Welcome to the 19th annual Allied Media Conference!

AMC2017 is here!

This year, more than any other year in the AMC’s 19-year history, we are gathering with an urgency to share the skills and strategies of visionary resistance. We wove the theme “Get Ready, Stay Ready” into the this year’s 250+ sessions, where you’ll find workshops that prepare us to fight and survive, light up our imaginations, and help us find paths we didn’t perceive before. In reviewing proposed sessions, we have prioritized selecting those that remind us how to heal, to cultivate joy, to create and celebrate, because these are the life-giving resistance strategies for long-term resilience.

We know we can’t predict the drastic ways in which the world may have shifted by the time the AMC arrives. Things are changing, and it seems very fast.
And yet we do know that an incredibly powerful community will be assembled in Detroit. We know that thousands of participants will be converging from across continents, connecting and reconnecting. And the hundreds of volunteers, presenters, coordinators, staff, and advisory board members, who have been working together over the past year will be with us, collectively holding the space. We know that in the space of four days at the AMC, we will share the energy, the love, and the vision we need to be ready for whatever is happening and whatever comes next. This is the certainty that comes with nearly two decades of weaving a network.

As we approach the old age (in conference time) of 20 years, we continue to keep it fresh (and of course fun). This year will feature some hot new things, as well as new and improved versions of some hot old things. For example:

• Plenaries! We launched plenaries this year as a way of creating more spaces where the AMC gathers under one roof to dive deep into big ideas. We also did it as a way of starting the day a little more gently. (see page 112 for the details)
• The Cumbia Poder Kids Party last year was such a hit that we’ve expanded it into an “AMC @ Night” event taking place at New Center Park, inviting kids and their families to join us from all over the city.
• On Saturday night, we will be bringing back the can’t-miss party of the weekend on two stages at MOCAD, featuring the beloved and multitalented Flint-based artist extraordinaire, Tunde Olaniran.
• Our community dinner is coming back and we are already rubbing our bellies in anticipation of Kreung, the dinner of Cambodian cuisine happening on Saturday, also at New Center Park.
• Round out your Saturday afternoon stretching it out with Trap Yoga. This year, as always, we have tried to build something for everyone.

Whether this is your first or fifteenth AMC, you will find this program book full of resources to help you best enjoy your weekend. At any moment you will have dozens of options to select from. Take your time, explore the spaces that intrigue you and invest in the spaces that allow you to get ready and stay ready for the long haul.

Happy AMC!

Jenny and Mo

Register for the AMC

If you have not yet done so, now is the time! Walk-up registrations are welcomed at the AMC, but your check-in at the conference will be much faster if you have pre-registered online. Click on the link below to get started.

See you at AMC2017!