FAQs

General

Do I need to register for the conference?

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How much does it cost?

$50 for students and $75 faculty. Registration includes, dinner, breakfast, lunch, hotel room, and conference participation.



Can I pay for my registration by check?

MINK WIC only accepts electronic payments at the time of registration. We no longer accept checks.



How old do I have to be to register?

All attendees must be 18 years of age and older by the first day of the conference.



What if I need to cancel my registration?

We would appreciate it if you would alert conference staff that you will be unable to attend. However, we will not be able to issue refunds. Payments are not refundable for any reason of any kind.



Can I give my registration to someone else?

No, participant changes or substitutions cannot be made to the registration after it is completed. Registration is required to attend the conference.



Is there any shuttle service or transportation provided?

No, this year the MINK WIC conference and hotel accommodations are located at the same venue, the Hyatt Place Kansas City/Lenexa City Center. You will need to make your arrangements to travel to and from the conference.



What is the dress code for the conference?

Typically at this type of conference people dress casually. You do not need to dress like you would for a job interview, but you need to be neat, and avoid too tight or too baggy clothing. Just come and enjoy being with many other women!



What should I bring with me to the conference?

It is a good idea to bring a notebook and a pencil to take notes during the panels and workshops. You should also bring plenty of copies of your resume if you are attending the career fair. To make the most of the networking opportunities at the conference, bring plenty of business cards. Some workshops may recommend that you bring a laptop, although not required, it may be helpful to get the most out of the event. Sessions that recommend laptops will be noted in the program.



What is appropriate behavior at the conference?

It is important to be respectful and courteous of other presenters. If you attend a session or panel, please arrive before it begins and avoid opening and closing doors during a presentation. If you find yourself in a sticky situation, please wait until presenters are switching and quietly excuse yourself. Also note that noise in the hallway can be heard inside the presentation rooms. If you are a presenter, you need to arrive at least 5 minutes before the beginning of the session to introduce yourself to the session moderator. You should not leave the session until it is over. It is disrespectful to other presenters if you do not attend the entire session. Also, please take the opportunity to attend as much of the conference as possible. A significant amount of resources were invested in creating this conference for you as an attendee. Skipping out is not only disrespectful to the conference sponsors and organizers, but it is also doing yourself a disservice by missing out on the incredible program and networking opportunities.



How will lodging and accommodations work?

Lodging is included in the registration fee for the students and faculty. Students will be booked (up to) five to a room and faculty up to 2. During registration, students and faculty may request roommates. We will do everything we can to honor requests, otherwise we will group by grades and then by schools. If you are not a student or faculty member, you should make your own hotel arrangements if needed. For more in depth information on how accommodations will work for students and faculty, please see our Accomodations page.



What meals come with registration?

All attendees will get Friday night dinner, Saturday morning breakfast, and Saturday lunch. We will try to accommodate some dietary restrictions as noted in our registration, however please plan accordingly for your needs.



Do you provide childcare or may I bring a minor with me?

At this time, we do not provide childcare. All attendees must be registered and 18 years of age and be enrolled in an institution of higher education.



Participation

What are the different ways that I can be a part of the conference?

There are several ways that you can be a part of our conference program. As a student, we will be accepting submissions for lightning talks (short mini talks), graduate research talks (15 to 20 minute presentations), and posters for a contest. We will only be accepting student submissions.



Why are only student submissions accepted? I am faculty and/or an industry professional and am interested in giving a talk or submitting a paper.

The purpose of our conference is to encourage and support women who are pursuing degrees in technology. As such, we are not a competitive conference and strive to give opportunities and experience to students. For some of our attendees, this may be the first conference they have attended or the first presentation they have given. To fulfill our mission, we have elected to accept only student submissions. For others, there are other opportunities to participate in the conference. We award program sessions to our sponsors as a thank you for supporting our conference. If you are a sponsor and would like to be part of our program, please contact Sarah Peters (sarah.peters.developer@gmail.com).



Can I help with or volunteer at the conference?

We are always looking for volunteers. If you are interested in helping out with the conference, please contact us.



Career Fair

As a student, what should I do to prepare for the career fair?

To prepare for the career fair, you may wish to dress in business clothes and bring your resume and cover letter. Companies participating in the career fair will be listed on the website, and it is a good idea to research a few companies you are interested in before you attend the fair.



What does a company need to do to participate in the career fair?

Companies are encouraged to participate in the MINK WIC career fair. The career fair will be held on the afternoon of Saturday, November 4th. Participation in the career fair is a benefit of being a MINK WIC sponsor. If your company is not a sponsor, a $100 fee will be required to secure your spot at the career fair. Spaces are limited so please contact Carol Spradling (c_sprad@nwmissouri.edu) if you are interested in becoming a career fair participant. Companies must book and pay for their own lodging if needed, and should register any participant who would like to attend the rest of the conference.



Accomodations

How do I get a hotel room?

If you are a student or faculty member you may elect during the registration process to be placed in one of our hotel rooms. This helps keep costs low for you, as your room fee is included in your registration. However, you will be asked to share a room with up to 4 other conference attendees.



What are the hotel rooms like?

The rooms are modern and spacious. Each room comes with a sleeper sofa. Students will be placed in rooms with 2 double beds and sleeper sofa. Faculty will be placed in a King room with one sleeper sofa.



What if I do not want to share a room?

If you do not wish to share a room, please elect, “I do not need a hotel room” during registration. You will be required to book and pay for your own room.



How many people will be placed in a room?

5 Students will be placed in one room (2 double beds and 1 sleeper sofa). Faculty will be placed 2 to a room (1 king bed and 1 sleeper sofa).



How do I get assigned roommate(s)?

You may list one other person during registration with whom you want to room. To increase the likelihood that you will both be roommates the other person must also list you as well. If no roommate is listed, or your roommate is already spoken for, roommates will be assigned in the following manner:
1. If there are other students from your school in the same grade, you will be placed together, else: 2. If there are students of the same grade from other schools, you will be placed together, else: 3. Students across grades and schools will be placed together.
Faculty will be assigned two to a room based on gender and, if possible, the same school. Note: Please be prepared to room with people you may not know. This is a great opportunity to make new friends and lasting memories. You never know, your roommate could be that one person years down the road that helps you land a dream job.



Can I room with my faculty sponsor?

No, students and faculty will not be placed in rooms together.



May I switch rooms if I do not like my roommates?

No, for liability reasons the hotel must know who is staying in each room. Please do not switch rooms.



Why can't I pick up my room key with registration?

Registration for the conference starts earlier in the day than the hotel can give us room keys . The hotel needs time to clean and prepare the rooms before we can check in. Room key pick up will occur separately from registration and will be noted in the program.



I am an industry professional, can I stay at the Hyatt?

You will be responsible for booking and paying for your own room. The Hyatt has a very limited number of available rooms, so you will want to call early.