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Speakers and Tours

Welcome to the City of Columbia Speakers Bureau webpage. The Speakers Bureau provides organizations and groups with speakers, presentations, volunteer opportunities, and tours of City Facilities with a focus on city-centric topics. During your experience with us, you will gain a better understanding of how your local city/government works and the services we provide to the community. City staff works to educate young and old, on campus, in the community, and throughout Boone County and beyond. Browse through our list of topics and select one for your next meeting, volunteer day or class field trip. If you cannot find a topic that meets your needs, please let us know by email or by calling 573.874.2489opens phone dialer.

Topic Presentation Length Number of Participants Recommended Ages Request a Speaker
City of Columbia 101: Learn about our council-manager form of government, organization, budget, and much more. 15 min. – 1 hr. n/a all ages
Tour of City Facilities: To bring you the best services, we use numerous unique and interesting facilities from City Hall to the landfill. Check out the facilities that bring our infrastructure to life. Please note that not all facilities are open the public. Group sizes may be limited, and greater notice may be needed in some cases. 30min. – 1 hr.   all ages
What is a Bike-share Program?: Overview of what a bike-share system is and how it could work in Columbia. 20 – 30 min. n/a all ages
City Hall-Green Building Design: Take a tour of City Hall that points out various building materials, designs, and systems that have contributed to City Hall Gold LEED Certification. (Limited to 10-15 participants) 1 hr. 10 to 15 all ages  
Energy Efficiency: Get an overview of programs & utility incentives for residential and commercial customers. Presentation can be customized to your group. 15 min. – 1 hr. n/a all ages
Water Conservation: Learn how to save water in your home. 15 min. – 1 hr. n/a all ages
Renewable Energy Overview: Get an overview of Columbia’s renewable energy standards, details of our renewable energy resources, and incentives for customer-installed solar systems. 15 min – 1 hr. n/a all ages
Electric Utility System Information: Learn how electricity for Columbia is generated, transmitted, and distributed to the customer. Presentation can be customized to your group. 15 min. – 1 hr. n/a all ages
Water Utility System Information: Learn about the source of Columbia’s water, water quality, how the water is distributed, and what happens when a water main breaks. Presentation can be customized to your group. 15 min. – 1 hr. n/a all ages
Elementary School Water System Overview: Interactive display and presentation shows children how the water cycle and water utility work. 30 min. – 1 hr. n/a elementary school age
Elementary School Electric Safety: Interactive display and presentation shows children how to be safe with electricity. 30 min. – 1 hr. n/a elementary school age  
Current Water or Electric Project Overviews: Customized presentation about any large water or electric project in Columbia. 15 min – 1 hr. n/a all ages
Bond Issue Overviews (when applicable): The water and electric utilities use voter-approved bonds to finance large-scale utility projects. Speakers are available on this topic when a voter-approved bond is being requested. 15 min – 1 hr. n/a adults
COLT Railroad Overview: Get an overview and tour of the city-owned railroad that carries freight from Centralia to Columbia. (Limited to 15-20 participants) 15 min. – 30 min. 15 to 20 all ages
Volunteering with the City of Columbia: Learn about the City’s volunteer programs and the many ways that volunteers make the Columbia a great place! 15 min. – 30 min. n/a all ages
Caring for your neighborhood – Residential Code Enforcement: Learn how the Office of Neighborhood Services works to protect the quality of life in our city by supporting neighborhoods and enforcing City codes. 15 min – 1 hr. n/a all ages
Volunteer Management 101: Want to know more about working with volunteers? Staff from the City of Columbia can share best practices based on their experience in recruiting, screening, placing and appreciating volunteers! 1 hr. n/a all ages
What is the Office of Cultural Affairs?: Get a general overview of the programs and services offered by the Office of Cultural Affairs. 15 min – 1 hr. n/a all ages
Economic Impact of the Arts: Learn how the arts impact our local economy. 30 min. – 1 hr. n/a adults
Importance of Public Art: Learn how public art plays a part in creating a sense of community. 30 min. – 1 hr. n/a adults
Columbia Arts Foudation: Learn how the newly-formed Columbia Arts Foundation is helping to grow the arts in Columbia. 30 min. – 1 hr. n/a adults
Public Art Tour: Take a tour of Columbia’s Public Art guided by staff of the Office of Cultural Affairs. Learn about the art, the artists, and how these works of art came to be. 30 min. – 2 hrs. 30 all ages
Activity: Place decals and mark storm drains: Volunteer to place a colorful blue & green NO DUMPING storm drain marker on local storm drains, as a reminder that whatever goes into a storm drain comes out in a stream. No experience necessary! We will mail you just one NO DUMPING marker for the storm drain on your street! 45 min.   all ages
Roadside Litter Cleanup: We can help you organize park, or road cleanup specific to a group. Volunteer Programs can help identify and approve an area of need, provide supplies and instruction or be a part of the Stream Team – Crawdads – that keeps litter out of our local waterways. Monthly Stream Team Litter events are led by trained volunteers who provide bags, gloves, safety vests, and direction. Locations and times vary. Drop-ins are welcome on the day of the event. 45 min.   all ages
Community Foundation of Central Missouri: The Community Foundation is a new entry to philanthropy in Columbia and Central Missouri. It provides an incredible opportunity to enhance charitable giving in the Columbia and central Missouri region. The presentation focuses on the benefits, goals, and how-to’s of the Community Foundation. The presentation is educational for both potential donors and recipients of charitable funds. CFCM’s website is www.cfcmfoundation.org. 15 min. – 30 min. any size teen to senior adult    
Share the Light: Share the Light is an easy way for citizens to contribute to specific City projects through their monthly utility bill. Over $180,000 has been collected since 2001, and over $150,000 has been appropriated for “over and above” City services. 15 min.   adults
Homelessness: Get an overview of the issue of homelessness including local data, strategies, and planning to address the issue. 15 min – 1 hr. any size age 16 and over
Human Rights Services: Learn about local, state and federal anti-discrimination laws. 15 min – 1 hr. any size age 5 and over
Fire Station Tours: Tour a local Fire Station including a fire apparatus. 15 min – 1 hr. 40 all ages
Fire Code Information: Information for citizens including fire code, alarms, and code enforcements issues 15 min – 1 hr.   all ages
Columbia Police Department: The Columbia Police Department offers a variety of presentations for the public: cons and scams, cyberbullying, driver safety, travel and vehicle safety, drug abuse, Internet safety, senior citizen safety, active shooter training, workplace violence training, personal safety, and more. 15 min – 1 hr.   all ages
Columbia Tourism Ambassadors: Learn about the new Columbia Tourism Ambassador (CTA) program. 15 min. – 30 min. any size. up to 30 is ideal. all ages
Columbia: Get an overview of the national, state and local importance of the tourism industry. Includes information on how the Columbia CVB promotes tourism. 30 min. any size all ages
Welcome to Columbia: Having a conference or meeting with people from out of town? Let us help with orienting your guests to Columbia. 15 min. – 30 min. n/a all ages
Citizens Police Review Board:: A member of the Citizens Police Review Board will provide an overview of the benefits of civilian oversight of law enforcement, including its role in policy review and its role in reviewing appeals of the police chief’s decision on complaints. 30 minutes   teen to senior adult
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!: Waste Reduction; Recycling-Residential, Commercial and Special Events; Commercial Food Waste Composting Collection; Household Hazardous Waste; Composting; Public Works Volunteer Program Opportunities; School Recycling Presentations tailored to fit group needs any all ages
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