Regional Summits FAQs
Questions About Attending SVA's Regional Summits?
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If you have additional questions or need support, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected] or connect with the Chapter Success Coach for your region.
Overview and Experience
- This program is fun. Our content will have you moving, laughing, participating in activities, and engaging in meaningful conversations. We’ll alternate between content and fellowship time, and we’ll even participate in a local service event together, giving back to the community. This is engagement on a whole new level!
- There’s something for everyone. Whether you’ve attended a Regional Summit before, or this is your first time; whether you’re coming solo or you’re with your whole chapter; you’ll find your place. There’s something new and exciting just for you.
- Summits are regionally based, and therefore more intimate than national SVA programs like NatCon. Participants can expect to make close connections with many other attendees.
- Students will learn how to build or enhance their SVA chapter experience while developing their leadership and life skills. Specific competencies covered will include Collaboration, Problem-Solving, Recruiting, Budgeting, Member Engagement, and more! Students will also spend time networking with chapters from their region and beyond, building their SVA network.
- Advisors and campus professionals will participate alongside students in sections of their curriculum and at the service event. They’ll also have dedicated time for networking, professional development, and problem-solving with peers. With SVA staff, we’ll cover specialized content relevant to on-campus experiences and roles including student veteran data and research and current higher education policy priorities.
This experience is best suited for current SVA chapter members and the advisors/campus professionals who support them; potential SVA chapter members; and students or advisors/campus professionals interested in starting an SVA chapter on their campus.
Absolutely – we’d love to have you. This is a great opportunity to explore what SVA is all about. You're welcome to attend with or without students.
Dates, Locations, and Travel
Summits take place at five regional sites across the country in July and August. Summits are hosted inside the partner hotels, with a few off-site excursions (transportation included!).
- Pittsburgh: July 17-19 @ The Renaissance Pittsburgh (Book hotel by June 25)
- Kansas City: July 24-26 @ KC Marriott Downtown (Book hotel by July 2)
- Atlanta: July 31 - August 2 @ Atlanta Marriott Marquis (Book hotel by July 9)
- SoCal (Fullerton): August 14-16 @ Fullerton Marriott (Book hotel by July 23)
- Indianapolis: August 21-23 @ The Westin Indianapolis (Book hotel by July 30)
We recommend booking your room at the host hotel where we have a room block available at a discounted rate. Ensure you book your room before the deadline to take advantage of the discounted room rate! Bookings can be made on the SVA Regional Summit webpage, under the respective Regional Summit site link.
Yes! At the host hotel, you can book up to two nights before or after the summit at the discounted room rate.
We encourage you to attend the Regional Summit site nearest you so you can make local connections, but you can attend any site of your choosing.
Registration and Cost
Log into your MySVA portal or create your free account. Then access “My Success Hub – Apply” where you’ll find the registration page for each summit. Advisors and students should both register using this form.
Register as soon as possible! It’s free and easy, and the sooner you register the sooner you can plan your transportation and lodging. While there’s no formal deadline, early registration helps with planning and with booking your discounted hotel rate. Most attendees register by the end of June.
The program is completely free to all participants – including advisors! You’re only responsible for travel and lodging costs. Discounted hotel rates are available through our room blocks. See our website for information about host-hotel rates.
On-Site Experience
We recommend you arrive at the hotel for your Regional Summit by 1:00 PM on the Thursday your summit begins. Each summit will conclude by 1:00 PM on Saturday. The schedules for each site vary slightly depending on location, but you can anticipate starting around 8:00 AM local time and concluding your day by 7:00 PM. Our days together will include content time, networking, service projects, events and other activities, and more – including plenty of meals and break times!
Most meals will be covered during your time at the program, including Thursday dinner, Friday breakfast and lunch, and Saturday breakfast. Friday dinner is tentatively on your own; we encourage you to take advantage of the offerings of the city you are in with other attendees at the program!
- Business casual attire is appropriate for Regional Summits. Pack clothes that make you feel comfortable and confident and know that we’ll be inside air-conditioned rooms for most of our time together. Don’t forget to throw in some workout or leisure clothes and close-toed shoes for the service project at your site, and since most of those activities will be outside, pack appropriately for the hot summer weather!
- Previous attendees will tell you that bringing business cards to hand out to new acquaintances, a personal water bottle for hydration, and something to take notes with/on are a good idea, but they’re not required.
Additional Information and Support
On SVA’s Regional Summit webpage, we offer a template letter explaining the benefit of attending a Regional Summit. You can download the letter, update it, and use it for your fundraising initiatives.
Don’t forget to book your lodging and keep an eye on your email! Each summit site is a bit different, and you’ll receive location-specific information as your event approaches – including details about the schedule and service project.
- Check out this video from last year’s Regional Summit attendees to get a feel for the experience.
- Still have questions? Reach out to your Chapter Success Coach or email us at [email protected].
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