Q&A on the virtual convention
Sept. 20, 2021
CMA and ACP announced Sept. 15 that the Fall National College Media Convention will be virtual instead of in New Orleans. Now that the switch has been made, here are some answers to questions you may be asking about the convention:
I’ve registered for rooms at the Sheraton. Do I need to cancel them?
You shouldn’t have to. Once the event is officially canceled, the Sheraton will automatically cancel our room block. If you made reservations through our room block, your reservation should be canceled at that time, and you should receive notice by email.
If you made reservations at the Sheraton outside of our room block or booked at another New Orleans hotel, then you’ll need to cancel them on your own. CMA and ACP aren’t responsible for any nonrefundable travel costs or cancellation fees.
If I’ve registered for the convention already, what do I need to do to keep that registration?
Nothing. Those who have registered will automatically be transferred to the virtual event. So you’re good.
If I haven’t registered yet, can I do so now?
Yes. You can register at collegemediaconvention.org.
Have the deadlines and prices changed?
Yes. For the in-person convention, we had “early-bird” registration at reduced rates. Now that we’re virtual, the reduced rate is now the only rate. You can register at that price all the way until the revised deadline on 11:59 p.m. ET Monday, Oct. 11.
Is the schedule/keynote speakers available yet?
The change to virtual means we’re having to adjust the schedule and reconfirm dates/times with more than 100 speakers. As soon as that’s done, the schedule will be released.
My breakout session was approved and I confirmed the day, time and room by email. Will that change for a virtual meeting?
On a virtual platform, our speakers and attendees log in from 4-5 time zones (at least) so our program schedule will shift to later start times to accommodate more attendees and presenters.
The schedule update is in process, and we will email all presenters when that’s complete with a request for confirmation.
When will the full convention schedule be released?
The planning group is committed to providing the schedule detail as soon as possible. Expect a roster of preconvention sessions, breakout sessions, keynotes, the Film and Audio Festival and a slate of awards programs to acknowledge colleagues, peers and the best of college media! (Our planners just confirmed two keynotes and we plan to announce them in the middle of next week.) More information is posted to the convention website daily. We will continue with our regular email updates and posting on the listserv and via our social media channels.
