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I would love to share my thoughts on convention as it is a wonderful experience. And as women we can get into this, but it is essential you bring enough clothes/shoes and the right kind of clothes/shoes for the meetings and dinners.
All of the formal business meetings are in the white dress and shoes. Please make sure the dresses are in fact dresses and are all white. I know this can be hard to find, but trust me you will stick out badly if not and they do say they will ask you to leave if you are not properly dressed (although I've never seen this happen before). The rest of the meetings/workshops are business casual. I would not recommend wearing jeans or shorts, but do bring those for casual fare in the evenings. Usually, there is one afternoon of 'field' trips where shorts/jeans would be appropriate, but you will get the trip information with your convention materials. The dinners are dressy, but the real dressy dinner is Candlelight Banquet on the last night. A nice church dress is fine, but if you have a semi-formal dress it is entirely appropriate for this special night. You will be amazed at the fashion show on for this night!! I always bring more clothes than I need, but that's part of the fun in deciding what to wear!
I always make sure and bring a good size tote bag and a notebook or pad of paper. They will give you a tote bag with your convention stuff, but it is never big enough for me! There are many things to do between meals and workshops. Places to make sure and visit are: the resource room, the Blue Owl Boutique, and the traveling Heritage Museum.
The resource room has tons and tons of information for you to take back to your chapter/Advisory Board/House Board/Alum Association. I always leave with tons of educational materials and of course the free giveaways (buttons, magnets, etc.).
Bring some extra money (check or credit card is fine) for all of the wonderful shopping at the Blue Owl Boutique. Chapters and Alumane Associations bring a variety of wonderful Kappa stuff (crafts, staionary, notecards, etc.) to sell and I have some wonderful things I've bought. I love my Kappa stuff and the associations make some money too! The Key Source also has a shop for clothing, trinkets, etc. that also helps support Kappa.
The Heritage Museum always brings a traveling exhibit. It is always WONDERFUL to get a taste of Kappa history for those of us not fortunate enough to visit in person at Headquarters.
Then of course there is the Foundation where you have an opportunity to give to Kappa and even make donations in honor of/in memory of a Kappa.
Burr Patterson and Auld are always there and usually you can get your pin or other Fraternity jewelry cleaned for a nominal fee (usually $5 or so) and you can buy Kappa jewelry if you like.
If you are attending with other advisors or undergraduates from one chapter, make sure you split up and do not all attend the same educational sessions. The workshops are great training for officers, advisors, and alumnae, and there are usually handouts and notes to take. You will have a convention program and list of educational workshops, so it is easy to plan in advance who will go where so you can take maximum advantage of the information presented.
Take advantage of the opportunity to meet the members of Fraternity Council and other Kappas from around the country. It is so much fun! Usually the first night at dinner is Province night, so you sit at a table in your Province. The rest of the dinners are first come first seated, so we always met with our group about 15 or 20 minutes before dinner so we could eat together. Breakfast and lunch are usually the best times to mingle and meet others since people have different schedules for breakfast and are in workshops up until lunchtime. There is usally a lunch or dinner honoring the current and former Fraternity presidents and afterwards everyone has an opportunity to meet these ladies and say hello.
Ok, I'm all thought out for a Friday but I know there is more. I'll post later as I think about other things to consider or do!
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