Hokie Brand Camp
Hokie Brand Camp 2026
Hokie Brand Camp is an annual one-day event in Blacksburg where the Virginia Tech community can find out what's new with the brand and learn about available vendors and licensed products.
SAVE THE DATE!
- Date: Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026; 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- Location: Squires Student Center, Virginia Tech
- Registration and Session information is below.
Agenda and Sessions
Oct. 7, 2026
All-MarComms morning session
This is the monthly meeting for marketing and communications employees, but all are welcome to attend. This session is in-person only. Please RSVP on the registration form, as space is limited.
Agenda:
- Welcome to Hokie Brand Camp
- Content, digital, and measurement strategies with Zeke Barlow, Stephen Milleson, and Lauren Doran
- Announcements and shoutouts
Commonwealth Ballroom B
Vendor Fair
Visit licensed vendors who are authorized to produce Virginia Tech products and learn about what’s available for your department’s branded needs.
Commonwealth Ballroom A
Leveling Up Your Career
Speakers: Susan Gill and Michelle Carter, Virginia Tech
Learn about the range of ways marcomms professionals can grow through opportunities like the mentoring program, available training resources, and the Managers’ Compass marcomms cohort.
Reaching Today's Teenagers
Speakers: Greg Carter, Virginia Tech; Net Natives partners
A focus on enrollment marketing, content, and audience behaviors for prospective and current students.
Elevating Thought Leaders
Speakers: Margaret Ashburn; LinkedIn partners
How to promote university experts using paid, earned, and owned media.
RECOMMENDED FOR FACULTY: Building Your Personal Brand
Panel: Mallory Miller, Lindsey Haugh, Ann Brown, and marketing and academic experts, Virginia Tech
Hear from a panel of faculty members and communications experts about how faculty can personally promote their research and area of expertise.
Note: This session is geared toward academic and research faculty members, but all employees are welcome to register.
How to Plan
Speaker: Albert Raboteau and Josh Meyer, Virginia Tech
Go beyond the traditional options for communications planning to reach audiences across multiple platforms.
Reaching Employees
Panel: Susan Gill, Virginia Tech; Cortney Will, William & Mary; Sarah Nightingale, University of California-Riverside
You have information to get out to your fellow employees, but you’re stuck on how to do that at a large, complex organization with lots of different audiences. What do you do? Join a panel discussion on internal communications best practices and get ideas on how to reach faculty and staff at Virginia Tech with the news they can use, as well as the things that make them feel happy and engaged in where they work.
Photo and Video Basics
Speaker: Ray Meese, Virginia Tech
Whether you're picking up a camera for the first time or looking to improve your visual storytelling skills, this workshop will provide a foundation for creating stronger photos and videos. We'll explore the core principles of photography and videography, including composition, lighting, camera settings, and storytelling techniques. You'll learn how to capture compelling images, record engaging video, and make intentional creative choices that help communicate your message. The goal is not to master every technical setting, but to understand the fundamentals that will help you work more confidently and effectively with any camera, from a smartphone to a professional DSLR or mirrorless system.
RECOMMENDED FOR FACULTY: Optimize Your LinkedIn
Speakers: Kate Adkins, Virginia Tech; LinkedIn partners
Social media experts and LinkedIn partners share best practices for faculty profiles and posts.
Note: This session is geared toward academic and research faculty members, but all employees are welcome to register.
Making a Priority Measurable
Speakers: Clayton Metz and A’me Dalton, Virginia Tech
How to break down a priority, such as rankings, into something marcomms can influence and measure.
Audience Mapping
Speaker: Heather Ducote, Virginia Tech
Participants should bring a priority, objective, or challenge to identify the audience, the working mission, the message, the channels, and measurement plan.
Small Team, Big Impact: Doing More with the Resources You Have
Speakers: Jackson Sirbaugh and Shelby Fox, Virginia Tech
Many communications teams across Virginia Tech are juggling social media, photography, writing, web updates, events, and a dozen other responsibilities, often with limited staff and resources. Yet some of the university's strongest storytelling comes from small teams finding creative ways to maximize their capacity.
How to build trust and influence with your student audience in a polarized media landscape.
Speakers: Jody Perrin, Jonny O’Halloran, Gustavo Bolognesi, and Jamie Ceman, Net Natives
Net Natives will share findings from two recent research initiatives: our Trusted Media research and the latest Higher Education Marketing Survey (HEMS, conducted in partnership with U.S. News) research. This session will bring together findings from both studies, with a focus on reputation and brand building, as well as strategies for addressing student enrollment challenges.
FAQs
Anyone! Hokie Brand Camp is open to Virginia Tech employees and students. It is geared toward those who use and interact with the brand as part of their work duties.
Hokie Brand Camp is a FREE event. Registration is required for the speaker-led sessions.
Squires Student Center, 290 College Ave, Blacksburg, VA 24060 [map]
You can visit vendors throughout Hokie Brand Camp in Commonwealth Ballroom A.
Sessions will be assigned to rooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors, based on attendee capacity. Final room assignments will be sent out 1 week before the session to all registered attendees and posted to the Hokie Brand Camp website.
No. Hokie Brand Camp is in-person only in Blacksburg. Sessions will be recorded and posted on the Brand Center following the event.
F/S parking is available with a valid parking pass in the Squires lot, street parking on Alumni Mall, and garage parking at North End Center. If you need to purchase a day pass, visit Parking Services’ online portal. Limited ParkMobile spots are also available for faculty and staff. Downtown parking is available at metered spots for limited durations.
Coffee, soda, and snacks will be available in the vendor hall. Lunch will not be provided. For lunch options, Squires Student Center offers a variety for purchase, and it is located close to downtown dining options off College Avenue, Draper Road, and Main Street.
Your first stop should be the Brand Center, where you can learn about guidelines and best practices for using the brand and following licensing policies and procedures. Employees can take asynchronous training modules on PageUp. Visit the Virginia Tech Brand Education Program and get your learning track booked.
For questions about Hokie Brand Camp, email vtbrand@vt.edu.
See past years' session recordings and presentations in the Hokie Brand Camp archive.