Advance Your Career with APPAU

What is APPAU?

APPAU is APPA's premier professional development opportunity—offering multiple training courses together at a single location.

3-day Course Options:

Spend 3-days attending one of APPA's signature training programs: Institute for Facilities Management or Leadership Academy — both are long-standing and highly successful programs that expand students' facilities management acumen and leadership skills. Both programs include full days of classes Tuesday through Thursday.

APPAU offers the convenience of these educational opportunities in one location with teaching faculty from across the country to help students envision the full spectrum of the facilities management profession. APPAU’s reputation for preparing facilities management professionals and their teams with the tools to meet competing priorities and deadlines within budget constraints and sustainability goals makes it a valuable educational experience. Students attending the APPAU 3-day program will choose one of the Institute for Facilities Management core tracks or one of the Leadership Academy levels to attend (details below).

2-day Course Options:

APPAU will also host a 2-day APPA course options: Nexus

In APPA's Nexus program, senior facilities leaders participate in an interactive 2-day program designed to explore the complex landscape of budgeting and financial decision-making in higher education. This program is perfect for professionals who have completed the Institute for Facilities Management program or are looking for a rich learning environment focused on executive decision-making in facilities management. The Nexus program runs Tuesday and Wednesday.

Other Programs at APPAU

Check out our AI in Facilities Management Workshop (T3) and the CEFP Live Prep Course also occurring in Phoenix in conjunction with APPAU.

What's Included/Cost to Attend

APPAU kicks off with a Monday evening reception. Student meals are provided for breakfast, lunch, and breaks throughout the training days (Tues-Thur). APPA also provides a closing reception on Thursday where we celebrate graduates who have completed all four cores of our Institute for Facilities Management or all four levels of our Leadership Academy programs. Students are responsible for hotel accommodations and evening meals. APPA has negotiated hotel rates for APPAU students—make sure to book your room before the hotel block expires.

3-day Registration Fees (Institute for Facilities Management or Leadership Academy):*

• APPA Institutional Members: $1,640
• Non-Members: $2,240
• APPA Platinum Business Partners: $1,640
• APPA Gold Business Partners: $1,740
• APPA Silver Business Partners: $1,840
• APPA Bronze Business Partners: $1,940

2-day Registration Fees (Nexus):*

• APPA Institutional Members: $1,080
• Non-Members: $1,480
• APPA Platinum Business Partners: $1,080
• APPA Gold Business Partners: $1,150
• APPA Silver Business Partners: $1,215
• APPA Bronze Business Partners: $1,280

*An early bird 10% discount is available on all tickets purchased prior to November 30 with promo code APPAU_FEB26_EarlyBird

Institute for Facilities Management

Attendees selecting the "Institute" choose from one of four core facilities management topic areas for their APPAU event. Each core topic area provides rich content and hands-on exercises for attendees. The Institute core courses may be taken in any order.

• General Administration
• Operations & Maintenance
• Energy & Utilities
• Planning, Design & Construction

Institute students receive continuing education credits (CEUs) after completing any of the four core areas. Many Institute students return to APPAU to complete all four core content areas and become Institute Graduates. More details about APPA's Institute for Facilities Management.

Leadership Academy

APPA’s Leadership Academy prepares educational facilities professionals to become effective leaders with the skills to create thriving cultures of trust and lifelong learning that they can take back to their institutions. A comprehensive collection of four courses for educational facilities professionals, the Leadership Academy touches on all aspects of successful leadership skills: individual, interpersonal, managerial, and organizational.

Leadership Academy students follow a progression through APPA's leadership courses (one level per APPAU):

1. Individual Effectiveness Skills (Level I)
2. Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills (Level II)
3. Managerial Effectiveness Skills (Level III)
4. Organizational Effectiveness Skills (Level IV)

Leadership Academy students receive continuing education credits (CEUs) after completing each of the four levels. Many Leadership Academy students return to APPAU to complete all four levels and become Leadership Academy Graduates. More details about APPA's Leadership Academy.

Nexus

Unpack the complexities of executive decision-making in educational facilities. APPA’s Nexus course offers a two-day, immersive learning experience designed to help senior facilities leaders guide cross-functional teams in a rapidly changing landscape. Navigate multifaceted institutional challenges by understanding the interplay between finance, planning, operations and strategic growth. More details about APPA's Nexus Course. 

Join us at APPAU! 

Looking ahead to summer 2026? Mark your calendars for APPAU St. Louis.