Frequently Asked Questions

We will continually add to this page as more questions are asked.

Q. Will the schedule for the virtual conference be different from the original hybrid conference?

A. The schedule has remained mostly the same. There have been some adjustments to the caucus meeting, awards ceremony, Annual Business Meeting, and entertainment times. We will also not have a Sunday morning breakfast/raffle.

Q. Do I have to sign up for the virtual platform? How can I access it?

A. Your registration automatically grants you access to the platform. After you are registered, please visit https://cvent.me/714ev4 to get logged in.

Q. How do I know what is going on during the conference?

A. Reviewing the conference program is a must! Our team has worked hard compiling all the information you will need for the event in an easy-to-read format. View the program here.

Q. When I registered, I picked sessions that I no longer want to attend. How can I change what I signed up for?

A. That is no problem! You do NOT have to attend the sessions you selected at the time of registration. You can enter any session you’d like, at your leisure. You can make changes to your schedule on the platform, or just access the sessions that you'd like to attend when you want to attend them by going to the All Sessions link at the top of the screen.

Q. Are the sessions going to be recorded?

A. Yes! You can access all session recordings after the session airs. If there are any technical difficulties with the recordings, we will get them posted as soon as possible. To find the recordings, just visit the session that you want to view. 

Q. I would like to receive credits for the sessions I attended. How can I do that?

A. A confirmation of attendance will be emailed to all those that attended a session that qualifies for SDAO Academy, Board Leadership Academy, Fire District Directors Academy, SHRM, or CE credits. If you are seeking CE credits, please submit this form to let us know your information. We will process credit requests each week.

Q. Some sessions I wanted to attend at the conference are credit eligible for the SDAO Academy. Will these credits be counted as in-person credits?

A. Yes. Since the conference was originally intended to be in person and pivoted to fully virtual, all credits will be considered in-person credits.

Q. Do I need a computer to attend the conference?

A. You can attend the conference with your computer or mobile device. However, you will have full functionality if you are using a computer. We also recommend that you use Chrome or Firefox when connecting to the platform and disable any VPN connections that you may have active. 

Q. Are there any opportunities to meet with other attendees?

A. Yes! While it will be different than in-person events, it is still available! Here are the various networking opportunities we have:

As mentioned in our previous email, there are several opportunities to network with other attendees including:

• Discussion RoomsJoin a discussion room during breaks and lunches to chat with SDAO staff and other attendees. Several topic rooms are available to choose from.
• Instant NetworkingDuring breaks and lunches, get randomly matched with another attendee and chat for five minutes. If you are enjoying the discussion, you can extend it for longer.
• AppointmentsCreate one-on-one appointments with sponsors, exhibitors, or other attendees!
• Welcoming Reception/Trivia (Thursday at 4:30pm)Don’t forget to brush up on your trivia because after sessions on Thursday, you will be invited to join a virtual trivia game hosted by TriviaHub. Game participants will be placed into groups and compete against other teams for bragging rights to be the trivia team champions!
• Caucus MeetingsThese will take place Friday at 3:30pm. This is an opportunity to meet with peers to conduct caucus business, discuss current legislative issues, and make nominations for vacant SDAO board member positions.

Q. If I have any technical problems or can't find something on the site, who can I contact? 

A. During the following dates and times, please use our Cvent tech support team for any tech-related or site navigation issues:

• Phone (Toll Free): 833-494-2014 - active from Feb 10th-Feb 12th from 6am-6pm
• Email: SDAOsupport@cvent.com - active from Feb 10th-Feb 12th from 6am-6pm
• Chat box on the platform

Q. What will be the process for board member nominations and elections?

A: All caucus meetings and the Annual Business Meeting will be accessible only on the virtual conference platform. To attend, you must register. SDAO board member positions open for nomination and the incumbent representatives include:

• Fire: Ben Stange, Polk County Fire District #1
• Irrigation: Brent Stevenson, Santiam Water Control District
• Sanitary: Nick Bakke, Rogue Valley Sewer Services
• At-Large (From fire, water, port, park & recreation, irrigation, or sanitary): Scott Stanton, Umatilla County Fire District #1Adam Denlinger, Seal Rock Water District
• True At-Large (Not from fire, water, port, park & recreation, irrigation, or sanitary):MaryKay Dahlgreen, Lincoln County Library District

Caucus Meetings:

• If you are intending to self-nominate at your caucus meeting for one of the above positions, please notify SDAO staff at memberservices@sdao.com by January 20th to ensure we are prepared for you to speak at the meeting.
• Each nominee (either self-nominated or nominated by another individual) will be required to give a three-to-five-minute speech during their respective Zoom caucus meeting.
• Following nominee speeches, voting will commence via a survey link that will be provided in the Zoom chat during the caucus meeting.
• On the online ballot, voting delegates will be required to cast a vote for one person and list their district to ensure there is only one vote per district. Voting delegates may only cast a vote if they have attended the caucus meeting.
• If a district has more than one vote submitted for the same person, only one vote will be counted.
• If a district has multiple votes and for different people, all votes for that district will be removed from the count.
• Caucus voting will be open for one hour to allow for everyone to access the link and accommodate for any technical difficulties. Once voting has closed, SDAO staff will tabulate the votes of those caucuses with seats up for election and report the results to all conference attendees via the platform messaging system.

Annual Business Meeting:

• At the Annual Business Meeting on February 12th, we will hold board elections. Caucus chairs will report their caucus's formal nomination based on the results of their respective vote.
• District voting delegates will then cast their vote at the meeting.

Q. I have already paid for my conference registration before you went virtual. How can I get a refund?

A. Due to the time consuming nature of processing so many refunds, we ask for your understanding in that it may take up to a month to see your refund. If you paid by credit card, we will issue this to the card you used at registration. If you paid by check, we will issue a refund by check. If you have not received your refund by February 15th, please contact SDAO Member Services. 

Q. What happened with my hotel reservations?

A. If you reserved a room under one of our room blocks at the Graduate Eugene or Even Hotel, your room was automatically be canceled without penalty. If you booked a room at a different hotel, please call them as soon as possible to avoid any unnecessary charges.

Q. Will pre-conference sessions be available at no charge?

A. Yes! All conference programming will be offered at no charge.