[PABS] 2nd Reminder: National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania 2020 State Convention

Tue Sep 22 20:24:45 UTC 2020

>From the desk of NFB of Pennsylvania President Lynn Heitz.

Requested for distribution by Joe Drenth, Chair, NFBPA Convention Planning
Committee.

Submitted by Brian Mackey, NFBPA Webmaster.

National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania 2020 Annual STATE
CONVENTION

Thursday, November 12 through Sunday, November 15, 2020

The 2020 State Convention of the National Federation of the Blind of
Pennsylvania will be held at

Sheraton Station Square
300 West Station Square
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, this year's convention will be a hybrid
convention. Parts of the convention will have a combined in-person and
virtual experience while others will only be experienced in person. Please
note that portions of the convention will be recorded for archival purposes
on our website.

We are proud to announce that Jennifer Kennedy, executive director of BLIND,
Inc., will be serving as our national rep this year.

Mark your calendars and make every effort to attend the 2020 state
convention of the NFB of Pennsylvania. Get Involved. Make a Difference!
Please share with others, everyone is welcome!

Room Reservations

The Sheraton Station Square is now accepting room reservations for the state
convention. To make your reservation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, please
dial 412-261-2000 and use the group name National Federation of the Blind
2020, or visit
<https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=15820376
83643&key=GRP&app=resvlink>
www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1582037683643&key
=GRP&app=resvlink. The best time to call is during regular business hours,
9:00 am to 6:00 pm. The 2020 room rate is $115 a night. Hotel room rates are
subject to applicable state and local taxes, which at present is 14% and
will be in effect at the time of check-out. (Note: we have received this
lower rate, and this does not include the breakfast buffet).

For those considering arriving early, there is a limited number of available
guest rooms as another group will be occupying most of the hotel on
Wednesday, November 11. Don't hesitate, please make your room reservations
as soon as possible. Our block of rooms are available until Wednesday,
October 21, and any remaining rooms will become available to the general
public. You will need a credit card to secure your reservation, There will
be no charge to your card until you arrive at the hotel. Refrigerators will
be available in all sleeping rooms this year. In addition, there are a
limited number of wheelchair accessible rooms and if needed, make it known
when you are making your room reservation.

Note: if you can not attend and you have made hotel reservations, don't call
the hotel to cancel. Please call Lynn Heitz at 215-988-0888. Lynn usually
has a waiting list to review as many learn about the state convention after
Wednesday, October 21.

Online Registration

 <http://nfbp.org/convention/reg> Online Registration is now open for the
2020 NFB of Pennsylvania convention. Registration with the convention is
required in order to be eligible for our discounted room rates at the hotel.
Sponsor our event, sign up to be an exhibitor, register for professional
technology training, purchase your convention meals, and register people for
door prizes all through the  <http://nfbp.org/convention/reg> online
convention registration form.

Please note that the reduced convention registration rate of $25 per person
will only be available till September 30. Starting on October 1, the cost to
register for the convention will increase to $30 per person. The
registration cost for professionals attending only the Technology Seminar on
Thursday, November 12, to obtain their continuing education credits will be
at $35 per person both before and after September 30.

Sponsors & Exhibitors:

For those wishing to be a sponsor of this year's convention, payments for
the following must be received no later than October 1 either via check or
via the  <http://nfbp.org/convention/reg> online registration form:

*         Gold Sponsorship Level (donation of $1000 or more): 4 Banquet
seats, Exhibit Hall table for Thursday and/or Friday, 30 minutes in the
Virtual Exhibit Hall

*         Silver Sponsorship Level (donation of $750): 2 Banquet seats,
Exhibit Hall table for Thursday and/or Friday, 30 minutes in the Virtual
Exhibit Hall

*         Bronze Sponsorship Level (donation of $500): 1 Banquet seat,
Exhibit Hall table for Thursday and/or Friday, 30 minutes in the Virtual
Exhibit Hall

The vendor room will be open during the following days and times:

*         Thursday, November 12: 1:00pm - 5:00pm

*         Friday, November 13: 9:00am - 4:00pm

For those registering as an exhibitor only for this year's convention, and
will attend in person, payment for the following prices must be received no
later than October 1 either via check or via the
<http://nfbp.org/convention/reg> online registration form:

*         Only Thursday, November 12: $75

*         Only Friday, November 13: $100

*         Both days: $150

This year we will be offering a virtual exhibit hall. The virtual exhibit
hall will take place during the same times listed above for the in-person
exhibit hall. If the demand calls for it, the virtual exhibit hall will also
include Thursday morning, times to be announced at a later date. Exhibitors
for the virtual exhibit hall can buy either half an hour or one hour time
slots, $100 per 30 minute session (along with prices for the registering as
an exhibitor as listed above). Sponsors get half an hour for free with their
sponsorship. We will send all sponsors and exhibitors participating in the
virtual exhibit hall the Zoom contact information, but sponsors and
exhibitors have to connect to Zoom themselves. Sponsors and exhibitors can
request a time slot but we have the right to assign times based on
first-come first-serve and availability.

Convention Raffle

in lieu of holding an auction during this year's convention, we are holding
a raffle for a chance to win a $500 gift card to either Amazon or Apple. To
have your name entered to possibly win the raffle, we request a
tax-deductible donation of $10 per raffle chance. The drawing will take
place during our convention banquet and drawn by our national rep. The
winner does not need to be present at the banquet to claim the prize. We
will contact the winner after the drawing. To have your name entered, please
visit our  <http://nfbp.org/convention/raffle> Convention Raffle page.

 <https://www.nfb.org/code-conduct> Code of Conduct

As an attendee at our convention, you not only represent yourself but also
represent our greater organization. We want you to enjoy our time together
and to make new friends and renew old acquaintances. Although we encourage
members to socialize and have fun, the convention also provides a valuable
opportunity to come together to continue the work of our organization, to
learn about the important initiatives that we are involved with on local and
national levels, and to plan our work for the future.

The National Federation of the Blind seeks to provide a convention
environment in which diverse participants, including members, speakers,
exhibitors, staff, and volunteers, may learn, network, and enjoy the company
of friends and colleagues in an environment of mutual respect and
professionalism. We recognize a shared responsibility to create and uphold
that atmosphere for the benefit of all. Some behaviors are therefore
specifically prohibited:

*         harassment or intimidation based on race, religion, ethnicity,
language, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression,
disability, physical appearance, or other group identity

*         sexual harassment or intimidation, including unwelcome sexual
attention, stalking (physical or virtual), or unsolicited physical contact

*         public drunkenness and associated behaviors (e.g., belligerence,
yelling, hostility, destruction of property)

Participants are expected to abide by these rules and behaviors in all
convention venues, including online arenas, social media, and social events.
Participants who are asked to stop a behavior that the recipient considers
hostile or harassing are expected to comply immediately. We are committed to
diversity, equity, and the free expression of ideas. Please visit
<https://www.nfb.org/code-conduct> https://nfb.org/code-conduct for more
information.

Audio from Past Conventions

Please visit our  <http://www.nfbp.org/convention/past-conventions> Past
Conventions page to access audio highlights from previous state conventions.

Additional Information

Additional information will be posted as soon as it becomes available. Check
back often.

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