Pre-conference events.

This year NACAS is expanding its Saturday, October 31, pre-conference events to include something for everyone. We encourage you to arrive early in San Antonio! Pre-registration is required for all pre-conference events, except for Canada Day.

Canada Day
Saturday, October 31
8:45 am - 5:00 pm

Canada Day is an all-day, pre-conference workshop open to Canadian institution members to learn about and exchange ideas, trends, and updates in the Canadian higher education environment.

It is a truly unique and extremely rewarding event that brings together members from across the country to network, learn, and collaborate in a positive and welcoming environment. Whether it is your first or 20th Canada Day, you will certainly make new connections, learn more about our profession, and find some take-aways to bring back to your campus.

The agenda is interactive and “The Cross-Canada Checkup” allows the opportunity for members to discuss hot topics and seek solutions to those issues that others may have already resolved.

The Canadian Committee wishes to acknowledge the generous confirmed sponsorships provided by the following business partners:

These sponsorships make Canada Day possible.

CASP Prep Course
Saturday, October 31
1:00pm - 5:00pm

Are you in the process of preparing to sit for the CASP exam? Whether you are planning to take the exam at the Annual Conference or thereafter, this pre-conference Prep Course will provide a unique opportunity to prepare for the exam. Led by a current CASP designee, this course will help you to decrease test anxiety, strategically prepare, and learn from fellow CASP candidates.

Emerging Professionals Program
Saturday, October 31
5:00pm - 6:30pm

This program is designed for higher education auxiliary professionals with five years or less experience in auxiliaries. It will feature a presentation by Eric Monday, Executive VP for Finance and Administration, University of Kentucky, plus the opportunity to network with peers over light food and beverage. A followup session will be held the morning of Sunday, November 1, which will feature a presentation by Tim Moore, Director of Student Involvement and the Student Activity Center, University of Louisville. Attendees will be invited to partake in an open discussion focused on emerging professionals within NACAS and auxiliary services.

Senior Management Program
Saturday, October 31
3:30pm - 6:30pm

Designed for upper- and senior- level management, the Senior Management Program will focus on how to lead into the future given the politically charged and complex environments within higher education. The program will focus on the competencies leaders must master to maximize and leverage their work through innovation, collaboration, and the ability to strategically position their departments. Participants will be encouraged to interact throughout the conference both formally and informally through sessions targeted to this audience.

Over 100 educational sessions built for you.

It's all about revenue generation. The mission of making sure your campus is profitable. NACAS educational sessions focus on all areas of auxiliary services, from bookstores to parking to childcare and everything in between. Hear new ideas from industry colleagues, discover new trends from business partners dedicated to your success, and find out what did and did not work on other campuses. Learn more

How do we deliver this information? In three different educational session formats designed to meet multiple learning styles: 30-minute flash sessions, 60-minute extended sessions, and 60-minute corporate connections where business partners present you with their solutions.

Innovative talks from local leaders.

Want to hear something new and surprising? A great idea? A compelling new argument? NACAS Talks, a brand new general session format for the 2015 NACAS Annual Conference, will feature multiple 10-minute presentations from local San Antonio leaders. Their presentations will challenge attendees to find new ways to balance individuality, society, and technology in order to embrace the “Brave New World” of innovation.

Blueprint for a New Way of Thinking
Harry Max
Vice President of Experience Design
Rackspace

The 16th President of the United States once said: “If I only had an hour to chop down a tree, I would spend the first 45 minutes sharpening my axe.” Lincoln's quote is an apt analogy for how each of us can approach the challenges we face in our personal and professional lives. Faced with an obstacle, most people act before they have taken enough time to think, reflect, connect, and decide the best course of action. In this brief talk, Harry Max will share a set of powerful yet simple thinking frameworks, and guide you through when you might want to use them to get even better results.

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The Future of Work
Myric Polhemus
Director of Human Resources
HEB Grocery Company

As the progress of technological change speeds up, the workplace of the future will be very different that what we experience today. As the workplace changes a leaders skills will need to adapt along with it. The time is now to start thinking about what future leadership capacities need to be built into organizations and how organizations need to adapt quickly or find themselves hopelessly behind.

Beyond Placebo: How Expectation Guides Experience in Medicine, Business, and Life
Ray Seggern
Partner
The Wizard of Ads Group

Ray will encourage you to manifest change in life by reframing your expectations. Be active in your life's destiny!

Social Media and College Auxiliaries: Missed Opportunities and Lessons Learned
Dr. Steven Vrooman
Professor of Communication Studies
Texas Lutheran University

Research has long shown that audiences, in many contexts, are just not listening very much. This is even more true for the expanding firehose of content in social media. The social media presence of college auxiliaries demonstrates this lack of engagement more than most. Universities with tens of thousands of students regularly have auxiliary services like bookstores, dining and parking with less than a thousand followers on Twitter and a majority of tweets with zero retweets or favorites. Dr. Vrooman has analyzed thousands of college auxiliary posts from dozens of colleges and universities on a variety of platforms. In this presentation, Dr. Vrooman will use that data to demonstrate what is going wrong and how to fix it.

A premier luxury hotel.

Expect the best at the Grand Hyatt set along the River Walk in San Antonio. Enjoy the sleek lines and contemporary decor of the spacious guest rooms. Swim laps in the heated rooftop pool and stay fit in the 24-hour fitness center. The best part? It's only steps away from the conference center. Learn more