Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
From the Beacon, October 2024
By now you may have heard that the MMA’s annual conference has a new name. You may have heard that we’re moving to a new location. And you might have even seen the new imagery that goes along with our rebrand.
All of that reflects top-notch work by the team here at the MMA, and we’re very, very proud and excited about it.
But I’m writing today — on the day that we open Connect 351 registration — with this simple request: Please join us.
Join your colleagues from communities all over Massachusetts, so you can discuss shared challenges — maybe even commiserate — and share the strategies that seem to be working, even if they’re in another community.
Join the friends you haven’t met yet, the folks that get pulled into conversations that you’re part of, or that sit beside you at a workshop.
Join our inspiring speakers, who will get your wheels turning with ideas that you can apply immediately to make your work, and your communities, better.
Join our workshop panelists and Trade Show exhibitors, who are more than happy to share their expertise with you and answer your questions.
Join the MMA staff, who will be out in full force to ensure that you have a great experience, and who always look forward to the opportunity to see you, the people they dedicate their work lives to every single day.
Join our respite from the daily grind of your work, for an event that some members describe as “an oasis” from their day-to-day responsibilities.
Join an event that crackles with positive energy, despite being held post-holidays and in the depth of winter.
For all these reasons and more, join us.
Please visit our excellent event website — connect351.org — and check out our keynote speakers, our workshop topics, our schedule of events, our Trade Show information, and our online registration page. Everything you need to know is there, and the site gets updated on a rolling basis as further details are confirmed.
The website even features video messages just for you from the keynote speakers describing what you can expect from their sessions. It also has a short video to help you become familiar with the new neighborhood for the event — the Seaport District in Boston.
It’s true, we’re going bigger and better than ever this year! The new venue is considerably larger — and much more modern, and brighter — than the old one, and the event is expanding into Thursday afternoon, in addition to the usual Friday and Saturday. The momentum has been building for some time, but this year we take a leap forward.
As a local government practitioner, like yourselves, I attended more than 10 of these conferences. Every year I looked forward to it, and every year it delivered. I got such a charge from seeing old friends and making new ones, and always left with loads of fresh ideas.
After years of seeing its gradual evolution, now it is my honor to host the event as your executive director. I hope you will join us. Please sign up today.