How to Attend a Jaycees National Convention

Please remember, this is NOT an “official” document - this is for “Educational and Recreational Use Only!  Use at your own risk!”

Contents:
Schedule
Traditions, Rules, and Suggestions
Glossary
Training Sessions List from 1996 Convention
What to Bring

Schedule

Weekend before:  PRIME and EXCEL training (You missed ‘em! Catch ‘em next time!)

Sunday afternoon/evening:  The “Welcome to Iowa” party.

• Monday Morning:  First Timer’s Session  (U R Here)! Opening session, with Important Dude’s Speech (past speeches by Newt Gingrich, and Ross Perot).
• Monday Morning and Afternoon: Awards Ceremonies (+-40% of them, see “Awards”).
• Monday Night: Get Acquainted party.  Walk up to lots of people and say “Howdy, I’m Jo Blow from Grand Keokuk, Nevada, and I’m damngladtameetcha!“  It’s dinner, dancing, and music.  Afterwards, go back to a hotel with an interesting group and hang out until way too late.
• Tuesday Morning:  Awards ceremonies.
• Tuesday Afternoon:  Candidates’ nominations.  All of the Vice President candidates have supporters give nominating speeches so you can decide who to vote for.
• Tuesday Night:  States Party!  (see “States Party”)
• Wednesday Morning:  Elections.  We vote on Bylaw changes (“Official Stuff”).
• Wednesday Afternoon:  Presidential elections.  Elect your President! (“Official Stuff”).
• Wednesday Dinner:  Dinner together as a state.  Location, time, etc. posted at your ONTO hospitality suite.  This may require reservations; as your ONTO chair.
• Wednesday night:  Parties abound.  Find one.
• Thursday, all daytime:  Training!  (see “Training”)(Do it!  It’s Way-Cool!  It’s Free!)
• Thursday evening (5 pm-ish):  Closing Ceremonies.  Eat before you go, in the past it’s ended near midnight.  The Best State Organization and Marx awards (see “Awards”) are given, then the inauguration of the new president and NVPs.  DRESS FORMAL:  Deck yourself out, everyone else will.
• Thursday night:  A dance follows the ceremony.  The Charlie Daniels Band in ‘95 and The Fundamentals in ‘96 mean good music, but many, many other parties abound.  Find one.  Don’t bother with bed - stay up and party.
• Friday:  Travel Day.  Leave as early as you want.  Suggestion:  Pay your bill early - before Friday - you can leave more quickly.

Traditions, Rules, and Suggestions

• WHAT GOES ON AT CONVENTION STAYS AT CONVENTION.  Don’t break this rule.
• You represent your state; do it well.
• Allow people to change their personalities.  Respect them for it.
• Remember rule number 1

• Ticket Packet:  Don’t lose this packet!  You must  re-register ($139) to replace it!
• Lunches:  Voucher tickets ($5) in your Ticket Packet are good at any restaurant in the designated area (follow the crowd).  Hot tip: if you only want $3.25 worth of food, buy a cookie for later.
• Hotel Costs:  Officially, you can only have 5 people per room (by Iowa Law).
• Overall costs:  The major costs are, approximately:  (1) hotel $90*5days/4ppl=$125, (2) registration incl. convention cost, hospitality, T shirts, pins: $175 (4) air-fare/transportation (varies by location in U.S., $250 average?) (5) misc. food and stuff, probably $50.
• Hospitality Suites:  Each state has one for their own delegates.  Visiting is encouraged, but ask as you enter, and let them offer you a beverage, don’t demand one.  People remember you by what state you come from, and states’ relations are far more important than they might at first appear.
• Hotel rules:  They know we’re coming - does it mean anything?  Probably not.  If your hotel is picky about noise, tell your ONTO chair, chapter pres., or party at another hotel.  Treat staff nicely - if they kick you out, whereyagonnabe?  If you feel an urge to do something wacky, start a game of strip-“Twister” or go outside for your primal scream therapy (presuming you have a voice left).
• Party Ettiquite:  (1) Rowdy is cool but know the limit. (2) Don’t Yack on the rug.  (3)  No bellowing down hallways.  (4) Remember Tailhook - conventioneers can get in trouble years later.
• Hangover Prevention:  80% of the pain is dehydration; prevent it by drinking water when you’re not drinking otherwise.  The rest of the pain is toxins and liver damage; take a vitamin and an aspirin.
• Parties:  Find an interesting group and hang out until way too late.  Other states’ hospitality rooms (even in other Hotels) are great, besides the actual dances and open parties.
• Bedtimes:  3 am is typical.  It’s late enough to catch most everything, but you can still grab 4 hours sleep (most people can’t function for several days straight with less).  Pace yourself so you can still dance and talk coherently on Thursday night!  Nodding off on the convention floor is “allowed” but bring a hat so people don’t take silly pictures of you.
• Awards:  Check your state’s hospitality room bulletin board for who’s nominated.  Yeah, some people might say that awards ceremonies are boring.  They might actually be boring.  I don’t know.  I’ve always been too distracted having fun cheering for people to notice if I was bored.
• Awards Ceremonies: People you know, your state, or YOU might win an award.  If so, you can run amuck, yell, and/or run up on stage to shake hands with The Big Guy; wandering around talking to people from other states (quietly, of course); Catch the excitement of winning a National award so you can go do super-cool, change-the-world stuff back home (also: “Training Sessions”).
• Your Voice:  Save it if you can.  Remember: if you lose your voice, you can’t go up to that fabulous-looking babe or dude at the States Party and talk to them.
• Your Ears:  Indiana always brings basketball whistles.  These cause actual permanent hearing loss at close range, but it’s their tradition.  Those with sensitive ears WILL want to give them space.  Indiana:  Please respect our hearing inside!
• States Party:  Each state’s booth advertises their state’s best features.  Free gifts, food, and drinks abound.  Go around the hall once and get the free stuff, then go around again to talk and schmooze.  Some traditions include:  Iowa has pork burgers, Texas has Rattlesnake Chili (with real rattlesnake meat in it), South Carolina has condoms, Kentucky has some Blue Liquid that’s good but highly alcoholic, Hawaii has leis, Florida has something Orange, etc.
• Trading Stuff:  Bring T-shirts with your chapter’s name on them, and trade for other chapter’s shirts.  The best t-shirts are the state’s shirts: Indiana’s Referee, Oklahoma’s Indian, Florida’s Orange, Hawaii’s Hawaiian, etc.  Pins are always popular trading items, so buy 2 sets (4 pins) from your own state so you have something to trade.  Montana always has beautiful hand-painted cowboy hats.  The going rate for a Montana hat is about 15 t-shirts (they’re in high demand).
• Official Stuff:  Conventions decide big issues (see “Bylaw Changes” and “Candidates”).  On Monday and Tuesday evenings, meet as a state (‘caucus’) to hear the candidates and discuss how our state will vote.  It’s important that you, the delegate, hear the issues and decide stuff.  Really, it’s an ID project of leadership training in disguise.
• Bylaw changes:  In 1996 these were (1) lower Jaycee age to 19 (defeated by a large margin, as it was in 1995),  (2) allow National HQ to accept applications for membership over the 1-800-JAYCEES phone number (defeated), (3) allow a 3-year membership (defeated).  Several Bylaw wording changes were passed.
• Candidates:  NVP candidates you can meet ahead of time, and presidential candidates have hospitality suites of their own - visit ‘em and say ‘Howdy’.
• Business Cards:  Bring lots or have some printed up (about $20 for 200).  Jaycee ones are great for recruiting at home, and lots of people exchange them.

Glossary

• Delegates:  you are one.
• NVP:  National Vice President.  There are 12 of them, each one assigned to several states.
• USJCC:  United States Junior Chamber of Commerce (the national organization’s official name).
• JCI:  Junior Chamber International.  JCI is the International Jaycees organization ($1.50 of your dues goes to them).  Their convention is in Pusan, South Korea in ‘97.  JCI’s ambassador to USJCC is an important dude - do two things:  (1) stand and clap when they introduce him, and (2) go up and meet the guy if possible.  The world is a big place and the U.S., despite it’s size, influence, and the number of aircraft carriers and Walmarts we have, is actually rather small in the scheme of things.
• ONTO:  The state program coordinating people going to national convention.  The word has no meaning besides, “Iowa is going ONTO the National Convention.”  Devise your own meaning if you wish - if I hear a good one I’ll repeat it.
• Forum:  training session.
• METRO:  About 30 of the largest U.S. chapters form this organization.  Large chapters face different challenges and cooperating helps.

Training Sessions (from 1996)

• State President’s training.  Obvious.
• International Affairs training.  Want to do an extension or chapter twin to Eastern Europe? Find out how easy it is.  Most people there actually speak english, too!  Twinning means you exchange ideas, CPGs, whatever, with no committments, but many opportunities.  Who knows - maybe you’ll get a free trip out of it someday!
• Chapter Managment Fundamentals training.  You’re a VP, President, director, or program manager?  Want to talk to some of the most interesting people in the U.S. and find out how they do things?  Stealing ideas IS allowed!  Past managers come in and give ideas that have worked but may have been forgotten.  EXAMPLE:  Ever thought of a Celebrity Co-Chair for an event (does no work but people go ‘cuz they think they’ll see the famous person)?  Call somebody famous and invite them.  It’s an ego boost for the Celeb and great for you, too. That’s the kind of idea you’ll find at this kind of a forum.
• Internet training:  In 1996, we learned how to set up a World Wide Web site - it’s that easy!  Want to set one up for your chapter?  Either pay $35 an hour to a computer consultant or come to this training in 1997.  There ARE ways to make a website revenue neutral - businesses will pay YOU to list them on your site, offsetting all other costs, with a quite minimal time investment (the businesses don’t know that!).
• METRO training:  (see the glossary under “Metro”)  This is for large chapters to get together to exchange the most successful ways to manage things.  It’s both an ideas and organizational session, one of two meetings a year (the other is a weekender convention called METNET - 1997’s is in Baton Rouge, LA).  If you’re in a large chapter, you’re probably a METRO member, and you’re welcome to attend.
• Pathways to Success:  Ever hear of Tony Robbins?  Know what a motivational speaker is?  They’ve been repeating the same stuff for years - that there IS a way to make everything in your life a successful venture.  Don’t think of this as Success training - think of it as anti-frustration training. Simple principles translate dreams to reality, and bingo! you’re a success.  I did this training and had a great time, and it was quite worthwhile.
• Team Building training:  didn’t go, don’t know.
• Governmental Involvemnt training: didn’t go, don’t know.
• Dynamic Communication Skills training:  didn’t go, don’t know.
• On-To training.  If you’re the ONTO chair for your state for the next year, or on their committee, go.  Otherwise, it’s not going to be interesting at all.
• PRIME and EXCEL training.  GO if at all possible!  See below for what these are, or ask any senator or VP and they’ll tell you how way-cool these are:
• PRIME training: teaching skills workshop.  PRIME is widely known as a “Do this if you possibly can” opportunity.  In corporate life this costs $500 to $1000.  There’s no time for boring dudes - this is pumped up, practical stuff you can use the minute you get back.  You’ve missed it at this convention; get it at the next chance.
• EXCEL training: training to become a PRIME trainer.  This is the advanced course, after you’ve had PRIME training and done 50 hours of independent training back at home, then you take EXCEL and become the expert.

What to Bring

• Clothes. You’ll get arrested for walkin’ around “nekkid”.
• Other personal items like the standard bathroom kit, etc.

• Shirt(s) from your own state, to wear on specific days.
• Formal / Semi-formal dress clothes (if you own a tux or gown, bring it).
• LOTS of business cards.  Carry some with you at all times.
• Camera (disposable?), sunglasses
• Pins to trade
• Other t-shirts to trade (a popular activity)
• Aspirin and Vitamins (hangover or sleep-deprivation cures)

• Iron, spray starch
• Game of Twister, cards
• Earplugs, baseball hat (see “Bedtimes”)
• Pen and Paper
• Misc. items can be found at Walgreens on the Skywalk near the Kaleidescope.

• Dress a bit more formally than you think will be necessary.
• Like Mom says, always bring more underwear than you need.
• Younkers is a department store on the Skywalk in case you need more socks, etc.
• Prepare for both ultra-hot weather and cool weather, although the Des Moines skywalk system, convention center and hotels are all air-conditioned.