Request for Proposals

2027 Leadership Summit Host Sponsor

Deadline to Submit: July 27, 2026

Submit to: c.villarreal@latinosintransit.org

Latinos In Transit (LIT) invites public and private transit/transportation organizations to submit their interest in hosting the 2027 LIT Leadership Summit. 

Hosting the LIT Leadership Summit in your community provides an opportunity to showcase your organization while supporting a nonprofit organization that is committed to empowering professionals in the transit industry to achieve leadership roles by advancing opportunities for workforce development, mentorship, networking and education. Since 2016, LIT has pushed its mission to create programming that lays a foundation to achieve professional growth and leadership development opportunities. LIT continues to enhance its annual Summit for its rapidly growing membership, providing its members with the professional skills, mentoring, and networking opportunities that advocate for the next generation of transit leaders. The Summit focuses on education through sharing best practices and thought leadership, as well as establishing meaningful connections and inspiring the next generation of leaders.

LIT’s network of members, partners and supporters spans across the nation. The Summit is anticipated to attract over 400 attendees. As the host organization, you will be positioned at the forefront of leaders and emerging professionals in the transit industry before, during, and after the conference. Leading up to attendees arriving, the host organization receives substantial exposure, including being featured in the Summit advertising campaign. With additional media exposure, the host organization and host city will be able to grow its audience. The host organization will have the opportunity to highlight a mission critical project, service and/or infrastructure during a technical tour. After the event, the host city/organization will have created an impact on attendees that will further help promote the host organization and its engagement within the community. In addition, the event will result in economic impacts to the local economy through contracting local businesses and an uptick in business from Summit attendees.

Submitting a letter of interest to host the 2027 LIT Leadership Summit will put your organization at the front and center of passionate transit industry professionals from around the nation, providing an opportunity to highlight mission critical projects, services, and community benefits.   

The LIT Leadership Summit is traditionally held in September during Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15 - Oct 15).  We are looking for a host organization that will be able to provide a destination with excellent access to public transportation and other shared mobility options. We invite organizations interested in being the host of the 2027 Leadership Summit to respond with a letter of interest and a proposal based on activities required to host the Summit.  

The selected host will be announced at the 2026 Leadership Summit in Columbus, Ohio, on September 11, 2026. 

Please submit proposals to c.villarreal@latinosintransit.org.

At a minimum, proposals must include the following information:

Letter of interest from the CEO/General Manager or designee

Historical narrative and background on the interested organization(s)

Sponsorship amount and budget narrative on how the sponsorship will be provided (monetary, in kind, both). Please provide specific details on valued amounts for in-kind contributions. 

Destination description, accessibility, and hospitality services available

Closest airport location and public transit information

Optional: Any previous experience hosting/sponsoring similar, large-scale in-person events/conferences

Proposal deadline is July 27, 2026. 

Background Information

About the LIT Leadership Summit
This will be LIT’s seventh Leadership Summit. After a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Leadership Summit returned in 2022 in Dallas, Texas, and was hosted by Dallas Area Rapid Transit. The event drew more than 150 registrants, featured a sold-out Leadership Luncheon with 200 attendees, nine sponsors, four breakout sessions, three keynote speakers (including influential local and national elected officials), a technical tour, a networking breakfast, and two receptions. The 2023 Summit was hosted by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority and also drew a sold-out audience. In 2024, TriMet in Portland, Oregon, served as host sponsor and welcomed a sold-out audience of 350 attendees. In 2025, Albuquerque, New Mexico, hosted the Summit and welcomed 230 attendees. Looking ahead, LIT expects more than 300 attendees at its upcoming Leadership Summit in Columbus, Ohio, taking place September 10–13, 2026. The Leadership Summit is open to anyone interested in professional growth, networking, and advancing the future of the transportation industry—members and non-members alike are welcome to attend.

Attendees consist of emerging transit professionals and industry leaders from both the public and private sector. Traditionally hosted in September, the Summit kicks off mid Thursday late afternoon with registration and an opening reception. Friday features committee meetings, Leadership Academy presentations, and an awards ceremony. Saturday is scheduled with a packed itinerary that includes breakout sessions, a keynote speaker, a luncheon, a closing plenary, and a technical tour. The Summit concludes on Saturday evening with a closing reception. 

 
Host and Sponsor
As the host and sponsor of the Summit, it is recommended to include a combination of monetary and in-kind contributions with a minimum value estimated at $35,000. Host sponsors will be featured as the lead sponsor of the opening reception and branded throughout the Summit. Past concession packages have included monetary sponsorship, as well as in-kind contributions such as transportation, design/graphics, printing services, swag, facility usage, etc. The 2027 Leadership Summit budget will vary by location. It is our goal to find a sponsor organization that can provide the hospitality resources needed to best leverage our partnership. The organization that submits the most comprehensive sponsorship partnership, and can meet the needs of hosting the Summit, will be awarded the opportunity to host the 2027 Leadership Summit. 

Summit Location
The organization submitting a proposal should emphasize the desire to host the Summit in their community. This should include amenities that the host destination provides. (Example: Access to airports, accommodations, public transportation, event venues, entertainment, food services, walkability). For this reason, cooperation with state and/or regional departments of the local tourism board is imperative. This cooperation helps in arranging pre- and post-conference exploratory outings and providing news-making sessions to our members. It is highly recommended that bids come from a joint proposal from transit/transportation related agencies in collaboration with the host destination’s Convention and Visitors Bureau to best showcase your destination. 

Proposals that wish to sponsor the Summit but do not wish to designate a specific location as the host destination are welcome as well. In this case, LIT would designate the Summit destination.