2026 COCA National Conference: Full Schedule

You will be able to validate your attendance (Check-In to sessions) using your personal schedule.

4:00pm MDT

Tuesday June 16, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT

Whether you’re a seasoned designer or just getting started, this session is a space to talk all things graphic design! We’ll kick things off by hearing what you want to dive into, then focus on the most popular topics and shape the conversation together. Prepare for a collaborative session, with time to go deeper into ideas, tools and challenges as they come up.

Presenters

Annelies Sikkenga

Manager (Marketing, Events & Partnerships), University of Manitoba Students' Union

Tuesday June 16, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Qu'Appelle DoubleTree Regina

Education, Roundtables

4:00pm MDT

Low Cost No Cost Events Roundtable

Tuesday June 16, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT

Capital B

Let's talk about how to make a big impact without the big budget! Bring your best (and cheapest) event ideas to this roundtable and leave with a whole new list of creative, low-budget programming to try at your campus.

Presenters

Emma Doucette

Events and Communications Coordinator, Student Association of Holland College

Tuesday June 16, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Capital B DoubleTree Regina

Education, Roundtables

4:00pm MDT

Student Group Resources & Communications Roundtable

Tuesday June 16, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT

Capital A

Trade tips on training, toolkits, and communication channels that actually work. Be ready to not only discuss the challenges, but move forward into solutions and strategies you can take back to your campus community!

Presenters

Selen Erkut

Manager, Student Group Services, University of Alberta Students' Union

Hi, I’m Selen Erkut (seh-LEN ERR-koot), I use she/her pronouns, and I’m the Manager of Student Group Services at the University of Alberta Students’ Union. I’ve been working with student groups at the U of A for over 5 years, managing a team of up to 7 staff, and we supervise... Read More →

Tuesday June 16, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Capital A DoubleTree Regina

Education, Roundtables

4:00pm MDT

Volunteer Engagement Roundtable

Tuesday June 16, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT

Moose Jaw Room

Volunteer managers know that keeping volunteers motivated, informed, and coming back can real challenge. Join this discussion to swap strategies, war stories, and creative solutions for building a team that sticks around.

Presenters

Avery Teo (He/Him)

Graduate Coordinator, Orientation & Transition Programs, University of Alberta Students' Union / University of Alberta

Tuesday June 16, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Moose Jaw Room DoubleTree Regina

Education, Roundtables

10:15am MDT

Staff Management and Development Roundtable

Wednesday June 17, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am MDT

Moose Jaw Room

Whether you're a new manager stepping up for the first time, or you're a seasoned vet with knowledge to share, this discussion will dig into how we train, coach, and enable growth for the people on our teams. Come talk about the things you do to help your team achieve their goals or the steps you take when the goings tough! Bring your method, your philosophy, your smooth sailing tips, and your storm weathering tricks. Come on down to crowd source advice from the people who actually understand what it's like to manage student staff

Presenters

Sarman Bhullar

Manager, Programming, University of Alberta Students' Union

updog

Wednesday June 17, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am MDT
Moose Jaw Room DoubleTree Regina

Education, Roundtables

3:30pm MDT

Marketing & Public Awareness Campaigns Roundtable

Wednesday June 17, 2026 3:30pm - 4:30pm MDT

Qu'Appelle

Algorithms change. Get into the weeds with fellow campus marketers on what's actually driving engagement right now.

Presenters

Jan Mari Tabligan

Wednesday June 17, 2026 3:30pm - 4:30pm MDT
Qu'Appelle DoubleTree Regina

Education, Roundtables

3:30pm MDT

Pub Programming Roundtable

Wednesday June 17, 2026 3:30pm - 4:30pm MDT

Moose Jaw Room

From trivia nights to weekly socials, regular programming is the backbone of campus life! Come compare notes on the recurring events that bring students back week after week. From pub nights to game shows. karaoke, trivia, music bingo, and beyond so much more than you might not even know was possible!. Bring your best formats, fresh themes, promo tricks, and the little changes that keep your campus buzzing week in and week out!

Presenters

Michael Ouellet

Operations & Services Manager, Students' Union Okanagan of UBC

Wednesday June 17, 2026 3:30pm - 4:30pm MDT
Moose Jaw Room DoubleTree Regina

Education, Roundtables

3:30pm MDT

Student Groups Finances & Grants Roundtable

Wednesday June 17, 2026 3:30pm - 4:30pm MDT

Capital B

Student Group finances can make or break what a group is able to pull off in a year and every campus has its own version of how the money really moves! Dig deep into the full funding journey! Where does the money come from? How do the groups apply? Who decides what gets approved? How does the money get to the group? What happens after the money is spent? From grants to banking, accountability, safeguards, and financial literacy, nothing about Student Group finances is off topic! Come chat about the systems that work, the ones that get messy, and how we help Student Groups understand why the boring money stuff is essential to their community!

Presenters

Selen Erkut

Manager, Student Group Services, University of Alberta Students' Union

Wednesday June 17, 2026 3:30pm - 4:30pm MDT
Capital B DoubleTree Regina

Education, Roundtables

11:30am MDT

Get Involved with COCA

Thursday June 18, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm MDT

Capital A

Curious about joining a committee or stepping into a leadership role with COCA? This casual conversation with COCA Chair Crystal Benn is your chance to find out more!

Presenters

Crystal Benn

Manager, Facilities Building Operations, St Clair Student Representative Council

COCA Board Chair 2024-2026

Thursday June 18, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm MDT
Capital A DoubleTree Regina

Education, Roundtables

11:30am MDT

Social Media and Event Promotions Roundtable

Thursday June 18, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm MDT

Capital B

So you’ve built an amazing event, but how do you move people from their screen to your scene? This discussion digs into how we use social media to turn attention into attendance. We'll cover everything from free to ticketed events. From drop in to register in advance. From targeting a subsection of your community to making your entire campus bump! Bring the posts that worked, the stories that flopped, the last-minute pushes that saved the day, and the tactics that move people from “interested” to “I’m there.”

Presenters