Subtitled: How to keep your Iowa ACAC Executive Assistant happy!

Iowa ACAC has a very successful college day/college night program ("college fairs") every year. Registration for Iowa ACAC's college fairs happens at the same time every year. Our membership directory, formerly in print and now online, is created from the information submitted with college fair registrations every year.

So, I thought, what can I do to help institutions and organizations have a more successful registration process, hopefully reducing two frustrations: 

1. Emails from me cluttering their Inboxes with questions that often could have been avoided.
2. Seeing admission offices waste $300 on late fees that could have been avoided.

Here are my 5 tips for completing a successful college fair registration:

1.  Read our listserv messages/check our web site/follow our social media/put it on your calendar (okay, that's really four tips, but I'm trying to keep this short). We do college fair registration at the same time every year. Put a reminder in your calendar or, since we know staff changes do happen, put it in a position manual or on a master calendar that's readily available for everyone in the office. 

2.  Register now. It's a new budget year for most. However, you can always register before July 1 and select the Invoice Me option. Simply pay before your first fair. Don't know who's covering what? Still hiring staff? Have SOMEONE in your office submit the registration. You can change the contact person later. You can always change your selections later, too. Just contact me! 

3.  Follow the directions on the form. To do this, someone has to log in to the Iowa ACAC web site and verify your current listing by using the membership directory search tool. List anyone who needs to be removed from the current listing, enter the NUMBER of staff to be included in the directory, and provide ALL names, titles, and other requested information, even if what is listed online is correct and seems repetitive. 

Are you a new person who doesn't have an online profile yet? Ask an office veteran who currently in our membership to help.This provides a cross-check for me as I manually update the membership directory. 

Every year for the past many, many, many years, Iowa ACAC's college day/college night registration has included an INSTITUTIONAL membership. That means, your admission office is a member as a group. Anyone can be listed, not just the person attending the fairs. Remember, this is a resource for all of our members, which includes many school counselors in and around Iowa. 

4.  Planning to attend ALL of the fairs? Simply select "We Will Attend All Fairs." One simple click and you're registered for all fairs. Need to make changes to any selections? Just email me. 

5.  Be aware of the Standards of Conduct expected at Iowa ACAC fairs. Site hosts will provide them and they are also readily available on our web site. This way, we don't get panicked emails or phone calls about saxophone players or people doing push-ups in the aisles. 

Our college fair program is top-notch and professional colleagues like you make them so. Participation in the program is limited to universities and colleges, community colleges, technical colleges, trade schools, national military organizations, apprenticeship/union programs and non-profit postsecondary planning services. Do you know a college or organization that might want to attend our fairs? Direct them to our web site! We'd love to have them join us in our mission to ensure students equitable treatment by, and access to, the widest array of postsecondary educational options.