Help Co-Create our 2025 EVOLVE Conference!
This April 16-19, 2025, our EVOLVE Conference will bring together citizen leaders, visionaries, and changemakers to explore the intersections of technology, business, society and wellness that are shaping the future of community. We will convene over four days of conversations, connections, and inspiration.
This year, our Festival theme is EVOLVE. EVOLVE explores how we — as individuals, communities, organizations, and societies — adapt to change and grow into something new. Harnessing hope, creativity, and determination, we turn challenging circumstances into strength and resilience.
Today, we’re thrilled to announce the opening of our 2025 Conference Creator application, which empowers the community to share the themes, topics, speakers, leaders, and creatives they see most impacting the community.
Whether you are part of a local organization, or just a passionate individual with ideas to share, this is a unique opportunity for you to set the agenda. Now’s your chance to join our co-created Festival, and shape the conversation at the 2025 EVOLVE conference. Propose a session today through Conference Creator!
See more about the application process and review criteria below.
The deadline for Round 1 applications is October 15, 2024.
Application Process
So you want to join in the co-creation? Fantastic!
Here is a description of the Conference Creator Application Portal and the information we are looking for:
Step 1 - Choose a Format
The general session duration at the Conference is 45-60 minutes. If you are requesting a longer format, you can note that in the comments section. Formats at the Conference include workshops, panel discussions, keynote addresses, round tables, and interactive experiences.
Step 2 - Choose the Theme
Please identify where your session would fit into one of our themes: Technology, Entrepreneurship, Society or Wellness.
Step 3 - Tell us your Topic and Narrative
Give us a first pass at a fun and fresh topic title. We’ll also be looking for a description of what you’d like to discuss, and how you position the topic in the current landscape of ideas and advocacy.
Step 4 - Identify your Speakers & Moderators
We ask if you have the speakers, facilitators, and moderators identified and / or confirmed for the session. “Confirmation” at this point means you have contacted speakers and they are generally interested and available for the dates of the Festival.
Step 5 - State your desired impact
Let us know what you want to accomplish with your session. Are there desired impacts and outcomes? You could tailor this program to address your specific audience/community. Or, perhaps you’re interested in exploring new terrain, and want to forge new, complimentary partnerships through your program.
To get started, fill out the form below with the topic, theme, and narrative of your proposed session. Once we receive your proposal we will follow up with more details.
The deadline for Round 1 applications is October 15, 2024.
Review Criteria
What do we look for in a session suggestion?
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis by Tom Tom Staff and Conference Host Committees. Our Conference Host Committees are made up of community members from a variety of diverse backgrounds and industries. Most Committee Members have spoken at Tom Tom and curated programs in the past.
Here are a few criteria that we will use in evaluating sessions:
Relevance - Does this Session discuss a critical idea facing the Community and/or is it sharing a national media story?
Innovation - Do the ideas presented offer a compelling and innovative way to approach problems?
Collaboration - Does the Session bring together multiple community stakeholders that are doing important work in Charlottesville?
Diversity of Opinions & Backgrounds - We want to hear from everyone. Sessions should reflect the community; as well as respectfully explore and engage with differences of opinion.
Lasting Impact - Does the Session highlight work happening in the community -- or that could be happening in the community -- so that there are outcomes that live beyond the Conference?
Our selection process will be based on the criteria listed above in combination with how well the session fits into overall programming.
Our 2025 Conference Themes
This year, The EVOLVE conference will continue the conversation around the themes we introduced in 2023. We intend to dive a layer deeper into these themes, and think critically about how they interact, seeding ideas for greater interconnection, and a shared future. What voices and leaders do we need to include to tell this story?
Learn More
If any of the above sample topics resonate with you, or bring to mind another topic that might be of interest, please let us know! You can go straight to the Conference Creator Application, and begin to create the program you want to see at the conference. Or, if you feel like you need more information, then you can always reach out for more context.
We schedule regular Community Interest Meetings for anyone who is interested in getting involved in Tom Tom. Our next meetings are scheduled for:
Wed. Sep. 25 at 6pm — General Interest (Tom Tom Office)
Wed. Oct. 2 at 6pm — Community Partner Program (Tom Tom Office)
Tues. Oct. 15 at 12pm — EVOLVE Conference (Tom Tom Office)
Wed. Oct. 30 at 6pm — Artists and Performers (Tom Tom Office)
You can sign up for those here.