2019 Conference E-Mail Archive

Conference E-mail (July 24, #2) – Conference Page Updates

Hi – while I’m sitting in the Omaha airport waiting to hop on a plane to Boston, I’d like to point a few updates to the ROPA website Conference Page ( http://ropaweb.org/2019-annual-conference/ ).

1) Instructions for downloading the conference app

2) Directions to the hotel from various terminals

3) Welcome letter from the Boston Local

and delegates,

4) Orchestra reports have been downloaded for your viewing (currently those submitted by July 19 – to be updated soon). You will need to be logged onto the ROPA website to view them. If you forget your password, just go ahead and request a new one.

There is a second layer of security for which you will need to input a different username and password, which you can see if you’re logged in. NOTE: in the password, the 0 is a zero, and not an OH.

See everyone soon! Karen Sandene

Conference E-mail (July 24) – Conference App

Greetings delegates and attendees of the 36th annual ROPA conference!

If you are receiving this email and you are not a ROPA delegate, it is because you have registered for the ROPA conference. If you are a delegate who is not attending, please forward this information to the person who will be representing your orchestra at the conference.

Once again, we are going to be using an app to help communicate with you at the conference this year. We will be using the same app, Events XD, that we used last year, so many of you should still have the app downloaded on your device. If not, please search for “Events XD” in the app store on your device, and download the free app before you come to the conference.

Once you have downloaded the app, go to the search section, search for ROPA, and select the 2019 conference.

You can also view the app content on any web browser at https://www.eventsxd.com/ .

Click on “Browse Events,” enter “ROPA” in the search bar, and select the 2019 conference.

As of now, the information is very bare bones. More will be added in the coming days as the board prepares for the conference. So, I advise you to get in the habit of hitting the refresh button each time you enter the app. This will ensure that you have the most up to date information available.

We will of course also have paper schedules and information available to those who need it, but hope that this makes your conference experience easier.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon! Naomi Bensdorf Frisch

Secretary E-mail (July 18) – Boston Welcomes ROPA

Hi, all – with the ROPA conference fast approaching, the Boston Local would like to share a greeting with you, with many ideas for things to do and helpful hints for getting around. See below.

Also, please remember that if you would like to specify a size for the Boston Local conference t-shirt, please go to this link and indicate your size preference: https://tinyurl.com/Conference-t-shirt Do this ASAP, or you’ll get the size you get.

And Delegates, please get in your orchestra reports by this weekend!

Thanks! Karen Sandene

(Click on the picture above for the Welcome Message from AFM Local 9-535)

Secretary E-mail extra (July 13) – Requesting sizes for conference t-shirts

Hi, all – The Boston Local is planning on making up a t-shirt for the conference attendees, and they’d like an idea of what sizes to print up.

A google form has been created to get sizes from as many of you as possible. The turnaround time is pretty quick here, so if you have a specific size shirt you would like, please go to the following link and make your wish known.

https://tinyurl.com/Conference-t-shirt

If there is no response from you, you will get a size that is available. Please do this ASAP – by Wednesday, July 17, if possible (if the Local wishes to extend this deadline, I’ll let you know).

Thanks! Karen Sandene

Secretary E-mail #6 (July 3) – Hotel deadline extended to July 9

Hi, all –

The Boston Logan Hilton has extended the deadline to book a hotel room to July 9. We are a few people short to meet our minimum, so if you haven’t booked yet, there are still a few more days.

Looking at reservations that were made by July 1, I see that the following orchestras have yet to book. If you are sharing a room with someone else, commuting in, or booked within the past day or so, please let me know at karensandene@gmail.com

ATL Ballet (staying elsewhere), Canton, Cape, Duluth, Eugene, Lexington, Marin, Milwaukee Ballet, New Mexico, New West, Opera San Jose, Pasadena, Portland Symph, Rhode Island (staying elsewhere), SW Florida, Tri-Cities, Vermont (staying elsewhere), West Virginia, West Virginia, Wichita.

Reservation link is below. Let us know if you encounter the July 2 deadline instead of the extension to July 9.

Online Reservation: https://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/personalized/B/BOSLHHH-ROPA-20190723/index.jhtml?WT.mc_id=POG
Group Name: Regional Orchestra Players’ Association (ROPA)
Group Code: ROPA

Thanks! Karen

Secretary E-mail #5 (July 1) – delegate list updating; general reminders

Hi, all – a few things this evening:

1) I was going through the members of the delegates email list today and noticed that a few names were missing, so I added/re-added them. If you feel you have missed any of the conference emails, please go the following link and see conference emails from me or President Mike Smith in recent weeks:

http://ropaweb.org/2019-annual-conference/2019-conference-e-mail-archive/

2) Hotel rooms need to be booked right now – the rooms in our block will be released to the general public very soon and rates are much more expensive. If it turns out you will be sharing a room with another delegate, please let me know so we can keep track.

3) Register for the conference at this link: http://ropaweb.org/about/ropa-conference-registration/ (There is also a link on the home page of the website). This is a google form, so you do not need to be logged on to the website to register. This is NOT the same as booking your room; this is for person count, name-tags, rosters, etc. Don’t forget to do this please.

4) Do not forget to get in your orchestra report. I am compiling them and will post them on the website shortly. To view these reports, you WILL need to be logged on to the site to view them to protect confidentiality.

Please let me or your MAL know if you have any questions. See you soon! Karen

Secretary E-mail #4 (June 25) – Book Your Hotel Room by July 2

Hi, all – the deadline for booking your rooms at the hotel at the conference rate is one week from today, July 2nd. Please get this done as soon as possible!

Hotel/Reservations

Hilton Boston Logan Airport, One Hotel Drive, Boston MA, 02128
Phone: 617-568-6700
Online Reservation: https://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/personalized/B/BOSLHHH-ROPA-20190723/index.jhtml?WT.mc_id=POG
Group Name: Regional Orchestra Players’ Association (ROPA)
Group Code: ROPA
Phone Reservation: 1-800-HILTONS
- Identify as part of ROPA: Regional Orchestra Players Association – July 23 – 31.
- Guest(s) name
- Home or business address
- Email address
- Requested room/bed type
- Check in and check out dates
- Special room arrangement requests may be made at the time of the call.
- Cut off date is July 2. Hotel room space in Boston is expensive!- rooms can be in the $300-$400 range per night. Please take care of this sooner rather than later!
  Reservation requests received after the cutoff date will be accepted on a space available basis at the group rate.
Room Rates:
- Single – $199 + taxes (14.45%)
- Double – $199 + taxes (there are a limited number of double rooms)

Thanks! Karen Sandene

Secretary E-mail #3 (June 21) – General Reminders

Hi, all – thank you for the orchestra reports and settlement bulletin info that I’ve received so far, and thanks for those who have registered for the conference on the ROPA site. If you are unable to attend and have not yet found someone to represent your orchestra yet, please do so as soon as possible!

FYI, I am currently on a multi-day bike tour in western Nebraska and will be of limited communication until Monday morning. If you have sent me questions, check back then, or check the ROPA site or contact your MAL. Thanks! Karen

Secretary E-mail #2 (June 14) – Orchestra Reports/Settlement Bulletins

Hi, all – a few conference reminders this evening:

1) Write your Orchestra Report

An important part of conference preparation for us is the submission of Orchestra Reports from each orchestra, so we can compile them and share with delegates prior to conference. The Orchestra reports are important historical documents that help us keep track of the status of our orchestras over the years.

A copy of a sample report was sent out in the Delegate mailing; I’m attaching it to this email as well. There is no set format, but do your best to keep it to one side of one page.

If you are a delegate but someone else will be attending conference, please get a hold of your sub and see which of you will be writing the report.

Please submit reports to me via my gmail account (karensandene@gmail.com) rather than to the whole list. Do this by July 2, please.

As reports come in, I will compile them into a single document and a link will be posted on the conference page http://ropaweb.org/support/2019-annual-conference/ This page will need the “extra special” password to view. Substitute delegates, I will soon give you access to the delegates portion of the site so you can view these and other documents you should have access to at conference.

Please pity the poor ROPA Secretary and don’t wait for the last minute to file your report. It takes time to process and compile nearly 90 orchestra reports, so do me a favor and try to get yours in by July 2.

2) Settlement Bulletins

If your orchestra settled contracts this past season and you have not yet sent in a settlement bulletin, please do so, so they can be distributed at conference.

These can be completed 2 ways:

either go to the following link to a google form and provide the informationhttp://tinyurl.com/Settlement-Bulletin-Form

if you are fairly comfortable with Microsoft Word and can add rows/columns to a table, you can use the attached Settlement Bulletin Template and create a document.

Thanks! Karen Sandene

Secretary E-mail #1 (May 31) – info for booking hotel and registering for the conference

Hi, all – I hope your seasons are all wrapping up well!

It’s time to start with preparations for the ROPA conference. Information has been put on the website, and a mailing will go out soon with further details. Right now, you should be looking at transportation to the conference, booking a room and registering on the ROPA website for our records. Dates, times and hotel booking information are below.

For those of you who have already registered on the ROPA site – thanks! Please let me and your MAL know right away if someone will be attending the conference in your place and have that person register on the site.

More info coming soon – thanks! Karen Sandene, ROPA Secretary

***************

Dates and Times

Sunday, July 28, 10:00 am – Tuesday July 30, 3:00 pm, with Negotiating Orchestras Workshop on Saturday, July 27, starting in the a.m.

Location

Boston, Massachusetts

Hotel/Reservations

Hilton Boston Logan Airport, One Hotel Drive, Boston MA, 02128 Phone: 617-568-6700

Online Reservation

https://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/personalized/B/BOSLHHH-ROPA-20190723/index.jhtml?WT.mc_id=POG

Group Name: Regional Orchestra Players’ Association (ROPA)
Group Code: ROPA
Phone Reservation: 1-800-HILTONS
Identify as part of ROPA: Regional Orchestra Players Association – July 23 – 31.
Guest(s) name
Home or business address
Email address
Requested room/bed type
Check in and check out dates
Special room arrangement requests may be made at the time of the call.

Cut off date is July 2. Hotel room space in Boston is expensive!- rooms can be in the $300-$400 range per night. Please take care of this sooner rather than later!
Reservation requests received after the cutoff date will be accepted on a space available basis at the group rate.

Room Rates:

Single – $199 + taxes (14.45%)
Double – $199 + taxes (there are a limited number of double rooms)
Conference Registration

Register for the Conference:

http://ropaweb.org/ropa-join/ropa-conference-registration/ You must also check-in at the conference, where you will receive conference materials and your ID badge. Register by July 2nd.

President E-mail #1 (June 12) Register for the Boston Logan Hotel

Dear ROPA Delegates,

We are now at just over 6 weeks from the Boston Conference! I have received notice that the pickup on registrations for the hotel are coming in slowly. Please register soon! The cut-off for guaranteed room is July 2, which is less than 3 weeks away. I’ve copied the information for registering below.

Also, don’t forget to go to the ROPA website and register for the conference!

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Mike

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