ACA CampForward Conference

Registration Includes:

• Full Conference Registration for October 27-29, 2026 includes the full conference program, two breakfasts (Wednesday and Thursday), exhibit hall, networking and social events. 
• Wednesday ONLY Registration includes breakfast that morning, educational breakout sessions throughout the day, the exhibit hall, and the evening networking event.

We are pleased to offer scholarships to our members to help cover costs for the conference. We invite you to fill out the scholarship application today. ACA CampForward scholarships are supported by local offices with funds available to do so.

Hotel lodging is available at the Grand Geneva resort. See the hotel and travel tab for additional details and information on how to book your stay. Book by October 12 to lock in the best conference hotel pricing. 

Not an ACA member? Join today for FREE and get the best rates for this event!

Consultants may not self-promote at the conference and must register under the consultant rate unless they are a confirmed speaker at the conference.

Understanding Registration Pricing:

We encourage you to register early - not just to save money, but to help us plan the best possible event!

Early Bird: Lock in the best rate by registering early! You'll get the lowest price and the best deal.

Standard: This is our standard registration rate, available after the Early Bird period ends.

Final Wave: Begins one week before the event and includes onsite registration.

As the conference gets closer our team is finalizing all the details, including meal numbers, room setups, and materials. Our host site needs final numbers well in advance of the event. We are always happy to welcome last minute registrations when possible. Registering early helps us serve everyone better!

Browse the full CampForward 2026 schedule online, including preconference workshops, session descriptions, and presenters. Build your own personal schedule, check the venue map, and find answers in the FAQ.

View the Schedule & Sessions

Download the apps from Google and Apple.

Opening Keynote | Candace Doby

Courage at Camp: Building Character Through Courageous Choices

Character is built through our choices, and courage is what allows us to make those choices, especially when they’re wrapped in discomfort. In this keynote, you’ll explore courage as a character strength and learn practical strategies for speaking up, stepping forward, and making intentional choices that positively influence your camp community. You’ll also consider how your own actions model character for staff and young people, and how camp environments can create meaningful opportunities to practice and strengthen courage over time.

By the end of this keynote, you’ll be able to:

1. Identify three key components in the development of courage
2. Turn those components into a process for evaluating risks from insight instead of insecurity
3. Use that process to make courageous choices that align with the character you want to embody as a camp professional

Candace Doby is the founder and CEO of The Can-Do Company, a global courage-readiness training organization that helps professionals go from self-censored to courageous communicators. Her Courage-Ready® Model blends more than a decade of research on courage with a 16-year, award-winning marketing career. It has been used by organizations including Amazon, Duracell, Chipotle, Mars Inc., and the U.S. Navy. She’s the creator of the Risk Fitness Club™, host of The Courage Hotline podcast, and author of A Cool Girl’s Guide to Courage. A mother of two, Candace earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she also ran Division I track.

Closing Keynote | Boys of Summer: An NPR Documentary Filmed at Camp

Close out CampForward with something you can’t see anywhere else.

Research keeps showing that boys are lonelier than they used to be, with fewer close friendships and less practice being honest with each other. NPR went looking for a camp where that was already being addressed, and where the work looked like summer. Boys of Summer, the NPR Studios original documentary that came out of it, follows a cabin of teenagers through one summer at a remote camp in the Vermont woods. Free from screens, they learn to open up and support one another. It’s a tender portrait of vulnerability, friendship, and the quiet rebellion of feeling deeply.

The film premiered this year and isn’t yet streaming. This will be only its second screening at a camp conference. View trailer.

Jarod Wunneburger directed the camp where the film was made for five years and now leads educational and community engagement strategy for the documentary. He’ll screen the film in full, take you behind the scenes on how NPR made it, and leave time for the room to talk before the conference closes. Jarod has spent 15 years building programs for kids at camps and in schools, and is now a school administrator in Vermont.

It’s a love letter to the work of all camps, and a reminder of what that work is for.

Register for preconference events through the main conference registration.

You can view more details for these events in the conference schedule.

Monday, October 26

EPIC Workshop | 1:00–5:00 p.m.
Join fellow EPICs (Emerging Professionals in Camping) for this half-day workshop focused on career development and making connections.

Member: $50 | Nonmember: $100

Executive Director Workshop | 1:00–5:00 p.m.
A half-day workshop for executive directors and senior management, with networking, resource sharing, and two education sessions:

Camp Is a Business: The Numbers and Data Every Executive Director Should Be Watching, with Cory Harrison, ACA Chief Operating Officer. Cory grew Camp Greenville to more than 2,630 campers and doubled revenue and fundraising twice by tracking the right data. He’ll cover what to measure, from cost per camper and donor retention to family return rates and staff turnover, plus what to bring to your board and how to spot problems early.

Belonging Under Pressure: How Character Shapes Collaborative Leadership, with Chris Rehs-Dupin, founder of TQAMP and recipient of ACA’s Hedley S. Dimock Award. This interactive session introduces a practical framework for building collaboration, trust, and belonging on your team, especially through uncertainty, conflict, and change.

Member: $75 | Nonmember: $125

Tuesday, October 27

Accreditation Visit Mini Boot Camp | 8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Get a jump-start on your 2027 accreditation visit. In this four-hour workshop, experienced accreditation volunteers will walk through common challenges, share tools and resources, and give you dedicated time to work on your camp’s visit preparations.

Open only to camps that have paid fees and applied for the 2027 visit season. Limit of four representatives per camp; contact us for larger groups. Pre-registration required.

Member: Free

Local Area Camp Tours | 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Tour two nearby camps, each with its own unique programs and facilities.

• Holiday Home Camp, Williams Bay, WI: A nonprofit camp on Lake Geneva serving kids ages 6–18, focused on outdoor experiences, leadership development, and making camp accessible to everyone. Founded in 1887, it’s the oldest accredited camp still in its original location.
• House in the Wood, a program of Northwestern Settlement: Founded in 1910, it gives underserved youth a safe, natural setting away from urban life, with adult role models and a focus on leadership. Its summer camp, outdoor education, and leader-in-training programs aim to help disrupt generational poverty.

Member/Nonmember: Free

See full details for all preconference events in the conference schedule.

We are excited to be at the Grand Geneva Resort in charming Lake Geneva, Wisconsin for the CampForward Conference. Surrounded by scenic woodlands and rolling hills, Lake Geneva is the perfect setting to unwind, learn, and enjoy outdoor adventures.

The Grand Geneva Resort is located on the Illinois-Wisconsin border, just an hour south of Milwaukee and ninety minutes north of Chicago. 

Book your hotel stay TODAY for the best conference hotel pricing

Book your stay at the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa or Timber Ridge Lodge & Waterpark 

Two hotels, all on one resort property, with lodging choices to meet your teams needs and budget. Guests will enjoy views of the private lake, Wi-Fi, on-property shuttle service, easy parking, a fully-equipped fitness center, and miles of scenic, wooded hiking paths. A daily $20 resort fee gives you access to all the enhanced amenities to make your experience more relaxing and memorable.  

Grand Geneva Resort & Spa: Each room has been completely reimagined, creating an inviting space with new modern finishes and furnishings. Stay where the action is: conference spaces, guest rooms, dining, and amenities all seamlessly connected. 

• Standard Deluxe - $179 per night: Guaranteed to accommodate up to two guests. Rooms feature a mini-refrigerator and in-room coffee maker. 
• One Bedroom Villa - $179 per night: This spacious villa accommodates up to four guests and features a full kitchen and living area. 
• Two Bedroom Villa - $279 per night: A multi-level villa that features two private bedrooms that can accommodate up to six guests. Also includes a full kitchen and living area. 
• Three Bedroom Villa - $477 per night: Sleeps up to eight guests with three private bedrooms and features a full kitchen and living area.

Timber Ridge Lodge & Waterpark: It's the SUITE life at Timber Ridge Lodge! The hotel suites include a full kitchen, private bedroom(s), living area, and outdoor fire pit area. Waterpark passes are included with your hotel reservation.

• One Bedroom Suite - $159 per night: The one bedroom suite can sleep up to four people and includes four waterpark passes.
• Two Bedroom Suite - $259 per night: The two bedroom suite can sleep up to six people and includes six waterpark passes.

Book Your Hotel Stay Today!

Flying to the CampForward Conference? Here are some options of airports that are near Lake Geneva: 

• Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (50 minutes away)
• Chicago Rockford International Airport (65 minutes away)
• Dane County Regional Airport (75 minutes away)
• Chicago O'Hare International Airport (90 minutes away)

Connect with Camp Professionals from Across the Midwest

Connect with more than 200 camp professionals, leaders, and decision-makers from across the Midwest at the new ACA CampForward Conference.

CampForward brings together camp professionals for collaboration, professional development, networking, and idea-sharing. Exhibitors and sponsors have the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with camp leaders while showcasing products, services, and solutions that support the camp industry.

Whether you serve camps through programming, technology, insurance, transportation, food service, facilities, staffing, fundraising, outdoor equipment, or consulting, we invite you to join us.

Exhibit Hall Schedule - Wednesday, October 28, 2026

• 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. | Exhibitor setup
• 3:45 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. | Exhibit Hall open
• 7:00 p.m. | Exhibit Hall closes

Booth Pricing: $450

Booth registration includes:

• One exhibit table/space
• Access to networking opportunities with attendees
• Participation in exhibit hall activities

Register to Exhibit

Conference Shipping Information: 

Grand Geneva Resort / Company Name
7036 Grand Geneva Way
Lake Geneva, WI 53147 

Available Sponsorships

• Mobile app Sponsor — $3,500*
• Title Sponsor — $3,000*
• Keynote Sponsor — $2,000*
• Breakfast Sponsor — $1,500*
  • Two available: Wednesday or Thursday
• Welcome Reception Sponsor — $1,000*
  • Tuesday night trivia reception
• Social Reception Sponsor — $1,000*
  • Wednesday evening social
• Session Sponsor — $850

Sponsorship Benefits

All sponsorships include:

• Exhibit booth/table
• Logo recognition on event signage
• Recognition and link on the event webpage

* Sponsorships marked with an asterisk also include two minutes to address participants during the conference.

For exhibitor questions, sponsorship packages, and additional details, contact Kim Fitzgerald.