Leadership Conference

ALD’s 2026 Leadership Conference will be held in San Antonio, TX
from Friday, October 30 - Sunday, november 1.

Register Today!

Interested in attending the 2026 Leadership Conference? Complete the chapter registration form and submit payment. Chapter registration forms and payment are required to complete your chapter registration. The conference is limited, and registrations are on a first-come, first-served basis.

If your chapter plans to attend, please register and pay as soon as possible, even if you don’t know the attendees’ names yet. Chapters are permitted to send 2 students and 1 advisor to the conference. Additional attendee requests are put on a waitlist. Priority registration will be given to chapters that have registered/paid by September 7, at which time waitlisted requests will be notified if space is available. The final deadline for registration fees and any additional charges is September 21.

In early September, ALD Headquarters will reach out to request attendee name(s) and provide a link for each attendee (advisors and students) to complete the individual attendee information form. We do not need attendee names at this time. Individual attendee information forms must be completed by September 23. The rooming and cancellation policies are available below in the FAQs.

Registration fees and any additional charges must be submitted by September 21 to finalize your chapter’s participation in the leadership conference. The registration fee is $150 per attendee (students & advisors) and covers the cost of your hotel room, most meals, and conference materials. There is an additional fee of $200 ($350 total) for a second advisor to attend. Your chapter is responsible for transportation to and from the hotel. A link to submit registration fees is provided on the confirmation page of the chapter registration form and via email after completing the chapter registration form.

EARLY BIRD RATE: This year, we’re introducing an early bird rate of $125 per attendee for payments received by August 1. You must enter the promo code based on the number of guaranteed attendees you are paying for when submitting payment. If your chapter would like to pay for waitlisted students in advance to lock in the early bird rate, email conference@nationalald.org for the total cost and a separate link for the additional payment. If any waitlisted students cannot be accommodated, we will provide a full refund for those students before the September 21 deadline.

You must use the following promo codes for the early bird rate toward the guaranteed number of attendees:
1 attendee (one student OR one advisor) - EARLYBIRD1
2 attendees (two students OR one student, one advisor OR two advisors) - EARLYBIRD2
3 attendees (two students, one advisor OR one student, two advisors) - EARLYBIRD3
4 attendees (two students, two advisors) - EARLYBIRD4

REAL ID requirements are in effect. Please ensure you have the correct ID/license for air travel. You can find more information on the TSA website and your state’s driver’s licensing agency website.

Questions? See below for our FAQs, or email conference@nationalald.org.

Leadership Conference FAQs

  • Reusable water bottle, comfortable walking shoes, ALD and/or institution-branded clothing, credit card for hotel incidentals

  • There is no dress code, but you are encouraged to wear ALD or institution-branded clothing on Friday, and anything goes on Saturday and Sunday. Many attendees will opt for business casual attire for Saturday’s Award Luncheon or Dinner. Remember to check the weather forecast before packing! And hotels can sometimes be chilly, so you may want to have a sweater.

  • TBD

  • All attendees will need a credit card for the hotel to keep on file for incidentals (a hold of $100/per night will show as a pending charge until the end of your stay), even if you do not charge anything to the room. If you charge something to your room, the hold will increase - we recommend you do not charge anything to your room. Please reach out to ALD HQ if you do not have a credit card. We recommend that attendees have some money (cash or card) for snacks, activities during free time, and dinner on Saturday night.

  • Join the official ALD HQ GroupMe chat. Email conference@nationalald.org to request the link to join.

  • Hyatt Regency San Antonio Riverwalk
    123 Losoya St, San Antonio, TX 78205

    ALD HQ books all rooms and manages reservations for students and advisors.

  • The hotel check-in is 4 pm and checkout is 11 am.

  • Yes. Self-parking is $47 for a 24-hour period. Prices include in/out privileges. Valet parking for guests is currently $59 with in and out privileges. Rates are subject to change without notice. Due to height restrictions, they do not accept oversized vehicles, toppers, or trailers.

  • San Antonio International Airport

    About a 15-minute car ride from the airport.

  • Priority Chapter Registration/Payment: September 7

    Final Deadline for Registration Fees and any additional charges: September 21

    Individual Attendee Information Forms: September 23

    Cancellation without Penalty: September 22

  • $200 per room/per night

  • $350

  • $250

  • We may invite student and advisor-led presentations. The official schedule for the conference is currently under development. Stay tuned for updates.

  • Attempts will be made to notify chapters regarding waitlisted students and advisors as soon as possible but may not be available until mid-September. If requesting funding/travel approval from your institution, we recommend that your request includes all potential student and advisor attendees.

  • Yes, if you need access to the individual attendee information form for your institution’s required documentation, you may email conference@nationalald.org to request a link.

  • ALD HQ will provide a detailed list of things to do around San Antonio closer to the start of the conference including free and paid attractions, stuff within walking distance of the hotel, affordable spots for food and snacks, etc. There will be free time late Saturday afternoon and evening.

  • ALD HQ is working on securing a community service project for during the conference.

  • Rooming for the conference is two attendees to a Two Queen Beds room. ALD Headquarters will make every effort to room student attendees from the same institution, of the same pronouns together. If the institution sends students with different pronouns, ALD Headquarters will room those students with students from another institution, but of the same pronouns.

    Advisors will also be roomed in doubles (Two Queen beds) by pronouns unless they indicate they will be paying for a single room on the individual attendee information form. This form will be sent in September.

    Roommate requests on the individual attendee information form will only be honored if both attendees list each other’s name as a preferred roommate (pronoun matching is not required). Roommate requests are not guaranteed.

    If you have any questions about the rooming policy or would like to submit a request for a group of 3 or 4 students to room together, please email ALD Headquarters at conference@nationalald.org for discussion.

  • If you register for the conference but cannot attend, you are required to notify ALD Headquarters so that other attendees may be allowed to attend. If you need to cancel your registration, please notify ALD Headquarters at conference@nationalald.org by September 22. Failure to cancel by September 22 will result in forfeiture of your registration fees. Additional charges/payments, such as advisor single rooms or additional nights, may not be refunded. If a chapter had registered and not paid, the fees associated with the registration will be withheld from local dues. If any attendee is a no-show or cancels after 12 pm on the first conference day (Friday), an additional fee of $200 will be charged to the chapter per no-show/canceled attendee.

  • Yes, travel grants are available for chapters to help offset travel costs for those who otherwise wouldn't be able to attend the conference. Travel grants are to be used for the sole purpose of travel expenses for the 2026 Leadership Conference in San Antonio, TX, 10/30-11/1, 2026. Grants will be disbursed post-conference. If awarded a travel grant and unable to attend, the funds will not be disbursed.

Past Conferences / Educational Session Materials:

2025 - Alexandria, VA
2024 - Chicago, IL
2023 - Denver, CO
2022 - Tampa, FL