The Institute’s conference business isn’t just about hosting meetings; it’s a strategic service that drives our mission as a nonprofit organization. By offering our distinctive setting as a venue for groups seeking to work better together, we generate essential revenue that directly supports our programs.
Take, for example, the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. More than 100 faculty and student researchers from Arkansas and neighboring states gathered at the Institute, invited by our long-time conference client, the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium. Local broadcasters KATV and Arkansas PBS also live-streamed the eclipse from the Institute, giving Arkansans everywhere a front-row seat to both the full celestial event and the pastoral beauty of our Petit Jean Mountain campus.
Our ongoing relationship with the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium — coupled with repeat business from small businesses, large corporations, nonprofits, and government entities — strengthens our capacity to fulfill Winthrop Rockefeller’s legacy of collaborative, transformational change. Revenue and exposure from high-profile events like the research retreat, combined with the Consortium’s recurring convenings at the Institute, directly support and supply participant scholarships to programs like Civic Arkansas, iR3, and the Arkansas Health Equity Collaboration.
These funds also play a critical role in maintaining our facility and supporting our dedicated staff, many of whom stayed on-site during the eclipse to ensure a high level of hospitality for our guests.
Ultimately, the shared experience of our conference and retreat guests on the mountain equals more shared experiences for our program participants. This equation is especially important to remember as Civic Arkansas expands beyond Central Arkansas, creating more opportunities for small-group discussions and workshops led by Institute staff in farther corners of our state.