Camp Engage
How a virtual PD experiment became a global, educator-led gathering — and one of Nearpod's most enduring community experiences.
When schools shifted to virtual learning in 2020, educators were drowning in tools and starving for real, useful PD. Nearpod had the audience and the product — but no signature moment for the community to rally around. We needed to launch something that felt like a destination, not a webinar.
- 01
Conceived Camp Engage from a blank page in 2020 — the idea, the name, the 'summer camp' creative concept, the brand framing, and the format.
- 02
Led the programming end to end — building the agenda around teachers teaching teachers, with Demo Slams, peer-led sessions, and PioNears co-creating the lineup alongside Nearpod staff. Attendees didn't just show up; they became presenters, creators, and advocates.
- 03
Owned the communications and cross-functional production — rallying product, marketing, and events teams around one experience, and layering in real community rituals: opening ceremony keynotes, happy hours, icebreakers, breakout rooms, and a campsite for cross-timezone connection.
- 04
Wired in product sneak peeks so attendees got first look at upcoming Nearpod and Flocabulary features — turning PD into a feedback loop for the product team.
- 05
Made it free, on-demand after the live week, and worth up to 15 PD credits — removing every barrier between an educator and showing up — then kept evolving the format event over event.
- →Camp Engage is still running today — a twice-yearly tentpole event for the Nearpod brand, six years after launch.
- →200,000+ cumulative attendees across Camp Engage events since launch.
- →Each event draws 5,000+ educators from 150+ countries, with 30–50 sessions across beginner through advanced tracks.
- →Became the engine for Nearpod's PioNears ambassador program — the place where community members earn the spotlight in front of their peers.
“It was the BEST PD I have ever attended, and I've been teaching since 1993.”
“An awesome experience, just like being in a real camp! For an isolated nation, it was great to meet people from around the world. Definitely recommend.”
A look at Camp Engage in action.
The thing I'm proudest of isn't the attendance number — it's that Camp Engage stopped belonging to the brand and started belonging to the educators. When you give a community real ownership of an experience, they carry it further than any campaign ever could. One-way brand communication gets attention for a moment; shared ownership builds momentum that lasts for years.