Solve Real City Problems… Then See How New Orleans Solves a Million Others Overnight
Where Public Works Meets Mardi Gras
FEB 11-12, 2026 (SAVE THE DATE)
Begins Wednesday, the 11th @ 1 PM.
Ends Thursday, the 12th, after the Mardi Gras Parade.
Does your community brag about your Public Works department?
In New Orleans, they literally cheer for them.
Featured Speakers for Public Works
What happens when a data center comes to town? Your infrastructure feels it first.
Housing shortages are killing growth — here’s how cities like yours are fixing it.
Your roads, your utilities, your emergency plans — are they future-proof?
Mardi Gras Sponsored By Alliance COnsulting Engineer
SITE SELECTOR PANEL SPEAKERS
Bob Hess
Newmarck
Chicago
Courtney Dunbar
Burns & McDonnell
Omaha
Denise Mullis
J.M. Mullis, Inc.
Memphis
Hal Johnson
NAI
Greenville, SC
Ford Graham
McGuireWoods
Charleston, SC
Pat Hanlon
Tax Consultant
St. Louis
Tommy Kurtz
Avident Advisors
Memphis
Mike Mullis
J.M. Mullis, Inc.
Memphis
HOTEL BLOCKS
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT / PUBLIC WORKS SPEAKERS
Shane Hooper
Paragon Advisors
Nashville
Clarence L. Hulse
Economic Development Corporation of Michigan City
Michigan City, Indiana
David Rumbarger
Community Development Foundation
Tupelo
Tim Weston
Brasfield & Gorrie
Birmingham
Josh Fenn
Stack Infrastructure
Atlanta
Lacy Beasley
Retail Strategies
Birmingham
Chris Pumphrey
Elevate Douglas Economic Partnership
Douglasville, Georgia
Ray Methvin
Insyteful
Florence, Alabama
Jasen Jones
ACT Work Ready
Joplin, Missouri
Rob O'Brian
O'Brian & Associates
Joplin, MIssouri
Cheri Hughes
ACT Work Ready
Cuba, Missouri
Eric P. Canada
Blane Canada
Wheaton, Illinois
Ali Watson
Next Move Group
Nashville
Brian Gerau
Brian S. Gerau Consulting
Jackson, Missouri
Chad Chancellor
Next Move Group
Panama City Beach, Florida
SESSION 1 ANNOUNCED:
Welcome To New Orleans During Our Carnival Time - Mardi Gras 2026
Wednesday, Feb. 11th, 2:00 – 2:30 pm
Hilton St. Charles 2nd Floor Ballroom
Jerry Bologna
President & CEO
Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission (JEDCO)
Grady Fitzpatrick
Chief Business Development Officer
Greater New Orleans
Chad Chancellor
Co-Founder, Chair
Next Move Group, LLC
Jeff Andrews
Business of Child Care
Bloomington, Minnesota
Session: From Shortage To Strategy How Communities Are Addressing Child Care To Compete For Talent
Tray Hairston
Butler Snow LLP
Ridgeland, Mississippi
Session: Cyber Security Risks Economic Development, Organizations, Municipalities, & Local Governments Are Facing & Best Practices In Training To Mitigate Against Cyber Security Risks
Session: Research Parks And Innovation Districts: What Cities, Regions, And States Need To Know To Grow Their Tech Based Economies
Brian Darmody
Chief Strategy Officer
AURP (Association Of University Research Parks)
Dr. Cullum Clark
Director
Bush Institute – SMU Economic Growth Initiative
Southern Methodist University
Convergence
Hixson, Tennessee
Session: From Bourbon Street to Boardroom: HubSpot Hacks for Lead Generation in Economic Development
Executive Director
Anchorage, Alaska,
Community Development Authority
Development Director
Anchorage, Alaska,
Community Development Authority
Session: Attainable Housing, An Economic Development Challenge
Learn How Anchorage, Alaska, Is Using Their Community Development Authority To Forge Public-Private Partnerships To Create Attainable Housing In Anchorage.
Victoria Hirschberg
University of Tennessee
Assistant Vice President and Chief Economic Development Director
Dr. Brett Malone
University of Tennessee
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Cherokee Farm Development Corporation
Dr. Mina Sartipi
University of Tennessee Chattanooga
Director of UTC Research Institute
Paul Jennings
University of Tennessee
Executive Director Center for Industrial Services
Everywhere UT Innovates: This panel will explore how the University of Tennessee System, comprised of five campuses and two stateside institutes, is exploring partnerships with industries and communities to elevate innovation on and off campus. The panelists will offer real-life examples of company-university engagements, strategies to work with economic developers and existing industry, and leverage UT resources across the Volunteer State with a focus on rural and urban innovative solutions.
Session: Data Centers. Learn How To Attract & Plan For Data Centers To Make A Positive Impact For Your Community.
President
Director of Public Affairs
Stack Infrastructure, Atlanta
Economic Development Manager
Arizona Public Service (APS)
REGISTRATION DISCOUNT TIMELINE
$1,475 $737 (50% Off Mardi Gras Day Fat Tuesday Discount, Today Only)$1,475 $885 (40% Off Super Early Bird Discount March 5 – June 27, 2025)$1,475 $959 (35% Off Mid-Summer Discount June 28 – July 29, 2025)$1,475$1,032 (30% Off Early Bird Discount July 30 – Cyber Monday Dec. 1, 2025)$1,475$1,180 (20% Off Holiday Discount Dec. 2 – Dec. 31, 2025)$1,475$1,254 (15% Off Jan. 1, 2026 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day Jan. 19, 2026)- $1,475 Full Price When Registering Jan. 20, 2026- February 11, 2026
- FREE for Members of Next Move’s “Movement” learn more about the Movement here.
30% Off Early Bird Discount July 30 – Cyber Monday Dec. 1, 2025
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!
FIRST SESSIONS
Here are our first sessions to be announced, many more to be announced in the coming weeks:
- All Things Data Centers- From The Power Supply Needed To Support Them & How America Will Grow This Needed Electric Capacity, To How To Land Them, To How To Land Manufacturing Companies Which Supply Them Even If You Don’t Land A Data Center Itself
- Crime- What Is The Role Of Economic Development in Crime Reduction?
- This Topic Is On Our Co-Founder Chad’s Mind As On New Year’s Day His Small Hometown Saw 3 People Killed In A Gas Station Robbery At The Same Time As New Orleans Was Being Hit With A Terrorist Attack
- From Shortage To Strategy. How Communities Are Addressing Child Care To Compete For Talent
- Two Site Selectors Panels Where They Answer Questions You Submit Before The Event + Live Q/A
- Why Public Works Is Essential To Economic Development
- What Are 10 Ways Economic Development Boards Sabotage Economic Growth?
- Robert’s Rules Of Order Quick Overview
- Retail Recruitment
- What Makes A Good Industrial Site In 2026? And, How Has That Changed Since 2019?
- Marketing, Get Your Community On The Map
- Disaster Preparation- What Can An Economic Developer Do Before, During, And After A Disaster To Help The Economy?
- Crazy, Huge Reshoring Stories
- Partnerships In Site Selection For all Involved Parties; The Power Of Relationships
- AI- How It Will Effect Everything From Site Selection To The Operation Of Economic Development Organizations
- Inventory Your Workforce- ACT Work Ready Overview
- How Should You Go About Listing Your Buildings & Sites On Real Estate Databases To Get Maximum Exposure?
