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2026 OEDA Annual Summit

October 6–9, 2026 | Dayton, Ohio

Join Ohio's economic development community October 6–9 in Dayton for the 2026 OEDA Annual Summit. Four days of sessions, networking, tours, and professional development across six tracks.

30+ Action-focused sessions across sites, infrastructure, workforce, finance, technology, and leadership in Dayton's brand-new Convention Center

Keynotes featuring GE Aerospace, JobsOhio, and Ohio's top defense sector leaders

Make meaningful connections with other economic development practitioners through networking, learning labs, and social events

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

  • OEDA Member: $569 (early-bird)/ $619 (regular rate)
  • Non-member: $709 (early-bird)/$759 (regular rate)

Not an OEDA member yet? Join when registering and save!

  • $909 early-bird/ $959 regular rate

Multiple attendees from your organization? Register together and save!

  • $519 early-bird/ $569 regular rate

Early bird rate end on Friday 8/14/26. Registration is open until 9/25/26.

Are you a sponsor or exhibitor with comped tickets? Check your email for your code to register.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Lunch Keynote Speaker, October 7th - "Fit for Purpose: A Practitioner's Approach to Earning Community Trust"

                   

Rebecca Darling is Director of Community Affairs and Partnerships at CoreWeave, one of the nation's leading AI infrastructure companies. She built the company's community affairs function from the ground up, overseeing stakeholder engagement, community benefit agreements, and social license strategy across a growing portfolio of data center projects. Before CoreWeave, Rebecca held senior external affairs roles at Newmont, Barrick, and Rio Tinto, worked with the IFC and The Asia Foundation on international development programming, and spent nearly a decade as a Visiting Scholar at Cornell University. She brings hard-won field experience, from global mining operations to emerging tech infrastructure, to the practice of turning opposition into ownership.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

Agracel • AES • Bricker Graydon Wyatt • Bruns Construction Enterprises • Business First • Choice One Engineering • City of Dayton • CityWide Development Corp • Coolidge Wall • Dayton Development Coalition • Exxcel Project Management • Findlay-Hancock ED • HDR • Huntington National Bank • I-70/75 Development Association • JobsOhio • Kleinfelder • Kutak Rock LLP • Lathrop Turner • Mannik Smith • Miller Valentine • Montgomery County • Neighborhood Strategies • NORED • Norfolk Southern • OCPA • PlanningNEXT • Rudolph Libbe • SSOE • Terracon • The Columbus Region • Verdantas • Woolpert

We are grateful to all our sponsors for their commitment and dedication to Ohio's economic development practitioners.

Interested in sponsorship? Contact Jason Kester — jkester@agracel.com

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THE VENUE

The brand-new Dayton Convention Center sits at the center of a revitalized downtown, making it one of the first major events to call this state-of-the-art facility home. With flexible meeting spaces, modern amenities, and a walkable location surrounded by restaurants, breweries, and hotels within blocks, the DCC offers everything a multi-day conference demands. Connected directly to the Vitality Hotel and steps from the Dayton Arcade, Carillon Park, and America's Packard Museum, it puts attendees at the heart of one of Ohio's most compelling economic development stories — a city that's building its next chapter in real time.

WHERE YOU'LL STAY

Dayton is one of Ohio's most dynamic economic development stories — and the perfect backdrop for this year's Summit. The brand-new Dayton Convention Center anchors a walkable downtown packed with restaurants, breweries, and entertainment within blocks of every conference hotel. From the historic Dayton Arcade to Carillon Park's world-class innovation exhibits, the city offers a firsthand look at what community-driven revitalization looks like in practice. Whether you're catching up with colleagues over dinner on the town or exploring between sessions, Dayton delivers.

For more information on Dayton, check out Destination Dayton: https://www.destinationdayton.org/

HOTEL INFORMATION

Book your hotel today! We have multiple room blocks at local hotels, the deadline for booking being: September 5 (*though we can't guarantee they won't sell out before then).

Hotel Ardent

  • $149 (king) / $159 (two queens)
  • 10 min walk (0.4 mi) to Dayton Convention Center
  • Click here to book! 
    • reference code: OEDA26

Hilton Garden Inn

  • Connected to Dayton Arcade
  • 6 min walk (0.3 mi) to Dayton Convention Center
  • $169 (king or two queens)
  • Click here to book!

Fairfield Inn & Suites

  • Starting location of OEDA Fun Run/Walk
  • 16 min walk (0.7 mi) to Dayton Convention Center
  • $179 (king or two queens)
  • Click here to book!

AC Marriott Downtown Dayton

CONTACT

  • Session Proposals: Amy Sealts — amy@putnamcountycic.com / 419.523.5595
  • Event Logistics: Lindsay Rossi West — lrossiwest@ohioeda.com / 419.775.6462
  • Sponsorships: Jason Kester — jkester@agracel.com