2,200 Attendees, 400+ Sessions: How Sched Simplified Belton ISD’s Recharge Event

TL;DR

• Context: Belton ISD, located in Texas, hosts large-scale professional development events like Recharge, an all-staff learning event for 2,200 employees. They needed a tool to streamline planning, coordinate 400+ sessions, and create a seamless experience for attendees.
• Challenges: Outdated systems couldn’t handle 2,200 staff members or centralize event data, managing complex logistics for 400+ sessions and diverse attendee roles.
• Results:
  • Streamlined event planning with personalized schedules and real-time updates.
  • Digital feedback collection from 4,000+ responses for future event improvements.
  • Enhanced inclusivity and engagement across all staff roles.
• Why Sched? Sched was chosen for its ease of use, affordability, and powerful features, including a native app, feedback collection, self-check-in, and Excel integration, making it an ideal solution for managing events of any size.

A Vibrant School District At The Heart Of Texas

Located in central Texas, Belton Independent School District (ISD) is home to a thriving educational community.

With 20 schools, over 2,200 employees, and nearly 15,000 students, the district is dedicated to fostering a supportive and innovative environment for its students and staff.

For the past two years, Belton ISD has relied on Sched to manage their events. Every year, the staff comes together for Recharge, an all-staff learning event designed to unite and inspire all employees — from teachers to auxiliary staff.

But with 2,200 attendees and over 400 individual sessions to coordinate, organizing this event was not an easy challenge. That’s where Sched stepped in.

By simplifying the event planning process, Sched enabled the district to seamlessly manage registrations, schedules, and attendee feedback, making the event more engaging and efficient for all participants. As Vickie Dean, Director of Professional Learning at Belton ISD shared,

“Sched helps you to be able to have that backwards planning. Meeting those deadlines when you want things to be done.”

The Challenge: Planning A Seamless, Large-Scale Learning Event

Before using Sched, Vickie and her team at Belton ISD relied on a system that fell short of their needs. Their system couldn’t handle all 2,200 staff members or consolidate information all in one place. This made it difficult to plan and execute a large-scale event like Recharge.

As Vickie explained, “I needed to find something that would organize and be able to look at the big picture and find the conflicts. Make that part an easier thing. We didn’t really have anything… it wasn’t all in one location.”

The complexity of Recharge only added to the challenges. With over 400 diverse sessions—ranging from self-care activities like Zumba to practical skills training such as Excel foundations— the event required significant coordination. Facilitating the learning sessions involved a large team of over 330 internal staff members, supported by 25 external learning leaders.

Belton ISD needed a solution to streamline event planning and deliver an impactful experience for everyone involved.

That’s when Vickie turned to Sched.

The Solution: Sched As The Ultimate Event Planning Partner

When it came to finding the right event planning software, Vickie explored different options. After attending conferences hosted by other organizations, she evaluated platforms based on cost, ease of use, and advanced functionality.

Sched stood out for her as the clear choice.

Sched’s affordability and the inclusion of a native app were game changers. The app allowed attendees to access personalized schedules, receive real-time updates, and provide immediate feedback, making the event experience more interactive and efficient.

As Vickie says, “Having the [Sched] app where you check in and then at the end of the session you’re able to give feedback right away, I think that helps a lot.”

To execute Recharge successfully, Vickie leveraged several key Sched features, including:

• Scheduling Tools: Organized 400+ sessions into three distinct strands (self-care, world-class employee training, and inspiring instruction) with color-coded tracks and audience-specific filters
• Custom Event Website: Tailored the event site to include tabs for food truck vendors and exhibitors while incorporating Belton ISD branding
• Native App: Designed specifically for the event, the app provided attendees with seamless access to schedules, vendor information, and push notifications

“I thought it’d be cool that we had our own app, and that ease of having the app, we went ahead and registered everybody, uploaded them in so they were just sent an invite to access the system” Vickie says.

• Feedback Collection: Used Sched’s built-in tools to gather immediate session feedback and overall event insights
• Excel Integration: Simplified data management by allowing easy uploads and edits to event details
• Self-Check-In Feature: Enabled attendees to check themselves into sessions, reducing administrative burdens

“The self check-in was a nice feature that people then checked themselves in for each of the sessions,” Vickie added.

The Results: Engaging Sessions, Inclusive Experiences

The success of Recharge was evident. The attendees not only found the sessions engaging but also appreciated how seamlessly the event was executed.

To measure success, Vickie used Sched’s feedback feature, which allowed attendees to provide immediate session-specific input. This tool helped the planning team determine which sessions were the most impactful, and informed their decisions for next year’s Recharge.

The results were overwhelmingly positive, with over 4,000 individual responses collected from sessions. This streamlined digital feedback process was far quicker and more efficient than traditional paper forms, allowing the team to quickly analyze results and make improvements for the future. “It was noticeable that you took the feedback from last year and made the changes that were recommended,” one attendee noted.

What Vickie valued the most about using Sched was how it enabled her team to create a truly engaging and inclusive environment. The platform made it possible for attendees from all roles—teachers, custodians, bus drivers, and more—to feel connected and appreciated as equal contributors to the district’s success.

“It’s inspiring to offer learning sessions that everybody’s able to attend together, and interact with each other and that’s kind of the biggest feedback we get when people have attended sessions: ‘I sat next to a custodian and we engaged in learning together’ That’s where people feel valued and that their voices are heard,” Vickie shared.

More than just an event, Recharge became an opportunity to cultivate community and appreciation among staff, ensuring it remains a highlight of the district’s professional learning efforts year after year.

Event Planning Advice From A Seasoned Educator

Vickie Dean emphasizes the importance of planning ahead and involving a diverse team for large-scale events like Recharge.

• Plan Backwards: Start with the final deadline and work backwards, setting clear “soft but hard” deadlines for key milestones, like submissions and room assignments
• Include Diverse Perspectives: Look through the lens of different roles in your organization. If that’s challenging, recruit team members from across departments to provide unique insights and feedback
• Build a Success Team: Ensure you have dedicated groups for various tasks—welcome tables, setup, and day-before preparations. Engaging volunteers from across the district can create a more collaborative and effective planning process

Simplify, Streamline, Succeed: Your Turn With Sched

Belton ISD’s story shows what’s possible when event planning becomes effortless. With Sched, they turned a complex, large-scale event into a streamlined and impactful experience that staff truly valued.

Now, it’s your turn to simplify event planning, save time, and deliver professional learning events that leave a lasting impression. Try Sched for free today and discover how effortless and impactful your next event can be.