The Annual Conference Planning Committee is charged with developing, coordinating, and implementing the association’s largest professional development event. Plans begin well in advance to ensure a dynamic line up of speakers and presenters, engaging sessions, opportunities for networking and outreach, access to the latest in products and services through our exhibit hall, and more.
The event also includes opportunities for post-conference college tours, optional wellness and athletic programming, the networking college fair, local public high school counselor day, and post conference sessions.
The 2024 SACAC annual conference, Forward Together, will be held in at the Raleigh Convention Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, March 24-25, with pre- and post-conference events occuring on Saturday, March 23, and Tuesday, March 26. The host hotel is the Marriott Raleigh City Center with the room rate of $212. Local public high school counselor day will be held Sunday, March 24. *no virtual components will be offered
This year’s theme, Forward Together, recognizes the importance of all constituencies in college admissions coming together to create equitable pathways to higher education for our students and to support one another as professionals. The work that we do is critical, and our industry needs us now more than ever. As you consider presenting at our next conference, we hope that our theme helps as you brainstorm.
Conference Details & FAQs
- Conference registration will open in December 2023.
- The early bird member rate through February 9th will be $250. On and after February 10th, the cost will increase by $50.
- Refunds are available through the registration closing date of March 1.
- As of 8.24.2023 *Subject to change
- Saturday, March 23
- 7 am - 12:30 pm Outreach Project
- 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
- TBA College tours
- 9 am - 12 pm Post-conference sessions
- 9 - 11 am SACAC Board meeting
- Session proposals must be submitted via Proposal Space by the deadline of Friday, October 13, 2023.
- Have a session idea and looking for 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!
- 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
- Review an example of a proposal here: 2024 Annual Conference Proposal Example
- Consider using this 2024 Blank Submission Form to compose your proposal prior to entering the information into Proposal Space.
- Please feel free to contact Sean Kennedy at [email protected] about session proposals.
- Presenters must pay to attend the conference. There are no passes to simply come in for your session and then leave.
- There are no discount registration rates for presenters.
- Our host hotel for this conference is the Marriott Raleigh City Center, and the SACAC group room rate is $212 a night.
- Once registered for the conference, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to reserve your hotel room under our conference room block.
- We have secured an overflow hotel and will share more information as needed.
- 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 two complimentary drink tickets. These tickets can be used at the President’s Welcome Reception on Sunday evening or the Conference Social on Monday evening. Once you’ve used your tickets, a cash bar is available.
- Exhibitor registration will open in December 2023.
- Anita Hua, [email protected] - Logistics/Hotel/Volunteers/Schedule
- Diana McAfee, [email protected] - Registration/Exhibit/Sponsorship inquiries
- Sean Kennedy, [email protected] - Session proposals/content inquiries
- The call for volunteers will go out closer to the event.
- 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 4 opportunities for Bronze level sponsors. *Please note, some of these opportunities are unavailable. You can see remaining opportunities here.
- Sign up for a sponsorship opportunity here.
- Want to talk to someone about the options? Reach out to the advancement chair, Julia Hodge.
- The 2025 annual conference will be held in Atlanta at the Marriott Marquis.
- 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 [email protected].
- 252 private high school counselors
- 99 public high school counselors
- 144 private college/university representatives
- 3 public 2-year college representatives
- 132 public 4-year college/university representatives
- 34 individuals from Community-based Organizations
- 68 Independent Educational Consultants
- 103 individuals from corporations
- 1 retiree
- 2 unaffiliated individuals
Continuing Education
The Southern Association for College Admission Counseling has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6805. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. SACAC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
