GEARED UP Mentor Conference: Grid

Welcome to GEARED UP 2026: Mentor Conference! Join us at James Madison University’s Festival Conference & Student Center in Harrisonburg, VA, for two days of learning, connection, and community.

You power 10,000+ students across DC, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. This day is built for YOU. Whether you’re a rookie coach launching your first team or a 20-year veteran looking for fresh ideas, you’ll find sessions, workshops, and conversations designed to sharpen your skills and recharge your passion.

Proudly presented by Aramco Americas. See you in Harrisonburg.

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Allegheny Room (80) Technical	Bar + Arcade	Board Dining (40) Team Management	Conf Room 2 (35) Curriculum	Conf Room 3 (35) Outreach	Conf Room 4 (40) Access & Advocacy	Conf Room 7 (165) Fundraising & Planning	Festival Drum (Expo Hall + Demos)	Grand Ballroom A (400)	Grand Ballroom B (275) FRC	Grand Ballroom C (220) FTC	Highlands Room (300) FLL

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The New Control System: What's Coming and When -... 11:30am - 12:15pm

Coding in the age of GPT and Claude - Do's and D... 2:45pm - 3:30pm

Networking Happy Hour At Ruby's Arcade 4:30pm - 6:45pm

You Can't Always Win. You Can Always Build Cultu... 10:15am - 11:00am

Your Brand Could Be Better: Storytelling, Identi... 11:30am - 12:15pm

Rural Teams, Shared Solutions - Vector Space sha... 1:30pm - 2:15pm

The Art of Effective Teamwork Challenges 2:45pm - 3:30pm

Embracing the Kaizen - How Continuous Improvemen... 4:00pm - 4:45pm

FTC Academy: Start Here - What it is, why it mat... 10:15am - 11:00am

Project Management Tutorial 1:30pm - 2:15pm

This is Not a Strategy Presentation: Building St... 2:45pm - 3:30pm

GEARED UP FTC / STEM HUBS in Your Neck of the Wo... 4:00pm - 4:45pm

The Care and Feeding of FIRST Alumni - Your most... 10:15am - 11:00am

There's a Seat at the Table - FRC and FTC adviso... 11:30am - 12:15pm

Your Team Is Your Volunteer Pipeline - Every pro... 1:30pm - 2:15pm

VA STEM Hubs and How They Can Work For You 2:45pm - 3:30pm

Parent Involvement: More Than Just Snacks (but a... 4:00pm - 4:45pm

Advocacy When You Can't Be in the Room - Reachin... 10:15am - 11:00am

She Leads FIRST: Women in STEM - Building confid... 11:30am - 12:15pm

Beyond the Robot: Building Meaningful Community... 1:30pm - 2:15pm

SheLeadsFIRST: Empowering Inclusivity and Change... 2:45pm - 3:30pm

Every Which Way to Think - Including Neurodivers... 4:00pm - 4:45pm

From $250 to Five Figures: Grant Writing That Wo... 10:15am - 11:00am

Your Team's Story Is Your Best Pitch - Finding s... 11:30am - 12:15pm

Your Team in 30 Seconds - A repeatable pitch fra... 1:30pm - 2:15pm

Scenario Planning for Nonprofit Leaders - Buildi... 2:45pm - 3:30pm

FLL BIOGLOW Preview (Futures | Founders) 1:30pm - 2:15pm

DEMO 2:45pm - 3:30pm

Networking Coffee 8:00am - 9:00am

You Are Not Coaching Alone - How Virginia's grow... 9:00am - 9:45am

Strategies for Season Build Process - It’s not m... 10:15am - 11:00am

Building a Community Team That Lasts - The struc... 11:30am - 12:15pm

The Road to the Impact Award - How FRC judges ev... 1:30pm - 2:15pm

Vision and Autonomous That Actually Work - Visio... 2:45pm - 3:30pm

FRC Unconference 4:00pm - 4:45pm

FTC Registration, Without the Headache - A live... 10:15am - 11:00am

The Road to the Inspire Award - How FTC judges r... 11:30am - 12:15pm

From Kitbot to Machine Shop - When custom parts... 1:30pm - 2:15pm

Great Seasons Don't Start in September - How to... 2:45pm - 3:30pm

FTC Unconference 4:00pm - 4:45pm

Robot Design Ideas for FLL Founders - Coaches an... 10:15am - 11:00am

The Innovation Project: More Than a Score - 11:30am - 12:15pm

The Road to the Champion's Award - How FLL judge... 1:30pm - 2:15pm

Building the FLL to FTC Pipeline - Students neve... 2:45pm - 3:30pm

FLL Unconference 4:00pm - 4:45pm

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Allegheny Room (80) Technical	Board Dining (40) Team Management	Conf Room 4 (40) Access & Advocacy	Conf Room 7 (165) Fundraising & Planning	Festival Drum (Expo Hall + Demos)	Grand Ballroom A (400)	Grand Ballroom B (275) FRC	Grand Ballroom C (220) FTC	Highlands Room (300) FLL

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Barriers and Bridges – A Strategic Approach to Having a Real Impact - Don't just win Impact, dev... 9:00am - 10:30am

Getting Back Up: The Use of Failure in the Process 11:00am - 12:30pm

The Ask: Sponsor Prospecting, Cold Outreach, and How To Find the Funding 9:00am - 10:30am

Life of a Large Team - Managing Team Growth - Make a space for every student without diluting th... 11:00am - 12:30pm

Program Team Office Hours 9:00am - 10:30am

PROGRAMS TEAM OFFICE HOURS with Bonnie, Matt, and Alicia 11:00am - 12:30pm

DEEP DIVE: First-Year Mentor Bootcamp - Experiences from the Pit to make it to Second-Year Mento... 9:00am - 10:30am

FIRST in Class - Class and Curriculum or Club and Activity, what fits on your camps 11:00am - 12:30pm

FLL BIOGLOW Preview REPEAT (Futures | Founders) 9:00am - 10:30am

DEMO 9:00am - 10:30am

DEMO 11:00am - 12:30pm

(OFFSITE) PRIMER ON SHOP TOOLS AT X LAB (ADAM + ELISE) Primer on Shop Tools at X LAB 9:00am - 10:30am

(OFFSITE) PRIMER ON SHOP TOOLS AT X LAB (ADAM + ELISE) Primer on Shop Tools at X LAB 11:00am - 12:30pm

DEEP DIVE: FRC Season Planning & Build Process Workshop - Get your hands dirty planning how to h... 9:00am - 10:30am

DEEP DIVE: Building a Team That Outlasts You - Succession & Sustainability for generations of st... 11:00am - 12:30pm

FTC Resource Roundup - Tools abound to make a sucessfull team. Dig deep! 9:00am - 10:30am

DEEP DIVE: The Future of FLL — LEGO Education Transition & BioGlow Season Planning) - What will... 11:00am - 12:30pm

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GEARED UP Mentor Conference

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