Southeastern Electricity Metering Association (SEMA) Presents

The 84th Annual Short Course & Conference

Hilton Clearwater Beach, Clearwater Beach, FL

Nov. 16-19, 2009

Information for Vendors

 

To: 2009 SEMA Exhibitors

Subject: 2009 SEMA Conference
 
Dear Exhibitors,
 
November will be upon us before we know it, so yes; it is time to begin preparing for another exciting Southeastern Electricity Metering Association Conference!
 
With the help of our professional management team from the University of Florida, this year’s SEMA President, Jerrold Parrish, and the SEMA Executive Committee have been working hard for months preparing for another successful conference. The school’s attendance has been growing dramatically over the past few years and with your commitment and support, we will continue this trend.
 
The 84th annual SEMA conference will be held at the top rated Clearwater Beach Hilton Hotel from November 16-19, 2009. Participating in this conference will allow you to meet and present your products to many utility representatives not only from the State of Florida, but utilities from all over the Southeastern U.S. and island nations to our south. I am pleased to represent Elster Electricity as the vendor representative for the 2009 conference and as such point out important information as you begin the registration process.
 
Registration
 
Exhibitor registration is available via the SEMA website at www.doce-conferences.ufl.edu/sema. At this site you will register for the conference and reserve a table(s) in the exhibit hall (please refer to the link for Vendor Layout to choose a location). I recommend you register early to reserve the optimum table location for your company. For 2008, the vendor registration fee is $350. Each vendor registration includes one table and one pass to all SEMA classes and social functions. Additional participants are required to register as either a SEMA participant granting access to all activities or as a social participant allowing access to the exhibit hall and social activities. The additional exhibitor fee is $190 each Additional exhibitor tables are also available at a fee of $200 each.  
 
We expect that the hotel will set up the exhibit area on Sunday, November 15th allowing you access to set up your exhibit between 4 and 6 pm Sunday evening. You can also set up on Monday morning. Tables will be pre-assigned based on your previous requests and you will find layouts of the vendor area when you enter. The assignments must be followed implicitly and can only be changed by coordinating with myself or a University of Florida representative. If you require exhibit provisions other than the standard six foot display table and a 120V power outlet, please indicate this in the “comment” section when registering online. Should you have products or exhibit displays that you need to ship rather than bring, please contact the Clearwater Beach Hilton Hotel directly for shipping instructions and limitations.
 
The exhibit area will be open each day during the conference. In addition, there will be a reception in the exhibit hall on Monday and Tuesday evening. Throughout the course agenda there are also times designated for students to visit the vendor area. It is not necessary for you to “man” your booth all day every day. You will find that most vendors will try to be in the display area during the period before conference sessions start, the period before and after lunch and during conference breaks. The highest traffic times in the exhibit area will be Monday and Tuesday evening. To get maximum benefit from the conference exhibit, we recommend vendors leave exhibits intact through mid-afternoon on Wednesday.
 
Vendors are encouraged to bring promotional items as giveaways during the receptions on Monday and Tuesday evening and again during the Wednesday evening social.
 
Vendor Introductions
 
On Monday during lunch, there will be an opportunity for vendors to introduce themselves to the SEMA attendees. Each vendor is welcome to briefly introduce yourself, your company, your products, and other representatives from your company.
 
Hotel
 
As mentioned above, this year’s conference is being held at the recently refurbished Clearwater Beach Hilton Hotel. A rate of $155/night has been negotiated with a block of rooms made available for conference attendees. Please make your room reservations early as rooms at this rate will book up fast. A link is provided to the hotel website on the SEMA website or you can visit the hotel website directly from this active link:  http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/personalized/PIECBHF-SEMAGS-20081102/index.jhtml
 
Wednesday Evening Social
 
Plan to join your utility customers at the Wednesday evening social on the beach deck of the Hilton Clearwater Beach Hotel. The social is a relaxing time of fun enjoying good food from a reception-style buffet. This will also provide an opportunity for you to give away promotional items or themed merchandise from your company.    Your guests (spouse, etc) are welcome to attend the evening social event for a small additional fee of $25 per guest. You can register your guest when you register for the conference or call the University of Florida, Department of Conferences at 352-392-1701.
 
Thank you in advance for your participation. If you have questions please contact me at 770-662-4972 or larryl.waters@ge.com  We look forward to seeing you in Clearwater Beach in November!!
 
 
Larry Waters
2009 SEMA Vendor Representative

SEMA Vendor Area Hours & Activities

Date Activity Time Location
Sunday, Nov. 15 Vendor Set-Up 4:00pm-6:00pm TBD
Monday, Nov. 16 Vendor Set-Up 8:00am-12:00pm TBD
Monday, Nov. 16 Lunch 11-30am-12:30pm TBD
Monday, Nov. 16 Vendor Area Open 12:30pm-4:30pm TBD
Monday, Nov. 16 Welcome Reception 4:30pm-6:00pm TBD
Tuesday, Nov. 17 Vendor Area Open 7:00am-4:30pm TBD
Tuesday, Nov. 17 Coffee 7:00am-8:30am TBD
Tuesday, Nov. 17 Reception  4:30pm-6:30pm  TBD 
Wed., Nov. 18 Vendor Area Open  7:00am-5:30pm  TBD
Wed., Nov. 18 Coffee 7:00am-8:30am TBD
Wed., Nov. 18 Vendor Break Down Anytime TBD

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Registration & Logistics:
Cathy Gentilman
tel: (352) 392-1701 x238
fax: (352) 392-5437