Annual Conference

• Conference registration will open in mid to late December.
• Member registration is $300; non-member is $375. An early bird discount of $50 off will be offered through Monday, February 3. On and after February 4, the costs return to the full registration rate. 
• Refunds are available through the registration closing date of February 27.
• Wish to attend and need to plead your case? Here is a link to a supervisor letter which you may download and adapt to your situation.

• The SACAC Counselor Participation Fund (CPF) provides financial assistance to secondary counselors and college representatives who have limited financial resources to attend SACAC professional development opportunities. There is an application process for consideration for a conference CPF grant. Visit the CPF page to learn more. 

• 2024 *for reference only - 2025 subject to change
• Saturday, March 23
  • 7 am - 12:30 pm Outreach Project
  • 8 am - 3 pm Duke University & North Carolina State University College Tour
  • 8 am - 5:00 pm High Point University College Tour
  • 8:45 am - 3:30 pm Wake Forest University College Tour
  • 3 - 5 pm SACAC Board Meeting
  • 5:30 - 7 pm Check-in open
• Sunday, March 24
  • 7:30 am Fun Run/Walk
  • 8 - 10 am Exhibit set up
  • 8:30 am Yoga
  • 8:30 - 10:30 am SACAC Leads meeting
  • 10 am - 6 pm Check-in open
  • 10 am - 6 pm Exhibits open
  • 11:30 am - 12 pm First Timer's Meet & Greet Session
  • 12:15 - 1:30 pm Conference Kickoff
  • 1:45 - 2:45 pm Session block A
  • 2:45 - 3:15 pm Snack break
  • 3:15 - 4:15 pm Session block b
  • 4:30 - 5 :15 pm State meetings
  • 5:30 - 6:30 pm Special Interest Group (SIG) meetings
  • 6:30 - 8 pm President's reception
• Monday, March 25
  • 7 - 8 am Yoga
  • 8:15 am - 5:30 pm Exhibits open
  • 8:15 - 9 am Committee meetings
  • 9:15 - 10:15 am Session block C
  • 10:15 - 10:45 am Coffee break
  • 10:45 - 11:45 am Session block D
  • 12 - 2 pm Conference lunch & membership meeting
  • 2:30 - 3:30 pm Session block E
  • 3:30 - 4:30 pm Dessert break
  • 4:30 - 5:30 pm Networking College Fair
  • 7 - 11 pm Conference Social
• Tuesday, March 26
  • 8 am - 3 pm North Carolina Central University & UNC Chapel Hill College Tour
  • 9 am - 12 pm Post-conference session
  • 9 - 11 am SACAC Board meeting

• Session proposals must be submitted via Proposal Space by the deadline of Monday, October 7, 2024. You can access Proposal Space by clicking here. 
• We have decided to shift our conference schedule a little and this year we will offer (3) hour pre-conference sessions on Saturday, March 29 (instead of post-conference sessions as have been offered in recent years). 
• We have compiled a few resources for you as you get started:
  • Watch this brief presentation: What You Need to Know Before you Submit Your Proposal (2025)
  • Review an example of a proposal here: 2025 Annual Conference Proposal Example
  • Consider using this 2025 Blank Submission Form to compose your proposal prior to entering the information into Proposal Space.
• Seeking co-presenters? Use this form to describe your session idea and provide your contact information and SACAC will do its best to connect you if someone has a similar session idea. We cannot guarantee a match, but we are willing to try!
• Please feel free to contact Arlene Outerbridge at presidentelect@sacac.org about session proposals.

• All presenters must pay to attend the conference. There are no passes to simply come in for a session and then leave.
• There are no discount registration rates for presenters.

• The host hotel is the Marriott Marquis. The SACAC group room rate is $219 a night.
• Once registered for the conference, you will receive a confirmation email with links to reservations.

• Sunday is mostly on your own, but we will provide a few snacks and coffee throughout the afternoon. Additionally, there will be light hors d'oeuvres and appetizers at the President’s Welcome Reception that evening.
• On Monday, breakfast is on your own, but we will provide a few snacks and coffee throughout the day. We hope you will join us for our conference luncheon and ultimately for the Conference Social where we will serve heavy hors d’oeuvres and appetizers.
• Each conference attendee will receive a complimentary drink ticket to be used at the President’s Welcome Reception.

968 registered for the 2024 Annual Conference in Raleigh, NC. Of those...

• 277 private high school counselors
• 106 public high school counselors
• 147 private college/university representatives
• 5 public 2-year college representatives
• 175 public 4-year college/university representatives
• 55 individuals from Community-based Organizations
• 75 Independent Educational Consultants
• 102 individuals from corporations
• 2 retiree
• 5 unaffiliated individuals

31.3% attendees were first-timers. 39 companies exhibited.

• Exhibitor registration will open in mid to late December. Exhibitor package costs $750 and includes (1) 6-foot table and registration for (1) individual.
• By registering as a vendor/partner, you will reserve a table in the exhibit area for the duration of the SACAC annual conference. Exhibits are limited to a 6-foot table, and location is assigned on a first-registered, first-assigned basis. Exhibitor registration includes the table as well as conference registration for [1] individual exhibitor attendee (Additional exhibitor attendees may register for an additional cost of $250 per person). A pre- and post-conference registrant list will also be provided. The registrant list will include name, title, institution, mailing address, and email.
• Once you have registered for an exhibitor registration package, you will be contacted to register your booth staff separately.
• Contact scanning will be available via StriveScan at the additional cost of $149. A link will be provided to you to complete if you chose to utilize their services.
• Set up will be held Sunday, March 30 from 8 - 10 am, and breakdown will be at 5:30 pm on Monday.

• For the levels with multiple options listed as named sponsor, i.e., Bronze level, the named sponsor would be for ONE of the areas listed. So, there are 5 opportunities for Bronze level sponsors.
• Want to talk to someone about the options? Reach out to the advancement chair, Julia Hodge.
• Ready to commit to a sponsorship level? Complete this form to indicate your interest.

• A call for volunteers will go out roughly a month in advance of the conference for on-site help.

• Anita Hua, annualconference@sacac.org - Logistics/Hotel/Volunteers/Schedule
• Diana McAfee, info@sacac.org - Registration/Exhibit/Sponsorship inquiries
• Arlene Outerbridge, presidentelect@sacac.org - Session proposals/content inquiries

• The 2026 Annual Conference will be held at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (500 Canal St), LA, March 22 - 23.
• Contracts with host hotels are set roughly three years in advance. SACAC works with Helms Briscoe on our meeting procurement and site selection. There are many considerations given to selecting a location such as space constraints, sleeping room needs, cost, ease of travel, etc. If you have questions about how we navigate this process, please contact Annual Conference Chair Anita Hua at annualconference@sacac.org.