About this Event
Communications Elevated conference is designed to bring communicators together for learning, connection, and practical insight that elevates our work.
Why attend?
Communicators are navigating constant change, new tools, evolving expectations, and increasing demands for clarity and impact.
Communications Elevated is being built to help you:
- Strengthen your skills and confidence
- Learn from experienced practitioners
- Connect with peers across communications disciplines
- Walk away with insights you can immediately apply
Whether you work in internal communications, PR, marketing, or a related field, this conference is designed to meet you where you are and elevate your skills.
Proudly presented by:
Communications Elevated 2026 and are grateful for our sponsors!
Colorado Networking Reception Sponsor
Front Range Sponsors
Headshot Sponsors
Agenda at a Glance
🕑: 08:00 AM - 06:00 PM
Communications Elevated 2026
Info: Full agenda: https://iabc-colorado.com/Events/Communications-Elevated#agenda
🕑: 08:00 AM - 08:45 AM
Registration/Breakfast
🕑: 08:45 AM - 09:45 AM
Keynote - Elevating Satisfaction
Host: Dr. Erika Michalski
Info: Learn what Mick Jagger and Keith Richards didn’t realize about satisfaction. Turns out you CAN get it…if you know how. In this keynote, Dr. Erika marries research from the fields of neuroscience, positive psychology, and emotional intelligence as it invites you to consider how you are cultivating your own sense of satisfaction in both your personal and professional life.
🕑: 10:00 AM - 10:45 AM
How to Build an AI-Ready Social Strategy That Shows Up, Stands Out and Scales
Host: Brent Bowen
🕑: 10:00 AM - 10:45 AM
Nobody Wants to Read This: How to combine journalism, research, and change...
Host: Amanda Swennes
🕑: 10:45 AM - 11:30 AM
Networking Bingo + Headshots
🕑: 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM
Lunch Break + Headshots
🕑: 12:15 PM - 01:15 PM
Keynote - From Unknown to In-Demand
Host: Michael Ambrozewicz
Info: From Unknown to In-Demand: How strategic communication can build an employer brand, earn trust and drive business results.
What happens when a company needs to hire hundreds of experienced technology professionals in one of the world’s most competitive talent markets—but almost no one there knows who you are?
Rather than treating employer branding as a recruiting campaign, the team approached it as a strategic communications and reputation challenge—one that could not only attract talent, but also help define the culture and employee experience of a new organization. The result was an integrated program built on audience insight, distinctive positioning, visible leadership, authentic storytelling and measurable business outcomes—ultimately earning an IABC Gold Quill Award.
🕑: 01:45 PM - 02:30 PM
From Panic to Plan: Why Crisis Communications is Critical
Host: Patricia Billinger
🕑: 01:45 PM - 02:30 PM
The New Physics of Influence: Communicating in an AI-Mediated Reality
Host: Elizabeth Edwards
🕑: 01:45 PM - 02:30 PM
Invisible Labor, Visible Proof: Elevating the Work of Internal Communicators
Host: Alyssa Towns
🕑: 02:30 PM - 03:00 PM
Networking Break/Afternoon Snack
🕑: 03:00 PM - 03:45 PM
The Human Advantage: Communication When Everyone Has AI
Host: Susan Abbott
🕑: 03:00 PM - 03:45 PM
Nobody Here Knows You. Good. Getting the most out of your next conference.
Host: Greg Roche
🕑: 03:00 PM - 03:45 PM
The Athletic Presenter: Train Your Body, Voice, & Presence to Command Any Room
Host: Pete Mathews
Info: Public speaking is more than sharing information — it's about how you move people and making your message unforgettable. Research shows 50 percent of communication impact comes from body language and energy, 40 percent from voice, and just 10 percent from content, yet most training focuses only on that last 10 percent.
In this session, discover The Athletic Presenter's performance-based method for public speaking: an approach built like athletic training, using deliberate practice and expert coaching to build the muscle memory that makes powerful speaking feel effortless. You'll learn to harness presence, movement, and vocal energy to lead, motivate, and leave a lasting impression, whether you're addressing one person or a thousand.
Through hands-on practice, real-time feedback, and personalized coaching, you'll leave with concrete tools to own any stage and captivate any audience. Great speakers aren't born, they're trained. Come find out what your training could look like.
🕑: 03:45 PM - 04:15 PM
Closing Session
🕑: 04:30 PM - 06:00 PM
Networking Happy Hour
Event venue & nearby stays
Lowry Conference Center, 1061 Akron Way, Denver, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.