Events and Keynotes
Below is a detailed schedule of events, keynotes, and what to expect at the 2018 BOOST Conference!
*Please note this schedule is subject to change
TUESDAY, MAY 1
Pre-Conference Academies
11:00am – 5:00pm
Maximizing Student Strengths in Out-of-School Time
Using the Gallup StrengthsFinder with Students and Program Staff
Click here for more information about all of our Pre-Conference Academies.
BOOST Conference Orientation
BOOST Conference Attendee Promising Practices: How to Navigate the Conference and Make the Most of Your Professional Development Experience
Are you new to BOOST? Have you attend BOOST in the past but need a refresher? Stay up-to-date on attendee promising practices during our on-site orientation to help you maximize your time and learning before the conference, during the conference and how to stay connected post conference. Topics covered:
- Preparing for the conference
- How to get involved and play a leadership role at BOOST
- Tips on Networking
- Navigating the Exhibit Hall
- Determining the best learning opportunities for your professional development needs
- How to use the conference app to maximize your conference experience and much, much more!
BOOST Conference Orientation will take place every hour on Tuesday, May 1 (1:00pm-5:00pm) and Wednesday, May 2 (7:00am-11:00am)
Room location TBD
BOOST Swim Club
1:00pm – 5:00pm
Not attending a Pre-conference Academy? No problem. Catch some rays, good vibes, and gear up for the conference. Dance to the grooves of our resident DJ and play water games during this pre-conference networking mixer! Sunscreen not included.
Welcome Reception
5:30pm – 6:30pm
Join us for our early evening opening reception poolside. Connect with colleagues and make new friends while the sun sets against the San Jacinto mountains. A perfect way to start the conference!
Annual Hat Contest
BOOST is continuing our creative and fun tradition at our Annual Opening Reception so get ready to celebrate in style. Show up at the opening poolside reception on Tuesday evening and show off. Don’t forget to bring a hat! Glamorous headpieces, outrageous-themed head wear, fancy floral arrangements, sports-themed caps or boost your company/agency flair!
Be entered into one of 3 different Hat Contest categories: Most Glamorous, Best Theme, and Most Creative.
The Opening Reception is truly a day to celebrate in Palm Springs with colleagues from all over the globe.
Pop-Up Dinners
6:30pm-9:30pm
Looking for dinner plans while at the BOOST Conference? Want to meet and network with new, awesome and like-minded BOOSTers? Join our Pop-up Mystery Dinners for just that purpose! Space is limited. Sign up links coming soon.
*Please note that you must be registered to attend the 2018 BOOST Conference and your account paid in full in order to register for Pop-Up Dinners.
ESCAPE ROOM Palm Springs
7:00pm-9:30pm
A fun and exciting team building experience where you and your team will work together to achieve a common goal, and in doing so, bond, strengthen your relationships, and improve communication and teamwork. Each game is 60 minutes in length and includes an orientation and debriefing after each game.
This special event is $40 per person and is first-come, first-served. Complete this form and submit to us. Upon receipt, we will contact you with a private link to register and pay for this event. Transportation is on your own.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 2
Breakfast with Exhibitors
7:30am
Mingle with our exhibitors and enjoy a healthy breakfast in the Exhibit Hall. It's a great way to start your day!
Conference Opening & General Session
8:45am – 9:45am
BOOST Break with Exhibitors & Meet the Authors
9:45am – 10:15am
Join your colleagues in the Exhibit Hall for networking and lots of awesome raffle prizes! Mingle with Exhibitors and have the opportunity to learn about the latest resources, curriculum, and services to enhance your program. See your conference program for the Meet the Authors schedule.
Lunch & General Session
OSTI Awards
12:30pm– 1:30pm
Bryan Stevenson is one of the country's most visionary legal thinkers and social justice advocates. A MacArthur fellow and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, Stevenson is a founding leader of the movement against mass incarceration in the U.S. He recently served on President Obama's task force on 21st-century policing. An inspiring and unflinchingly honest speaker, Bryan Stevenson talks about defending some of America’s most rejected and marginalized people. The stories he tells are heartbreaking, yet inspiring, and motivate audiences to make a change.
2018 OSTI (Out-of-School Time Innovations) Awards
BOOST Break with Exhibitors & Meet the Authors
1:30pm – 2:30pm
Join your colleagues in the Exhibit Hall for snacks, networking, and lots of awesome raffle prizes! Mingle with Exhibitors and have the opportunity to learn about the latest resources, curriculum, and services to enhance your program. See your conference program for the Meet the Authors schedule.
BOOST Live Networking Reception
4:45pm – 6:00pm
Duck, Duck, BOOST Relay Race
Race starts at 6pm in the pool!
Oh yes, it’s a new twist on the classic Duck Race! Get your ducks in a row during the BOOST Live Reception on Wednesday evening. Cheer on our duck racers in our annual Duck, Duck, BOOST Relay Race in the pool! Who will be the lucky duck?!
Prince & Purple Rain Homecoming Party
Dearly beloved- We are gathered here today to get through this thing called life. So tonight we’re going to party like it’s 1999! Admission is easy, just say you believe and come to this place in your heart, Paisley Park is in your heart. Everybody loosen up and shake it like you just don’t care!
Costumes, raspberry berets, and lots of purple encouraged! DJ, dancing, appetizers and purple drink specials will be available for purchase.
Homecoming Party Sponsors:
THURSDAY, MAY 3
Morning Recess
6:45am – 8:30am
Get up! Wake up! Rejuvenate! Bring your friends (and meet new friends) at the Morning Recess session. Maximize your morning and set the tone for the day.
Tour de BOOST Walk/Scavenger Hunt
Join fellow BOOSTers on a #TourdeBOOST fun walk scavenger hunt around Palm Springs. This 3-mile scavenger hunt through scenic Palm Springs will lead you to some of Hollywood’s most famous stars’ Palm Spring getaways. Come enjoy a beautiful Palm Springs morning, get some exercise, and best of all, connect with other BOOSTers as you figure out which Hollywood stars’ homes you are going to visit! Meet in front of the Palm Springs Convention Center, East Lawn, at 6:45am to get your clues. The Tour de BOOST fun walk scavenger hunt will begin at 7:00am. Please wear comfortable clothing and closed-toe shoes. Complimentary bottled water and snacks will be provided.
To participate, you must pre-register for this event. To do so, please access your online registration account and update your cart. To register on-site at the conference, please visit the BOOST Booth (#0101 & #0105) in the Exhibit hall. Registration will be $20 and all proceeds will benefit a local nonprofit.
All proceeds will benefit:
Breakfast with Exhibitors
8:00am
Mingle with our exhibitors and enjoy a healthy breakfast in the Exhibit Hall. It’s a great way to start your day!
Opening & General Session
8:45am – 9:45am
Evaluation Cabana Hosted by American Institutes for Research
9:00am – 3:00pm
Program evaluation and assessment of key skills can seem complicated. We want to help demystify evaluation and assessment. And we want to do it while relaxing poolside in a cabana at the BOOST Conference.
Join one of AIR's evaluation experts to answer your evaluation and assessment questions. By signing up, you will get a 40-minute timeslot on Thursday during the BOOST Conference. Let us know your specific questions when you sign up and we will be sure to have appropriate materials to share with you.
Some example questions are:
- Is my program too new to evaluate? How do I know where to start?
- Should I use grades and test scores to evaluate my program?
- How many participants do I need to have data on to show an impact?
- Does an outside evaluator need to conduct my evaluation?
- How do I assess social and emotional skills?
Don't let these questions limit you!
Sign up link coming soon!
Networking Lunch & Meet the Authors
12:00pm-1:00pm
Lunch will be served in the exhibit hall. Grab your lunch and take this opportunity to mix and mingle with exhibitors and participate in our Meet the Authors series throughout the exhibit hall.
BOOST Break with Exhibitors & Meet the Authors
2:30pm – 3:30pm
Join your colleagues in the Exhibit Hall for snacks, networking and lots of awesome raffle prizes! Mingle with Exhibitors and have the opportunity to learn about the latest resources, curriculum, and services to enhance your program. See your conference program for the Meet the Authors schedule.
Enjoy an hour of exclusive promotions and discounts from selected vendors in our Exhibit Hall. Shop 'Til You BOOST!
THINK RED Inspire & Paint
6:00pm – 8:30pm 
The event will be hosted by professional Artist and drag queen Xrystal from Wine and Paint Social and BOOST Collaborative
Please join us for a fun event of painting while raising funds to benefit organizations that serve the San Diego HIV & AIDS community. This fun event will be guided by professional artist, Nathan Mohle, BFA of San Diego, CA.
100% of the proceeds go to the San Diego non-profit Think Red Project.
TICKET INFORMATION- $25
Ticket includes:
• 2 hours of professional painting instruction
• Use of acrylic paints, paintbrushes, and easel
• 11" x 14” canvas for you to take home
Drink specials will be available for BOOST attendees participating in this event.
Think Red Project & Red Dress Party San Diego / www.reddresspartysd.com
Login and register for this event here
Village Fest Street Fair
6:00pm – 10:00pm
Locals and tourists happily mingle at the Palm Springs Villagefest held year round every Thursday evening on Palm Canyon Drive. An open-air street fair with more than 200 booths offering live music, fresh fruit stands, artists, craftsman, unique foods, and street entertainers to charm the crowd is a must for conference-goers. Admission is free and within walking distance from all of the BOOST conference hotels!
The Palm Springs Art Museum offers free public admission every Thursday evening from 4-8pm during downtown Villagefest! The Art Museum currently has 28 galleries, five art storage vaults, two sculpture gardens, four classrooms/resource centers, a 90-seat lecture hall, the 433-seat Annenberg Theater, a Museum Store and a Café in an architecturally significant building designed by architect E. Stewart Williams at the base of Mount San Jacinto. An adjacent Administration building contains offices and a 12,000-volume Library.
Dive-In Movie - Poolside (Free event!)
8:00pm – 10:00pm
Tell me about it STUD!
That’s right - the Grease Sing-Along is coming to the 2018 BOOST Conference! BOOSTers will take a trip back to Rydell High to experience 1950s adventure, friendship, and romance! We encourage you to dress up as your favorite character from the movie and sing along to the timeless tunes of “Summer Nights”, “Beauty School Dropout”, “You’re the One That I Want” and more.
Dress up like Danny Zuko or Sandy, Hand jive poolside, and fall in love with this classic 50s musical all over again.
Gather poolside in a chaise lounge or on a raft in the pool and watch the film on the big screen! Drink and appetizer specials will be available. Rafts and BOOST beach towels will be available for purchase at the BOOST Gear Shop in the Exhibit Hall on Wednesday & Thursday only.
FRIDAY, MAY 4
BreakFEST
7:30am
It's a new twist on breakfast! Meet us on the East Lawn for a breakfast festival experience- food truck, music, and yoga (BYOM- bring your own mat!) Coffee and breakfast bowls will be available for purchase. This is the perfect opportunity to say your farewells before heading to the closing & raffle.
Closing & Raffle
11:15am – 12:00pm
Don't miss our fun and energetic conference closing with over $30,000 worth of raffle prizes! Get your raffle tickets at the door for a chance to win!
Extra Credit
12:00pm until..
You have attended workshops, networking events, met with exhibitors - now what? Take this opportunity to intentionally connect with your colleagues and begin your action planning and next steps. We have complimentary meeting space for you and your team to retreat and begin the process to focus on ideas and setting goals for end-of-year, summer, and upcoming school year.
Please note: Name badges are required to attend all BOOST Conference events including all meals and all workshops.
