Society for Personality Assessment

• Home
• Annual Meeting
• FAQ

Annual Meeting - FAQ

The SPA Annual Meeting in March each year is well-attended and well-received by members and non-members alike. Following are answers to Frequently Asked Questions associated with the Annual Meeting. We hope the information will assist you in understanding some of the “behind the scenes” considerations associated with the planning and execution of the SPA Annual Meeting as we strive to give our members the best possible value for their time and money.

• Why are meetings sometimes in a downtown hotel and other times in the suburbs of a major city? Why do we skip some major cities? Unfortunately, for many cities, a downtown hotel (especially in New York City and Washington, DC) comes in at a price that is not economically viable for our attendees. When selecting a hotel, we try to keep in mind individuals on limited budgets. We are currently striving to keep the room rate below $200.00 per night. In 2010 at the Fairmont in San Jose, the rate will be $189/single and $199 double (plus tax); and in 2011 at the Royal Sonesta in Boston, the rate will be $169 (plus tax). Our meeting management company, Travelink, works very hard to find an attractive hotel in the city of our choice at the lowest room rate possible.
• Why do we seem to go to the same area of the country and why are cities with warmer climates not considered each year? There are many factors that impact how a city is chosen for the Annual Meeting, and one major factor is that only major cities in certain parts of country with a good deal of local pull bring in the kind of attendance needed to ensure that the meeting pays for itself. Such cities/areas are San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago, and cities close to Washington, DC. Warmer climates do not guarantee high attendance, as the data we have collected reveals.
• How can I meet attendees during the Annual Meeting in a casual setting as a newcomer? Included in your registration are three receptions (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening) during the Annual Meeting. Light fare is served along with a cash bar, and these receptions are the perfect opportunity for you to meet other attendees. Don’t be shy – join us – and any member of the Board will be happy to take you around and introduce you to other attendees. You can find Board members by looking for the Board ribbon attached to the nametag.
• Why are workshops scheduled on Wednesday, Thursday morning, and Sunday? The present schedule of starting with workshops on Wednesday, the Annual Meeting running Thursday through Saturday (requiring the use of the majority of our meeting space), and workshops ending on Sunday, is the type of schedule that brings the best possible room rates for attendees. Using the amount of meeting space we require for the Annual Meeting itself with any schedule other than Thursday-Saturday would be more costly.
• Why do I have to stand in line to sign-in and sign-out of CE offerings, as well as complete an evaluation of the CE offering before I receive CE credit? Offering continuing education credit continues to be a very important aspect of the Annual Meeting. To participants, the process they must follow to get CE credit can be frustrating, as the lines are at times long to sign in or sign out (especially for the Master Lectures); there is little time to complete the evaluation; and sometimes in the rushed pace to go to the next session, CE certificates are not picked up. This process, however cumbersome, is a necessary part of the APA guidelines we must follow to maintain our status as an approved sponsor by APA. The sign-in sheets and course evaluations are kept on file in the central office, and copies of them are attached to an annual report to APA in August of each year, along with copies of our marketing pieces for the Annual Meeting. The Annual Report is carefully reviewed, and if anything is out of order, SPA can be put on probation. Yes, there are more automated systems to track continuing education and give us the necessary reports for APA, such as the system used by APA. We simply do not have the budget to afford this type of software and equipment. We are also constrained as to what sessions can offer CE credit. APA requires that those presenting during a CE offering be senior presenters (no student involvement). Thus, we presently offer CE credit for workshops, symposia, master lectures, the Bruno Klopfer Award, and selected lunchtime presentations only.
  
• Why is food offered during lunch so expensive and why are coffee breaks not offered throughout the day? The price of any meal during the meeting includes the cost of the food, the preparation of food, the serving of the food, and the breakdown of service after the function has concluded, plus gratuity, plus tax (yes, we are taxed on the gratuity). Thus, you end up with $13 sandwiches, plus extra for chips, fruit, and a soda. We normally arrange for at least eleven coffee breaks, starting on Wednesday morning, and concluding Sunday afternoon. Coffee is presently $87 a gallon (average price per gallon); hot water for tea is $55-87 per gallon; and soda and bottled water are usually $4.50-$6.00 each. The coffee breaks run about $1,300-$1500 per break. Because of these high costs, we limit each coffee break. Undoubtedly the food and beverage prices will be driven even higher for future Annual Meetings because of the rise in the cost of fuel.

 

 

Please note that we are always seeking sponsors to help defray the costs of meetings. Everyone can help with finding sponsors, especially those of you who work or live in the region in which the meeting is being held (San Jose-2010/Boston-2011). Publishers, universities, and treatment centers have participated in such sponsorships in the past.