The Gateway to Alliance

by Brad Carlson

St. Louis.  It’s been called “The Gateway to the West.”  The reason for this was it has been deemed an ideal spot for tradesmen and adventurers to connect.

In 2023, St. Louis will host the Higher Education User Group’s Alliance Conference in a fitting assembly of Higher Education professionals on an adventure of sharing and trading their knowledge and experiences.

In 2022, the community made a triumphant return to an in-person conference, and I know I’m not alone when I say it was an incredible experience to see everyone in real life instead of just a two-dimensional video representation behind a web camera.  This year promises to be even better, as the excitement has not only carried over from the end of the conference in Seattle, but it has grown as we head full steam into the 2023 conference.

As a member of the conference team, I see the hard work that goes into delivering the Alliance experience.  I also see all the proposals submitted, and work with a great group of people to help build the program content from those.  I have no doubt there will be valuable sessions for everyone who attends.  But to me, networking is my favorite part of the conference, and to that end, there’s plenty of opportunities for reconnecting with friends while in St. Louis.

And if you are looking for ideas outside the bustling America’s Center, the city offers an incredible array of culinary experiences, live music to satisfy any preference, as well as museums and galleries for those looking to the finer arts.  Each and every one of which presents a great opportunity for reconnecting with those we’ve gotten to know on our Alliance adventures over the years, and who we trade/share our knowledge with to make our community stronger.

St. Louis. The Gateway to the West.  I’ll be there, and I hope to see you there, too.

Alliance 2023 runs from February 26 to March 1 in St. Louis, Missouri. Register by January 14 and take advantage of the early bird deal before time runs out! We hope to see you soon!