It is not uncommon for an organization or company’s travel and training budgets to be financial constrained. Meaning, regardless of the merits of a conference or event, attendees may experience difficulties gaining approval to attend a potentially worthwhile event.

We’ve compiled some things to consider before approaching your employer to justify your attendance at CNU 24 and help get you to Detroit:

• Focus on what you will specifically bring back to the organization in return for the investment.
• Offer to prepare and deliver a short presentation and/or Q&A to your colleagues post-Congress to share what you learned. That way, your colleagues will get the benefits of your attendance, too.
• Offer to share any collected documents and speaker handouts with your colleagues. As an attendee, you’ll have access to materials such as speaker presentations, handouts, etc. that you can share.
• Be ready with a plan that shows who will cover for you while you are attending the Congress. Offer to share a room to reduce hotel expenses if others are also interested in attending.
• Be sure to check out the registration page where the various registration rates are listed to see if you qualify for any of the lower rates, discounts, or a scholarship. We have early bird discounts available, so the sooner you are prepared, the more money you will save!

Some of the many benefits of attending CNU 24

The annual Congress for the New Urbanism is the best opportunity to stay on leading edge of planning, policy, and development innovations. You will be also engage with the leading minds in the New Urbanism movement, experts in form-based and transect-based coding; incremental, infill development; urban design; complete and beautiful street design; transit-oriented development; neighborhood revitalization; and more.

At CNU 24, you will have myriad opportunities to explore Detroit neighborhoods, to discuss barriers and best practices, including:

• Over a dozen tours lead by local and national leaders through historic Detroit neighborhoods and surrounding cities
• Several “City as Platform” sessions: hands-on, boots-on-the-ground immersive learning about urban issues and solutions on the streets of Detroit
• 202 Workshops that offer high-level instruction that goes beyond that of a typical breakout session and led by thought leaders and innovative practitioners.

You will also have the opportunity to expand your network:

• Learn and meet with hundreds of experts leading sessions and workshops
• Develop new relationships by networking with professionals inside and outside of your field—the annual Congress for the New Urbanism is one of the only multi-disciplinary events of its kind
• Solidify old relationships
• Exchange ideas with other attendees—make things happen! CNU is all about empowering and connected the best minds.

We have also provided a couple resources below to aid your efforts in attending CNU 24 in Detroit. Anyone who desires to learn from the experts on how to build great places should be able to attend! And every person at the table helps make our Congress great.

Continuing Education Credits

CNU typically applies for AIA, AICP, and ASLA credits each year, with most sessions earning credits for at least AIA and AICP, if not all three. Last year at CNU 23, the total AIA LU credits offered were 125, and the total AICP CM credits was 130. During the course of the Congress, the average credits received for those who applied was 15.

Invitation to Attend

International attendees and government employees, if you need an official invitation letter to attend CNU 24 in Detroit, please contact Alex McKeag, CNU Program Manager, at amckeag@cnu.org.