2025 State Conference
The annual APA-IL State Conference is not just an event – it's a 3-day extravaganza showcasing the absolute best in Illinois urban planning. Attendees can expect exciting educational sessions, one-of-a-kind mobile workshops, and unforgettable social soirées. We are excited to be back at the Old Post Office in Chicago!
2025 APA-IL State Conference
October 8-10, 2025
Old Post Office, 433 W Van Buren St., Chicago, IL 60607
#APAIL25
Questions? Email Paula Freeze , APA-IL Executive Director.
Enjoy the latest 2025 State Conference news!
12/20/20242025 State Conference Announcement!APAIL25 Keynote, Venue, and Call for Sessions - Info Now Available! Read More |
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2025 Program Highlights
More exciting details to come! Check back often as we will be adding more information to the program in early 2025.
The Call for Sessions is open!
Please consider leading a session or mobile workshop for the 2025 APA-IL State Conference. Submissions are due by February 1, 2025.
While any quality planning content is welcome, we encourage proposals that will give your attendees insight into your own planning stories. Maybe it's creative placemaking, an example of public engagement, a skill you'd like to teach, or your personal planning story. This is a conference by planners, for planners, and it requires all your passion and creativity.
Keynote Speaker: Margaret Chandra Kerrison
Scheduled for October 10, 2024
Born in Indonesia and raised in Singapore, Margaret’s career spans over seventeen years of creating narratives and writing for television, film, digital media, games, brand storytelling, location-based entertainment, narrative placemaking, and immersive experiences. She is a Creative Lead and Writer for multiple award-winning projects around the world, including Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, National Geographic Museum of Exploration, and the NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. As a consultant, she has created experiences for some of the most beloved brands in the world. She is the author of Immersive Storytelling for Real and Imagined Worlds (2022), Reimagined Worlds: Narrative Placemaking for People, Play, and Purpose (2024), and The Art of Immersive Storytelling: Strategies from the Gaming World (2025). In 2023, she was awarded the prestigious Paul Helmle Fellowship by the Department of Architecture at California Polytechnic State University, Pomona, where she taught for a semester. She is currently a Senior Creative Director at TAIT, creating moments that move people with other technology-enabled storytellers. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and son and is always looking for her next
adventure and invitation to play.
Born in Indonesia and raised in Singapore, Margaret's experience in the realm of immersive experiences will enlighten, inspire, and empower planners to get out and tell the planning story.
Margaret will not only provide attendees with a wonderful keynote that ties our worlds together. She will also have a fireside chat, and a 1.5-hour workshop. That's right - you can bring your project or problem to the workshop and apply Margaret's STORY Method to your work.
2025 registration rates coming soon!
Become a sponsor and have a positive impact on Illinois' communities.
Sponsorship dollars play a critical role in helping the chapter produce this unique and exciting educational opportunity for hundreds of state-wide planners.
The State Conference provides a tremendous opportunity for your organization to engage with local and state government decision-makers, for-profit and non-profit organizations, and other planning professionals from across Illinois and beyond.
2025-26 Sponsor Opportunities Coming Soon!
Contact Shelly Greenwood at CGi for questions or to talk about opportunities for your organization!
2024-25 Sponsors
Tier 1 Sponsor
Tier 2 Sponsor
Tier 3 Sponsor
University Sponsor
In-Kind Sponsor
Supporter
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Venue Information
The APA-IL is excited to invite Illinois planners and allied professionals for three days of learning in downtown Chicago. Attendees will explore the Post Office, Chicago and beyond.
The Old Post Office
433 W Van Buren Street
Chicago, IL 60607
Accommodations
A room block will be held at the Holiday Inn & Suites Chicago-Downtown. Stay tuned for details!
Holiday Inn & Suites Chicago-Downtown
506 West Harrison Street
Chicago, Illinois 60607
Parking
Recommended option
While we recommend taking public transportation to the State Conference, we know driving is inevitable for some. Parking is not included in conference registration or hotel reservations.
Closest and least expensive parking option is the parking lot at 519 S Clinton St., Chicago IL. We suggest purchasing parking through Spot Hero for the best rate.
Other parking options
If you are coming to this year's state conference via car, we suggest searching SpotHero for the best rates around the Old Post Office.
Click here for directions to the Old Post Office Parking Garage (courtesy of the Old Post Office) as well as rates and directions from the parking garage to the conference venue.
Click the Google Map below to start planning your trip to APAIL24!
Looking for information from our past conferences? Please visit our Past/Future Conferences webpage.
