1. New Sponsor Registration Meeting
Conference 2016

2. Welcome! We’re excited to include you
Registration can seem daunting and labor intensive - it doesn’t have to be though.
Do not hesitate to contact us if you run into issues.
Do yourself a favor - start this process early. Waiting until the last minute will not allow us to help you.

3. Deadlines
Sept 12th –Nov 3rd – Open Registration This includes– Delegate and Rooming Lists, Meal and Parking Reservations (if bus is staying on site), Scholarship and Event Registration
Nov 4th –Nov 14th – Closed Registration –$50 per change/ addition. This includes adding delegates, swapping people in hotel rooms or conference events, changing or adding alternate delegates, adding parking passes or bus driver rooms, etc.
NOV 15TH NO MORE CHANGES ALLOWED other than non-refundable drops or pre-registered substitute delegate swaps
Dec 1st – All payment and forms due – please respect this deadline. Lack of doing so may cause your troupe to incur late fees or lose opportunities/hotel rooms.

4. Delegates
You may register as many delegates as you feel comfortable taking. No caps exist.
We strongly suggest at least 1 adult per 12 student delegates.
You may (should) register 4 additional substitute delegates in your registration.These students are not considered registered until you choose to swap in for other students who can no longer attend the conference after the Nov 14th deadline.
There will be no change fee for swapping in substitute students - so please take advantage of this opportunity. Any student delegates (primary or substitute) added after Nov 3rd will result in a change fee and no additional student delegates (primary or substitute) will be added after Nov 14th.
Consent Forms should be turned in with all registered delegates including substitutes so they are on file if needed.
It is suggested you select 2 substitute delegates of each gender for mixed gender schools, although this is not required.
Adult delegates may be changed free of charge at any time – assuming this does not drastically change your hotel reservation.
No additions after Nov 14th (only subtractions with no refund).

5. Information to Collect to Register
Delegate’s name as you would like it to appear on their badge.
Delegate’s t-shirt size (adult sizes S-4XL available)
Delegate’s membership number
Additional activities students might be involved in (depending on activity this may include addresses, selection of performance titles, etc.)
Anticipated time arriving/departure
Bus Pass (if you are parking a bus longer than 30 minutes)
Hotel Rooms - number of rooms needed/who is in what room
Meal Plans - type (2 or 5) and number (whole troupe? partial?)

6. Delegate Forms
These forms are (unfortunately) necessary - please take them seriously. Without them our conference could not happen.
There is an Adult Consent Form and a Student Consent Form. Use the appropriate form for the appropriate delegate. DO NOT USE OLD FORMS - only use the form that says Conference 2016 on it. If you send in an old form it will not be considered “turned in”. The same applies if you are turning in a Refusal for Medical Treatment form or a Lack of Insurance Form.
Delegate (Student and Adult) Conduct Guidelines have been updated based on several events or issues we faced from prior conferences. Please read/print out the one that says Conference 2016 on it for all your delegates - this includes any substitutes you are listing as bringing to conference.
Signatures on the Consent Form (both Adult and Student) indicates you will follow those guidelines. Ignorance of these rules will not be an acceptable reason for why you didn’t follow them. You (or your troupe) will still have consequences if a guideline is not followed.
There is also an Administrator Form to turn in which basically says they allow you to be the adult rep of this school/troupe and that your troupe will abide by all rules.

7. Delegate Forms (continued)
NO MISSING FORMS WILL BE ACCEPTED AT THE REGISTRATION TABLE WITHOUT A SUBSTANTIAL PENALTY. This includes Consent, Refusal to Consent, and Lack of Insurance forms - these MUST be submitted on time (Dec 1st).
Due to an extremely large number of late forms being received last year, any forms (including substitutes) missing after the Dec 1st deadline (including substitutes) will result in a late fee of $5 per form missing. This fee is in effect until Jan 4th. After this date the form is considered a ‘conference turn in’ even if the conference itself has not started.
IF A TROUPE DIRECTOR DISREGARDS THE ABOVE DIRECTIVE AND BRINGS MISSING FORMS WITH THEM TO THE CONFERENCE TO TURN IN AT REGISTRATION THEY WILL BE CHARGED A LATE FILING FEE OF $50 PER FORM RECEIVED. IN ADDITION, A LETTER WILL BE MAILED TO YOUR ADMINISTRATION EXPLAINING THE REASON FOR THE CHARGE.

8. Highlights on the Student Code of Conduct
Categories include:
Theatre Etiquette - including use of cell phone, food/drink, and behavior expectations
Workshop Etiquette - including phone use and other things up to the workshop instructor
Conference Attendance - registration requirements and site issues
Badges - where they must be worn, visibly, lost badges, and when it can be pulled
Evening Dance Etiquette - costuming and dance specifics
Drug Use - don’t (duh)
Curfew/Hotel - what curfew means for this conference, mixed gender spaces, and use of the hotel facilities
Liability - theft, loss, or damages are not the responsibility of MST
Property Damage - also not the responsibility of MST
Prohibited Materials - don’t bring these you aren’t allowed to use them
Basically if it’s on the form there is a reason from a previous conference issue.

9. Highlights on the Adults Code of Conduct
Categories include:
Badges - wearing, responsibility for use of and pulling badges
Conference Attendance - participation in conference events and site use
Closed Campus - from 7pm to ½ hour before first event of the next day
Curfew/Hotel - mixed group conditions, appropriately responding to violations, keys, and outside food/drink
Drug Use - again, don’t
Evening Dance Etiquette - chaperone
Liability and Property Damages/Hotel Charges - MST not responsible, troupes are responsible
Prohibited Materials - see list, use of alcohol
Sponsor Duty - do it
Theatre and Workshop Etiquette - monitor your own students and those around you.

10. Delegate Badge Agreement
Badges for Registered Delegates and their proper Consent/Health Forms are to be worn by everyone. PLEASE DO NOT JUST SWAP A DELEGATE WITHOUT NOTIFYING REGISTRATION - THIS IS WHAT THE SUBSTITUTE LIST IS FOR.
Do NOT risk your job, reputation, and student’s safety just to save a change fee.
If it is found that you swapped out a delegate without notifying registration (and they are essentially walking around undocumented) a letter will be sent to your administration detailing why your decision to do so went against our published policy (which you signed off on)
Ask yourself:
If this was my child would I want another adult to make this choice?
Is it worth $100 to potentially lose my job?
Can I guarantee nothing will happen to this student which might cause this deception to be found out?
What kind of role model am I showing my students?
Essentially: do you feel like gambling all of the above?
This year we are considering doing spot checks of health forms (and potentially photo ids to name badges) because we ARE hearing people are not playing by the rules.

11. Form Mistakes/Reminders
Top Mistakes
Form is missing completely
Form is missing information (ie insurance info, additional contact info, phone numbers)
Form is missing signatures (parent or delegate or both)
Form is for the wrong type of delegate (student fills out adult, adult fills out student)
A Refusal to Consent to Medical is turned in when Consent to Treat is on the Consent Form
Remember that these forms are used for a variety of reasons - not the least is to contact delegates during the conference and provide medical treatment in case of emergency. Impress upon your delegates the forms need to be filled out COMPLETELY - we don’t ask for information we haven’t needed in the past.
Double-check yourself before you mail them in - avoid delays in completing your registration and potentially removing yourself from Honor Troupe honors.

12. Administration Form
This form is new - and again unfortunately necessary
Can be signed by anyone who might be considered administratively answerable for the troupe director and student delegates behavior.
This could be a department chair, assistant principal, head principal, or superintendent
Form needs to be mailed in with all your other forms. If it is not received in advance a troupe’s registration is not considered complete and badges will not be released to them.

13. Invoice Page Troupe Registration - $30 Main Sponsor - $25
Additional Sponsors, Chaperones $45 per adult delegate
Student Delegates $90 per Thespian ($30 per day), $105 per non-Thespian ($35 per day)*
Events
IEs - $10 per event
Tech Challenge and Improv Olympix - $40
Scholarships - $20 (to be paid on Accept’d website)

14. Invoice Page
Housing - $ per room per night* see housing slide for details - this no longer goes to MST
Facility Fee $25 per delegate (if choosing to not stay in block) ($8.33 per day)
Meals- $85 for 3 lunches and 2 dinners ($50 for adults w/entire troupe eating on this plan), $45 for 2 dinners
Advertisement in Program - $ dependent on size
Payment Type – PO/Check – free, Credit Card Fee – sliding scale dependent on amount charged . (This is what the processing company charges MST) Talk with your bookkeeper about how they want to handle this early.

15. Invoice (continued)
It’s really important you add your invoices accurately. Please double-check it for accuracy before hitting submit.
If we wanted to have the program do the math it would be an additional $11,000 in order for the site to do the math - we feel like that money can be better spent.
This means if your math is wrong we will be adjusting it for you - and will mean your invoice will also be adjusted accordingly.

16. Housing
Doubles will house up to 4 people and are $ (So in other words NOT 5 or more people).
Kings will house up to 3 people (1 rollaway w/request very limited quantity)
All rooms at the conference hotel will be reserved by you but for a price break you will want to go through our block. You will also be responsible for securing payment to the hotel in advance (these funds will no longer go through MST as they have in the past).
You will indicate what your needs are through the Housing Form, we will forward this info to the hotel to make sure your needs will be met (within the block) and then you will be contracted with the hotel for sending in rooming lists and payment as an affiliated group member. Please only use the form on the website Do NOT create your own or just us with rooms and names. If you create your own it will not be considered ‘turned in’ and you will not have rooms at the conference.
If you do not follow this procedure correctly, don’t pay in advance, etc. then you will not receive the reduced block rate for your rooms, nor will any rooms be secured for you. In addition you will be charged the facility fee that delegates not staying at the hotel must pay ($25 per delegate).

17. Housing
If you are not staying at the conference hotel you do not need to turn in a form – but remember that you will be charged the $25 per delegate (adult and student) facility fee.
the form to BY Nov 3rd. Any schools which have not done so will be considered ‘not staying’ in the conference hotel and will be charged the $25 fee accordingly.
Note: if you are swapping in a substitute delegate after the 4th please notify us what room you are putting them in (you will not be charged a change fee for this). However, once you have submitted your rooming list if you choose to change delegates rooms around you will be charged a change fee for that.

18. Breakdown Per Day
Per Thespian $30 – 1 show, 3 workshop sessions, 1 Late Night activity
$6 per activity (or $7 per non-Thespian)
Average Hotel cost per Student Delegate (assuming a room of 3) - $41.74 per night of which $8.33 is going towards facility rental.
$5 per student for troupe expenses (additional sponsors, troupe registration fee, etc.)
Not including meals or transportation (which are highly individual to the troupe) – approx $70 per day of conference

19. What do I charge?
Let’s assume your district is only offering limited help
Registration $90 (or $105 for non-Thespian)
Hotel $125 (3 nights for a room of 3) error on cautious side
Meals $85 (2 lunches and 3 dinners) I bring breakfast items.
Troupe Costs (adult fees, troupe registration, etc) - $25
Transportation* - $20 (bus driver’s room, parking fee, etc)
Conference Events - $10 (not including scholarship)
Total - $350
NOTE: this cost may be more or less than you choose to charge. If you don’t have any bus fees, or are not doing events, or your troupe/school is going to pay for adult’s hotel rooms, meals, etc then this would not apply to you.
With this breakdown students will still need to bring $ for breakfast (or pack and bring), meals on the road (again or pack and bring), and any ‘souvenirs’ they may wish to purchase. I usually tell parents to factor around $20 a day towards these items (or $60 total) since they only need to buy 1 lunch and 1 dinner on the road.

20. Pre-Conference Packet Info
Stuff to include:
Price and due dates (hint - make this well before your check to MST is due, we suggest October)
What the price covers/doesn’t cover
Phone #s/Addresses as necessary
Dates and times (including form due dates)
Forms (I usually only give them the Consent Form and tell them to see me if they need Lack of Insurance/Refusal Forms)
District Field Trip Forms
Travel Forms (if necessary)
Expectations including Code of Conduct