Letter from Our Chair to First Timers

 

        Welcome to NSSGA’s Young Leaders program! As the current chair of the Young Leaders (YL) Steering Committee, I’m thrilled that you are able to be here! I hope (but know) you will make some amazing connections during your time with YL, both personally and professionally. Some of these connections will develop into business relationships and some into personal friendships. You will have a chance to hear some incredible speakers and absorb some great content to take back with you when you leave. 

        This year marks my 16th consecutive YL annual meeting, starting back in 2009. During that time we have grown from 115 annual attendees to well over 300. It sometimes makes it hard to meet everyone, but we encourage you to do the best you can! There are typically 50+ first timers here each year so you aren’t alone. Feel free to flag me down or any other steering committee member and ask any questions you might have. I promise we are happy answering any questions because we were all first timers just like you once.

        I’m looking forward to meeting you in San Antonio. I’m positive you will have a great time because our Steering Committee and NSSGA Staff have put together an incredible agenda for the event! Please reach out to the NSSGA Meetings & Events team if you have any questions at meetings@nssga.org or to me personally at clay.albright@caldwellstone.net

 

Cordially,

Clay Albright, YL Chair

Caldwell Stone Co, Inc.

What should I expect?

Once you complete your registration, you will be taken to a page with a button to book your hotel room. It is recommended to book your room as soon as you have completed registration. Rooms can sell out fast, and our last day to book is April 4, 2024. After that, attendees will need to book directly with the hotel (or nearby property) subject to the hotel's rates. Our block rate is $269/night.

Step one after checking in to your room! Come by our registration/badge pick-up desk to get checked in with us. We'll also have separate stations to pick up your event t-shirt, pick up any hats or visors if pre-purchased, pick up your dine-around tickets/wristbands, and receive any assistance with last-minute registration changes or general questions. Our registration desk hours are found on the schedule page.

If you have signed up for a dine-around, you can pick your tickets up at the badge pickup area. We will have a separate station to grab them after your badge is printed. If dine-arounds were sold out when you registered, you can always check with us onsite if there were any last minute cancellations. We can then take credit card payment onsite.

When you build your schedule during registration, you are not beholden to the sessions chosen (unless they are paid). You can switch your session selections at any time (again, unless it is a paid session or limited space session). You can either do so in the event app available a few days before the event, by modifying your registration before that, or simply decide on the spot without changing your schedule. We appreciate your selections ahead of time for sessions with food or drink, as this helps us make sure we have enough for everyone and to not be wasteful. 

General Sessions are a must not miss! Breakout sessions can be chosen based on your interests.

Our event app will be available a few days prior to the event start. The app will have the most up to date schedule, information on shuttle times, the ability to chat with other attendees, attendee list, among other important information. Last-minute changes will be announced via app notification, so we strongly suggest downloading it!

What should I bring?

If planning to go on the quarry tour, please bring closed-toed shoes. The event dress code is resort casual. That means that you'll see a lot of other attendees in shorts, sundresses, sandals and other warm weather attire. Hotel meeting rooms can be chilly, so consider bringing a jacket or sweater. Some attendees choose to dress up a little more for the closing night dinner - but no ties!

I've registered, what's next?

  • This year we're excited to bring a much-requested networking feature! Attendees that opt-in (onsite) will get a QR code sticker on the back of their badge. You can scan this with your phone to get their contact information and vice-versa. We also encourage you to upload a profile picture as it can improve networking both onsite and in our app.
  • Speaking of the app! Keep an eye out for the "Know Before You Go" email in late April. It will have badge pickup times, a link to download the app, and other important pre-travel deets!

If you have any questions onsite, need directions, or other help, look for any of our staff members listed below:

Jo Anne Cowan
Jo Anne Cowan
Director, Meetings & Events
Jennifer  Dugas
Jennifer  Dugas
Meetings & Membership VP
Katie Pokrzywa
Katie Pokrzywa
Senior Meetings & Events Manager
Catherine  Whalen
Catherine  Whalen
Meetings & Events Consultant
Madalynn  Habron
Madalynn  Habron
Digital Communications Manager
Laura  Henry
Laura  Henry
Political Advocacy Director
Nadira  Peiris
Nadira  Peiris
Finance Director
Libby  Pritchard
Libby  Pritchard
Occupational Health, Safety & Sustainability Director
Michele  Stanley
Michele  Stanley
Government & Regulatory Affairs VP