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. Registration is now closed. Event details are accessible here.
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.
Conference Details & FAQs
- Conference registration will open in mid to late December.
- An early bird rate will be offered through Monday, February 3. On and after February 4, the costs will increase by $50. Cost TBD.
- Refunds are available through the registration closing date of February 27.
- 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 will open in September and be due in October.
- Please feel free to contact Arlene Outerbridge at [email protected] 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.
- 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.
- Exhibitor registration will open in mid to late December. Exhibitor package cost TBD.
- 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). 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.
- Anita Hua, [email protected] - Logistics/Hotel/Volunteers/Schedule
- Diana McAfee, [email protected] - Registration/Exhibit/Sponsorship inquiries
- Arlene Outerbridge, [email protected] - Session proposals/content inquiries
- A call for volunteers will go out roughly a month in advance of the conference for on-site help.
- See the graphic below from 2024 as a point of reference. Sponsorship opportunities for 2025 will be announced by late summer of 2024.
- 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.
- Want to talk to someone about the options? Reach out to the advancement chair, Julia Hodge.
- The 2025 annual conference will be held March 30 - 31 at the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta, GA.
- 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].
- 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
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.
