COMMSCON 2026

Northwest Arkansas’ creative community is invited to CommsCon 2026! Artists, creatives, creative entrepreneurs, and arts and culture nonprofit organizations are invited to two-days that are free-to-you access to communications professionals and communications skill development.

Where: Fayetteville Public Library
When: September 21 and 22
Time: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm both days

Tickets.

Register for Either Day

Day 01.

Artists & Creative Entrepreneurs

Day 02.

Arts & Culture Nonprofits

Get Your Ticket(s)

Day 1 Tickets: Artists & Creative Entrepreneurs

Day 2 Tickets: Arts & Culture Nonprofits

Photos courtesy of Nik Cagle from CommsCon24

COMMSCON Day 1

Day 1 is all about creatives! Full Schedule Below:

10:00 – 10:30 am — Registration and Check-in
10:30 – 11:30 am — Articulating Your WHY to Your Network
Identify and articulate your “why” as an artist! Own it and keep it at the core of all your communications, from a pitch email to your socials and web presence.
Facilitator: Stacie Bloomfield
11:45 am – 12:45 pm — Building Brand and Reputation
Branding and marketing seem icky or scary? Whether you’re a new creative entrepreneur (or don’t even identify as that yet) or have been doing this for a while, this session will set you up with a zero judgment and easy-to-use checklist to help you present your visual brand authentically and consistently.
Facilitator: Matthew McMillan – E_O Space
12:45 pm – 1:30 pm — Lunch provided!
1:30 – 2:30 pm — Documentation
Brand storytelling through video and images without losing the humanity in your work is a challenge. This practical session will include specific how-to’s and tools as well as encouragement as you navigate the challenges of putting yourself out there.
Facilitator: Jessica Whalen
2:45 – 3:45 — Panel Discussion – Driving Sales and Visibility
Effective promotion on social media and online sales platforms transforms art into a product that can reach a wider, global, or targeted audience. Make it make “cents.”
Panelists: Stacie Bloomfield, Na’Tosha De’Von, Ashlyn Dillard’Hansen, Travis Smith
4:00 – 5:00 pm — Getting the Word(s) Out
How to talk to the media and other audiences about your work and your next big project.
Facilitator: Jason Suel
5:00 – 6:00 pm — Social Hour
Drinks and snacks provided
Ongoing 1:1 Consulting Sessions!
Get a new professional headshot, meet with a consultant for free one-on-one support to build a brand blueprint, evaluate your social media strategy, get tools to build creative content or strategies to communicate with the media, and get to know representatives from CACHE and FPL.

Day 1 Tickets: Artists & Creative Entrepreneurs

COMMSCON Day 2

Day 2 is all about arts and culture nonprofits! Full Schedule Below:

10:00 – 10:30 am — Registration and Check-in
10:30 – 11:30 am — Articulating your WHY
Every post, every email, and every newsletter can make it easier for folks to know who you are and what you’re all about. Keep your mission at the core of your communication strategy to expand your audience and strengthen your peer network.
Facilitator: Jesse Lane – Branches Mission Lab & Goodmaker U
11:45 am – 12:45 pm — Messaging Frameworks
A brave conversation about “authentic voice” from organization leaders who have navigated all-too familiar changes and PR challenges in the last few years.
Moderator: Amber Perrodin – CACHE Artist and Community Manager at the Medium
12:45 pm – 1:30 pm — Lunch provided!
1:30 – 2:30 pm —Panel Discussion on AI Use
AI in Communication: Nonprofits are asking a lot of questions: Should we have an AI policy? How can AI increase our efficiency and further our mission? What’s the environmental and social impact? This session will be an open and vulnerable conversation between panelists from several perspectives to explore the rapidly evolving landscape of this new technology.
Panel Moderator:
Orson Weems – Music Education Initiative (MEI)
2:45 – 3:45 pm — Grant Writing – Write it Once
Grant applications can be daunting but you don’t have to start from scratch each time. Get a jump start on grant applications with a workshop that gives you time to write answers to the most common questions.
Facilitator: Hannah Lastra – Melanie Palmer Consulting
4:00 – 5:00 pm — Tools for Telling Your Story
Every team member has a story. Every team member represents the organization. Messaging framework and guidance to help every single team member and board member communicate your organization’s purpose clearly and consistently.
Facilitator:
Holland Hayden – Amazeum
Krystle Goodwin – Single Parent Scholarship Fund of NWA
5:00 – 6:00 pm — Social Hour: Meet the Press
You’ve spent all day talking about communications. Meet local media members and introduce your org! We’ll keep the snacks and drinks flowing!
Ongoing 1:1 Consulting Opportunities
Have a new professional headshot taken, meet with a consultant for free one-on-one support to evaluate your social media strategy, discuss tips for press releases, tackle crisis communication strategies, look at the public story your 990 tells, get grant-writing support, get to know representatives from CACHE and FPL.