Workshops

A central feature of Connect 351 is the wide selection of workshops covering the latest developments and pressing issues affecting local governments in Massachusetts.

Fourteen workshops will be held during two time slots on Friday afternoon, and three larger and highly interactive sessions will be held on Saturday.

Workshop details are still in development for the 2026 conference, and full titles, descriptions and panelists will be posted here in early-November.

First Session: Friday, Jan. 23, 2-3:15 p.m.

• The AI Toolkit for HR: Leveraging AI With Confidence*
• Fiscal Outlook
• Forward Focused: Moving From Reactive to Strategic Leadership*
• Keeping Up With Clean Energy: Siting and Permitting Updates*
• Keeping Your Cool When the Public Is Losing Theirs*
• Language Access: Starting Small in Order to Build
• Local Legal Lens: Insights on Municipal Law*

Second Session: Friday, Jan. 23, 3:30-4:45 p.m.

• Accelerating Housing Supply: Local Leadership for a Statewide Goal
• Collaborative Planning: Bringing Community Initiatives to Life
• Federal Landscape
• From Challenge to Change: A Perspective on Municipal Health Care Costs
• From Hired to Higher: Public Works Recruitment, Retention and Succession Planning*
• Labor Law Landscape*
• Smart Fiscal Practices During Tough Fiscal Times

Third Session: Saturday, Jan. 24, 1:30-2:45 p.m.

Ready for Anything: Interactive Sessions
• Creating Cyber Resiliency: An Interactive TTX Card Game*
• From Prep to Practice: Crisis Communications*
• When the Waters Rise: Leading Your Community Through Disaster*

Workshops with an asterisk are eligible for MIIA Rewards credits.