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2026 Conference Email Archive

Sunday, July 5 / Conference email #4: Book your hotel room, Register for conference, Orchestra reports online, Website access, Bring a t-shirt for group photo

Hi, all –

  • It appears that as of tonight, you can still get the ROPA discount for your hotel rooms, but that won’t last long, and the regular rate is significantly more expensive. PLEASE get your rooms booked as soon as possible! (link on ropaweb.org homepage)
  • Even if you have booked your room, many of you have still not registered on the ROPA website. (link on ropaweb.org homepage)
  • Those orchestra reports that I have received are now on the website. The link is on the Conference Information Page , or the direct link to the reports is HERE .

 

These reports need an extra level of privacy, so there is an additional username/password combination that must be used  once you are logged onto the site. If you are a new delegate or are filling in for your orchestra’s delegate, I will need to give you access to the ROPA site’s delegate-only section. Keep an eye out for an email from WordPress either tonight or tomorrow morning saying that you are in. Anyone having problems getting into the orchestra reports, let me know and I’ll try to help.

A lot of you still need to get your reports in…Thanks to those who have done so already. I apologize for not acknowledging each one individually – go on line and see if yours is there; if it isn’t, let me know.

  • We plan on taking a group photo during the conference. We would like everyone to bring a t-shirt featuring ROPA, your orchestra, your Local, any Union activity, or perhaps a plain t-shirt. If you have a spare one you could loan to someone who doesn’t have one, perhaps you could bring one along.

Thanks!  Karen Sandene

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Date: Wednesday, June 25 / Conference email #3: Please book your hotel room / register on the website / submit your orchestra reports

Hi, all –

Thank you to those of you who have completed your room reservation, website registration, and have submitted your orchestra reports!  We need you to do these things as soon as you can for a number of reasons:

 

  • Our deadline with the hotel for booking rooms is next week – July 3rd– only about ½ of our delegates have made reservations. You want to make sure you get a room at the ROPA discount rate – you don’t want to explain to your local that they have to cover more expenses because you were too late to get the special room rate. Get this done today, please!
  • Your website registration gives us and our Local 72-147 hosts an accurate number for food/beverage/social events, and allows you to let us know any dietary concerns you might have.
  • I don’t want to guilt trip anyone, but I have only received a handful of orchestra reports so far! Your orchestra report is necessary for your MAL group breakout sessions, and is used to help the institution of ROPA chart the trajectories of all of our orchestras over time.  Also, all of the reports are compiled into a single document (by me), and having nearly 100 reports come in at the same time is a bit daunting. Get them in as soon as you can – the link for instructions is below.

 

Some of you have booked your rooms but haven’t registered, and some of you have registered but haven’t booked your rooms yet, and most of you need to get in your orchestra reports. Please work to get your conference preparation all completed by July 3.

Here are your links:

Thanks – Let me or your MAL know if you have any questions, and I look forward to seeing everyone soon!  Karen Sandene

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Date: Friday, June 5: Conference email #2: Revised deadlines for hotel, registration, etc. / Orchestra Reports / Settlement Bulletins

(all previous conference emails can be found at this link: 2026 Conference Email Archive )

Hi, all – a few conference reminders this afternoon:

1) All deadlines for registration, hotel, orchestra reports, etc., are being moved to Friday, July 3rd.

2) Important Links:

3) 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.

I’m attaching a sample report to this email as well.  There is no set format, but do your best to keep it to one side of one page – a 1-page summary of how your orchestra did this year. You might want to check with your Orchestra Committee chair for information to include.

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 ROPA Secretary gmail account (ropasecretary@gmail.com) rather than to the whole list.  Do this by July 3, please.

As reports come in, I will compile them into a single document and a link will be posted on the Conference Information Page   Substitute delegates, you will have access to the delegates portion of the site so you can view these and other documents you should have access to at conference.

Please don’t wait for the last minute to file your report.  It takes time to process and compile nearly 100 orchestra reports, so do me a favor and try to get yours in by July 3.

4) 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 shared with other delegates and posted on the website. This can be done one of two ways:

Thanks!  Karen Sandene

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(Monday, June 1, 2026) ROPA Secretary Conference Email #1: General information, register for conference, book your hotel room, who will be attending, additional information

Good afternoon, all!

Current conference information is now up on the website.  Info can be found via links on the homepage and below.

1) Conference Information Page: https://ropaweb.org/news/2026-annual-conference-July-29-31-dallas-tx/.  All information as it comes in will be posted there, including agendas, Delegate and Local responsibilities, speaker info, etc.  An archive of Conference Emails will also be found there so you don’t miss anything.

2) Conference Registration Page: 2026 Conference Registration Please register by July 1.  Let me know if you have any difficulties.  You should receive a confirmation email after you register.

3) Hotel Reservation Link: (Deadline for the ROPA discount rate: July 1): 

Reservation Link   Hotel rate per night is $149 (+ whatever taxes). The hotel is:

          • Hilton Garden Inn Downtown Dallas
          • 1600 Pacific Avenue
          • Dallas, TX  75201
          • 214.299.8982

4) Make sure your orchestra has a delegate who will be attending the Conference. If you are unable to attend the conference yourself, make sure there is someone available to attend.  Please let your MAL and me know who will be attending, and if it’s someone else, please let us know right away and direct them to the ROPA website so they can get information, register and book a hotel room.

5) Start looking for transportation to Dallas.  Both DFW and Love Airports (along with the affordable DART Orange Line Light Rail) can get you to the hotel. AMTRACK is also an option. Regardless of how you choose to get there, your Local is required to reimburse you for travel expenses, as well as per diem and hotel expenses.

6) Communicate with your Local about your plans for attending the conference.  The Local covers your expenses, so come to an agreement on how and when this will be handled.  You will also be reporting back to the Local after the conference, so be prepared to take good notes!

That’s all for now – please let me know if you have any problems accessing the pages or registering.  Please remember that July 1 is the deadline for hotel room, conference registration, and orchestra reports (more about them in a future email). Register for the Conference and book your room early if you can – it will help us plan efficiently. 

More later – Thanks!  Karen Sandene, ROPA Secretary

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Regional Orchestra Players Association (ROPA)
A conference of the American Federation of Musicians