2026 Annual PIO Conference

The Wild Lives of PIOs
2026 Utah PIO Association Conference
St. George, Utah · September 21–23, 2026

Registration is sold out!

UPDATE (9/8/2026): If you have registered and are the waiting list, the likelihood of being admitted at this point is low as we are over capacity. We are going to ask attendees let us know if they have decided not to go so we can let some waitlisted people in, but it will be in order of when they were added to the list.

Early bird: $300 - Until August 2nd
Regular: $325 - August 3rd - Sept 14th
Late: $350 - Sept 21 - 23

The Utah Public Information Officer (PIO) Conference is one of the most valuable training opportunities available for government communicators in the state.

As the third-largest PIO association conference in the country, it brings together local government communicators who face the same challenges you do. Sessions are practical and relevant, focused on real-world communication strategies, crisis response, AI, media relations, and the wellbeing of the people behind the message. You'll leave with skills you can use Monday morning and a network that has your back.

Key facts at a glance

When: Monday–Wednesday, September 21–23, 2026
Where: Courtyard by Marriott, St. George, Utah
Who it's for: Public information officers, social media managers, communications specialists, and anyone who engages the public on behalf of a government agency
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and breaks Tuesday and Wednesday, plus a Tuesday social
Hashtag: #UTPIO26

The Agenda

See the full lineup, including keynotes on the Kerr County Texas flood, the Palisades Fire response, and mental health for government communicators, plus breakout sessions on AI, ADA compliance, podcasting, and crisis comms.

Download the 2026 Conference Agenda

One Pager

Need to get approval to attend? Our one-page overview has everything your supervisor needs in a single, easy-to-forward document: dates, location, cost, and what's included. Download it, attach it to your budget request, and make the case in one click. ⬇️

Download the 2026 Conference One Pager

Frequently Asked Questions

The main reason the conference is held in St. George is to allow PIOs the time to attend the PIO conference and not be pulled away for work or other reasons. The Utah PIO Association Board spends a lot of time and money scheduling the presenters and the workshops to ensure the presentations to be beneficial to all PIOs.

We can only block a specific number of rooms for attendees. There are other groups that block rooms during that same week and have seniority. We do offer a block of rooms at the Hampton Inn, a block away, and TownPlace Suites next door to the hotel venue. The association can get more hotels if needed.

If we move the conference closer to Salt Lake City, we risk losing attendees. Typically, home agencies will call PIOs to come back to work. If we leave the current hotel venue in St. George, we wouldn’t be able to get this venue back. The hotel venue has a waiting list of people wanting our spot.

The PIO conference is held at the end of September for a few reasons. First, September is the last Utah PIO Association meeting of the year. This is when we recap incidents that took place throughout the year and honor those PIOs who went above and beyond. Second, moving the conference conflicts with other trainings and conferences taking place throughout the year. Third, if we move the date of the conference we may not be able to use the same conference venue.

Yes, if the conference rooms are too cold, please let Patrice know and she can adjust the temperature. We encourage all participants to bring a sweater or light jacket with them to the conference. Temperatures in the rooms may be slightly cool.

This location can accommodate 250 people.

The past years attendance:

2015 – 179 attendees
2016 – 172 attendees
2017 – 188 attendees
2018 – 228 attendees
2019 – 209 attendees
2021 – 199 attendees
2022 – 208 attendees
2023 – 230 attendees

Due to fiscal year closeout, we are unable to open registration sooner. We will try to have it open after July 1. Hotel registration is opened usually by December if not before.

We ask every presenter to share their PowerPoint and handouts with the PIO Association. Some presenters may choose to not share their slides due to the sensitive information. If presenters do share their slides and handouts we make them available on the Utah PIO Association website.

We offer the media panel every other year to help save travel costs for all the presenters and to allow for a variety of topics each conference. One of the goals of the UT PIO Association Board is to keep the annual conference at a low cost while maintaining a high value of information.

We try our best to pick a variety of food, but keep in mind we are limited to state per diem.

Those with special dietary needs can request them on the registration. You will receive your meal tickets at conference registration (usually in the back of your name badge). Give these tickets to the Courtyard Marriott staff and they will bring you your meal.

We are unable to record the conference/classes. And due to the sensitivity of some of the content, we can’t share all the presentations.