Convention Showcase will take place on Monday, March 22 from 6:30 to 8:00pm in the Marriott Copley. Learn more about Showcase here under Convention Special Events.

The purpose of the Convention Showcase is to provide an opportunity for association entities like Standing Committees, State Divisions, International Divisions, Commissions, and Task Forces to highlight their contributions to ACPA and the field, while also highlighting opportunities for member involvement.

The theme, Welcome to ACPA! Your Journey Starts Here, reflects the desire to create a welcoming and festive environment for our members that allows them to explore the myriad opportunities for involvement across our association. Similar to an Orientation Welcome Week and Involvement Fair, Convention participants will engage with ACPA entities to explore mechanisms for involvement in our association and to network with colleagues in an open and welcoming environment.

Reserve a table for Showcase here. All table requests need to be submitted by December 18, 2009.

ACPA entities may conduct a drawing at their promotional table during the 2010 ACPA Showcase, provided all of the following criteria are met:

• The drawing is only offered during the ACPA Showcase.
• The purpose of the drawing is consistent with the mission and goals of ACPA and the Commission, Standing Committee, State, International Division or special Task Force.
• All funds collected must be deposited in an ACPA reserve account established for the entity (most entities already have reserve accounts) so the funds can be accountable to the IRS as appropriate. ACPA’s Manager of Fiscal Services and Human Resources in the International Office will be available to receive these funds.
• No drawing may be for the benefit of an individual and must be for the expressed benefit of the official ACPA entity (Commission, Standing Committee, State, International Division or Task Force).

If you have any questions about the Convention Showcase, please contact one of the Showcase co-chairs:

In December 2005, ACPA and eight other higher education associations officially founded the Higher Education Association Sustainability Consortium (HEASC). As part of the U.S. Partnership for Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, the mission of the work of the consortium is to help “….leverage the United Nations Decade to foster education for sustainable development in the United States.”

ACPA recognizes that colleges and universities provide students with the knowledge they need to make an impact in their personal, civic and professional lives. By educating them about the principles of sustainability, they can make positive changes for society by making economically, environmentally and socially responsible choices that help create a flourishing ecosystem, healthier communities and stronger societies.

The 2010 Convention Team is supporting the sustainability effort of ACPA by assessing how best to reduce the Convention’s negative impact on the environment, economy, and social health. As a result, one of our goals is to make this a sustainable Showcase. The goals of our tables should be to make connections with each other while gaining new members into our individual groups. This is done through networking face-to-face and directing people to Web sites. The core purpose of the Showcase is to communicate to the membership of ACPA.

When preparing your materials for the Showcase, please consider the following:

• Consider if the materials you have used in the past have had the intended impact on the ACPA membership.
• If you distribute paper materials, reduce the item’s impact by printing on 100% post consumer recycled paper, paper labeled as FSC (Forest Stewardship Council), use both sides of the paper, or decrease the size of the paper used.
• If your event requires food, the coordinating presenter will be provided ordering instructions for any ancillary event. For reference, you may download and review the menu for Marriott Copley.
• If you intend to give items away at Showcase, please consider limiting your items, purchasing items, which are intended for reuse, and being conscious of the materials and labors used in creating the product. We highly encourage you to really think about whether or not you should give anything away. More than likely, many items get thrown away because people decide they can’t travel with all the items they picked up; or they question, “do I really need this?” and all those items end up being thrown away.

We would like for people to both honor traditions and find a way of making them fit in with the association’s initiative on sustainability. We are not saying “no trinkets or giveaways” – we are simply saying: “As an entire Association, let’s make a commitment to be more sustainable.”

We highly encourage you to carefully consider and honor our commitment to a sustainable ACPA Boston 2010 Annual Convention.