If the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference were a campus, the EDUCAUSE Commons would be the student union, innovation hub, coffee shop, networking lounge, and tech lab all rolled into one. The Commons has evolved into the heart of the conference, where conversations spark, connections flourish, and solutions for higher education take center stage.
Did you know that EDUCAUSE Annual Conference participants consistently report “networking opportunities” as their top reason for attending? Inside this year’s EDUCAUSE Commons, we lean into that aspect with an intentionally designed experience that is more interactive, more community-focused, and more engaging than ever before.
What will the EDUCAUSE Commons feature this year in Denver?
- Neighborhood Hubs: These are our high-energy spaces designed around three topic pillars: Enterprise Strategy, Infrastructure, and Support; Cybersecurity, Privacy, and Risk Management; and Teaching and Learning. This is where distinct communities convene, exchange ideas, and have some fun through meetups, expert discussions, poster presentations, emerging technologies, hands-on activities, and other fun challenges.
- EDUCAUSE Central: Come here to discover EDUCAUSE member benefits, connect with staff, explore presentations and posters, enjoy fun activities, and grab your free limited-edition EDUCAUSE socks (while supplies last!). You’ll also get a sneak peek at items available for purchase in our all-new EDUCAUSE Store!
- Partner Pavilion: Our new destination in the Commons, the Partner Pavilion brings together leading peer associations to highlight the programs, services, and insights they offer to advance institutions and the communities they serve.
- Commons Crawl Tours: The Higher Education Technology Managers Alliance (HETMA) provides curated, guided tours for each neighborhood in the Commons. On the tour, you’ll visit eight selected exhibitors for focused introductions to their ideas and technology solutions. Each tour is one hour and is limited to the first 30 attendees.
Sensing a theme here? The Commons is all about bringing people together…because that’s where the real magic begins.
And just from a sheer survivability aspect, the Commons has all of you conference-sprinters covered!
Grab a snack, quench your thirst, and then settle into a lounge space to catch up with colleagues or meet someone new while recharging between sessions. You might arrive looking for a technology solution (or that snack!) and leave with a new professional connection, a fresh perspective, and a handful of ideas you can't wait to bring back to campus.
In short, the EDUCAUSE Commons is more than an exhibit hall. It's a commons in the truest sense: a shared space where people, ideas, and innovation come together. So come for the technology. Stay for the conversations. Leave with solutions, inspiration, and maybe just a few new friends in your professional network.
Plan time in your schedule to explore the EDUCAUSE Commons every day of the conference in Denver. Your future self, and maybe your institution, will thank you!