Attendance averages 200

Speaker Materials

Visit State’s Connection for more MBA Research Conclave speaker materials, including educator presentations.

PRESENTATIONS BY BUSINESS & INDUSTRY LEADERS

2022

Ty J. Tonander, Partner/VP, Brand Design, Ultra Creative
Ashley Junghans-Rutelonis, PhD, Founder of AJR & Co. Consulting and Bold Wellness
Moving Forward Together
Presentation (PDF)

Stephanie Emenyonu, Consultant, Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
Guided by Ethics: A Day in the Life of a Consultant
PowerPoint

Mark Fritz, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Lakeshirts
A Detroit Lakes Success Story (and it’s not the Viking’s Adam Thielen)
PowerPoint

Colin Eide, Senior Manager, E-Commerce – Category Lead, Best Buy
Best Buy and Electronics Shopping Trends Today
PowerPoint

Shane Zutz, Vice President of Human Resources, Digi-Key Electronics
What Does Being Digital Mean?
PowerPoint

Steve Lear, Founding Partner, Affiance Financial
Doug Lennick, CEO and Co-Founder, think2perform
A Teacher, Financial Planner, and Leadership Guru Walk Into a Bar…
PowerPoint

Chase Rasmussen, President, KLN Family Brands
What It Means to Be a People First Company
PowerPoint

2021

Nancy Schuehler, Director of Fraud Strategy, Verizon
Do You Speak Digital Finance? 
Presentation (PDF)

Joe Saculles, Senior VP of Operational Initiatives, U.S. Bank 
The Future of Banking
PowerPoint

Kelly Capatosto,DEI Author, Researcher, and Educator, Columbus, Ohio 
Centering Equity In Education
Session notes and additional resources
Presentation (PDF) 

Ohio State Athletics Digital Media Team
Pat Kindig, Associate AD of Digital Assets; Monique Bowman, Associate Director, Digital Media; Carson Reider, Assistant Director, Digital Media
Insightfully Incite: Ohio State Athletics Digital Media Voice
Presentation (web page) 
Additional Resources: (industry outlets and services OSU uses to stay up to date)

Gayle Saunders, APR, Founder and CEO, The Saunders PR Group
The Building of a Great Career 
PowerPoint

2020

Michael Baran, PhD, Senior Partner and Digital Solutions Lead
InQuest Consulting
To Create Inclusive Workplace Cultures, We Must Address Subtle Acts of Exclusion
Presentation (PDF)

Shonna Dorsey, MS, PMI-ACP, Senior Business Systems Consultant in Information Services
Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company 

Community Engagement to Strengthen Employees and Employers
PowerPoint

Adam Lukoskie, Vice President
National Retail Federation Foundation

Survival of the Fittest: How Smart Retailers Thrive in a Pandemic
PowerPoint

Glenn Elliott, Owner
Olo Mazi

Employees Are Your Best Marketing Tool
PowerPoint

Joe Saculles, Senior Vice President of Operational Initiatives
U.S. Bank

Going Remote with Large Teams
PowerPoint

Nicole Clevenger & Raygan Barrett, Co-Founders
Wonderment

Creative Thinking and Entrepreneurship
Presentation (PDF)

MBA Research Conclave FAQ

When and where is Conclave?

October 13-16, 2023, in Denver, Colorado

What is Conclave and who should attend?

MBA Research Conclave is designed for anyone who teaches or administers the teaching of business administration (entrepreneurship, finance, hospitality, management/administration, and marketing) build better, bigger, stronger programs at the local level. Every session is designed for take-home value.

Who will be presenting?

Presenters include senior-level Fortune 1000 managers (typically VP and above), entrepreneurs with a unique story, and leading educators, including successful classroom instructors.

What are the pre-conference workshops?

In addition to the basic conference, we offer value-added workshops. These workshops are heavily attended and often sell out. (In most, space is limited to a maximum of 20 participants per workshop.) There is a small additional fee for each workshop, with the fee depending on the costs of transportation, internet access, or several other variables. These workshops differ from the regular conference seminars in that they are longer (most are 2 1/2 hours or longer) and provide more hands-on experience. Be sure to read the descriptions carefully as some will require that you bring a laptop or complete some type of advance preparation.

How many attendees are expected?

MBA Research Conclave averages 200, with approximately 65% from the high school arena, 20% from colleges, and an additional 15% from other settings. Participants include high school and community college faculty; local administrators; DECA, BPA, and FBLA advisors; state supervisors; teacher educators; and others interested in program development.

Is the conference likely to sell out?

We do not put a cap on the conference. However, the pre-conference workshops will most likely sell out and The Celebration! will sell out.

What is The Celebration?

More than a party, The Celebration! is your opportunity to meet and network with many of the nations leading Business Administration teachers and administrators. Often includes dinner and entertainment located at a venue that highlights our host city. It’s become a focal point of the annual MBA Research Conclave! Nearly everyone participates, so don’t be left out. Ticket required. However, register for Conclave prior to August 31 and your ticket is FREE!

When is payment due?

Advance registration and payment is preferred. However, you may register on-site. All payment (credit card, checks, purchase orders) must be received by first day of the conference and may be paid on-site at conference registration desk.

What happens if I have an emergency and have to cancel my registration?

100% refund of basic registration for cancellations prior to October 1; 75% thereafter. No refunds for no-shows. Sorry, no refund for sold-out workshops and tours, or The Celebration! after October 1. (You may send an alternate. No charge for substitutions at any time.)

How do I get CEU credits?

Potential CEU credit is available by attending and documenting sessions. More information is available in the conference registration packet and the conference app.

Do I have to stay at conference hotel?

No, however we cannot provide transportation to and from the conference or to and from any activity associated with the conference (i.e. The Celebration!).

Will there be food at the conference?

A continental breakfast and lunch is included both days of the conference. Lunch is usually a boxed lunch or occasionally a sit down meal with a featured speaker. The only dinner provided is at The Celebration! (A ticket to attend The Celebration! is required.) Also, a boxed lunch is provided if you are participating in early back-to-back pre-conference workshops (first session immediately followed by second session).

Can I workshop hop?

No. The pre-conference workshops are an additional fee for each workshop attended. They are very in-depth and hands on, you will not have time to “hop” to another. However, the actual conference will have several sessions offered every hour for you to choose from.

Should I prepare for Conclave before arriving?

Should you? Yes, but it is not required. You will benefit greatly by reading the session descriptions ahead of time. Our website lists every session description and speaker bio. Because you have several options every hour, we recommend you take note of what sessions interests you the most and prepare once you’ve received your conference program at registration. Having a plan ensures that you do not miss the sessions that you most want to attend, guaranteeing you the best conference experience.

Will I have access to speaker material?

Yes. After the conference we will post on our website any material the speakers provide us with. You will be able to access and download the material for free!

Endorsements from teachers?

Click here for teacher feedback, including video endorsements.

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