Thursday, July 17

- Leading Through Complexity: Strengthening Trust and Decision-Making Cost: $100
   Matt Lehrman, Co-founder and Managing Director, Social Prosperity Partners

Mounting challenges to civic unity, economic uncertainty, and shifting political pressures — from both state and federal levels — are making local leadership more difficult than ever. In a time of deepening divides, local leaders must face these pressures with advancing skill — every decision shapes the stability and future of their communities. Learn to navigate conflict, engage stakeholders, and foster confidence in your decisions.

  - Say More by Saying Less – The Power of Purposeful Communication Cost: $100
     Leniece Lane, Consultant, Small Town Soul

This session will explore effective communication strategies for city leaders and community partners, focusing on best practices for engaging residents in local government. It will provide practical suggestions for building trust, navigating difficult conversations, and addressing the concerns of disgruntled residents to foster collaboration and positive change in the community.

Thursday, July 17

(New in 2025: Please note that the Opening General Session will take place on Thursday afternoon.) 

• 3:45 – 5:00 p.m. Opening Session 
  Annual Business Meeting
  Municipal Elected Officials Institute of Government graduation

Friday, July 18 

• 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. 2025 Legislative Update
  
  This year concluded the first year of a two-year legislative session for the SC General Assembly. Join the Municipal Association’s advocacy team to learn about bills that passed, bills that did not pass, and action that local officials can take to support cities and towns in the 2026 session.
   
• 10:15 – 11:15 a.m. Keynote – Global Order: War, Conflict, Stability, and the Nobel Peace Prize
  
  The Honorable David Beasley, Former Governor of SC, Former Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme
  
  Former SC Governor David Beasley explores the dynamics of global order, examining war, conflict, paths to stability, and the impact of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Saturday, July 19

11:00 – 11:45 a.m. Leading Under Pressure: Stress Management for Community Leaders

Lauren H. Carter, PhD, Clinical Director, Modern Minds

Life can be stressful. Hear how stress impacts the body and learn stress management strategies to be better leaders in your community.

Welcome Reception

Thursday, July 17

• 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. Kick off the Annual Meeting and enjoy cocktails and light hors d’oeuvres while catching up with old friends. 

Exhibit Hall

Friday, July 18

• 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Visit with companies that provide goods and services to municipalities. You can purchase a boxed lunch if you want to enjoy a light lunch while visiting the exhibits. Boxed lunches must be purchased in advance. 
   

Boxed Lunch in Exhibit Hall 

(Cost $40 - Boxed lunches must be purchased in advance.)

Friday, July 18

• 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Lunch on Friday is on your own. You can purchase a boxed lunch in advance. These will be available for pick up in the exhibit hall. Boxed lunches will be a sandwich, potato chips, soft drink and cookie. Tickets for the boxed lunch must be purchased in advance. 

   

Awards Luncheon

Cost $65

Saturday, July 19

• 11:45 a.m. – 1:45 p.m.
  Learn from the accomplishments of this year’s winners of the Municipal Achievement Awards and the Main Street South Carolina Excellence on Main Street Award. 

   

Lowcountry Boil

Cost $75, Children under 12 $40

Saturday, July 19

• 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
  Join friends old and new for a family event featuring a casual dinner of Lowcountry boil and pork BBQ and dancing with your favorite music from DJ Dave Gilbert in a fun and casual atmosphere. It’s a backyard BBQ without the mosquitos and humidity.

Hotel Information
The Hilton Beachfront Resort is the host hotel and location for all meetings and events. There are several overflow hotels to accommodate meeting attendees. 

Registering for the meeting and making hotel reservations for municipal officials
Municipal officials have priority in reserving hotel rooms. To ensure all have an equal opportunity, the Association will conduct a drawing on June 2 to determine the order cities will register during appointments on June 16, 17 and 18.
 

Hotel and registration procedures for meeting registrants who are not municipal officials and municipal officials without an appointment
Beginning on June 19, go to the annual meeting page to register for the Annual Meeting and make hotel reservations. The deadline to reserve a hotel room at the Association’s discounted rates is June 19. The preregistration deadline is July 3. After July 3, individuals must register on-site.
 

Planning Worksheet
To prepare for the registration appointments, use the planning worksheet available online.

Hotel reservations

• Hilton Beachfront Resort (host hotel) - $259/night with a $576.22 deposit (Two-night minimum stay required)
• Sonesta - $349/night with a $412.92 deposit
• Beach House -$299/night with a $335.81 deposit
   

Payment method
(Do not send card information to the Association. Destroy the card information after using the online registration system.)
Payment for registration, tickets and hotel deposits must be made by Visa or MasterCard. Ensure there is an adequate available credit to cover the registrations/reservations. Also, ensure the credit card activity will be within the card’s transaction limit by comparing the total being charged on the worksheets to the total transaction limit on the card(s) being used. The CVV security code is needed to complete the transaction.

Terms
1. Registration fees and hotel deposits are nonrefundable. Tickets purchased are refundable prior to 5 p.m. on July 3. 2. Call Ken Ivey of the Municipal Association to cancel tickets and hotel reservations or for special needs requests (803.933.1205).
3. The hotels assign room types at check-in and requested room types are not guaranteed.
4. Hotel deposits include taxes and fees.
5. Failure to check in on the date reserved for arrival will result in the guest’s room being canceled and the deposit being forfeited.

Important Dates

• June 2 - Drawing for municipal registration appointments
• June 16, 17, 18 - Online registration appointments for municipalities
• June 19 - Online registration for nonmunicipal registrants opens
• June 19 - Deadline to reserve hotel room
• July 3 - Registration deadline

Meeting registration and hotel deposits are nonrefundable. Tickets can be refunded before July 3.

There will be a drawing for a door prize after each session. Also, attendees can enter to win a 
pair of Ray-Ban Meta AI Glasses. Door prizes are compliments of VC3.
 

Sessions are held in the Palmetto Boardroom.
 

Thursday, July 17

10:00 a.m.  AI Applications in Local Government: Empowering Public Safety, Transportation, Urban Planning and Citizen Services

11:00 a.m.  Still Relying on Antivirus? It’s No Longer Enough.

2:15 p.m.    Is Your Municipality Compliant with CJIS’s Updated MFA Security Policy?

3:30 p.m.   A Guide to Municipal IT Budget Planning

Friday, July 18

10:00 a.m.  What You Need to Know About the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program

11:15 a.m.  The End of Windows 10 Support: What’s Happening, Why It’s Important, and What to Do Next

2:45 p.m.   Why Municipalities Need a .gov Domain and Professional Email Provider

4:00 p.m.   Advanced AI Tips for ChatGPT, Word, Excel, and Outlook

Saturday, July 19

9:30 a.m.   Disaster Recovery Checklist and Best Practices for Municipalities 10:30 a.m.  A Managed IT Services Foundation for Cities and Towns
 

The City Connect Market, a cooperative purchasing program partnership with HGACBuy, allows South 
Carolina cities and towns to take advantage of volume discounts for many of their purchases.
These brief sessions will explain many of the available contracts which can cover everything from 
fire trucks to ambulances, public works equipment, police officer body cameras and playground 
equipment.
 

Sessions are held in the Carolina Boardroom.

Thursday, July 17

11:30 a.m.  From Solo to Synergy: Your First Step Into Cooperative Buying
2:45 p.m.   Optimizing Fire and Emergency Procurement: Balancing Cost, Quality and Speed
4:00 p.m.   Crafting Extraordinary Public
Events: Streamlined Procurement for Impactful Experiences

Friday, July 18

10:30 a.m.  From Strategy to Savings: Cooperative Purchasing as a Procurement Power Tool
3:00 p.m.   Smart Fleet Procurement:
Strategies for Cost Optimization and Operational Excellence
4:15 p.m.   Waste Not: Streamlining Public Works Procurement for Impact

Saturday, July 19

9:15 a.m.   Cooperative Purchasing in 2025: Evolving Strategies, Insights and New Contracts You Should Know About
10:45 a.m.  Flexible Workforce, Firm Contracts: Temp Staffing in Focus
 

Parking at the Hilton is extremely limited. Only registered guests will be able to park there.

If you do not have a hotel room at the Hilton, you must park at the satellite parking lot located at the Christ Lutheran Church (829 William Hilton Parkway). This is just outside of Palmetto Dunes. Shuttle service has been arranged to carry you from the church parking lot to the Hilton each day.

Shuttle service will be available during the following hours:

• Thursday, July 17    7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Friday, July 18    7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

• Saturday, July 19    7:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. and 5:00 – 10:00 p.m.

   

Depending on road conditions, the shuttle should arrive at the parking lot every 15 – 30 minutes. Plan accordingly.