Career and Technical Education Summit
November 12-13, 2026
Delta Hotels Minneapolis Northeast, 1330 Industrial Blvd. NE
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The Career and Technical Education Summit is Minnesota's biggest gathering of CTE educators, leaders, workforce and industry partners, and community stakeholders across secondary and higher education. It's where the CTE community comes together to learn, share ideas, and work through the challenges shaping the field. Consider submitting a presentation today.
Successful proposals strive to:
- Address current issues impacting career and technical education.
- Expand people’s thinking. What hasn’t this audience heard or considered?
- Be practical and actionable. What can be implemented right now?
- Be bold. Bold is courageous, taking risks with an idea, and shows innovative thinking!
Evaluation Criteria
The quality of the abstract and description: The quality is more about substance, "Is this worth our attendees' time?" rather than "Is this well-written?" The presentation topic should have valuable content to share and fit the CTE summit audience, regardless of how eloquently ideas are expressed in writing.
Innovation and Ideation: The potential to introduce new, bold, or innovative ideas, or solutions. This can also mean putting a new spin on an old solution.
Inclusive and diverse perspectives or approaches: The proposal shows evidence that the presenter has actively considered how different groups, backgrounds, or viewpoints might engage with or be affected by the presentation topic and has incorporated this awareness into their planning and approach.
Learning outcomes: Learning outcomes are well-articulated, participant-focused and describe what attendees will be able to do with the information presented. What do you hope participants will walk away with?
Relevance to career and technical education: The presentation topic is related to issues, solutions, or ideas that support career and technical education programs and activities broadly.
Additional Details
- Concurrent sessions are 60 minutes.
- If accepted, you will be assigned a time slot at the discretion of the conference organizers.
- If accepted, all presenters/co-presenters will be offered a discounted registration fee ($75) per person.
- All presenters, including any co-presenters, must pay for their own travel and lodging costs and other incidental expenses.
Deadlines and Important Dates
- Submission deadline is Friday, September 4, 2026
- Acceptance notifications will be sent by Friday, September 25, 2026
The Career and Technical Education Summit is Minnesota's biggest gathering of CTE educators, leaders, workforce and industry partners, and community stakeholders across secondary and higher education. It's where the CTE community comes together to learn, share ideas, and work through the challenges shaping the field. Submit your application to exhibit today!
Exhibitor Packages and Fees
$225 (1 person)
Includes admission for one person, a standard-size exhibitor table, one outlet/power cord, and meals. Due to limited space, we ask that exhibitors do not participate in concurrent sessions unless there is room in the breakout rooms.
$300 (2 people)
Includes admission for two people, a standard-size exhibitor table, one outlet/power cord, and meals. Due to limited space, we ask that exhibitors do not participate in concurrent sessions unless there is room in the breakout rooms.
$125 Non-profit Status (1 person)
Due to limited space, we ask that exhibitors do not participate in concurrent sessions unless there is room in the breakout rooms.
$200 Non-profit Status (2 people)
Must be able to show proof of non-profit status. No exceptions. Due to limited space, we ask that exhibitors do not participate in concurrent sessions unless there is room in the breakout rooms.
NEW THIS YEAR: Exhibitor Lightning Talks
Your chance to get in front of attendees, spark curiosity, and bring them to your table.
- 20 minutes per Exhibitor Lightning Talk
- 7 Exhibitor Rooms Available
- 3 Concurrent Session Blocks
This is not a full presentation squeezed into 20 minutes.
Think of this as your highlight reel — a focused, high-energy preview designed to make attendees want to learn more. You have 20 minutes to show your best stuff, tell your story, and give people a reason to visit your table. That's the goal. Not to cover everything. Just the good stuff.
Think of it as…
- A movie trailer, not the whole movie
- Your sharpest elevator pitch, in a closed room
- A sneak peek that leaves them wanting more
- One problem you solve — told
Please don’t…
- Condense a 60-minute demo into 20 minutes
- Walk through every feature or service
- Pack in 40 slides and rush through them
- Read from a script or a spec sheet
The litmus test: If an attendee walks out of your session and can clearly tell a colleague what you do and why it matters — in one sentence — you nailed it! Brevity is your superpower here.
Your 20 minutes aren’t meant to close the deal. They’re meant to start the conversation.
Application Evaluation Criteria
Successful applications should demonstrate the following:
- Relevance: Exhibitors offer products, services, or resources that support student learning and engagement.
- Target audience: The resources address the needs and interests of the conference attendees, which may include educators, administrators, students, community, and workforce partners.
- Innovation: Exhibitors showcasing innovative or creative resources or strategies that enhance will be given priority.
- Quality: Exhibitor demonstrates a commitment to providing high-quality products, services, or resources that meet industry standards and best practices.
- Interactivity: Exhibitors offering interactive demonstrations, hands-on experiences, or engaging presentations that allow attendees to explore their offerings will be prioritized.
- Educational value: Exhibitor contributes to the overall educational value of the conference by providing informative materials and demonstrations that enhance attendees' knowledge and skills.
Deadlines and Important Dates
- Friday, August 28, 2026: Deadline to submit your application
- Friday, September 11, 2026: All applicants will be notified of their selection status
This annual Career and Technical Education Summit brings together the largest and broadest group of people dedicated to serving students, workforce and business/industry, and local communities in career and technical education throughout Minnesota. We encourage you to attend if you self-identify with any of the following groups:
- Teacher or Faculty (school or college)
- Director, Coordinator, Administrator, Managers, and other leadership roles
- Perkins Coordinator
- Workforce Development Roles
- Business and Industry Leaders, Representatives, Trainers and Educators in CTE industries
- Career Counselors and Advisors (such as Career Navigators, CareerForce staff, etc.)
- Teaching and Learning Directors and Professional Staff
- Educators in the MNDOC involved in CTE classroom and career instruction
- Leaders in Career Pathways work
- CTE leaders in concurrent enrollment, PSEO, and CTE articulation
- State agencies with initiatives focused on work based learning, college to career, etc.
About the Summit
This annual Summit has continued to serve secondary and postsecondary CTE teachers and faculty, educators, administrators, workforce, community partners, and business/industry partners since 2009. It has continued to grow over the years into the premier conference connecting the career and technical education community in the Upper Midwest. Participants, presenters, and exhibitors come from high school, colleges and universities, workforce, local business and industry partners, and our local communities to convene once a year to share best practices in their field, network, and continue to develop their professional development in order to best serve CTE students across the state.
The Career and Technical Education Summit is Minnesota's biggest gathering of CTE educators, leaders, workforce and industry partners, and community stakeholders across secondary and higher education. It's where the CTE community comes together to learn, share ideas, and work through the challenges shaping the field.
For questions about the Summit, contact Yingfah.Thao@MinnState.edu, Director of Professional Development and the main point of contact for the Summit.
For all registration and payment concerns, contact Jared.Reise@MinnState.edu.
For questions about submitting your application to exhibit (getting a booth), contact Robb.Lowe@MinnState.edu, Director of Career Pathways.