What does it take to build a regional event weekend so good that alumni block their calendars a year in advance? So good that your president, your deans, your boards, your faculty, and your alumni all want a seat at the table, both to help plan it and to be part of it?
That is the question Kelly Holdcraft is going to answer at our next Agora.
Over the past decade, William & Mary has run five regional signature weekends in DC, New York City, Chicago, and San Francisco. These are not your typical regional receptions. They bring the best of the institution, its distinguished faculty, its network of Tribe faithful, and its unmistakable spirit of discovery, into iconic settings for a few days of connection, discovery, and celebration.
The numbers from William & Mary Weekend DC 2026 tell the story. Nearly 50 events, more than half of them sold out. Over 1,100 attendees. Fifteen schools and units represented across four days. The programming ran from a kickoff celebration with NFL alumni to an immersive MLB college game day, a presidential conversation on artificial intelligence, tours of W&M’s 90-foot coastal research vessel, and a sold-out auction. Once-in-a-lifetime experiences, intellectual, professional, cultural, and social, for everyone who showed up.
If you are thinking about regional signature events, wrestling with how to get campus partners to actually show up, or trying to figure out how to structure a big volunteer committee without it falling apart, this is the session for you.
Join us:
Thursday, November 5, 2026 at 12:00 PM Eastern
Featuring: Kelly Holdcraft, Executive Director of Alumni Success, William & Mary
See what they built at weekend.wm.edu, then come hear how they actually did it. Block your calendar and bring your questions.
After Kelly’s presentation, we will break into smaller groups to talk through how these ideas apply at your own institution.