MPA 87th Annual Meeting April 30 May 2, 2015 Palmer House, Chicago, Illinois Exhibitor Prospectus Links to Sections in This Prospectus Mission Statement The Meeting The Membership Visibility for Exhibitors Attendance at the Meeting Meeting APP Exhibit Hours Rates for Booths Booth Assignments Setup and Breakdown of Exhibits Exhibit Service Contractor Standard Booth Exhibit and Material Rental Care of Exhibit Space Cancellation of an Exhibit Americans with Disabilities Act Insurance, Liability, and Security Cancellation or Postponement of the Meeting Agreement and Cooperation of Exhibitors Additional Information Other Exhibit/Advertising Options: Registration Packet Other Exhibit/Advertising Options: Sponsorship of Events Other Exhibit/Advertising Options: Advertising Fire, Electrical, and Safety Regulations Reserving a Sleeping Room in the Palmer House Recent Exhibitors at MPA Mission Statement The primary function of the Midwestern Psychological Association is to conduct an Annual Meeting at which scientific papers and symposia are presented. A declaration adopted by the Council in 1952 states: "The professional problems of psychology are best handled at the national level by the national organization and at the local level by the state organization. The Midwestern Psychological Association will therefore retain its traditional function of encouraging psychology as a science rather than as a profession. This principle will continue to be reflected in the programming procedures and membership standards.
The Meeting The annual meeting of the MPA is a three-day event that showcases research in all areas of psychology. Research is presented to the membership in paper sessions, poster sessions, symposia, and invited addresses. The Society for the Teaching of Psychology, the Society for Community Research and Action, and Psi Chi meet in conjunction with MPA. The Membership Although MPA is nominally a regional organization, both our membership and the attendance at our meetings are national. A recent survey showed attendance at our meeting from 39 states, the District of Columbia, and 3 foreign countries. The registrants came from 250 universities and colleges (including 92 outside the Midwest) and 70 other organizations. Our annual meeting is a major opportunity for psychologists in these various settings to keep in touch with current developments in psychological research, theory, and practice. Visibility for Exhibitors The Exhibit Hall at MPA is open for 20 hours across the three days of the meeting. MPA recognizes the need for exhibitors to have a steady flow of traffic at their booths. All attendees must go through the length of the hall and pass exhibits to complete their registration or pick up their badges. Poster sessions run almost continuously throughout the meeting. This year poster sessions are located in the exhibit hall so that all exhibits face poster areas, thus ensuring constant traffic in front of the exhibit. Attendance at the Meeting There has been a substantial rise in attendance at MPA over the last 6 years. Nearly half of attendees are undergraduate students, and half are members (graduate students and faculty or other professionals.) Year Attendance 2008 1703 2009 1538 2010 2012 2011 2195 2012 2000 2013 2890 2014 2771 Meeting App MPA has begun to use an app for its meeting. The app has been used by a majority of members. Importantly for exhibitors, this app allows exhibitors to find qualified prospects, book meetings with prospects, present information about the exhibit, and capture lead data before, during and after the event. Thus, exhibitors do not have to depend on members to pass before their exhibit to establish contact. Both exhibitor and attendee also can establish contact through the app, even before the meeting. There is no additional charge for the use of the app, which comes free with any booth reservation.
Wednesday, April 29 (setup)....1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Thursday, April 30, 2015.......8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Friday, May 1, 2015.......... 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM Saturday, May 2, 2015........8:00 AM to 11:30 AM Exhibit Hours Exhibits are located in the Upper Exhibit Hall on the 4 th floor of the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago. Rates for Booths Rates for exhibiting at the 87th meeting of the MPA vary from $500 to $750, depending on the size and location of the booth in the Upper Exhibit Hall. Although there is traffic at all booth spaces, the more expensive booths are toward the entrance to the exhibit hall and tend to have the most traffic. Rates for individual booths can be found on the Booth Reservation Form. A diagram of the exhibit Hall can be found on the Palmer House Upper Exhibit Hall link. Both links are on the exhibitor page of the MPA web site (www.midwesternpsych.org). Purchase of a booth entitles the exhibitor to free access to the app for this meeting (Meeting App section of this Prospectus) and a place for one item in the registration packet for the meeting (Other Exhibit/Advertising Options: Registration Packet section of this prospectus). Booth Assignments Booths will be assigned as requested by the exhibitor in the order of receipt of the both reservation forms and payments. As much as possible, assignments will be made to fit the exhibitor's preferences. MPA reserves the right to change the placement of an exhibitor's booth to an equally-located or better-located position as deemed necessary. Setup and Breakdown of Exhibits Exhibits can be set up between 1:00 4:00 PM on Wednesday, April 29, 2015. It is the responsibility of exhibitors to set up the exhibit before the meeting begins. Early setup on April 30 is possible. Breakdown of exhibits must occur approximately between 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM on Saturday, May 2, 2015. Exhibit Service Contractor The official service contractor for the meeting of MPA in 2015 is: J & J Exhibitors Service, Inc. 2338 S. Indiana Ave. Chicago, IL 60616 Phone: 315-225-3323 Internet: www.jjexhibitors.com
Standard Booth Equipment and Material Rental Each booth will have an 8' draped back wall and 3' draped side rails. The floor of the exhibit hall is carpeted, so exhibitors need not rent carpet for their booths. All other equipment for a booth must be brought by the exhibitor to the Exhibit Hall by the exhibitor, shipped through J & J Exhibitors, or rented from J & J Exhibitors. Please note that tables and chairs that are used in a booth are not provided free of charge. To do so, MPA would have to increase the cost of each booth. Electrical and internet connections can be purchased through the Palmer House. Furnishings for booths and shipping of material to and from the Exhibit Hall must be arranged through J & J Exhibitors. An exhibitor kit, which will includes costs for furnishings, addresses and labels for shipping, etc., will be mailed to exhibitors in March, 2015. J & J will receive all exhibit material that you ship to Chicago and will transport material directly to the exhibitor's booth. J & J will remove and store empty crates from the exhibit hall and return them to your booth at the conclusion of the meeting. Exhibitors should insure all material shipped to J & J. Rental of furnishings should be handled before the meeting, but additional furnishing can be rented on site. All material received, other than those delivered in exhibitor-owned vehicles, must be handled by J & J Exhibitors. If an exhibitor ships directly to the Palmer House, the exhibitor will incur a handling fee from the Palmer House, which must be paid before the material can be received from the Palmer House. Exhibitors can bring their own material to their booth. The material must be able to be handled by one person by hand. Exhibitors may not use carts, pallet jacks, or other material handling equipment. J & J Exhibitors service will have a desk open during set-up and break-down for the meeting and during much of the meeting itself. Exhibitors are urged to order and pay for services from J & J Exhibitors in advance in order to take advantage of discount prices. Care of Exhibit Space Exhibitors are expected to keep their spaces in good order during the meeting. Cancellation of an Exhibit Cancellations of exhibit space must be provided in writing to the Convention Manager of MPA. Cancellations before January 1, 2015 will receive a 100% refund. Cancellations between January 2 and March 31, 2015 will receive a 50% refund. Cancellations after March 31, 2015 will not be refunded. Americans with Disabilities Act Each exhibitor is responsible for making its exhibit to persons with disabilities as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act and shall hold the MPA harmless from any consequences of exhibiting companies who fail in this regard.
Insurance, Liability, and Security MPA, the Palmer House, and J & J do not maintain insurance for exhibitor material. It is the sole responsibility for exhibitors to provide insurance coverage for their material and personnel from theft, fire, accidents, or any other cause. The exhibiting company, its agents and representatives agree that MPA, the Palmer House, and J & J and any of their offices, staff members, agents, or employees are not responsible for and are released from all liability as to any injury, loss, or damage that may occur to the exhibitor, the exhibitor's agents, directors, officers, or employees, or to any other persons, or to the exhibitor's property prior to, during, or after the meeting. Security services will be present in the Upper Exhibit Hall from 12:00 PM on Wednesday, March 30 through 12:00 PM on Saturday, May 2, 2015. Still, exhibitors are encouraged not to leave booths unattended during exhibit hours. Small portable articles of value or personal items should always be properly secured and removed after exhibit hours. MPA will not guarantee exhibitors against, nor shall it be responsible for, loss of any kind. Cancellation or Postponement of the Meeting In the event of fire, strikes, riots, civil commotion, acts of God, war, terrorism, epidemics, and other unavoidable circumstances rendering it impossible or impractical for any reason for the MPA to perform such contract, the Association s performance under such contract shall be excused. In such events, all deposits and payments made by the exhibitor for exhibit space shall be returned to the exhibitor minus any expenses incurred by the Association on behalf of the exhibitor. Agreement and Cooperation of Exhibitors The exhibitor agrees to abide by the "Rules" outlined in this prospectus and in the contract application. The exhibitor further agrees to adhere to and be bound by: All applicable fire, utility and building codes and regulations. Any rules or regulations of the Palmer House where the meeting is held. The foregoing regulations with reference to exhibits have been formulated in the best interests of the exhibitor. These regulations are a part of the agreement between the exhibitor and exhibit management. Any matters not specifically covered in this prospectus and contract is subject to decision by the Convention Manager of MPA. Exhibit management reserves the right to make such changes, amendments, and additions to these rules as it considers advisable for the proper conduct of the exhibit and meeting, with the provision that all exhibitors will be advised of any such changes.
Additional Information Contact: Dr. Phil Finney Convention Manager Midwestern Psychological Association 1725 Greenbrier St. Cape Girardeau, MO 63701 Email: pfinney@semo.edu Other Exhibit/Advertising Options: Registration Packet Material can be sent to MPA for inclusion in a registration packet that will be given to all attendees. The charge for inclusion of material in this packet is: No cost for one item if you have paid for an exhibit booth at this meeting. $125 -- for as many copies of one item (e.g., brochure) as you wish to send, and you do not have an exhibit booth at this meeting. $50 each for as many copies of each additional item (e.g., brochure) that you wish to send. There is no charge for other material (e.g., key chains, post-it pads, etc.) that you wish to distribute, as long as you have paid for at least one item (e.g., brochure). More information about Registration packets can be found on the Registration Packet link on the MPA web site. Other Exhibit/Advertising Options: Sponsorship of Events Book companies are invited to sponsor a major talk made by one of the company s authors. Also, any company or organization is invited to sponsor one of MPA s two social hours. Companies also can make arrangements to host a luncheon in the Palmer House for attendees who are prospective customers. Contact Dr. Finney for costs and arrangements for sponsorships. Other Exhibit/Advertising Options: Advertising Advertising can be purchased in the meeting app, in the program for the meeting, and on the MPA web site. Contact Dr. Finney for costs and arrangements for advertising on the meeting app. Contact Dr. William Merriman (mpa@kent.edu), Secretary of MPA, for costs and arrangements to advertise in the program or on the MPA web site. Fire, Electrical, and Safety Regulations All material, such as table drapes, back wall material, paper displays, or other decorations in the exhibitor's booth should be nonflammable.
Reserving a Sleeping Room in the Palmer House Exhibitors are able to reserve a sleeping room in the Palmer House hotel at the convention rate through the Travel/Hotel sublink on the 2014 Meeting link on the MPA web site (www.midwesternpsych.org). Recent Exhibitors at MPA Adler School of Professional Psychology Air Force Recruiting Services APA Bookstore APA Group Insurance Trust APA of Graduate Students Argosy University Army Civilian Medical Corps Army National Guard Association Book Exhibits Ball State University Behavior Development Solutions Benedictine College Biopac Systems Bio-Medical Instruments California School of Professional Psychology Cedrus Corporation Charles C. Thomas Publisher, Ltd. Chestnut Health Systems Chicago School of Professional Psychology Cleveland State University College Living Experience Diversity Task Force Edits Publishing Emporia State University Fanlight Productions Forest Institute of Professional Psychology Governors State University Graphicsland Hazelden Graduate School Houghton Mifflin Impact Publishers John Wiley & Sons Lafayette Instrument McGraw Hill Mental Health, Inc. Metropolitan State University Michigan School of Professional Psychology Midwestern University Millennium Lab Minnesota Sex Offender Program National Center for Children in Poverty National Louis University New Harbinger Publications Oxford University Press Practical Psychology Press Praxis Psi Chi Psychology Software Tools Rosecrance Health Routledge Journals Sage Publications Sinauer Associates Southeast Missouri State University Springer Publishing Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Taylor and Francis (journals) Trinity Christian College The Psychological Corporation Thought Technology Ltd. Union Institute and University University of St. Thomas Walden University Worth Publishers W. W. Norton