Revising Registration

by Ryan Lewis, convention manager, National Association of Free Will Baptists

Professional basketball player Wilt Chamberlain once said, “They say that nobody is perfect. Then, they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they’d make up their minds.”

For many years, the convention has worked hard to perfect the process of pre-registering, reserving hotel rooms, and making the convention experience as smooth as possible. As you prepare to visit Memphis in July, a few simple suggestions will make each part of the process a little less stressful.

1. Pre-Register

Save time. Pre-Registration for the 2012 convention will open Monday, April 2. Those who pre-register can skip long registration lines at the convention. The pre-registration form is printed in this magazine or can be completed online at www.nafwb.org when registration opens.

Assign a point person to take care of registering the people in your church or youth group. Allowing multiple individuals to register themselves can result in duplicates and confusion.

Last year, nearly 65% of convention attendees pre-registered. Of those, 75% registered online, avoiding postage and writer’s cramp. Convention staffers processed nearly 4,000 registrations in six weeks. Due to the short turnaround time, we are extending the pre-registration period this year.

Save Money. National Youth Conference participants in grades 1-12 save $10 by pre-registering. Adults who attend any NYC competition or event must register as an NYC attendee and pay the $15 fee. Doing this during pre-registration will save effort onsite. Find more information about NYC at www.fwbnyc.com.

2. Make Reservations

While the reservation process is far from perfect, it is better than the alternatives. Do you remember the days of listing your top choices of hotels and then being placed in a hotel of someone else’s choosing?

The internet has made planning the hotel stay a much simpler process. You can check out the hotels online and determine which one is closest to the convention center. On the day that housing opens, links to make reservations online at convention hotels will be available at www.nafwb.org. Booking rooms online guarantees you won’t be placed on hold.

The opening date for housing was changed last year to alleviate the problems many groups had booking rooms before their state youth competition. Now, most competitions are completed prior to opening day. This eliminates the guesswork of booking rooms without knowing the actual number of people attending the convention.

This year’s convention housing block will open Monday, May 7, 2012, at 9:00 a.m. CST.

3. Do Your Homework

Many resources can help you familiarize yourself with the city of Memphis. Visit www.memphisconvention.com for great tips and recommendations for things to do in the city. Order a Memphis tourist guide, investigate local dining options, find parking close to the convention center, and even download the Memphis travel app for iPhone or Android. You’ll also want to see the layout of the Memphis Cook Convention Center and map out the downtown trolley line.

Whether you are a wily veteran or a first-time attendee, the convention process can still be a bit daunting. I hope these tips will make your experience as enjoyable and trouble-free as possible.