Here's a link to our Flickr page with a slideshow of the Convnention pictures...

Just in case some of you didn't know that Larry the Lboster was posting this week from the Convention, don't forget to check out his blog, Lobster Bisque.

Things are starting to slow down at the registration area; but once that happens, our registration table transforms into the information booth. It keeps us on our toes, trying to answer questions and pointing people in the right direction.

Yesterday, I saw a lot of students traveling up and down the steps of Opryland going to educational sessions. I'm glad to see people taking advantage of all the things that NACA has to offer at the Convention. One girl even told us that one of the sessions was so full they couldn't fit any more people in the room! Speaking of all the things NACA has to offer, I videotaped everyone getting on the buses last night to head downtown to Night On Nashville, and it looked liked a really good turnout. I was out there for about 1/2 hour and during that time I saw three or four full buses pull away and a whole lot more waiting in queue to take people.

Well, it's time for me to head back to the registration table, or information booth, or what is it!? I just need to get back to work.

I'm always amazed how fast the time goes by when the Convention starts. I know it's only the first day, but it flew by. I was at the registration table most of the day checking in the Associate members and the next thing I knew I was already at the NACA booth in CAMP! It's great to see the variety of talented artists and speakers that NACA attracts, as well as all the entertainment companies at the Convention. By the way, don't forget to check out the next CAMP that starts tonight at 10:30. 

I just set up a Twitter account so you can follow what's going on at the Convention from there as well. You can check us out at www.twitter.com/thenaca. Come follow us! 

I was able to take a few minutes this evening and walk over to see the Convention kick-off. I'm glad I got over there; there were some awesome performances. Hopefully I'll be able to see some of the showcases in the coming days as well. The Convention always brings so much energy from the students and associates and I hope everyone's having a great and productive time! 

Well, it's almost time for the next CAMP, I'll post more updates later! 

So we've all finally arrived in Nashville today. I think all of the NACA staff are here after what was an interesting journey for some of us. Our IT manager, Adam, and I decided that the best way to get geared up for the Convention would be to drive from Columbia, SC to Nashville in a 16' box truck through the Smokey Mountains. With the truck full of programs, computers and other Convention equipment, we tackled the steep hills in the mountains and some unfortunate storms in Tennessee. There was a point on the trip where we had to slow down to 15 mph while the rain poured down on the highway and the wind tore around us. Come to find out later, there were some dangerous tornadoes that kept some of our co-workers from landing in Nashville, some circled the airport several times and one of the flights had to land in Knoxville. 

We're setting up and getting ready for the rush of members on Saturday morning. I'd say it's the calm before the storm, but we've already hit the ground running even though the Convention hasn't officially started yet. Side note: This is my first time at the Opryland Hotel and this place is C-R-A-Z-Y. It feels like a bio dome and it smells like Disney World. Yes, I typed that correctly. If you're coming to the Convention, and I hope you are, then you'll see what I mean. This place really is amazing though. I've been walking around trying to learn where everything is, only to find myself glancing over at the maps strewn throughout the walking areas for suckers like me who have no idea where they are. It's a beautiful place though and for those staying here I'm sure you'll enjoy it. 

To all those who are traveling, be safe and we'll see you soon! 

Greetings NACA Friends!

     In approximately 23 days we once again converge onto the giant bubble world that is the Gaylord Opreyland Resort, where students, advisors and entertainers will all come together in the hopes of bringing back some great things for our respective campuses. I thought I would take the opportunity to shed some light and hopefully offer advice on what I do as a student in preparing for the 5 day entertainment extravaganza!

   I've been on the Campus Activities Board at Simpson College since my freshman year and in my now 2.5 years, have done almost all of it. I've set up for bands and comedians. Called BINGO, introduced our acts. Worked on marketing our events. I've worked with agents in securing dates and I was a Co-Op buyer at NACA-Nationals and NACA-Northern Plains last year. Currently, I serve as the president of CAB at Simpson. So, that's a brief background of my relationship with CAB.

    I was lucky enough to attend NACA in Nashville as a freshman and can assure you that it will be quite the expereince!

    But anyway, today I will be providing you with some helpful tips on Preparing for NACA-Student Style

1. DO HOMEWORK NOW! The NACA schedule has VERY LITTLE free time and making sure that you read "The Prince" or whatever homework you're missing out on, will soon become the last thing on your mind. You'll be running from ed session to showcase to dinnner and starting the process again. Bringing homework will only weigh down your already limited baggage (a whole other issue I'm not excited about) and will only make you stress. So, do your homework before hand. SO, when you get back from NACA you're A-OK and ready to go.
2. Stock up on sleep and or Red Bull! With the NACA schedule being jam packed, it is also long. Most days start at 9 and don't end until 1am and you don't want to miss a minute. An average of 3 or 4 hours of sleep is what I've gotten at past NACA's and to be honest I don't really notice till after the fact. You get so caught up in going to showcases,attending ed sessions, networking with other schools, talking to agents and artists, playing in CAMP, and trying to figure out the hotel. You won't notice until Tuesday that you've only had 10 hours of sleep since Saturday. So, if you're a person who needs their sleep or caffine, put on some wings. You'll need them!
3. Meet with your delegation! Meeting with your delegation helps for a couple reasons. 1) We have 8 students going to NACA this year, 2 of ours are returners and the rest are first timers. Our group has already met once and it's given us returners an opportunity to share some info with the newbies on what to expect, how NACA's ran etc. 2) If you're group isn't a group that hangs out outside of CAB. It's a great opportunity to get to know the people you're going to be spending 21 hours of your day with. So it's not too awkward that first day or so. Meetings are also a good time to talk about what you want to bring back from NACA as far as entertainers are concerned and who is going to attend what ed session when you go through the NACA preview book.
4. Bring cold fighters! Whether thats Ziacam,Cold-eez, vitamin C etc. The hotel is a giant bubble with recycled air and when you never leave the hotel for 3 days you're body starts to feel it. So, I suggest bringing some vitamins and water to help keep your body up to par, so it doesn't crash and you get sick. Which is what happened to half our delgation after NACA- Nashville.
5. Bring business cards! This is one thing I've forgetten to bring to every convention I've been to. These cards are a good way to network with other schools, so you can swap and steal programming ideas from each other after NACA. But it's a way easier way to exchange information with agents.
6. Get excited! I don't want to talk about too much or I'll have nothing to talk about in other blogs. So I'm ending my tips with GET EXCITED! NACA is an amazing time and you should be stoaked!

   SO, that's it for now. But stay tuned for more!

Have you realized that the convention is now just about 5 weeks away?  I did and am getting excited to not only see the many friends that I have made over the years, but also to see the excitement build within our student delegation.  Now is when some of the work begins with your delegation.  We just had our first delegation meeting and the primary intent was to have the group start to meld as a team.  It is important for them to realize that while they are individuals, they are a part of a team that is coming together in Nashville for 4 very full days with the intent of making our program and board that much stronger.  Most of our delegation have never been before and while there is an energy that just surrounds the conventions, we are there to work as a group.

Think about what you and your students need to know prior to going to Nashville.  Like I said in the first blog I wrote, share as much of the info you get and know with them.  Get them now to start thinking about the educational sessions that are going to be offered.  While you may not yet have in your hands the physical convention preview, it is online.  Share the link with them or better yet, if you know how to download it, do that at send it to them so they can read it on their own time and terms.  Take the time to start talking with your delegation about how to make the most of this trip.  Which means for Simpson, that the entire delegation is not going to go to the same session when there are so many that can and will benefitus.  It is the time to let them know that part of the convention experience is the ability to meet people from all over the country who have some of the same interests that they do.  Yes they are a team, but NACA is also a community, where we all try to work together for the greater good.

This 5 weeks will move faster than you think and or want so prepare now.  Look at the convention preview.  If you use a smart phone, put the schedule into your phone so you have it with you.  Know where you are going to be and where your students are going to be.  Start to lay down the expectations for your delegation now.  Make sure they know your rules, expectations, policies, etc.  While NACA can be a lot of fun, it still doesn't mean it is a free for all.  It is understood that our students make ALL of the decisions regarding who and what we book and choose to bring to campus, other than that, the time at the convention is very structured as determined by myself and another staff member.  

If you are a first timer at the convention, do your homework, especially if you are taking a group of students with you.  Learn about the various components that make up the convention and help your students understand why they are all important.  As an advisor, you are the one responsible for setting the standard for all of your students to follow. 

As we get closer, we will talk about specific expectations at the conference, like visiting the marketplace and showcases and block booking.  Definitely take a look at the convention preview now.  It will be here before you know it.

I know, I know.  You just got back from the holiday break or for those of you are a bit luckier, you may have a little more down time left.  Regardless, if you are planning on attending the NACA national convention, you need to start thinking about preparing your delegation.  No one questions the value of any student trip in which they have the opportunity to network with other students from across the country, or learn valuable leadership and programming skills.  Experiences like this not only benefit the individual student, but they also benefit the program board as well as potentially make your job as the program board advisor that much easier.  With all of that in mind, it is also important to remember that your institution is often times making a sizable investment in you and your students by sending them to the NACA national convention.  What does that mean to you......it means choosing your delegates, meeting with them at least a couple of times prior to the convention, and setting up expectations for all delegates for before, during and after the convention.

At Simpson, we started the process back in September, yes, I said September.  We started to talk about the convention in regular program board meetings and had students who had been delegates in the past talk about their experiences at the convention, what they got out of the trip and why they would encourage others to apply to be a delegate.  Then in early November, we made applications available to all of the students on the program board with some very basic questions for them to answer.  We also included a copy of our delegate contact which in detail, explained the expectations for the trip.  The application and the signed delegate contract were due back just before the Thanksgiving holiday break and we started to review them at that point.  While it would be great to take all of our students to the convention, we have limited the number of students we take to somewhere between 6 and 8.  We chose this number because we felt it offered us a good representation from the program board as well as it was a manageable number of students for the two staff members in attendance to work with and provide the much needed guidance.  Let's be honest, it is an expensive venture to take students to the convention and if you are investing that much in your students, you want to make sure they are getting as much out of the experience as is humanly possible.

Now back to the selection process, in the first week of December, we (myself, the activities board co-presidents, and the asst. director of student activities) interviewed all of the students and from those interviews, made the tough decision on who to take to the convention.  Yes, we did choose not to take some people.  Some of those people are great members of our program board who would have made excellent delegates, but in the interest of choosing a well rounded, diverse and energetic group, we had to make the cuts.  Some of those people who we had cut, had been delegates at previous conventions.  For us, just because you have been a delegate to the convention before, does not guarantee you a slot.  The only guaranteed slot in the CAB president.  I would be lying if I said this wasn't a tough decision for us.  It was very hard for all of us and the last thing we wanted to do was to push a great member away by not choosing them as a delegate. 

Now that the delegation has been chosen, it is time to make the airline reservations, register them all for the convention, etc.  You know all of the fun little details that you get to do as the program board advisor.  You also need to communicate to them.  Share with them all of the information that you get.  The convention preview, the loads of emails and mail.  Meet with them at least two times prior to leaving.  The more, the better as you want to build a team, not a group individuals.

The last couple of thing that could really make your life easier.
1.  Create an email distribution list for all of your delegates.  This can make emailing them all so much easier
2.  Get ALL of their cell phone numbers and put them in your cell phone.  Texting them is a great way to get ahold them when you need too.
3.  Make it fun.  While there is work to do, I am still a firm believer that you can make that work fun
4.  Create a shared network folder for the convention preview.  SCAN THE ENTIRE PREVIEW and make it available for your delegates.  If you can't scan it into a computer and put it in a network folder, make copies of it for the entire delegation.  I am just trying to be a tish green.
5.  When you get to the point of registering, do it online if at all possible.  I know some people don't like this much, but for all of our students, I put our CAB email as their personal email when I register our students.  Then I have all of that email forwarded to them directly.  Why go to all of this work you ask, when students graduate, many times, their emails go with them.  The last thing these former students want is to still be getting emails about potential good acts for their campus to book.  This way when they graduate or move on with their involvement, the emails will stop.  I know you may find this hard to believe, but I still get emails from the CAB account to students who graduated 4 or 5 years ago.

I think this is enough for now.  I will keep you posted on our progress as we prepare for our trip to Nashville.  Our first formal delegation meeting is next Wednesday.  If you have more questions, please don't hesitate to contact me directly if you want more details than I can go into on this blog.  My direct email is rich.ramos@simpson.edu and my office phone line is 515-961-1536.