That sounds great. I think you should encourage people to bring a bit of tech with them, can be a good conversation starter/ice-breaker

Good idea! I've got a ransom assortment of different acoustic recorders I can bring along

Indeed, I'll be there too!  I like to meet new conservation friends with morning runs, so I will likely organize a couple of runs, maybe one right near the conference, and one somewhere in a nearby park where we can look for wildlife.  The latter would probably be at an obscenely early hour, so we can drive somewhere, ideally see elk (there are elk within 25 minutes of Portland!), and still get back in time for the morning sessions.