Key Takeaways:

  • Context: Wake County Schools, a large district in North Carolina, needed to revamp their Summer Leadership Conference to feel like a national-level event for its 1,700+ attendees.
  • Challenges: The team had been relying on Google Forms, email threads, and scattered tools. This made it difficult to manage event speakers, track registrations, and deliver a cohesive, engaging experience.
  • Results: 
    • One centralized event management platform to manage sessions, materials, feedback, and attendees
    • 200+ proposals collected and reviewed using Sched’s built-in Call for Papers and committee review tools
    • Personalized schedules and mobile access led to high attendee satisfaction and engagement
    • Positive post-event feedback and a streamlined planning process that saved the team significant time
  • Why Sched? Sched was easy to roll out, scalable to 1,700 attendees, and simple for both organizers and participants to use, which made it the clear choice to deliver a professional event experience.

💡Google Forms ≠ event management. Use Sched instead. It’s free to try—no credit card needed for a Free Trial.

Helping School Leaders Learn in a Fun, Engaging Way

Wake County Public Schools is one of the largest school districts in North Carolina. The school has a strong focus on professional learning that’s practical, engaging, and impactful. 

Nichole McCullers, Director of Leadership, is in charge of organizing training events for principals, assistant principals, and instructional staff across the school district. 

The Challenge: Outgrowing Google Forms and Disconnected Tools for District-Wide Event Planning

When Nichole was given the task of overhauling the district’s 2024 Summer Leadership Conference, she knew they needed a solution that could handle the scale and complexity of the event.

Nichole had already used the Sched platform herself, which came as a welcome relief versus her experience with non-Sched events. She remembers attending smaller in-district conferences in 2015 where everything was poorly managed with Google Forms and countless emails: 

“It was so many moving parts! Selecting sessions, emailing yourself a copy of your responses so you knew your schedule, then going to a Google site for documents and session links, then a survey for feedback at the end…”

When the new superintendent stepped in in October 2023, the district set an ambitious goal: turn the conference into an impactful, national-level event by July 2024. This meant expanding sponsorships, bringing in top-tier speakers, and managing over 1,700 attendees. It was, of course, way beyond the district’s previous capabilities. 

As the appointed event organizer, Nichole immediately knew she couldn’t rely on the same outdated methods. Event planning had historically been manual, fragmented, and way too time-consuming. Their outdated, disjointed tools simply wouldn’t scale for what they were trying to achieve.

The team needed a platform that could bring everything together in one place.

That’s when Nichole thought of Sched.

“When I found out Sched was still a viable option for us (and that it had grown even bigger since 2015), I approached my team and said, ‘Hey, let’s take a look at this and see how we can utilize it for our large conference, which hosts about 1,700 people.’”

The Solution: Manage All Event Planning and Coordination in One Place

To simplify every piece of the planning puzzle, Nichole and her team at Wake County Schools used Sched to: 

Collect Internal Proposals with Sched’s Call for Papers

Sched’s Call for Papers feature helped collect 200+ breakout session proposals from across the district. They choose the top 45 speakers, all without spreadsheets or back-and-forth emails.

Gather Feedback For Each Individual Session

The team collected session feedback for each speaker through Sched’s speaker tools. Attendees were able to rate and leave comments on the sessions they attended. 

Centralize All Session Content and Materials

Presenters uploaded session decks, handouts, and resources directly to Sched, keeping everything organized and accessible. 

Create a Professional Event Welcome Page and Speaker Directory

Sched made it easy to create a professional event website with personalized schedules, session descriptions. It made it easier for attendees to find what they needed, when they needed it.

Launch a Mobile App for Attendee Schedules

Attendees could build their own schedules in the Sched app, access room info, and receive real-time updates on their phones. No more printed agendas or digging through emails—everything lived in their pocket.

“Instead of paper schedules or Google Sites and Forms, we had everyone register and access everything through Sched… It really streamlined things.” Nichole notes.

The Results: A Smooth, Professional Conference Experience

The 2024 Summer Leadership Conference was a resounding success and everyone loved how smooth it felt. Attendees praised the ease of navigation and the professional feel of the event.  

“The conference in July was a big success. Feedback was the best we’ve ever had. People loved how seamless it felt with everything in one place via Sched. Now the bar is set high for next year!”

Here’s what went down:

  • A stronger speaker lineup: The team received 200+ proposals and used Sched’s committee review to choose the most relevant and high-quality sessions. They created a highly engaging and well-rounded agenda.
  • Higher attendee engagement: Personalized schedules and on-demand access to session materials made it easy for attendees to stay informed and get the most out of their day.
  • More efficient planning: The entire event, from proposals to resources to feedback, was managed in one platform. No more juggling spreadsheets, Google Sites, or email threads.
  • Valuable post-event insights: Built-in feedback tools helped the team collect actionable takeaways from attendees, making it easier to plan and improve future events.

Now, they’ve started using Sched to plan other school events. 

Nichole shares, “Beyond the big conference, we’ve started using Sched for our ongoing principal and AP meetings, and it’s made tracking professional learning so much easier for me and for our leaders.”

Ready to Make Your Events Shine? Try Sched for Free!

Wake County Schools’ story shows what’s possible when you have the right tools in place.

If you’re looking for a tool that saves time, simplifies planning, and eliminates last-minute headaches, Sched is the right tool for you. 
Want your school events to shine? Try Sched for free and make your next event your best one yet!