Michigan Municipal League

Event Garde guides MML to redefine event strategy, ensuring alignment, engagement, and sustainability

“Aaron is an excellent facilitator and really helped our stakeholders engage in each session. His understanding of events and strategic direction helped our team create the goals we needed for our programming.”

- Sarah Martin, Event Planner, MML

Benefit Summary

Created five guiding commitments to shape MML’s education and events portfolio.
Strengthened alignment of CapCon and Annual Convention with member needs and organizational strategy.
Increased focus on inclusion, financial sustainability, and storytelling to enhance long-term impact.
Provided actionable strategies and implementation tools to optimize event design and delivery.

Challenge

The Michigan Municipal League (MML) faced the need to reimagine its flagship events—the Capital Conference (CapCon) and Annual Convention—after a complete turnover of its events team in 2022. With fresh staff and a growing demand for innovation, the League sought clarity on whether these events continued to serve member needs, how to ensure financial sustainability, and how to foster greater engagement and relevance across its diverse membership.

Solution

Event Garde facilitated a multi-phase process beginning with a portfolio-wide visioning session, followed by deep dives into both CapCon and the Annual Convention. Using the Technology of Participation (ToP) facilitation methods, we helped MML define a shared vision, identify accomplishments and barriers, and create strategies to modernize programming. Together, the League and Event Garde developed guiding commitments around engagement, inclusion, innovation, financial performance, and storytelling—ensuring that each event advances organizational goals and delivers member value.

Finish

The result is a clear, actionable roadmap for MML’s two signature events that balances tradition with innovation. By aligning events with strategic priorities and member expectations, MML now has the clarity and tools to strengthen engagement, ensure financial sustainability, and deliver transformative experiences for municipal leaders statewide.

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