TIPS ABOUT EAPA'S ANNUAL WORLD EAP CONFERENCE


Schedule chapter/branch events around the conference

Take advantage of early bird conference registration

Respond to the President’s Chapter Challenge

Get together with your chapter/branch members at the conference



Schedule chapter/branch events around the conference

Typically, EAPA's Annual World EAP Conference is scheduled for October of any given year. We strongly recommend that you schedule major chapter/branch events (e.g. all day conferences) at least one month, preferably two months, before or after EAPA's conference. This ensures maximum opportunity for your members to attend both EAPA's conference and your chapter/branch event. Accordingly, EAPA will not publicize major chapter/branch events that are scheduled within a month of the conference. Visit the EAPA website for a list of upcoming Annual World EAP Conference dates and venues.


Take advantage of early bird conference registration

Every year, an Early Bird Conference Rate is offered to prospective attendees. The Early Bird Rate affords substantial savings for conference registration fees and usually expires approximately 8 weeks before the opening of the conference. We encourage you to educate your members about the Early Bird Rate. Remember to schedule the awarding of scholarships to the conference early enough, so that your winners can take advantage of the special rate.


Respond to the President’s Chapter Challenge

Every year, the President of EAPA challenges all chapters and braches to be the chapter/branch with the highest percentage registration at the Annual World EAP Conference. The chapter winning the challenge wins a Grand Prize worth over $1200 of (1) full conference registration to the next Annual World EAP Conference plus (4) nights at the conference host hotel. This Grand Prize must be raffled off by the chapter to a member or potential member of the chapter. The raffle serves as a fund-raiser, recruitment vehicle, and attention-generator for the chapter. There are 3 Grand Prizes; (1) for Branches, (1) for Small Chapters (less than 30 members), and (1) for Large Chapters (31 and more members).

Many chapters operate under the misconception that ithe Grand Prize goes to the chapter that sends the greatest number of attendees. In fact a small chapter can win the award with a realtively small number of attendees because it is based on the percentage of members participating. For more information about the Challenge and additional tips on how to increase your chapter/branch's participation, read the 2009 Chapter Challenge instructions or the 2009 Branch Challenge instructions.


Get together with your chapter/branch members at the conference

We encourage you to organize a get together of your members who attend the conference. This can be as simple as sending an outreach e-mail to your attendees and then scheduling to meet in a designated location during any of the conference events. Some chapter attendees have assembled to participate in the Annual Conference Fun Run, or gotten together to share the box lunch. Others have organized a dinner at a local restaurant or explored a tourist attraction as a group. See below a sample outreach e-mail fortmat:

Hello Everyone!

The EAPA Chesapeake Chapter is very excited about the upcoming Annual World EAP Conference in San Diego this year. We can't wait to see everyone at the event. Pre-Conference Trainings start on October 23, 2007, and the Conference runs from October 25th-27th, 2007!!

All of us at the EAPA Chesapeake Chapter thought it would be a great idea to send out an email to to find out how many of our associates, students, and members will be attending the conference this year. If you plan on attending, please email us at eapachesapeake@hotmail.com with your confirmation.

Once we have received word from everyone, we will send out a final attendance list. This way you can plan to meet up with your local EAP associates in San Diego!

Wishing everyone a very happy and safe trip to San Diego this year.

Thank you,
The Chesapeake Chapter of EAPA