SkillsUSA Minnesota State Conference Information

The 46th Annual Minnesota SkillsUSA Championships Conference will be held on Friday, April 5th, Saturday, April 6th and Sunday, April 7th, 2013. The conference will be housed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Bloomington Mpls. South, 7800 Normandale Boulevard, Bloomington, MN 55435, and (952) 835-7800. Skill Contests will be held across the metro area. Buses will be available to transport students to and from most events.

Updated for 2013!

There are some new format changes for this year’s conference packet. Registration needs to be submitted by using the newly redesigned state conference Excel Spreadsheet. Simply fill it out and send it electronically to the state SkillsUSA office. Please look for the “NEW” document and follow the instructions carefully. You will also notice that there is a “NEW” Contest Grid Chart for all (87) contests. The Grid Chart provides you with an overview of the number of contestants/contest, whether it is a team or individual contest, contest codes, notebook requirements, etc. All forms are located on the website at: http://www.mnskillsusa.org/ I hope that you find the improvements easy to use and navigate.

To help the state SkillsUSA office with accuracy there will be NO additions after March 8th
There will be NO On-Site substitutions this year at all contests. No exceptions!

ITEM 1  -  CONFERENCE ATTENDANCE

• Each student who attends the conference should participate in at least one competitive event and must attend all scheduled conference activities.
• ONE ADVISOR MUST ACCOMPANY EVERY 10 STUDENTS ATTENDING THE CONFERENCE. Chapter advisors should assume the responsibility of seeing that students report to the competitive events they have registered for and that rules of conduct are maintained. Students may not stay at the hotel without an accompanying advisor.

ITEM 2   -  RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR COMPETITIVE EVENTS

• All participants must be paid active members of State and National SkillsUSA as of February 4, 2013.
  
• Students must compete in the contest area that aligns with their occupational objective for the current school year.
• Participants may enter (1) skill contest and (3) general contests as long as they can work it into their schedule. This is excluding Mechanics Dexterity, Job Interview and all team events. Please remind students that they are eligible for only one national contest regardless of how many contests they win at the state level. IF A STUDENT WISHES TO COMPETE IN MORE THAN (1) SKILLED CONTEST AREA - ADVISOR MUST RECEIVE APPROVAL FROM THE STATE DIRECTOR BEFORE SIGNING-UP!

ITEM 3  -  REGISTRATION COST FOR CONFERENCE

• Please register each student attending the conference by using the registration form that is located on the website http://www.mnskillsusa.org. Registration is due Friday, February 15th, 2013.
• EARLY BIRD Registration fees are $100.00 per person. Registration fees include registration materials, supplies, awards, bus service, evening entertainment, Awards Breakfast, etc.
• LATE Registration Fees will be $125.00 per person for registration arriving after February 16th, 2013.
• Make checks payable to SkillsUSA Minnesota. Chapter advisors are responsible for picking up their chapter registration materials at the registration table at the DoubleTree by Hilton Bloomington Mpls. South on Friday, April 5th, 2013.

Please Mail Conference Registration Form to:
Jennifer Polz, Executive Director
SkillsUSA Minnesota
P.O. Box 29286
Minneapolis, MN 55429

Or FAX FORMS INTO the STATE OFFICE@: 763-560-1936

DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 17th, 2012

ITEM 4  -  HOTEL RESERVATIONS

Hotel Rates PER ROOM, PER NIGHT for 2013 Conference

• $122.00 x 14.275% tax = $139.42 PER ROOM, PER NIGHT FOR ONE OR TWO PEOPLE IN A ROOM

• $137.00 x 14.275% tax = $156.56 PER ROOM, PER NIGHT FOR THREE PEOPLE IN A ROOM ($50.66 per person)

• $147.00 x 14.275% tax = $167.98 PER ROOM, PER NIGHT FOR FOUR PEOPLE IN A ROOM ($40.85 per person)

The hotel will not guarantee room types. If you request a double due to three or four people in a room you may get a king with a roll away or a pull out sofa.)

“NEW” The Hotel Reservation Form is in a Word Template Spreadsheet this year directly from the hotel. To ensure a smooth reservation process they ask that all conference attendees use this form. Please e-mail this directly to the Reservations Manager Nicole Nault. Her e-mail is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Please use the Hotel-School Template Hotel Reservation form for the Double Tree by Hilton Bloomington Mpls South.

NOTE: “NEW Changes on Credit Card Policy for 2013”
The Double Tree by Hilton Bloomington Mpls South has a new credit card policy in place to help protect your privacy and personal information. Please be advised that they will no longer extend credit for hotel services on the strength of a Purchase Order only. Please use the provided CREDIT CARD AUTHORIZATION FORM – that is attached. This document will be faxed to a Secured Fax Number in the accounting department at the hotel.

NOTE: MAILED or FAXED in applications will NOT BE accepted and will be discarded upon RECEIPT without notification.

Please contact the State SkillsUSA Office if you have questions or are having problems.
Thank You!

1. The hotel must receive room reservations by March 5, 2013. Following that date, the hotel will only accept reservations on a first come, first serve basis as long as rooms are available.
2. Advisors are responsible for registering students and must accompany their group when checking in. Advisors are responsible for checking out their groups and payment of their hotel bill and incidental charges.
3. Please call the hotel to confirm your reservations before you arrive. This should help avoid problems and changes when you arrive at the hotel to check in.

DEADLINE: March 5, 2013

ITEM 5  -  REGISTRATION, PERSONAL and LIABILITY RELEASE FORMS & CODE OF CONDUCT

2013 MSC-NLSC Form 1 To insure that the major objectives of our Skill Conference are met, all participants, including advisors, will be required to adhere to a Code of Conduct and ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST SIGN THE Registration, Personal and Liability Release Form (MSC/NLSC Form 1) of the Minnesota Association of SkillsUSA. Medical and Insurance Information is requested in case of an emergency on this form. Photocopy the form (both sides) and get appropriate signatures and information from each person attending the conference. Please mail or fax them in with your registration materials or bring them to the registration table at the conference. These forms must be in turned in before you can receive your registration materials.