2026 KACM Annual Conference
Salina • Dec 2 - Dec 4
Salina / Saline County -
This is a different format than previous years. Events Wednesday & Thursday will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn Salina. Friday will be optional mobile workshops.
See below for additional details, or refer to the program distributed at registration for full session descriptions and details. Schedule below is tentative and subject to change.
Registration will open October 15
Wednesday, December 2
1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. : Registration (Hilton Garden Inn)
2:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. : Afternoon workshops/sessions: open roundtable discussions/networking
3:00 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. : Concurrent Breakout Sessions (Hilton Garden Inn)
- Member Success Stories: Park City's Economic Development Boom
- Member Success Stories: KC2026 Lessons Learned
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. : The Garage / Offsite Dinner and social event
8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. : Blue Skye Brewery / Hospitality Reception and social event
Thursday, December 3
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : Registration (Hilton Garden Inn)
8:30 a.m. - 8:50 a.m. : KACM Opening Remarks / New Attendee Orientation
9:00 a.m. - 9:50 a.m. : General Session: Damon Parker
10:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. : Concurrent Breakout Sessions
- War of Attention: Turning Algorithims and AI to Your Advantage for Resident Education
- Member Success Stories: Butler County Health Insurance Savings
11:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. : Concurrent Breakout Sessions
- Panel: Preparations and Expectations in Planning for Retirement
- Creating an AI Use Policy for Your Organization
12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. : ACEC Awards Recognition & KACM Business Meeting
1:25 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. : General Session: KACM Awards Presentations / Buford Panel
3:15 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. : Data Center Discussion, led by KMU
6:00 p.m. - 7:45 p.m. : The Temple / Offsite Dinner and social event
8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. : Location TBD / Hospitality Reception and social event
Friday, December 4
Friday's schedule this year will feature up to four optional mobile tours intead of classroom setting sessions. Pick one upon registering for the event. Please note, tours are limited to 16 (or up to 20 with standing room)
9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. : Optional Mobile Tours (Choose from 1 of 4)
Tour 1: Public Safety: This tour will include stops at the Saline County corrections facility, City of Salina Fire Station #4, as well as the regional police training facility. In 2021, Saline County demolished their old corrections facility and broke ground on a new facility that was opened in 2023. The facility has space for approximately 392 inmates, with appropriate medical and special needs housing, along with increased space for rehabilitation programming, office spaces for the Sheriff’s Office and adequate parking for staff and public. The tour will also include a stop at Fire Station #4 - completed in 2025. Also housed in Salina/Saline County is the regional police training facility, serving local and regional law enforcement personnel, including the Salina Police Department, Saline County Sheriff's Office, and the Kansas Highway Patrol.
Tour 2: Downtown / Public Art Highlight: Salina has a long tradition of supporting the arts. It is one of the few cities that has its own Arts and Humanities department, which was established in 1966. Part of this support has been development of an ongoing rotation of public art in the downtown and elsewhere. Among the longtime programs SAH directly produces are the Smoky Hill River Festival, Smoky Hill Museum, Arts Infusion Program, Horizons Grants Program, Community Art & Design, and Cultural Creative Connections Newsletter. This tour will specifically highlight many of the permanent and temporary pieces throughout the Downtown corridor.
Tour 3: Airport/Industry Focus: The Salina airport continues to grow and expand its business operations. One of the new business operations is Pure Imagination which is a company involved in virtual and augmented reality who are building a new state of the art facility at the Salina airport. Pure Imagination Studios is partnering with Kansas State University's Salina Aerospace and Technology Campus to build a $41 million advanced spatial computing and learning facility. Join this tour to find out more about the partnership and investment in the community.
Tour 4: Manufacturing Highlight: In 2023, Schwan's completed a significant expansion in Salina - and has culminating in what is now the largest frozen pizza plant in the world. The facility has the ability to produce more than 100 million frozen pizzas each year under the brands Red Baron and Tony's. This includes construction of a massive freezer facility to support their operations. Additionally, Great Plains Manufacturing/Kubota has also significantly increased their operations in Salina with a major expansion of a new construction equipment test center - a $30 million investment. Join this tour to learn more about the growth of manufacturing in the Salina area.
11:45 a.m. - Adjourn
Hotel Information
Make sure to contact the hotels directly using the local number listed below, and mention KACM to reserve in the block.
Hilton Garden Inn & Convention Center [60 rooms]
3320 S. 9th
Salina KS 67401
785-309-0440
Rate: $110
Cut-Off Date: November 1
Homewood Suites by Hilton Salina Downtown [20 rooms]
115 E Mulberry St
Salina KS 67401
785-515-2600
Rate: $178 (King Suite)
Cut-Off Date: November 2
[approx 4.5 miles from Hilton Garden Inn]
Another hotel option is the Courtyard by Marriott located about a half mile from the HGI, however no official block has been secured there to date.
This year, breakfast is NOT included in the hotel rate. Expect breakfast on Thursday as part of the conference schedule with a hot buffet opening at 8a.m. Friday will include breakfast burritos to-go for those who participate in the mobile tour.
Transportation Details:
TBA