2024 Annual Conference

The #TSPRA24 Conference is shaping up to be an amazing opportunity for networking, learning, and collaboration.

Special thanks to our sponsors who have committed to supporting this year’s conference in a big way. They will help bring you the best TSPRA conference yet.

So register and plan out your travel itinerary. You won’t want to miss the meaningful learning opportunities planned or the fun adventures with your schoolPR pals in Sugar Land. We look forward to seeing you at #TSPRA24.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

[Subject to change at any time.]

February 26, 2024

• 8:30–9 a.m. – Executive Committee breakfast
• 9-11:30 a.m. – Executive Committee meeting
• 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. – Vendor set-up
• 11:30 a.m.–5 p.m. – Registration desk open
• 11:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m. – Executive Committee lunch
• 1–4 p.m. -Pre-Conference Sessions [$100]
• 2:15–2:45 p.m. – Snack Break
• 5:30–7 p.m. – Come & Go, Meet and Greet before dinner, sponsored by Gallagher Construction and WRA in the hotel restaurant area
• Dinner on your own/Client dinners

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

• 6:45 a.m.–7:30 a.m. Conference Fun Run Walk
• 7:30 a.m–5:30 p.m. – Registration desk open
• 8 a.m. – Sponsored Grab and Go Breakfast; Exhibits open
• 8:30 a.m. – First General Session; Keynote Speaker; Professional Awards
• 10:30 a.m.–Noon – Sessions/Exhibitor viewing
• Noon–1:30 p.m. – Lunch on your own
• 1:30–5:30 p.m. – Sessions/Exhibitor viewing
• Special evening event – TBD
• Dinner on your own/Client dinners

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

• 7:30 a.m–5 p.m. – Registration desk open
• 8 a.m. – Sponsored Grab and Go Breakfast; Exhibits open
• 8:30 a.m. – Second General Session; Key Communicator Award; Professional Awards; Officer installation
• 10 a.m.–Noon – Sessions/Exhibitor viewing
• Noon–1:30 p.m. – Lunch on your own
• 1:30–5:30 p.m. – Sessions/Exhibitor viewing
• 5:30 p.m. – Exhibitor booth must be taken down
• 6-7 p.m. – Star Awards Reception
• 7-9:30 p.m. – Star Awards Banquet [Ticket $80]
• 9:30–11 p.m. – Star Awards Celebration

Thursday, February 29, 2024

• 8–9:15 a.m. – Breakfast Buffet, General Membership Meeting
• 8–11 a.m. – Registration area open and packing up
• 9:30-11 a.m. – Sessions
• 11 a.m.–Noon – Check-out, Evaluations

Pre-conference sessions are $100 each. Since these occur at the same time, you may only register for one. The sessions will be held on Monday, February 26 from 1 to 4 p.m. and feature state and national presenters you won’t want to miss. Sessions are subject to change. Our current offerings are:

• Dare to Lead – Presenter Lizzy Perez
• Data, Analytics, Search Engine Optimization, Oh, My!
• Got Canva? Now What?
• The Latest on School Law
• Marketing 101 – Presenter Lisa Losasso Jackson
• New TSPRAn Academy – Presenter Danielle Clark, APR & others
• Photography and Videography Nuts and Bolts to Advanced Ideas
• Professional Advancement
• Communications A to Z
• Education Foundation 101

Keynote Speaker

Keynote Speaker to be announced when registration opens October 4.

Registration and Tickets

Registration opens at 3 p.m. on October 4, 2024.
Click here to register for the conference.
Click here to just purchase tickets for the Star Awards Banquet.

Pricing:

• Monday, Feb. 26 Preconference Sessions – $100
• Member registration [Feb 27-29] – $550 (No 1-day or 2 day registrations)
• Nonmember registration – $980 (includes registration and a TSPRA membership through Oct. 31, 2024, starting when fee is paid)
• Wednesday, Feb. 28 Star Awards Banquet – $80, members and non-members)
• Late fee for registrations received on or after Jan. 24 – $100
• No refunds on or after Jan 24; you may send a substitute in your place

Conference Hotel

Marriott Sugar Land Town Square Hotel
16090 City Walk
Sugar Land, TX 77479-6539

The Hotel room block for #TSPRA24 is full.

Housing Company Link

This year, TSPRA is using a housing company to manage hotel accommodations. Click the link below to see the hotels where TSPRA has a housing contract at special rates. The overflow hotels are:
Courtyard by Marriott Houston Sugar Land/Lake Pointe
16740 Creekbend Dr,, Sugar Land, TX 77478
1.4 Mile(s) from Marriott Sugar Land Town Square

Hyatt Place Houston Sugar Land
16730 Creek Bend Drive, Sugar Land, TX 77478
1.4 Mile(s) from Marriott Sugar Land Town Square

Hilton Garden Inn Houston/Sugar Land
722 Bonaventure Wy,, Sugar Land, TX 77479
2.8 Mile(s) from Marriott Sugar Land Town Square

• Please use the link to make your reservations and also to handle any changes you need. Calling the conference hotel will not help you get a room at the conference rate, as the hotel has been instructed that TSPRA is using a housing company.
• The TSPRA housing site has a link to get on the waitlist for the conference hotel – the Marriott Sugar Land Town Square. There is also a link that will show all hotels in the Sugar Land area.

https://book.passkey.com/go/TSPRA2024

Need to know information for a reservation:

• Each hotel has different rules regarding reservations and cancellations. A credit card is necessary to secure the reservation and you will need to fill out a credit card authorization several weeks in advance of your arrival.

#TSPRA24 Conference Hotel Information:

• Location: Marriott Sugar Land Town Square Hotel
  
• Hotel Address: 16090 City Walk, Sugar Land, TX 77479-6539
• Dates: February 26-29, 2024; only TSPRA officers have an event on Sunday, February 25.
• Check-in: 4 p.m.
• Check out: Noon
• Complimentary On-Site Parking
• Off-Site Parking – Town Square Garages 0.1 Miles
• Valet Parking, Daily: $28; Non-overnight daily valet is $12
• There are many places within walking distance of the hotel where you can eat lunch and dinner.
• A Starbucks is directly accessible through the hotel lobby; open 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Sugar Land is home to a number of options for dining and entertainment. Maps will be available at the TSPRA registration desk to assist with your dining choices.

At the conference, TSPRA will provide the following, subject to change:

Sunday, Feb. 25

• EC dinner for TSPRA officers

Monday, Feb. 26

• EC breakfast and lunch for TSPRA officers
• Afternoon break for pre-conference attendees
• Sponsored Meet and Greet reception for all attendees

Tuesday, Feb. 27

• Grab and Go breakfast, first come, first served
• Afternoon break for all attendees

Wednesday, Feb. 28

• Grab and Go breakfast, first come, first served
• Afternoon break for all attendees
• Star Award Banquet (ticket purchase required; menu will be posted in December; be sure to mark your dietary restrictions when purchasing your ticket)

Thursday, Feb. 29

• Buffet breakfast for all attendees

Exhibitors

For information on reserving an exhibitor space, click here.
TSPRA has about 50 exhibitor spaces available.

Sponsors

For information on sponsorships, contact TSPRA Executive Director Patti Pawlik-Perales at ppawlikperales@tspra.org.

• For information on conference opportunities for exhibitors and sponsors (advertising, special sessions, etc.), click here.

The Annual Conference scholarship application process opens October 2, 2023 at 3 p.m.
The Scholarship committee will announce the recipients in December 2023.
Applications are due by 4 p.m., November 16, 2023.

Click here after 3 p.m. October 2 to apply.

Scholarship Committee:

Chair: Taina Northington, Killeen ISD
Committee Members: John Boyd, Harmony Public Schools; Julie Ann Matonis, Alamo Heights ISD; Jeff Meador, APR, Godley ISD

TSPRA’s annual conference planning is in full swing. Please click here and fill out the form to apply to present at the 2024 Annual Conference, February 26-29, 2024 at the Marriott Sugar Land Town Square, Sugar Land, Texas.

All participants must register & pay in order to attend the conference, including presenters

The Conference Planning Committee meets on November 30, 2023 to slate breakout and roundtable sessions. You will be contacted by the end of December with their decision whether or not your presentation is selected.

Submit your proposals by 4 p.m. Oct. 30, 2023 for consideration.

Here is an overview of how presentations are chosen each year:

• The state office issues a call for sessions.
• Applicants submit proposals. On the submission form, submitters choose if they wish to submit a concurrent session but also if they are willing to be a roundtable presenter.
• The conference committee meets to slate the programming as well as alternatives. It is typical for the committee to have more than 80 proposals to consider for about 40 concurrent slots.
• In support of the Conference Planning Committee, the state office contacts applicants by end of December. If their presentation is approved, they are asked to confirm their acceptance and make any edits for the program by a specified deadline.
• Sometimes presenters change their minds and choose not to present. At that point, their slot is offered to an alternate presenter.
• Once this process is complete, all those who submitted are contacted.
• If a presenter doesn’t accept their assignment and confirm program information by the specified deadline, their presentation will be replaced by an alternate.