2026 IHEA-USA Annual Meeting & Training
Save the Date!
We invite you to join us on June 1–4, 2026 at the Renaissance Center in Glendale Arizona.
The 2026 IHEA-USA Annual Business Meeting and Training will bring together hunter education professionals, conservation leaders, and partners for four days of collaboration, learning, and celebration. This year’s theme, “Strength in Community”, emphasizes the importance of collaboration and partnership to achieve our goals. From volunteers on newly-constructed ranges to tenured Federal employees and everyone in between, we all play an important part to educate the public and each other. Hosted in the beautiful and historic district of Glendale, AZ, this year’s conference center is walkable to the Westgate Entertainment District and a rideshare away from the Phoenix airport. This year will be highlighted by a trip to the Ben Avery Range and an AI Workshop along with new hunter ed research, an Arizona showcase, and the traditional Banquet and auction Thursday night.
At any time throughout the event if you need assistance or have a question you can reach out to the IHEA team through email (helpdesk@ihea-usa.org) or phone (406.499.2085).
Hotel Block Information
Primary Hotel Booking Link:
Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel & Conference Center
199.00 USD per night – Last Day to Book : Monday, May 11, 2026
CLICK HERE TO BOOK WITH GROUP RATE
Overflow Booking Links:
Hampton: IHEA-USA – GLENDALE 2026
Tru: IHEA-USA – GLENDALE 2026
Booking Terms: Group will have all charges on their own credit cards as payment.
For reservations, they may be cancelled 48 hours prior to arrival date to avoid any charges to their bookings.
Parking: Charged $18 parking for individual vehicles ($60 for buses/oversized vehicles).
Be ready to provide license plate numbers upon check in, required avoid citations
Hotel Amenities: All guests rooms include a complimentary hot breakfast,
24-hour coffee in the lobby, wi-fi, outdoor pool and on-site parking.
All hotels are near Westgate where there is a variety of bars and restaurants,
also have the AMC Movie Theaters and the Tanger Outlet Mall for shopping.
Are you an Education Volunteer? Join the Meeting online for FREE!
Not a member? Join today!
CLICK HERE to download a pdf of the Agenda
Annual IHEA-USA Meeting and Training
Monday — June 1, 2026
| Time | Itinerary |
|---|---|
| 8:00 AM–5:00 PM | Registration / Packet Pick Up |
| 8:00 AM–12:00 PM | Range Coordinators Meeting |
| 8:00 AM–12:00 PM | New Administrators Meeting |
| 12:00 PM–1:00 PM | Lunch |
| 1:00 PM–5:00 PM | Range Coordinators Meeting |
| 1:00 PM–5:00 PM | IHEA-USA Board Meeting |
| 6:30 PM–8:00 PM | IHEA-USA Board Dinner |
Tuesday — June 2, 2026
| Time | Itinerary |
|---|---|
| 7:00 AM–8:00 AM | Registration / Packet Pick Up |
| 8:00 AM–9:00 AM | Opening Ceremony |
| 9:00 AM–9:30 AM | Arizona Game & Fish Deputy Director Keynote |
| 9:30 AM–10:00 AM | IHEA-USA Year in Review (Alex Baer, IHEA-USA) |
| 10:00 AM–10:15 AM | Break |
| 10:15 AM–11:00 AM | How Safe is Online Hunter Education |
| 11:00 AM–11:20 AM | Office of Conservation Investment (OCI) |
| 11:20 AM–11:50 AM | IHEA-WORLD presentations |
| 11:50 AM–1:00 PM | Lunch Provided |
| 1:00 PM–1:20 PM | By the Numbers (Megan Fedrick, IHEA-USA) |
| 1:20 PM–1:40 PM | Tribal land / nations involved in hunter ed program |
| 1:40 PM–2:00 PM | AZ Bowhunter program updates |
| 2:00 PM–2:20 PM | Youth Hunter ed enrollment data challenges |
| 2:20 PM–2:40 PM | Drought talk |
| 2:40 PM–3:00 PM | R3: Sharing AZ model and next steps after hunter education |
| 3:00 PM–3:30 PM | Break |
| 3:30 PM–4:00 PM | Volunteer Personas Research |
| 4:00 PM–4:30 PM | R3 for Volunteer Instructors Roundtable |
| 3:30 PM–5:00 PM | Administrators Pre-Business Meeting |
| 6:00 PM–9:00 PM | Networking Reception |
Wednesday — June 3, 2026
| Time | Itinerary |
|---|---|
| 7:30 AM–1:30 PM | Ben Avery Shooting Range |
| 2:00 PM–4:30 PM | Meetings with Hunter Education Vendors / Vendor Showcase |
| 4:00 PM–6:00 PM | IHEA-WORLD Meeting |
| Evening | Dinner on your own |
Thursday — June 4, 2026
| Time | Itinerary |
|---|---|
| 8:00 AM–10:00 AM | IHEA Business Meeting |
| 9:00 AM–9:20 AM | LearnHunting.org Case Study in Missouri |
| 9:20 AM–9:40 AM | North American Lead Free Partnership presentation |
| 9:40 AM–10:00 AM | Blood Trailing App technologies |
| 10:00 AM–10:15 AM | Break |
| 10:15 AM–11:15 AM | AI Workshop |
| 11:15 AM–11:35 AM | Break |
| 11:35 AM–11:50 AM | AI Workshop Results and Wrap-Up |
| 11:50 AM–1:15 | Awards Lunch |
| 1:15 PM–1:55 PM | Hunter Education in the West |
| 1:55 PM–2:15 PM | Becoming an Outdoor Woman in Africa! |
| 2:15 PM–2:35 PM | Team Culture Chat |
| 2:35 PM–2:55 PM | Council Partnership Announcement |
| 2:55 PM–3:15 PM | 2027 Maryland |
| 3:15 PM–3:30 PM | IHEA/AZ Game and Fish Closing Remarks |
| 5:00 PM–9:00 PM | Banquet and Auction |
Monday — June 1, 2026
| Time | Itinerary |
|---|---|
| 8:00 AM–5:00 PM | Registration / Packet Pick Up |
| 8:00 AM–12:00 PM | Range Coordinators Meeting |
| 8:00 AM–12:00 PM | New Administrators Meeting |
| 12:00 PM–1:00 PM | Lunch |
| 1:00 PM–5:00 PM | Range Coordinators Meeting |
| 1:00 PM–5:00 PM | IHEA-USA Board Meeting |
| 6:30 PM–8:00 PM | IHEA-USA Board Dinner |
Tuesday — June 2, 2026
| Time | Itinerary |
|---|---|
| 7:00 AM–8:00 AM | Registration / Packet Pick Up |
| 8:00 AM–9:00 AM | Opening Ceremony |
| 9:00 AM–9:30 AM | Arizona Game & Fish Deputy Director Keynote |
| 9:30 AM–10:00 AM | IHEA-USA Year in Review (Alex Baer, IHEA-USA) |
| 10:00 AM–10:15 AM | Break |
| 10:15 AM–11:00 AM | How Safe is Online Hunter Education |
| 11:00 AM–11:20 AM | Office of Conservation Investment (OCI) |
| 11:20 AM–11:50 AM | IHEA-WORLD presentations |
| 11:50 AM–1:00 PM | Lunch Provided |
| 1:00 PM–1:20 PM | By the Numbers (Megan Fedrick, IHEA-USA) |
| 1:20 PM–1:40 PM | Tribal land / nations involved in hunter ed program |
| 1:40 PM–2:00 PM | AZ Bowhunter program updates |
| 2:00 PM–2:20 PM | Youth Hunter ed enrollment data challenges |
| 2:20 PM–2:40 PM | Drought talk |
| 2:40 PM–3:00 PM | R3: Sharing AZ model and next steps after hunter education |
| 3:00 PM–3:30 PM | Break |
| 3:30 PM–4:00 PM | Volunteer Personas Research |
| 4:00 PM–4:30 PM | R3 for Volunteer Instructors Roundtable |
| 3:30 PM–5:00 PM | Administrators Pre-Business Meeting |
| 6:00 PM–9:00 PM | Networking Reception |
Wednesday — June 3, 2026
| Time | Itinerary |
|---|---|
| 7:30 AM–1:30 PM | Ben Avery Shooting Range |
| 2:00 PM–4:30 PM | Meetings with Hunter Education Vendors / Vendor Showcase |
| 4:00 PM–6:00 PM | IHEA-WORLD Meeting |
| Evening | Dinner on your own |
Thursday — June 4, 2026
| Time | Itinerary |
|---|---|
| 8:00 AM–10:00 AM | IHEA Business Meeting |
| 9:00 AM–9:20 AM | LearnHunting.org Case Study in Missouri |
| 9:20 AM–9:40 AM | North American Lead Free Partnership presentation |
| 9:40 AM–10:00 AM | Blood Trailing App technologies |
| 10:00 AM–10:15 AM | Break |
| 10:15 AM–11:15 AM | AI Workshop |
| 11:15 AM–11:35 AM | Break |
| 11:35 AM–11:50 AM | AI Workshop Results and Wrap-Up |
| 11:50 AM–1:15 | Awards Lunch |
| 1:15 PM–1:55 PM | Hunter Education in the West |
| 1:55 PM–2:15 PM | Becoming an Outdoor Woman in Africa! |
| 2:15 PM–2:35 PM | Team Culture Chat |
| 2:35 PM–2:55 PM | Council Partnership Announcement |
| 2:55 PM–3:15 PM | 2027 Maryland |
| 3:15 PM–3:30 PM | IHEA/AZ Game and Fish Closing Remarks |
| 5:00 PM–9:00 PM | Banquet and Auction |

Interested in sponsoring the conference? Reach out to mclarey@ihea-usa.org with your inquiry!