Registration Information

Membership
All students and advisors must be paid members of SkillsUSA Michigan by January 20, 2023, to participate at the State Conference.

Registration Fee
Your school is responsible for the full amount of registration fees owed when your registration was submitted. Refunds are not available after the close of the registration portal on March 20, 2024.  Any refunds will be paid to the chapter, not an individual.

Request for Deadline Extension
Because SkillsUSA Michigan realizes that some schools have a long lead time to have a check issued for payment, we have developed a procedure for schools to request a two-week payment extension. Schools requesting a payment extension need to complete and submit the Request for Deadline Extension form at least two weeks prior to the payment deadline. A new form must be submitted for each conference for which an extension is requested.

Special Accommodations Request Form
SkillsUSA Michigan is committed to providing equal access to all persons in admission to, access to, or operation of its programs or services. Individuals with disabilities or needing accommodations must complete and submit the Special Accommodations Request Form to the state office with your registration. SkillsUSA Michigan is not responsible for providing special accommodations if this form is not submitted. Any readers, interpreters or other assistance implements, or supplies must be supplied by the chapter.

Corrections and/or Changes
After reviewing the conference materials if there are corrections and/or changes, please bring them to the conference headquarters at the Amway Grand Plaza before the Opening General Session on Friday. Corrections will be made Friday evening and if needed, new name badges will be available at the conference headquarters.

Supervision
The Advisor’s Council has determined that there should be adequate supervision for the students provided by each school.

• One (1) adult is responsible for every ten (10) students attending the conference. Please be sure to register the appropriate number of advisors from your school.
• Each school will decide which advisors are to be responsible for which students.
• Accountability for any student’s misconduct will be the direct responsibility of the advisor in charge of his/her designee.
• Advisors should always have available the name, address, and phone number of the parents/guardians of each student they are responsible for.
• Advisors may be asked to help/volunteer during the State Conference.

Competition Information

Regional Contestant Forms

Contestants must have either competed and qualified at their regional conference, or their advisor must have completed the Direct to State Online Form for all contests so that we know what contestants have qualified for the state contests. Failure to submit one of these forms will result in those students NOT being allowed to compete at the State Conference. If we receive a State Conference registration for a contestant NOT on the appropriate Regional Contestant results or Direct to State Form, he/she will NOT be allowed to compete.

Professional Development and Technical Assessments

• The Professional Development Assessment and Technical Assessments will be administered online during the testing window of March 25 – April 5, 2024, prior to the conference. 
• All students will be required to take an assessment. 
• If the student’s contest does not have a Technical Assessment, then the Professional Development Assessment must be taken.
• The students with the top scores will be recognized. 
• These tests are used as a tiebreaker for competitors and may be used as part of the final score, as per the contest’s Technical Committee.
• In addition to these online tests, a written test(s) may be administered on site by the contest’s Technical Committee.

Contestant Meals

The day of the competition, contestants are encouraged to bring with them snacks and/or lunch to the contest site, as they may not be able to leave the contest site until the contest is finished. Contestant lunches are not provided by SkillsUSA Michigan but may be provided by the contest technical committee.

Dress Code
All participants must adhere to the dress code

Contest Information

Contest information for each event will be available on our web site by the first week in March. The web site contains important information about each contest, including what each competitor needs to bring to the contest and the contest clothing requirements.

Resume
All competitors will be required to submit a one-page, type-written resume. Online submission is no longer required. The resume will be turned in at the contest sites before the start of the contest. A penalty of 10 points will be assessed for failure to submit a resume at the beginning of the contest. 

Housing Information

• All schools are required to stay at one of the official conference hotels.
• Everyone staying in a hotel room in our housing block must be registered for the conference.
• Special requests are based upon the availability at the time the housing form and full prepayment are received at the hotel.
• Please note that all sleeping rooms may not be available upon arrival, delegates should plan accordingly.

Hotels

There is a unique housing form for each hotel since different housing rates are offered for each hotel. Advisors should review the rates listed and then select the hotel that best fits their needs. Once you have decided on your first choice for a hotel, select the corresponding form. If the hotel is not able to accommodate your rooms, you will be placed at the other hotel and that hotel will email you a revised invoice for your housing charges. Remember that the Amway Reservation Department will process registration forms in the order that both the form AND the payment are received.

Both hotels are connected to each other and the DeVos Convention Center by a series of Skywalks:

• Amway Grand Plaza Hotel – 187 Monroe Avenue NW – 616-774-2000
• Courtyard by Marriott – 11 Monroe Avenue NW – 616-242-6000 

Incidental Charges
All incidental charges, (i.e., room services, movies, etc.) must be paid before checking out. There is to be no room service or phone calls made from the room. All phones will be restricted so no outside calls can be placed unless a credit card imprint is left at the front desk at time of check-in. Hotel operators have been instructed not to connect outside or room-to-room calls after curfew.

Elevator Repair Fee
An elevator repair fee of $800-$1,300 will be charged to schools that require an elevator technician to release them from any elevator if it is determined that the school is at fault. This fee will be payable at check-out. For your safety, please refrain from overcrowding and jumping in the elevator. Failure to do so will result in the elevator becoming stuck and fees will be applied for repairs. Elevators are monitored by security cameras.

Conference Activities  

Transportation
SkillsUSA Michigan will provide transportation from the official conference hotels to most contests on Saturday. A schedule will be enclosed in your chapter registration packet.

State Officer Application
Being a State Officer is one of the highest honors a student can achieve in SkillsUSA Michigan. If you have a student who wants to run for a state office, please have them complete and submit the State Officer Application by March 1, 2024. The State Officer Application is available on our website

Each chapter will have official voting delegates at the Delegate Meeting. All delegates must be registered for the state conference. Students that are already attending the conference in another capacity (competitor, observer, alternate, etc.) may also serve as an official voting delegate. Only students with a delegate or alternate ribbon on their name tag will be admitted to the Delegate Meeting on Saturday afternoon and therefore, be allowed to vote for the state officers and on state business.

The number of official voting delegates is based on your chapter’s membership as of January 15, 2024. The chart of official voting delegates will be posted in March.

Friday Miracle Minute at the Opening Session

At the Friday Opening General Session, we will have a Miracle Minute to donate money to a charity. We are asking all students and advisors to donate a few dollars and/or their pocket change to this Community Service activity. Please be sure to bring your donation with you to the Friday Opening General Session.

State-wide Food Sculpture Contest
SkillsUSA supports community service activities, and the State Officers are sponsoring a State-wide Food Sculpture Contest. Winning schools will be recognized at the Sunday Morning Awards Program. 

The State-wide Food Sculpture Contest information will be posted soon.

Saturday Advisor Meeting
All advisors are asked to attend the Advisor Meeting on Saturday night. This meeting is conducted by the Advisors Council. Advisor Years of Service awards and information regarding the National Leadership and Skills Conference will be given out at this meeting.

Saturday Statesman Award Certification
All students can earn the Michigan Statesman Award on Saturday evening. Information will be included in your school packet. The award (a pin and certificate) can be earned by:

• Reciting to a state officer the answers to SkillsUSA knowledge questions.
• Have the state officer initial the spaces by all of the oral questions that he or she has reviewed.
• Turning in the completed checklist that evening.

Industry Awards Procedure
To conserve time and resources, the industry awards will be announced and distributed as follows.

• Announcement – Before the Sunday Awards Ceremony begins, recognition will be given to the industry award donors on the large screen and again when the contest is announced.
• Program – Industry award donors will also be recognized in the State Conference program.
• Distribution – The industry awards will be given to the winners in a separate room outside of the ballroom. After the winners receive their medal and plaque on stage and have had their picture taken, they will need to go to the industry awards room and show their plaque to claim their industry award. They must show their plaque to receive their industry award.

For an industry award donor to receive recognition at the State Conference, the Industry Awards Form must be filled out completely and sent to the State Office by April 1, 2024.