Welcome to your first NACADA Annual Conference!

We are pleased that you have chosen the National Conference as a professional development activity and are anxious to help you get the most out of your attendance. As with most such events, your willingness to participate, network, and ask questions will assure your maximum benefit. To assist with these tasks, I strongly urge you to attend one of the Orientation sessions and to include your Region Meeting and selected Commission meetings in your schedule. The NACADA staff members are always available to answer your questions at the registration desk and the association's leaders should also be helpful to you as you navigate the conference. We hope this is just the beginning of increased involvement for you with NACADA Enjoy this new experience! Sincerely, Bobbie Flaherty Executive Director

What to do before the National Conference:

• Plan your national conference schedule now by Using the new Interactive Personal Schedule Planner! You can see each session's title and abstract, and draft your personal conference schedule. The Schedule Planner can be found here. NOTE: using the schedule planner does not guarantee you a seat in the session you choose. Seats are "first come first serve". The Planner frees up your time on site so that you can move quickly to the sessions you are interested in.
• Dress code is casual and comfortable. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes as the meeting space is spread over 4 floors of Bally's, as well as 4 meeting rooms in the neighboring Paris Hotel. And remember, Oct. 6 is "School Spirit Day" - you are invited to wear a rugby, polo, or T-shirt from your institution!
• Bring your business card, you will meet people that you want to have contact with after the conference. This is especially critical if you are presenting.
• Have empty space available in your luggage to be able to bring back all of the wonderful handouts made available to you in the sessions!
• Volunteering is a great way to get connected with other participants. There are many opportunities including helping at the volunteer desk and assisting with the evaluation process. Contact Sherri Theriault to let her know when you are available.
• Visit the national conference web page for more information.

What to do when you get to Vegas:

• Bally's Hotel check-in is available at the airport.
• Shuttle services are available from the airport to the hotel. No reservations are necessary prior to arrival, but 24-hour notice is needed for the trip back to the airport. Shuttle prices are $5.00 one-way and $9.50 roundtrip. There is also taxi service available from the airport with fares from $12-15 for up to four people.
• Check-in location for the conference is on the Casino level outside the Palace 1 Meeting Room in Bally's.
• Check in early: the earlier, the better! Registration opens on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. The sooner you check in, the less chance of standing in line - and that will give you time to become familiar with the program.

Look for the NACADA Executive Office Staff to help you at the National Conference.

• Pick up the appropriate ribbons for Commissions/Interest Groups you have joined, Choir, First Time Attendees, etc.
• If you did not have time to use the Interactive Schedule Planner before checking in at registration; take a few minutes to review the program and choose the sessions you would like to attend. We suggest bringing a highlighter and marking your top two session choices for each time slot in the At-A-Glance. Then you can turn to the main part of the program and read only the abstracts for those sessions you have marked. You will not have time to read all 350 abstracts! Plan ahead accordingly. Sessions are sorted by advising topic in the back of the program, or a list of topics and corresponding session titles can be found here.
• Plan on attending the Orientation for New Attendees either Wednesday at 3:15 or Thursday at 8:45.
• If you are a new advisor (3 years or less) plan on attending the Breakfast for New Advisors Oct. 7 from 7:30 to 8:15 p.m.
• Join the NACADA Choir for its 7th annual performance. Click here for more.
• The Poster Session Luncheon (covered in your registration fee) on Thursday, Oct. 6 from 12:15 to 1:45 p.m. is a great way to meet several people and talk about their presentations one-on-one.

• Sign up for a Dinner Group at the Hospitality Desk. This is a great way to meet other attendees and share an evening of entertainment. Volunteers will have suggestions for restaurants.

What to do after the conference:

• Fill out the evaluation that will be in your email at the conclusion of the conference.
• Visit the NACADA website to download session handouts. Presenters are asked to submit their handouts to the Executive Office within 10 days following the conference. You may find the handouts to a session that you wanted to attend but missed.