Conference Planning Guide. Brief summary of what to expect at SPC. P a g e 1. Conference Schedule & Registration Information Pages 2-3

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1 TABLE/CONTENTS Conference Planning Guide Brief summary of what to expect at SPC This document shares a tentative schedule for the week as well as define the dress code standards expected for each event. The arrival and departure dates, necessary registration information and pricing are also included for your convenience. Conference Schedule & Registration Information Pages 2-3 Location & Travel Info Page 4 Congressional Visit Info Page 5 Page 6 Pricing Page 7 P a g e 1

2 Conference Schedule Below is a tentative schedule for the 2015 State Presidents Conference. Please note that this schedule is subject to change. Participants will receive a revised schedule during on-site registration. Monday, July 20: Registration Kick Off Session Dinner (Hotel) Delegate Session I State Officer Social Reflections Tuesday, July 21: Breakfast (Hotel) Workshop I Lunch (Hotel) Workshop II Dinner and Evening Activity (Offsite) Reflections (Offsite) Wednesday, July 22: Breakfast (Hotel) Workshop I Lunch (Hotel) Delegate Session II Alumni (Offsite) Reflections (Hotel) Thursday, July 23: Congressional Visits (Breakfast and Lunch On Your Own; Offsite) Rural Council Meeting (Offsite) Dinner (Hotel) Delegate Session III Reflections Dress Dress Dress P a g e 2

3 Friday, July 24: Breakfast (Hotel) Arlington National Cemetery Delegate Session IV & Working Lunch Free Time in D.C. (Offsite) Dinner (Offsite) Night Tour of the Monuments Reflections Saturday, July 25: Depart Conference for Home (Anytime) Dress Dress Dress Dress Dress Conference Registration Registration will be accomplished via the National FFA Organization s online registration system. State staff will be provided with registration codes for state officers. National officer families, delegate coordinators, and all other participants will receive registration codes via . Your registration is not considered complete until you have: registered online submitted Waiver forms mailed a copy of your Social Security card to Kim Henry DO NOT SEND ORIGINALS. Online registration should be completed by Monday, June 15, 2015 and forms must be electronically submitted by Monday, June 22, If your state convention and officer election is after this date, you will be given additional time to complete the registration process. Electronically signed documents will be submitted electronically via to spc@ffa.org. STATE OFFICERS Waiver, Release of Liability, Consent to Medical Attention, Authorizations and Promotional Release Personal Conduct Agreement ALL OTHER PARTICIPANTS Promotional Release MAIL A COPY OF YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY CARD TO: KIM HENRY NATIONAL FFA ORGANIZATION 6060 FFA DRIVE INDIANAPOLIS, IN It is highly encouraged that you arrange your travel to the conference AFTER submitting your registration forms. This will ensure that the arrival and departure dates on the registration are accurate for hotel rooming purposes. (Confirmation will list all information entered in the forms) P a g e 3

4 In order to register online, you ll need the following information: Full name (as appears on government ID) Date of Birth Preferred Name Office/Title (President, etc.) Mailing Address Cell Phone address State Staff Address T-shirt Size Place of Birth (Country) Gender Known Food & Drug Allergies Dietary Restrictions Known Physical Handicaps or Respiratory Problems Current Medications Emergency Contact Information (Name, Cell #, ) Early Arrivals/Late Departures We understand that your travel schedule may require an early arrival and/or late departure. We are happy to work with you to arrange extended stay housing at the Hilton Alexandria Old Town. Room rates (tax included) are as follows: $ per person per night single occupancy; $ per person per night double occupancy; $75.50 per person per night triple occupancy; $56.50 per person per night quad occupancy. Attempts will be made, but not guaranteed, to house extended stay guests together. If you would like to arrange an extended stay, you must select the appropriate arrival/departure dates when registering online. Arrangements made after this date are subject to hotel availability and will not be guaranteed. National FFA will bill extended stay arrangements after the conference to state associations. Conference Location The 2015 State Presidents Conference will be held at the Hilton Alexandria Old Town in Alexandria, VA. The hotel s address is: Hilton Alexandria Old Town 1767 King Street Alexandria, VA Phone: (703) The hotel is conveniently located next to the King St-Old Town Metro Station on the blue and yellow lines. A map of the Metro system can be found online at Smartphone users are encouraged to download one of the many free applications, which feature an interactive Metro map. Travel to and from Washington, D.C. Participants should arrive at the hotel no later than 3:00pm on Monday, July 20, Please schedule travel accordingly and allow enough time to retrieve bags and utilize ground transportation (approximately 20 minutes on the Metro) within the D.C. area. Travel by Air: Conference participants are responsible for booking their own air travel as well as ground transportation. The hotel does not offer a complimentary shuttle service to any of the region s three airports. SPC Participants are encouraged to fly in Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) when traveling to State Presidents Conference. Reagan National Airport offers convenient access to Washington, D.C. s public transportation system known as the Metro. Alternate airports include Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI). Please note that neither Dulles nor Baltimore have direct access to the Metro. Travelers can access the Metro directly from Terminal B at Reagan National Airport. Metro Fare Cards can be purchased from self-service machines outside all Metro stations. The hotel is on the blue and yellow lines, which also stop at Reagan National Airport. Participants should board a blue line train (in the direction of Franconia-Springfield) or P a g e 4

5 a yellow line train in the direction of (Huntington). Take the train to the King St-Old Town stop and exit the station via either exit. The hotel is at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and King St and within immediate view upon exiting the station. For more information on the Metro, please visit Travel by Car: SPC Participants wishing to drive to the conference may drive directly to the conference site. Participants should use the hotel address found in this packet as the destination. Upon arriving at the hotel, please utilize the self-parking for the duration of your stay. Attendees driving to the conference can pick up parking vouchers from National FFA staff during on-site convention registration. Congressional Visits One of the special events during SPC will be congressional visits on Capitol Hill. The purpose of these visits is for state officers to meet face-to-face with congressional leaders to inform them of the significance of agricultural education and FFA offered in our public high schools across the nation. The visits to Capitol Hill will be preceded by a training that will prepare state officers to share key messages of the organization and to tell their own FFA story. The training will also allow SPC participants to practice their key messages and stories in a mock-visit environment. It is essential that each state officer set-up at least two visits with congressional leaders or their staff. These visits should take place during the morning or early afternoon hours of Thursday, July 23. All visits should conclude by 12:30 p.m. so that participants can meet National FFA staff and National Officers at 1:30 p.m. for the afternoon meetings. It is recommended that state staff assist state officers in setting up these visits. The first key to a successful Hill visit is securing an appointment with appropriate legislators from your district and state. We offer the following suggestions on how to successfully schedule visits that will have a positive impact: One of your visits should include the congressional leader who represents the district in which you live. Also, plan to visit your Senators who represent your entire state at-large. You may also wish to visit congressional leaders who represent districts where large groups of FFA chapters exist. Other meetings could include members who serve on the Agriculture, Transportation & Infrastructure, Ways & Means, Education, or other pertinent committees which affect FFA, Ag Education and Career and Technical Education within your state. Call the office of the member and ask to speak to the individual who schedules the member's appointments. Tell the scheduler who you are and that you'd like 20 minutes of the member's time during the morning hours of Thursday, July 23. Please let them know you are a state officer with FFA who is in town for the National FFA State Presidents Conference. Inform them that you and your peers are visiting many members of Congress to talk about the impact of FFA, agricultural education, and career and technical education. If the member of congress is unavailable, ask to meet with a staff person who advises the member on issues related to agriculture and education. Don t be discouraged by a meeting with staff rather than your elected official. In many cases, the staff person is the key decision maker on policy in his or her specialty area. These meetings can often be as, if not more, productive than a meeting with your legislator. Confirm with the scheduler the location of the meeting. Please note that Senate and House office buildings are separated by a 15 minute walk across Capitol Hill. You ll want to be sure to plan travel time between your visits and allow yourself to arrive five to ten minutes early for each visit. Once your visit has been scheduled, please the details of your visit (time, location and congressional attendees) to sjacques@ffa.org prior to your arrival in Washington, D.C. Please keep in mind that members see dozens of people per day, so please be prepared. The payoff will be a P a g e 5

6 well-executed, pleasant, and informative experience that will stand out. Additionally, there are resources online to help in scheduling congressional visits. You can download a template letter that can be used to request a visit. To view these resources, visit Meals and Free Time While most meals are included at SPC, there are some meals that are not included. SPC participants should be prepared to purchase the following meals on their own: Lunch on Monday: As participants arrive to Washington, D.C. throughout the afternoon hours, they should grab lunch as their schedule allows. The hotel DOES NOT have a restaurant, only a Starbucks, but there are a variety of options available around the King Street area. Breakfast and Lunch on Thursday: On Thursday, attendees schedules will be dictated by the congressional visits that they have scheduled prior to arriving in Washington, D.C. Participants are encouraged to eat breakfast and lunch before and between visits as their schedule allows. Note that many legislators offer constituent coffee breaks on Thursday mornings. The hotel has a Starbuck s located in the main lobby, but no restaurant. There are a number of dining options on Capitol Hill, which will be detailed further in the SPC Guidebook that will be distributed on-site. Conference State Officers participating in the conference will be required to wear Official FFA Dress (OD) as described below. When FFA members are in, adults and other participants should be in Business Dress (BD). There will be activities that allow for other clothing styles to be worn throughout the conference as listed in the conference schedule at the beginning of this guide. Appropriate dress is outlined below. Official/Business Dress (OD/BD): FFA State Officers : For Males Black slacks, white collared shirt, official FFA necktie, black dress shoes, black socks, and official FFA jacket zipped to the top. For Females Black skirt, white collared blouse, official FFA blue scarf, black dress shoes with a closed heel and toe, black nylon hosiery, and official FFA jacket zipped to the top. Business Dress for men consists of dress pants with a button-up, collared shirt and a tie. Jackets are optional. Dress shoes are appropriate while flip-flops, sandals and sneakers are not appropriate. For ladies, this consists of dress pants, or knee-length or longer skirts. Dress blouses are appropriate. Conservative summer dresses are also acceptable. Dress shoes are acceptable. Flip-flops, sandals and sneakers are not appropriate. Dress (BC): For men this consists of khakis or dress pants with a polo shirt or button-up, collared shirt. Dress shoes or dress sandals are appropriate. Flip-flops and sneakers are not appropriate. For ladies this consists of khakis, dress pants, dress capris, knee length or longer skirts with polo shirts or dress blouses are appropriate. Dress shoes or dress sandals are acceptable. Again, flip-flops and sneakers are not appropriate. (CD): Includes everything except tank tops, halter tops, extremely short shorts or skirts, and cut-offs. Please use your best judgment. Washington, D.C. averages 90-degree temperatures with over 50% humidity during the month of July. Please plan your wardrobe accordingly. Be prepared to walk extensively in all types of dress. Comfortable shoes are essential. Other personal items that participants may find useful during the conference include a water bottle, sunscreen and umbrella to provide additional comfort during extreme summer weather that is common in our nation s capital. Students are encouraged to leave irreplaceable items as well as those with a high dollar or sentimental value at home. While we do not anticipate the loss or theft of such items, National FFA is not responsible for any items that are lost or stolen during a participant s experience at SPC. P a g e 6

7 Conference Registration Fees State Officers: $ State Staff: National Officer Families: Delegate Coordinators: $ for Double Occupancy Rooms $ for Single Occupancy Rooms No Registration Fee for the first adult $ for each additional family member (Age 12+) $ for each youth family member (Under Age 12) No Registration Fee for Double Occupancy Rooms $ for Single Occupancy Rooms During online registration, participants will have the option to pay by credit card or to be invoiced for registration fees. If you wish to be invoiced, please wait until you receive the invoice before sending payment. Conference Contact For questions regarding State Presidents Conference, please contact: Kim Henry, Program Manager National FFA Organization Phone: (317) P a g e 7