Special Events
Professional Development Workshop
Wednesday, September 24 | 9:00a - 3:30p
This event is an additional charge.
Paths of Progress: A Planning Tour through Metroparks Toledo
On Wednesday September 24, the Statewide Planning Conference 2025 (SPC25) will hold a Professional Development Workshop (PDW) prior to the main SPC25 occurring on Thursday & Friday September 25-26. The PDW is a focused learning one-day event on a subject to allow attendees to gain knowledge on a topic that they can take with them back to their community. The PDW this year will involve a guided bus tour of several Metroparks Toledo facilities that have incorporated aspects of history, recreation, education, and sustainability. The guided bus tour will be narrated by Matthew Killam (Chief External Relations Officer) of Metroparks Toledo.
The tentative schedule of the Metroparks Toledo Bus Tour includes:
- ~9:30am Leave Renaissance Hotel (Motorcoach Bus)
- Visit Glass City Metropark (and the Ribbon)
- Visit Middlegrounds Metropark
- Visit Cannaley Treehouse Village in Oak Openings (potential lunch location)
- Visit Providence Metropark (Ludwig Mill/Canal Boat)
- ~3:30pm Return to Renaissance Hotel
Thank you Professional Development Sponsor:
Google Earth Virtual Reality Experience
Thursday, September 25 | 11:00a - 4:00p
This event is included in full conference and single day registrations.
Where do you want to go? Using Google Earth VR, we will take you anywhere in the world and let you experience your surrounding like you never have before! You can choose any, continent, country, region, city, or street, and get the real-word perspective on all of the sights. Plus, once there you can actually move the sun to different points in the sky to see their surroundings from different times of day. The options for entertainment through this experience are literally endless and we're excited to see how you use it!
Thank you VR Experience Sponsor:
Cities of the Future 3D IMAX Film | A Private Screening
Friday, September 26 | 9:00a - 10:00a
This event is included in full conference and single day registrations.
Join us for a private screening of the 3D IMAX film, Cities of the Future, at the KeyBank Discovery Theatre located in Toledo's Imagination Station Science Center (connected to conference venue).
Imagine stepping 50 years into the future and finding smart cities designed to be totally sustainable. Renewable energy is our primary power source, space-based solar power provides solar energy 24 hours a day, everything is recycled, and you travel in individualized pods that run on little or no energy. This isn’t science fiction. Professionals are making plans for a sustainable world right now, and we can see it in 3D IMAX! Narrated by John Krasinski, we'll be transported into what's possible for the future of our communities and then engage in a community conversation to enliven and enlighten us to step confidently into the new frontier!
