Pre-Conference Activities
Field Trips and Day of Service
On Wednesday, Pre-Conference Panels will take place at the Hilton Bayfront, while Field Trips and Day of Service will offer opportunities to explore local gems and give back to the community on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Check back in late summer as more opportunities are announced!
Please note, advance registration will be required for Field Trips and Day of Service activities.
We are extremely grateful to the ComNet26 Planning and Host Committees for organizing these sessions.
Field Trips
Every host city is shaped by the places in it — the museums, the cultural institutions, the organizations, and sometimes the companies that move the whole global economy. Field Trips get you out of the ballroom and into a few of them.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, September 29 + 30, small groups head out across San Diego for two to three hours — a museum, a cultural landmark, a communications organization, a corner of the city worth seeing. Six to twelve people per trip. A local host who knows the place guides the way.
Here's the real reason we do it. You don't get to know someone in a room of 1,000 people. You get to know them walking through a gallery, riding the trolley, grabbing a coffee between stops. Field Trips are how colleagues turn into friends before the conference even opens. It's the same idea that runs through everything we do — Day of Service, LOCALs, all of it.
Spots are limited and fill fast. Advance registration is required. Deadline: September 4, 2026.
We're grateful to the ComNet26 Planning and Host Committees for building these — they're the ones who make it happen.
Tijuana River Watershed Tour
Tuesday, September 29, 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Dr. Chad Nelsen, CEO, Surfrider Foundation
Sarah Davidson, Clean Border Water Now Manager, Surfrider Foundation
Join Dr. Chad Nelsen, Sarah Davidson, and local partners for a driving tour of the Tijuana River Valley. Learn about the magnificent Tijuana River Watershed, the decades-long struggle to address the public health crisis caused by rampant transboundary pollution, and Surfrider's Clean Border Water Now work in the US/Mexico cross-border region. Lunch will be included.
4-hour driving tour of Tijuana River Valley + lunch on a beautiful mesa overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Learn about the ongoing public health and environmental justice crisis at the Tijuana River, and how Surfrider Foundation's Clean Border Water Now program is addressing it.
Hear from Surfrider CEO Chad Nelsen, Clean Border Water Now Manager Sarah Davidson, and local leaders working to bring much-needed infrastructure solutions and on-the-ground response for frontline communities bearing the brunt of toxic pollution daily.
Gain first-hand insight into why the Tijuana River Valley is so important to protect, seen up close rather than from a distance.
Important note for participants: This experience only takes place on the US side of the border. Be sure to bring a photo ID. It's unlikely, but possible, that Border Patrol agents may stop the group.
Birch Aquarium Tour & Climate Storytelling (*FULL*)
Wednesday, September 30, 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
May Sifuentes, Principal, Public Assembly
Nyx Fae, Impact Photographer
Join May Sifuentes and Nyx Fae for a guided photography walk and climate storytelling session at Birch Aquarium — the public face of UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography — a place where world-class ocean science meets world-class storytelling.
Explore your creative side through a guided photography walk with impact photographer and nature aficionada Nyx Fae, and practice seeing exhibits, coastlines, and audiences through a new lens.
Meet Little Blue Penguins — the smallest penguins in the world — along with seadragons, sharks, and a living tide pool you can get your hands in.
Look beneath the surface to discover how intentional choices in storytelling, interpretation, and design transform ocean science into understanding — and understanding into impact.
Continue the conversation over a local La Jolla lunch and reflect on how these lessons can shape climate and communications strategies across sectors.
Tickets are $35 per person. Instructions for purchasing your ticket will be shared after registration.
Behind the Scenes with KPBS Public Media (*FULL*)
Wednesday, September 30, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Heather Milne Barger, Chief Marketing Officer, KPBS
KPBS is San Diego’s public media station and one of the most successful in the nation. Located on San Diego State University’s campus, you will get to see what makes this NPR and PBS station - and public media in general - so special. Won’t you be our neighbor?
Join a behind-the-scenes station tour of KPBS, San Diego’s public media station.
Talk with a KPBS News reporter and social media team about what makes a good news pitch, how stories are selected, how to tell your story on social media, press conference tips, changes in newsroom storytelling, and managing social engagement.
Put the above tips into practice with hands-on activities, live in front of a studio audience (you!)
Art, Culture and Community: Exploring San Diego's Historic Barrio Logan Neighborhood (*FULL*)
Wednesday, September 30, 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Katie Janowiak, Senior Vice President of Strategy & Impact, Catalyst of San Diego and Imperial Counties
Tess Karesky, Communications Coordinator, Prebys Foundation
A walking tour of Barrio Logan, one of California's designated cultural districts and a vibrant neighborhood rooted in Chicano culture, creativity, social justice, and community.
Discover how art can serve as civic infrastructure by preserving history, strengthening identity, and helping communities shape their future.
Explore Chicano Park's iconic murals and learn about their history and significance.
Take part in a mini workshop at the studio of Sew Loka, a local textile artist and Chicana fashion designer whose work celebrates culture, upcycling, and waste reduction.
Wrap up with food, drinks, and conversation at a local community hub where people come together to connect, share their art and celebrate.
San Diego Zoo Tour (*FULL*)
Wednesday, September 30, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Jay Buys, Co-founder and CEO, Visceral
Sarah Beauchemin, Founder, Protagonist Content
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! We'll spend the day at the world-famous San Diego Zoo seeing all of those animals, plus meerkats, giant pandas, flamingos, and just about any other animal you can think of.
The tour will be 2-3 hours of walking, so please wear comfortable shoes.
The San Diego sun is wonderful, but please dress appropriately and bring sunscreen.
Tickets are $78 per person. To expedite getting into the park, please buy tickets beforehand at https://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/tickets
Day of Service
The Communications Network runs on three values: community, learning, and leadership. Our annual Day of Service is where we put all three of our values to work — and do some good and have some fun along the way…
It started in 2017... We arrived in Miami Beach for ComNet17 a week after Hurricane Irma tore through South Florida. The community hosting us was in crisis. So we rolled up our sleeves and helped put Zoo Miami back together after the storm. It felt right.
It's been a ComNet tradition ever since.
Every year, attendees have raised their hands to help local organizations in the cities that host us — San Francisco, Austin, Atlanta, Kansas City, Denver. This year, San Diego.
Here's what you get out of giving: you do some real good, you meet colleagues who become friends by the time you head home, and you get to know the place that's hosting us just a little bit better.
Come as you are. No experience required — just a willingness to pitch in.
Read more about our Day of Service activities below. We'll add more as they're confirmed.
Feeding San Diego
Wednesday, September 30, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Background: Feeding San Diego is a non-profit organization on a mission to connect every person facing hunger with nutritious meals by maximizing food rescue. Established in 2007, Feeding San Diego rescues surplus food from local and national food donors before it goes to waste and gets it to people facing hunger in San Diego County.
What You’ll Do: Meet at the distribution center for a hands-on food sorting shift to support efforts to redistribute rescued food. You might find yourself gleaning fresh plums, assembling food boxes, or packing pantry essentials for families in need.
Surfrider Foundation (*FULL*)
Wednesday, September 30, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Background: The Surfrider Foundation is a nonprofit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world's ocean, waves, and beaches for all people through a powerful activist network. Founded in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu, California, the Surfrider Foundation now maintains over one million supporters, activists, and members, with more than 250 volunteer-led chapters and student clubs in the U.S., and more than 1,000 victories protecting our coasts.
What You’ll Do: Join us for a beach cleanup at Silver Strand in Imperial Beach. Surfrider considers beach cleanups a "gateway to activism" because it's a hands-on activity that exposes volunteers to the scale of single-use plastic pollution on our beaches and in our ocean. But picking up trash and leaving the beach cleaner is just half the battle. We'll also be turning the trash we remove into beach cleanup data that helps power Surfrider's policy advocacy work to stop plastic pollution at its source. Learn more about Surfrider's Beach Cleanup Program here.
PATH San Diego (*FULL*)
Wednesday, September 30, 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Background: PATH has been serving the San Diego community since 2013. PATH provides interim and affordable housing through a wide variety of programs. Wraparound services include outreach, case management, housing navigation, healthcare, and employment support. From outreach to housing, we help individuals, veterans and families across San Diego County make it home.
What You’ll Do: Tour PATH’s office in downtown San Diego. Then head to their kitchen to prepare and serve lunch for 100+ interim shelter clients and assist with post-meal clean up.
San Diego Food Bank
Wednesday, September 30, 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Background: The Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank is the largest hunger-relief organization in San Diego County. Last year, the Food Bank distributed over 50 million pounds of food, and the Food Bank serves, on average, 400,000 people per month in San Diego County. Through two warehouse locations and by partnering with more than 450 nonprofit partners, the Food Bank provides nutritious food to individuals and families in need in communities throughout San Diego County.
What You’ll Do: Your project may include produce inspection & bagging, donation sorting, food package assembly for a variety of programs, or other projects determined by what’s needed that day.
Pre-Conference Panels
Pre-conference panels will have limited seating so we recommend getting there early! No advanced signup needed.
Build Trust and Bridge Divides
Wednesday, September 30, 1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.
Doug Hattaway, Hattaway Communications
Learn science-based insights and practical ideas to advance your mission in a climate of distrust, division, and disruption.
Work through The Network’s trust playbook — 7 Steps: From Division to Action.
Compare notes and share ideas with others looking to engage people in meaningful conversation and purposeful action.
The Workaround Lab
Wednesday, September 30, 3:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
Valerie Goode, Chief Marketing Officer, The San Francisco Foundation
Regan Douglass, Founding Principal, Sparkwise Communications
Explore how communicators are staying values-led in fast-changing, high pressure, and crisis conditions.
Learn how peers are making smart choices about what requires an immediate response, what to hold, and what to reframe.
Build a shared “What’s Working” map of the language, decision-making, partnerships, and practices that help values-driven organizations protect community and move important work forward amid uncertainty.
Leave with new connections and peer-tested strategies to adapt after ComNet.
Making Waves: Building a Purpose Driven Brand
Wednesday, September 30, 3:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
Jen Derks, Founder and Creative Director at Four Fin Creative
Anne Middleton, Associate Director at WILDCOAST
Abraham Chen, Executive Director at B Local San Diego
Leah Hays, Program Director at Seatrees
Ramel J. Wallace, Sr. Community Manager at BAM and Host of CreativeMornings San Diego
Explore how to use the power of branding, creativity and community building to bring people together, capture hearts, and drive action.
Learn how non-profits are leveraging events and community building to further their impact.
Learn how to balance serious topics with culture and creativity for ultimate impact and participation.
Learn how certifications like 1% for the Planet and B Corp support brand narratives and connection.
