DDAA’s Office in Arlington, VA
December 15, 2026
Join fellow LDD staff at CREC’s Arlington office this December to talk through how Local Development Districts are putting AI tools to work. The AI Peer Meeting is a chance to compare notes with colleagues, see what others have tried, and get straight answers about what these tools do well and where they fall short.
This meeting puts discussion first. Instead of formal presentations, sessions center on real examples and open conversation. The morning focuses on use cases and sharing what LDDs are already doing with AI. The afternoon turns to the practical side of building AI into an organization: setting policies, training staff, and choosing platforms. Whether you have already built AI into your daily work or are just starting to test it out, you will leave with ideas you can use and a few new people to call when questions come up.
We are also inviting a small number of facilitators to share a short case study, a workflow they have built, or lessons learned, and then guide the conversation with participants.
Interested in facilitating? Submit your proposal by Friday, September 18, 2026.
DDAA will cover up to two hotel nights and flight or mileage reimbursement for facilitators.
Morning – Use Cases and Examples
- Getting Started with AI: What are you using, how did you choose it, and what would you tell someone standing where you were a year ago?
- Grant Writing and Proposals: How are you using AI to draft, edit, or strengthen grant applications? What holds up under review, and what doesn’t?
- Automating the Day-to-Day: How are you using AI to cut down on routine work like reporting, meeting notes, and correspondence?
- Marketing and Communications: How are you using AI for newsletters, social media, press releases, and community outreach?
- Data, GIS, and Research: How are you using AI to analyze data, support GIS work, or speed up research?
Afternoon – Policies, Training, and Platforms
- Writing an AI Policy: How is your organization handling privacy, data security, and accuracy? What rules have you set for staff, and where do you draw the line?
- Training Your Staff: How are you bringing your team up to speed? What has helped people actually use these tools, and what has fallen flat?
- Choosing a Platform: How did you decide what to buy or adopt? What are you weighing on cost, security, and fit for LDD work?
Don’t miss this chance to swap ideas and sharpen your work. Register today.