Event: Digital Learning Annual Conference (DLAC) 2025

Dates: February 24–26, 2025

Location: Atlanta, GA

Attendees: 1,500+

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Overview

DLAC is one of the country’s most influential events in digital learning, attracting over 1,500 attendees across K-12, higher education, and edtech leadership. This year, DLAC’s internal planning team faced unique challenges that made Executivevents’ role more critical than ever.

As the client team admitted themselves—“this is an odd year and we just couldn’t catch up in planning.” Our goal? Step in with a steady hand, restore clarity and structure onsite, and make the chaos invisible to attendees.

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Our Role

Executivevents provided both strategic planning and boots-on-the-ground operational support across several key areas:

• Pre-event project management and registration setup
• Onsite registration desk operations
• Speaker management and check-in
• Volunteer coordination (by necessity)
• Onsite issue resolution and team leadership

With some last-minute team changes and unexpected requests from the client, adaptability became the theme of the week—and our team delivered.

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Highlights

“Marissa hopped in for Brooke seamlessly. We were able to catch her up to the client’s needs really quickly.”

— Kate, Onsite Lead

Despite last-minute shifts in team personnel, Executivevents maintained continuity and professionalism. Our internal process and knowledge-sharing allowed new team members to onboard rapidly and show up confident, prepared, and client-facing from day one.

“Marissa has done a fabulous job hopping in and acting like she was meant to be here all along!”

This kind of handoff speaks to the strength of our cross-functional training and tight internal collaboration.

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Challenges Met Head-On

Scope Creep & Volunteer Management

While not part of the original scope, our onsite lead was asked to oversee volunteer check-in, under the assumption that a lead volunteer would manage most of it. That support didn’t materialize—so we stepped in.

With nearly 500 speakers checking in, and volunteers in disarray, our lead reorganized multiple spreadsheets into a single streamlined system on the fly, implemented a self-training flow for volunteers, and handled speaker check-in simultaneously.

“It was a whirlwind few hours, but by lunch I had a whole system set up so the volunteers could train each other and check in quickly. I’m super proud of that.”

This kind of high-pressure triage and optimization is what makes the Executivevents team invaluable onsite.

Planning & Burnout Boundaries

Another challenge? The client frequently requested extended hours for staff beyond what was scheduled, making it difficult to adhere to the 10-hour daily maximum. While the team stayed flexible, we flagged the issue to encourage clearer boundaries and better planning alignment next year.

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Opportunities for Growth

Through this event, we uncovered two key ways to provide even more value next year:

1. Full Registration Platform Management: The client’s internal team is overwhelmed by registration logistics. We can take this off their plate entirely to reduce bottlenecks and improve attendee experience.
2. Volunteer Management as a Service: Given the importance—and unpredictability—of volunteer support, offering this as a formalized pre-event and onsite service could prevent chaos and improve efficiency across the board.

“If we can get them to use us for planning again, that would make a huge difference. Managing the reg platform and volunteer coordination could take huge burdens off the client’s team.”

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A Moment of Levity

In the middle of the organized chaos, a moment of joy emerged:

One team member’s daughter had asked her to bring home a “small koala” as a souvenir. Somehow, the universe delivered—one of the expo vendors was giving away tiny koala squish balls, and Marissa charmed her way into scoring one for Aria. A small moment that perfectly captured the heart and hustle of the EE team.

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Results

• 489+ speakers checked in, along with 1,500+ attendees
• Volunteer check-in restructured and streamlined on the fly
• Speaker and registration management handled with calm professionalism
• Demonstrated leadership in a “scrambled” planning year
• Strengthened relationship with the DLAC team through trust and problem-solving

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Final Thoughts

DLAC 2025 reminded us that great event support isn’t just about executing a plan—it’s about being the team clients rely on when the plan changes. From speaker logistics to spreadsheet rescues, we showed up as partners, problem-solvers, and professionals.

And when things ran smoothly onsite, despite all the pre-show disorganization, the client noticed. That’s the kind of value that doesn’t always show up in a contract—but always shows up onsite.

Need a partner who can bring order to the chaos—and a little joy to the journey? Let’s talk.

Executivevents is the leader in event management

At Executivevents, we provide end-to-end corporate event solutions designed for impact—so you can focus on the big picture while we bring your vision to life.