GENERAL INFORMATION

Thursday, September 18 – Sunday, September 21, 2008 Sheraton Bloomington Hotel, Minneapolis, Minnesota

REGISTRATION

Welcome to the 2008 ACFW Annual Conference Website. On the registration form you will give your complete contact information, register for continuing education sessions, workshops and late night chats; request editor and agent appointments, request a paid critique, and submit payment. A nominal registration processing fee of $10.00 will be added to each registration.

It is strongly recommended that you review all of the information below, and the WORKSHOP ELECTIVES, CONTINUING EDUCATION sessions and LATE NIGHT CHATS as well as the PROGRAM SCHEDULE pages before beginning your registration.

If this is your first time attending this conference or writers' conferences in general, the ACFW 2008 Conference has a program designed to help you get the most out of the conference. Please see FIRST TIME ATTENDEES for more information.

If you would like to request a paid critique with a reviewer, you can indicate your choices on the online registration form. See the PAID CRITIQUE section for more information.

Special dietary needs must be indicated on the registration form. There is also a space to provide any ADA need requirements.

Help is also available for those who require special assistance in completing the online registration form.

REGISTRATION FEES

Type	Standard Rate (before August 15 deadline)	Late Registration (after deadline)	Walk-in Rate	Notes
ACFW Members	$449	$549	$599
Non-members	$525	$575	$625
Daily Rate (Friday or Saturday only)	$250/Friday $250/Saturday*	$250/Friday $250/Saturday*	$275/Friday $275/Saturday*	*Does NOT include Saturday's Awards Banquet **Ticket to Awards Banquet may be purchased separately.
Guests (Meals Only) Thurs - Sat no workshops or sessions included	$290	$340	$340	Available by package price only – meals may not be purchased individually. The meals only option DOES include Saturday's Awards Banquet.
Saturday Awards Banquet Only	$75	$100	$100

The Registration fee includes:

Conference Workshops, Continuing Education Sessions and Program activities

meals (Thursday night dinner, breakfast and lunch on Friday and Saturday, and Awards Banquet on Saturday^**).

one editor and one agent appointment per conference attendee (based on availability).

applicable materials

Please note: Hotel accommodation fees are not included in the registration fee.

Payment
Full payment will be required to secure your registration. Payment can be made by credit card, PayPal, or check. A mandatory processing fee of $10 will be applied to all transactions. Your registration will be confirmed by a separate email after payment is received. Credit card and PayPal payments are processed almost immediately; registrations by check payments will be confirmed by separate email after the check clears and is deposited to the ACFW account (approx. two weeks after receipt).

Cancellation
Cancellations can be made until August 25, 2008. Prior to the deadline, refunds will be made in the manner in which payment was received, minus $100 handling fee; cancellations after the deadline will not be refunded. Registrations are not transferable.

Returned Check Policy

There is a $50.00 fee for all returned checks.

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION SITE

PLEASE NOTE: Your Web browser MUST have BOTH JavaScript and cookies enabled in order to utilize the online conference registration site. The code on this Web page has been specifically designed to detect those settings on your system. If JavaScript is not enabled, you will not be able to see the link to the registration site. If cookies aren't enabled on your system, the shopping cart on the registration site will not function properly.

PUBLISHERS REPRESENTED

Barbour Spyglass
Barbour
Bethany House Publishers
Broadman & Holman
Guideposts Books
Harvest House
Moody
NavPress
Revell
Simon & Schuster-Howard
Steeple Hill
Thomas Nelson
Tyndale House
Waterbrook
Zondervan

HOTEL INFORMATION (new information)

The conference hotel is the Sheraton Bloomington Hotel, Minneapolis in Bloomington, MN. Lodging fees are not included in the conference registration fees. For complete lodging information, including Reservation Information and Extra Hotel Nights/Extensions, please visit the HOTEL INFORMATION page.

Travel & Transportation

ACFW has arranged for discount opportunities for air travel and transportation between the airport and the hotel. Utilizing these vendors will also help ACFW earn productivity rewards and incentives that will be used to help plan future conferences. Please refer to the TRAVEL & TRANSPORTATION page for more information.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

A tentative conference schedule is posted on the PROGRAM SCHEDULE page.

MEAL SERVICE

Conference meals included in the registration fee are Thursday night dinner; breakfast on Friday and Saturday; lunch on Friday and Saturday, and Awards Banquet on Saturday. Guests may participate in all of the conference meals for a package fee, or in the Saturday night Awards Banquet only for an individual fee. Meals included in the registration fee apply only to the scheduled conference events hosted at the Sheraton Hotel.

Friday Dinner Options
Again this year, Friday night has been left open on the schedule to allow for more free time to fellowship, meet with business contacts or ACFW zone groups, or just to rest and refresh. The Sheraton Hotel features Nine Mile Grill, their signature restaurant, and room service from 6 A.M. to midnight. In addition, the area surrounding the hotel offers many dining options both within walking distance, a short drive away, and nearby at the Mall of America. For a list of local restaurants and more information about the area, click here. For more information about the Mall of America, go to www.mallofamerica.com.

Any refreshments and meals not included in the conference registration fee, and room service or other incidental charges will be your own responsibility.

Please indicate on the registration form if you have medical dietary restrictions or vegetarian preference. Within the limitations of availability and group considerations, reasonable effort will be made to accommodate special needs. The requestor assumes the responsibility to also notify banquet staff of the request at each meal.

CONFERENCE FEATURES

BOOK STORE

As in previous years, the 2008 Conference will feature the popular Conference Book Store. For more information about the store, and about selling your book in the store, please see: BOOK STORE.

PUBLIC BOOK SIGNING

Buy the latest books in the Conference Book Store and have them signed by the authors at the PUBLIC BOOK SIGNING EVENT on Saturday, September 20, from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. As the name implies, this event is open to conference attendees as well as anyone from the general public who is interested in meeting their favorite authors.

If you're an author wishing to participate in the Book Signing, please see the BOOK SIGNING page for additional information.

EARLY BIRD SESSION(S)

This year both a Professional and General Session will be offered. Both sessions will be held on Thursday, September 18, 2008.

Please see the CONTINUING EDUCATION page for more information.

LATE NIGHT CHATS

Back by popular demand, late night chat sessions will be offered Thursday and Friday nights beginning at either 8:30 or 9:00 P.M. These sessions offer a wide variety of subjects in a casual and interactive environment. Check the LATE NIGHT CHATS page for hosts, times and topics.

APPOINTMENTS WITH EDITORS/AGENTS

The opportunity to have personal, fifteen minute appointments with editors and agents is a valuable highlight of the conference. These provide a great way to learn first-hand about the writing industry, to pitch your manuscript or work-in-progress, and to brainstorm ideas, get encouragement, and benefit from industry professionals.

Editor and agent appointments will be scheduled this year by the Conference Appointment Coordinator, Wanda Dyson. You will select FOUR choices for both an editor and an agent appointment when you register for the conference. You will receive a form in your conference check-in packet with the confirmation and times of the appointments. Wanda will be on-hand throughout the conference for assistance.

To review the list of editors and agents who will be taking appointments at this years' conference, please visit the EDITORS & AGENTS page.

PAID CRITIQUES

A paid critique of your proposal may be requested during registration for a fee of $30.00. Your request will be forwarded to the author or editor of your choice, instructions for sending your proposal to them will be sent to you. Your thirty minute appointment will be scheduled by the ACFW Conference Appointment Coordinator, and you’ll receive your appointment schedule upon check-in for the conference.

More information will be available shortly.

GENESIS CONTEST

Visit the GENESIS CONTEST page for rules, regulations and details on this year's contest. Plan to attend the special Awards Banquet on Saturday night, September 20, 2008 at the Sheraton Hotel for the presentation of the award.

Editor / Agent of the Year

Go to the Editor / Agent of the Year Page to see the nominations for the second annual Agent of the Year and Editor of the Year Awards!

BOOK OF THE YEAR

Each year, ACFW accepts nominations for Book of the Year. Voting is done by ACFW members who read books published by our members within a specific time frame. Authors can submit their books in a variety of categories. The awards will be announced during the conference at the special Awards Banquet on Saturday night, September 20, 2008 at the Sheraton hotel.

For more information, visit the Book of the Year page.

CONFERENCE VOLUNTEERS

The success of the conference ultimately depends on the willingness of ACFW members to lend a hand. Volunteers will be sought to assist with pre-conference setup, registration, workshop hosts, and greeters. Information on volunteer opportunities will be announced on the main ACFW loop and on this website.

To volunteer for this year’s conference, contact Michelle Hutchinson, ACFW Volunteer Officer at voloff@acfw.com

CONFERENCE PHOTOGRAPHER

Need to update your headshot for PR purposes? Is that author picture on your book a little outdated? Wanting to have some fresh photos for your website and/or blog? Here's your chance to get a photo session at a steal of a price!

For more information, visit the Conference Photographer Page.

LOCAL INFORMATION

CONFERENCE ATTIRE

Suggested conference attire is business casual, and since meeting rooms can vary in temperature, a light sweater or jacket would be good to have on hand. Comfortable shoes should be considered a must, as quite a bit of walking is involved. Dress in layers, and select clothing that is comfortable for you, clothing that makes you feel confident. The awards banquet on Saturday night is semi-formal.

AREA WEATHER

September Daily Avg High: 72 F; Low: 50 F; Avg precipitation: 2.69 in.

TIME ZONE

Central Standard, November-March; Central Daylight, April-October

VISITOR INFORMATION

Located in the heart of Bloomington, the Sheraton Bloomington Hotel, Minneapolis South is located 10 minutes from Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport and the Mall of America, and just steps from the area's business centers and popular attractions. Go to www.bloomingtonmn.org or www.minneapoliscvb.com for more information.