Director of National Conference Planning & Partnerships
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
Darla Owens is an experienced nonprofit leader and event strategist, currently working as National Conference Planning and Partnerships Director at Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). With over 10 years’ experience in high-impact event planning, Darla has consistently driven growth and engagement across major philanthropic and corporate sectors.
Her career began in professional sports, where she discovered the power of events to bring people together and create lasting community impact. Working with organizations like the Columbus Blue Jackets and Washington Nationals, Darla led signature community and fundraising events that elevated both brand and mission.
Motivated by the connections forged through sports, Darla transitioned into the nonprofit sector to focus more directly on community engagement and philanthropy. She continues to blend her expertise in strategic planning, event execution and stakeholder engagement to create transformative experiences that empower the next generation of business leaders.
Date

The future of business events isn’t something we should wait for, it’s something we should co-crate. Draw on connections between the DNEXT Future Study and the Destination Reputation Study to explore how planners and destination professionals can collaborate to deliver events that meet rising expectations for relevance, inclusivity and impact. Through real-world scenarios, dive into what today’s data tells us about tomorrow’s opportunities, shaping not only how destinations are perceived, but how they perform.
Learning outcomes:
Build trust and alignment through shared data and transparent collaboration
Translate future trends and reputation insights into event and destination strategy
Bridge perception gaps to meet evolving attendee and stakeholder expectations
This session is approved for the following certifications.
* ICCA Skills Domain CICS/CICE: Module 6: Destination Planning