42nd Annual Election Law Seminar for County Election Officials
WELCOME EXHIBITORS!
Seminars are educational presentations tailored to the audience as it relates to their election-related duties, and pursuant to the Texas Election Code. This event is held in Austin with a nominal registration fee to cover the cost of the seminar, breaks, and lunch.
This conference is open to the public from Monday, August 12 through Lunch, Tuesday, August 13, 2024. After this time, only registered county election personnel will be permitted.
Host and Overflow Hotels
Host Hotel
The seminar will take place at the Renaissance Austin Hotel located at 9721 Arboretum Blvd in Austin, Texas. The event begins Monday, August 12, 2024 and concludes Wednesday, August 14, 2024.
Reservations: Guests are encouraged to use the Reservation Link or the Reservation Phone Line to make reservations. Calling the hotel directly is not recommended. The hotel is not able to make reservations directly. You will be transferred to the reservation center, which will slow down the reservation process. The link is the quickest way to book a room.
Room Rate: The hotel will only honor the group rate for rooms reserved within the event block. The hotel cannot change rates or cancel non-refundable reservations.
Room Reservations are NOT Transferrable: The hotel cannot transfer room reservations into the event block. Any room reserved before 9 am, July 12, 2024 or after the block is full, will not transfer into the event block.
Payment by Check: If paying by check, the check must be presented during check-in.
Payment by Credit Card: A physical credit card must be presented upon check-in, and the card holder must be present (unless a credit card authorization form has been received).
Credit Card Authorization Form: Should the card holder not be present and registered to the room, a credit card authorization form must be completed prior to arrival. Doing so will allow the hotel to use a third-party card for room charges. To obtain a copy of the form, contact the hotel in advance, once you have made your reservation. Please have your confirmation number handy. Additionally, most state & company issued cards require a PIN, which must be entered on the keypad by the guest during check-in.
Incidental Charges: The hotel requires a $50 per night deposit/hold for incidentals.
Tax Exempt: If you are exempt from state occupancy tax, please provide your certificate upon check-in.
Overnight Parking: Conference attendees will receive a discounted rate of $ 10.00 per night plus tax. Guests are required to register their vehicle with their license plate. This can be done by scanning the QR Code located in the parking lot. When using the QR Code, please use the "OSS" code to receive the discounted rate. All payments are made directly to PMC who is the parking administrator. Attendees may also choose to register their vehicle at the hotel’s front desk.
Daytime Parking: There is no charge for daytime parking.
Overflow Hotels
Attendees may choose to reserve a room with DoubleTree Northwest Arboretum, Hyatt Place-Arboretum, or Embassy Suites Austin Arboretum. Questions regarding the information provided below should be directed to the hotel.
DoubleTree Northwest Arboretum: The DoubleTree is located at 8901 Business Park Drive in Austin, Texas, and is located within 2 miles of the host hotel. City and county checks will be accepted onsite for this event. A card is required to guarantee a reservation when using the reservation link and reservation phone line. All sleeping rooms are subject to an early departure charge equal to one night’s room rate, plus applicable fees, taxes and assessments.
Embassy Suites Austin Arboretum: Embassy Suites is located at 9505 Stonelake Blvd in Austin, Texas, and is within 3 miles of the host hotel. All reservations must be accompanied by a first night room deposit or guaranteed with a major credit card. Cancellations are required 48 hours prior to check-in. If a guest cancels a reservation within the 48 hours, the hotel may charge the credit card one night’s room fee plus any applicable taxes.
Hyatt Place-Arboretum: The Hyatt Place is located at 3612 Tudor Blvd in Austin, Texas and is within 2.5 miles of the host hotel. Any tax-exempt reservations require a Texas Hotel Tax Exemption form at check-in. Cancellations must be made 24 hours prior to arrival. Any cancellations made within 24 hours of arrival, or no-shows, will be subject to a charge of one-night room and tax.
Registration
Online registration opens the week of July 1st and ends July 31, 2024.
As a reminder, the closed session is available for registered county election personnel only. Individuals, other than county election office personnel, will not be permitted.
Registration Fees and Deadlines
All fees must be received by phone or postmarked on or before July 31, 2024.
Late fees will be applied to all registration’s received by phone or postmarked after July 31, 2024.
Exhibitor Registration: $500 per company
Late Registration: $550 per company
Additional Tables: $200 per table (max: 3 additional tables)
* Additional tables will be permitted based on space availability.
Payments
Checks
- Make checks payable to the Office of the Secretary of State.
- Include a copy of your Registration Confirmation Email with payment.
- Mail to: Office of the Secretary of State, Attn: Special Projects - Elections Division, PO Box 12060, Austin, Texas 78711-2060
- Once processed, a payment confirmation email will be issued to the email address provided during registration.
Credit Cards
- First, register online.
- Call 1.800.252.8683 (option 1, option 5) to pay by credit card.
- Please have your registration number readily available. The number is located in your registration confirmation email.
- Cards accepted: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover.
- A 2.7% processing fee will be applied to all credit card charges by the credit card company. The Secretary of State does not charge for processing fees.
- A payment confirmation email will be issued to the email address provided during registration.
Checks and credit card payments will be accepted on-site at the Secretary of State’s registration desk.
Booth Space
Registration includes: (1) 8’x10’ foot approximant “booth space” consisting of one 6-ft skirted table and two chairs, your company name and information printed in the agenda, all breaks, and lunch for two.
Electrical and A/V Services
Electrical and audio/visual services are not included with the seminar registration fee. This service must be ordered from and paid directly to the Renaissance Austin Hotel. To request electrical or audio/visual services, contact the Renaissance Austin Hotel at 512.343.2626.
Exhibit Set-up and Tear Down
The exhibit area will be available for setup beginning at 2:00 pm on Sunday, August 11, 2024. All exhibits must be completely cleaned and cleared from the hotel by 5:00 pm on Wednesday, August 14, 2024.
Insurance and Liability
All exhibits will be located in the Arbor. Theater ropes will be available to block off entrances after conference hours.
It is recommended that all exhibits have a representative in attendance at all times when the exhibits are open, and especially when exhibits are being set-up or dismantled to protect them against loss. It is highly recommended that each vendor provides their own material to cover and secure their inventory.
There will be NO HIRED SECURITY in the Arbor after conference hours. Exhibitors wishing to insure their property must do so at their own expense. Neither the Secretary of State’s office, nor the Renaissance Austin Hotel, will be responsible for any loss or damage to property of exhibitors in case of theft, fire, water, accident, or any other causes.
Special Needs
The Secretary of State makes every effort to ensure all activities and events are held in facilities that are accessible to persons with disabilities. Persons requiring special assistance or reasonable accommodations should contact Elections@sos.texas.gov.
Floor Plan
The exhibitor floor plan will be released to all paid exhibitors the week of August 5, 2024.
Shipping
Items may be delivered to the hotel beginning Wednesday, August 7, 2024. To ensure your materials are sorted and delivered properly, please include the following information on all packages:
Example of Shipping Label:
Renaissance Austin Hotel
9721 Arboretum Boulevard
Austin, TX 78759
Attn: Name of your onsite representative
Group: OSS 42nd Annual Election Law Seminar for County Election Officials (CEO)
Event Dates: August 12-14, 2024
Number of Boxes (example: 1 of 5 boxes)
Please retain a copy of the tracking number as it will be used to locate your items.
Questions
For questions, please email Elections@sos.texas.gov or call 1.800.252.8683.