Hello Southeast District,

Yes, I will be spamming your inboxes and Facebooks’ with information today that is imperative you read through for SED Convention on March 21-23, 2014! I apologize in advance for the length of this email, but it contains important information for any chapter interested in hosting either the 2015 SED Convention or the 2014-2015 Eighth Note!

If your chapter is interested in hosting the 2015 SED Convention, you must:

1. Obtain clear consent and support from the Chapter Sponsor and Director of Bands to host Convention before beginning to put together your packet.

2. The Chapter must present, via hard and electronic copy, to both Joint Actions Committee Chairs, the information contained in the bid packet, at the first Joint Opening (Friday night)
a. The bid packet must contain the following:

  • i. Budget & Cost of Convention which should contain:
    • 1. Banquet Costs
    • 2. District Convention Mailings, copies, paper, envelopes, etc.
    • 3. Computer/AV/Audio costs during Convention
    • 4. T-shirt or other gift items
    • 5. Equipment rentals (for events, dances, instruments, entertainment, misc.)
    • 6. Room costs for meeting space
    • 7. Any other items that may cost money to run Convention
  • ii. Location, Maps, Parking
    • 1. The following are the minimal requirements for meeting rooms:
      • a. Joint Session – Enough seating for all participants (based on Convention attendance) with a head table for business.
      • b. Separate Sessions – Enough seating for all separate participants in the Fraternity or Sorority (based on Convention attendance) with head tables for business.
      • c. Exhibits and Sales – space for tables so that schools can display scrapbooks, chapters can sell merchandise, and vendors can sell National Supplies and Jewelry, etc. Please check with the University, Hotel or Venue for rules regarding exhibits, jewelry, and merchandise prior to putting in the bid.
      • d. Committee Rooms – Enough rooms to conduct committee business in your District. For closed committee such as Nominations, Convention Bid, etc, make sure you have appropriate venues for privacy.
    • 2. Host Chapters Must Work with the District Councils on the following items:
      • a. Convention Schedule
      • b. Rooming for meeting space
      • c. Reading Band/Concerts/Musical Performances
      • d. Banquet DetailsHost Chapters cannot make final decisions on the above mentioned items without the approval of District Governors & Counselors and sharing with District Councils.
    • 3. Other Locations that may be necessary
      • a. Banquet – large enough for a head table (for the District Councils) and seating for all the paying participants. Room and catering must be considered.
    • 4. A map of the area surrounding the Convention site listing local restaurants and entertainment venues. The map should also contain directions to/from the Convention site to/from the hotel
  • iii. Dates & Times
  • iv. Hotel location & costs
    • 1. Hotel costs per room per night will be separate from the Convention Registration Costs because the attendees will pay for this separately.
    • 2. If there are multiple hotels for Convention, make sure all location and room costs are clearly advertised and communicated in all of the materials for bid presentation
    • 3. Answer the following questions:
      • a. What is the price for 4 persons in a room? What are the applicable taxes?
      • b. Does housing in the same facility as the meetings make the meeting rooms free?
      • c. Does having the banquet in the same facility make the meeting rooms free?
      • d. What is the check-in time? Check-out time?
      • e. How close is it to the meeting rooms and banquet?
      • f. How much is charged for overnight parking?
      • g. Will the hotel / student union provide brochures with information on the facility for the chapter to mail out with registration forms, etc.?
  • v. Outline of the host chapter membership and financial status
  • vi. Registration Fee based on number of attendees
    • 1. The number of attendees varies from year to year for District Convention; include a cost breakdown for various amounts of attendees. For example:
      • a. 400 attendees may cost “x” amount of dollars per person
      • b. 500 attendees may cost “y” amount of dollars per person
      • c. 600 attendees may cost “z” amount of dollars per person
    • 2. The fee must cover the Banquet and chapter Convention expenses. Do not separate the registration cost from the Banquet expense.
    • 3. The fee should cover mailing out pre-Convention packets to all the chapters in the District, including the cost of copying registration forms, fliers, etc.
    • 4. The fee cannot cover entertainment in any form. That must be provided by the host chapters at their own expenses.

b. Documentation showing the Chapter Sponsor and Director of Bands approves and supports hosting Convention
c. All necessary documents from your college or university Office of Student Activities in support of hosting convention
d. After consulting with sponsor and DOB, Chapters found to be in need of financial support must submit an application to the Rainy Day Fund

3. Be prepared to discuss all sections of the packet with the Joint Actions Committee and the Joint Delegation (if need be)
__________________________________________________________________________________

If chosen to host Convention, the host Chapter must meet the following National deadlines:
1. December 1 – Preliminary Budget from Host Chapter(s)

2. January 1 – District Convention Fact Sheet from Host Chapter(s)

3. January 15 – Convention Website Live & Mailers from Host Chapter(s)

4. May 5th – Final Budget from Host Chapter(s)

If your chapter is interested in hosting the 2015 Eighth Note, read below:
The Eighth Note is a resource publication, provided for the SED and the nation, which both monitors and showcases the outstanding work done by our Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma chapters. We encourage you to work jointly with the Kappa Kappa Psi or Tau Beta Sigma chapters at your school or in your surrounding area.

This past year, the Joint Councils formulated more modern guidelines for the publication and production of the Eighth Note; you can find the guidelines listed below.

Guidelines for the Eighth Note:

1. There will be only one printed edition of the Eighth Note this year, specifics of that can be found below. However, due to this, the main Eighth Note responsibilities will now be electronic, via the website (currently at tbssedpublications.com a site hosted through WordPress). Hosting the Eighth Note online will require the chapter(s) to:

  • Update the website with host chapter and contact information
  • Encourage chapters in the SED to contribute articles year-round discussing (an) inspiring or complex experience(s) at their school or chapter
  • Host and advertise contests throughout the year to further encourage article submissions and photo submissions for the website
  • Begin a “from the editor” column reporting news and activities by the host chapter(s), giving readers an inside look at both the Eighth Note creation and other events held by the host chapter(s)
  • At the start of each month, post quotes or selections from “featured articles” to capture reader’s attention and bring people to the Eighth Note website
  • Update the website bi-weekly with article and photo submissions

2. Compile one “Year in Review” Edition of the Eighth Note. This edition must be printed for dispersing at the next SED Convention. This edition must include:

  • A letter from a National Officer from both KKPsi and TBSigma
  • A letter from both the KKPsi and TBSigma SED Presidents
  • A selection of the “best” articles from the year, chosen by the host chapter and approved by the District Councils
  • A letter from the Editor (the host chapter(s))

I am so sorry for the length of this post, but the information is pertinent to any chapter interested in hosting the 2015 SED Convention or the 2014-2015 Eighth Note! Please get in touch with any member of your district council (or recent host) with any questions you may have!

<3 MLITB : )