For Presenters

October 2007

To Our Presenters:

We look forward to seeing you at the upcoming ACR Seventh Annual Conference, Rethinking the Table: People, Places, and Practices, in Phoenix, Arizona. The conference workshops, and you the presenters, are truly the heart of the conference.

Registration. If you have not already registered for the conference, please do so immediately. All presenters must register to obtain their name badges and speaker ribbons. Go to the Registration Form or use the form in the Conference Brochure that was mailed to you.

Upon your arrival at the conference, please check in at the Conference Registration Desk on the third floor of the Phoenix Convention Center.

Handouts. Handouts that were submitted to ACR prior to October 1 will be included in the conference CD-ROM that attendees receive at the conference. If you have additional handouts, or want attendees to have paper copies of your materials during the session, please bring handouts with you to your session.

Copying and Shipping. If you want to copy your materials in Phoenix, pick up your Preferred Discount Card at the Conference Information Desk on the third floor of the convention center to receive a discount at nearby copy service businesses.

If you want to ship materials ahead, shipping information for guests of the conference hotel is:

	Hyatt Regency Phoenix 122 North Second Street Phoenix, Arizona 85004
Must label:	Hold for (your name) guest of hotel arriving (date) Indicate if more than one package (e.g., 1 of 2 boxes)

After you have checked in and upon your request, hotel Bell staff will deliver packages to your hotel room. Cost is $7.00 per box payable upon receipt. Keep in mind, most workshop sessions will take place across the street from the hotel in the convention center.

As an alternative there are UPS Stores, located both in the convention center and in the conference hotel lobby, that provide copying as well as package receiving and delivery services. Contact them directly by email at store5750@theupsstore.com or by phone at 602-251-0135.

Audio-visual Equipment. Please note that audio-visual equipment has already been ordered; new requests can no longer be accommodated. You should have received a confirmation e-mail regarding your audio-visual equipment.

Monitors. Volunteers will be monitoring workshop sessions and collecting evaluations. If you have additional handouts, the monitor can distribute them for you. In the event there is a problem with your audio-visual equipment or you need to get an urgent message to the conference staff, the monitor can get assistance for you.

Presentation Suggestions. As you put the "finishing touches" on your presentation, you might want to keep in mind the following suggestions from session evaluations at prior ACR conferences.

1.	Most conference attendees are experienced conflict resolution practitioners who want to delve right into the substance of your presentation. You may want to limit the amount of time you spend on background information, introductions, and preliminary matters. Ninety minutes pass by quickly when you are interacting with interested colleagues.
2.	The most frequent complaint in prior year evaluations was that many workshops were too "basic". You were selected to do your workshop because of your expertise on the topic. Be sure to share some of your advanced knowledge with the workshop participants.
3.	Audience participation can be fantastic. However, sometimes questions can lead you astray from your planned presentation. If you fear that is happening, it is perfectly acceptable to tell a participant that you will discuss an issue with him or her after the end of the session. There are half hour breaks between the workshop series which gives you time to answer individual questions following your session.

Silent Auction. Please consider donating an item to the ACR Silent Auction. Popular donations are items such as, resources for a conflict resolution practice, gift baskets, original artwork, sports memorabilia, athletic gear, gift certificates for national merchants, holiday themed items, use of a vacation spot, unique items from your geographic area, etc. Auction proceeds will benefit ACR scholarships and special projects. Your tax deductible contribution will be greatly appreciated. Contact Fetneh Fleischmann to contribute (email: fleischf@dcsc.gov or phone: 202-879-2887).

If you have any questions or concerns please contact us at conferences@ACRnet.org or call Marya's cell phone at 614-226-1063. We hope that the conference is both fun and professionally rewarding for you. Thank you for your contribution.

Perri Mayes and Marya Kolman
ACR Conference Consultants