Convention 2011
 

As many of y'all know, I made a promise years ago that, if my chapter ever was a serious contender for the Golden Lion Award, I would go to Convention for the first time. And... it is! So, I don't know if I'm going to the whole thing or for just part of it, but if anyone has a schedule, I'd love to hear about it - especially the Awards Dinner (or whatever it's called) and when they have the "new products" available. I'd also like to meet up with the rest of the GC sisters who will be there, and also some of the Badge Trend ladies.

So, does anyone have plans?

I have yet to go to one myself, but would love to this year... The only problem is that I will have a baby that is only about 11 weeks old at the time...

honey, you know you're going to have to carve out some time for the AZ contingent of Badge Trends, right?

honeychile, I would LOVE for you to be able to attend the Convention! Hope it works out.

That & the Golden Lion would be my reasons for going! Pray that I can swing this financially!

I think I'm going this year. Saturday should be the day to attend, if you're picking -- that's when the big awards banquet is. And if your chapter gets Golden Lion, they invite all the alumnae present to come up and receive it -- I got to do that last Convention and it was great!

I can't wait to see the details! The chapter's trying so hard to get as many Alpha Iotas there as possible - pluse I need to see my Badge Trands posse!

Just mentioned it to hubby. We have to figure out the budget for this year's wanted vacations though. We'll see if I can swing it or not.

Convention is awesome! I'm so thrilled that you will be coming Honeychile. I cannot wait to meet you!!!!!

Wednesday is opening banquet. This is nice, it is semi-formal. You will get a gift from the Phoenix Alumnae Association (in 05 it was dream catchers, my idea I rock!). There will be a toast, the blessing, dinner, probably a tribute and then a speaker. Before opening banquet, you get to meet grand council. It's kind of cool. I kind of forget "their still my sisters" because they are in these "high" positions.

Thursday: Philanthropy lunch- awesome, all about RMH, you can't go wrong. Thursday night is Diamond 4-point awards. Sometime during this day is the parade of the flags (where you were all white). I believe voting is also done on this day as well (for voting participants).

Friday: Alumnae and Old Timers dinner. AWESOME. They do the anniversery (spelling isseus) awards (10-25-50 years of membership), you do the convention song. That is so fun to see who has been to the most conventions. Most will sit down after the first one. I will get to stand for 3, I feel special :D. Oh the old timers you tend to dress for the theme.

Saturday: Panhellenic luncheon, Diamond Awards banquet. The formal dinner. The one and only time that you get to wear your pin with a formal dress. After all the awards you light the "candle" (a flashlight) and they call the roll. When your chapter is called you turn on the flashlight and stand. It's very cool, but I'm at the end of the list, (my collegians even further than me on the list). We then head outside and do the adpi sing along.
I believe on this day they do initiation. Each time I've gone, I've actually seen women initiated into Omega Alpha (the AI's). I'm sure they'll have AI's for this one. It's more a Q&A. It's supposed to show the collegians (and advisors) HOW initiation should be running. You get to see grand council performing it, so it's pretty cool.

Friday afternoon is on your own. They might set up activities for you to do as groups. The hotel is super close to the biltmore area of phoenix. The biltmore area has an AMC theaters, shopping, a cheesecake factory. I know I'm renting a car, but I'm not sure what I'll be doing that day.
There's malls, the zoo's, museums, it just depends on what you want to do.

Definitely will have to arrange a GC Adpi gathering.

When do they do the 10-25-50 year ceremonies? Please tell me it's not Friday afternoon! How about the Golden Lion day?

Doh! I just realized that ADqtPiMel answered me about the Lion!

They do the ceremonies on Friday evening (according to the program from 07 that I have in a scrapbook).

I will be there with the chapter that I advise. I am SO looking forward to it!

For those of y'all who have attended recently, without airfare, how much would you budget?

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can either A: go as the advisor for the chapter I advise or B: swing this one financially - we'll see what happens.

Honey, I think last time ('07) was about $800 for full-time attendees (which basically covers all "events", meals, convention business/workshops (if you're not a voting delegate), etc. There's parttime registration, which I think was about half that, but then you add in the meals you want to attend (I may have some of these details a little off - blame a VERY hectic and stressful work week).

Hope this helps!

I can't believe Convention is like a month away. I'm so excited.