PLANNING FOR A NEW LOOK AT THE 2024 OAAS CONVENTION!!!
The Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies (OAAS) is excited to share the news that the 2024 Convention is going to look a little different.
Thank you to the nearly 500 participants who completed the “Future of the OAAS Convention” survey in late February.
The responses were very strong in terms of date, location and format and so with that, the 2024 OAAS Convention is set to take place on February 22-24, at the Sheraton Parkway, Toronto North Hotel, in Richmond Hill, this is one week later avoiding the Family Day weekend.
The convention schedule is being extended and will now include a full day Saturday, with Convention closing on the Saturday evening concluding with the Ambassador Introductions and Live Entertainment. With this modification, it will provide additional opportunities for networking, socializing and more educational sessions, as well as providing more time for eating and enjoying the extra features of the convention, without feeling rushed.
The intent is to offer a lighter program on the Thursday afternoon with modified entertainment in the evening, followed by two full days on the Friday and Saturday.
NEW DATE FOR ROOM RESERVATIONS!
Room reservations will be accepted starting at Monday October 2, 2023, 9a.m. More details will be available closer to the date. The reason for the new date is to provide additional time for agricultural societies to have a more accurate idea of the actual number of hotel rooms needed and avoid the practice of over booking which has prevented other agricultural societies and Fair friends from booking a room, in the past.
New Room Cancellation policy
To ensure that the OAAS fills the required room block, any extra rooms that are being cancelled are now to be done through the OAAS office. In addition, a waiting list form will be posted to the website. The reasoning is to support agricultural societies still looking for rooms and to ensure the room block is being filled with OAAS convention delegates. There has also been a room block setup up at nearby location, to assist with the overflow of convention delegates seeking accommodations.
Anyone looking to book a hospitality suite is asked to complete the online form by May 1st, a decision will be made by June 1st. The form can be found on the OAAS website, under the Convention tab.
Mark your calendar for February 22-24, and we look forward to seeing you at the 2024 Convention.