Thank you for your interest in attending Designing Cities 2026: Minneapolis! 

Registration is not yet open. Please review the following information carefully.

Registration Timeline 

January 21, 2026
Early Bird registration opens to NACTO members

February 18, 2026
General registration opens

April 24, 2026 
(or when tickets sell out)
Registration closes

Employees of NACTO member agencies

$750: Early bird pricing (January 21 to February 17)

$850: Member registrations beginning February 18

Non-member government, nonprofit, and academia

$1,200

Conference sponsors

Conference sponsors receive between one and six complimentary registrations, and can purchase limited additional registrations.

$1,500: Additional registrations

$1,200: Discounted price for companies with Minority/Women Business Enterprise (MWBE) or Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) certifications

Non-sponsoring private companies

Private companies not sponsoring the conference must apply to attend, and spots are very limited! (Scroll down the page for more information.)

$1,750: Registration cost (if tickets are available)

$1,200: Discounted price for MWBE/DBE companies

Access to the entire conference program

>All plenaries, peer sessions, Meet the Cities, opening reception, and networking opportunities. No need to sign up separately for any of these! 

>Your choice of three Walkshops. 

When you register, you will choose which Walkshops to attend. Click "session selector" and choose one per day. You can change these choices by clicking "Manage Registration Details" on your confirmation email. You can sign up for three walkshops, one walkshop per day. Walkshops fill up quickly on a "first come first serve" basis.  

*Your ticket does not automatically include access to pre-conference Workshops (more information below).*

Food & refreshments

>2 Breakfasts (Wednesday and Thursday morning)

>2 Lunches (Wednesday and Thursday afternoon)

>Coffee and tea Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday afternoon, and Thursday afternoon

>Snacks and drinks at our Opening Reception

Additional tickets: Workshops

NACTO offers a small selection of specialized workshops that provide skill building and deep dives on topics. Workshops take place the morning of Tuesday, May 12 before the conference begins. Workshops are not included with registration and cost $300 to attend. 

You must register for the conference to purchase a workshop ticket. When registering for the conference, you can add on the workshop of your choice.

Private Sector Registration

There are a limited number of spots available for private sector participants at Designing Cities 2026: Minneapolis. To maintain our focus on our members, we limit private sector registration to 3 people per company, unless that company is sponsoring the conference. 

Private sector companies that aren't sponsoring the conference will need to apply to attend. The application will be available January 2026.   

One person from each company should submit the form and include up to two other staff members. NACTO will review private sector applications and notify applicants of approval. 

If you would like to bypass the application process or send more than three staff to the conference, please click here for more information on how to become a sponsor.

Professional Credits 

AICP credits: After the conference, visit the American Planning Association website to register for AICP CM credits for the plenaries, breakout sessions, workshops, and Walkshops that you attended! 

Other professional credits:  We will provide a form for you to complete. You are responsible for filling out the form and sending it according to the protocols of the professional organization.

Registration Payment & Cancellation

Payment Method & Invoicing

We accept credit card payment only. We are unable to accept checks or provide invoices for individuals or groups. There is no onsite registration.

Cancellation Policy

Registration fees will be refunded if a request is received in writing no later than April 30, 2026. Email refund requests to events@nacto.org.

NACTO will offer the ability to transfer tickets to a colleague up until May 5, 2026. You must email events@nacto.org with the request. Please include the name and email address of the colleague that you are transferring the ticket to. NACTO will not handle the exchange of funds between ticket holders. That is the responsibility of the initial ticket holder. 

More Information

If you have any questions, contact events@nacto.org.