CENTER FOR ECONOMIC DEMOCRACY | MULTI-DAY CONVENING
movement finance
forum: a economic
justice convening
Services Provided: Full-Service Event Production, Venue Scouting & Management, Travel & Accommodations, Project Coordination & Budget Management, On-site Production
Duration: 3 days
Guest Count: 120
Location: Stony Point Retreat Center (Situated on the unceded lands of the Ramapough Lenape, Tappan, Rumanchenak, and Nyack peoples in the Hudson Valley)
Photographer: Anj Photography
Building the Movement Finance Forum: Scaling the infrastructure for a national convening
Center for Economic Democracy (CED) is committed to building a world beyond racial capitalism. A large part of this effort is driven forward with their nine partner networks. Gathering 120 high-level organizers, funders, and activists from across the country requires immense logistical precision. CED needed a production partner who not only understood the ideological gravity of the "resist and build" framework but could also carry the operational weight.
Our goal was to ensure that the CED core team could focus entirely on the details of their program and facilitation.
The Nest’s event team jumped in to manage the end-to-end production of this multi-day, national convening. From a seven-month planning runway to the final onsite debrief, we produced an environment where deep conversations and strategic plans could unfold safely and comfortably.
#1: venue scouting & intentional space holding
We led a national venue search, shortlisting several options and ultimately securing the Stony Point Retreat Center in the Hudson Valley. We managed all ongoing coordination with the venue, ensuring the physical environment—from large group meeting sets to intimate breakout spaces—was calibrated for CED’s coalition building. And we utilized Stony Point’s back lawn to build a pop up activation featuring lawn games, a food truck and a DJ!
#2: The End-to-End Attendee Journey
When gathering 120 movement leaders, the logistical friction of travel can drain a cohort's energy before the event even begins. We built and managed the entire registration system, acting as the primary liaison and help desk for all attendees. To ground guests in the local ecosystem upon arrival, we created fully personalized welcome bags.
We fully coordinated their travel, secured room blocks, managed lodging assignments, directed the guest check in experience, and handled all arrival/departure troubleshooting.
#3: Ecosystem & Budget Management
Operating within CED’s strict procurement screens and values, we managed all vendor contracts, from audio-visual teams to comprehensive Food & Beverage planning. We collected dietary needs, curated diverse menus, supplemented meals with robust local snacks, and maintained rigorous, transparent tracking of the event's budget to ensure absolute financial integrity throughout the 7-month planning cycle.
From managing the master timeline to providing comprehensive onsite coordination over the 3-day convening—The Nest ensured CED and its nine partner networks could remain fully present in their strategy sessions.
