ICLE’s 2023 National Conference Vendor Page

JULY 17-20, 2023

Your presence as a vendor at our 2023 National Conference is essential and is a truly valuable part of our overall conference experience.
Thank you!

If you have any vendor-related questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to:

Megan Fassero, Program Manager
913-370-5301 (call or text; please save this number as a contact in your phone)
mfassero@catholicliberaleducation.org

GENERAL CONFERENCE INFORMATION

Please see our National Conference webpage for general attendee information about the conference. Our National Conference will be livestreamed, and we will promote our vendors names and logos on the livestream broadcast itself, in the livestream program, and on the livestream participant landing page.

VENDOR PARTICIPATION

As a vendor, you are already registered for the conference. You are welcome to participate in all of the conference activities (plenary sessions, breakout sessions, seminars, receptions, meals, Masses, etc.) listed in the program. All of your meals are included, beginning with dinner on Monday and ending with lunch on Thursday, except for Wednesday evening dinner, which is intentionally left free for you to explore Pittsburgh.

LOCATION

The 2023 National Conference, Cause of Our Joy, is being held at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA.

The nearest airport is Pittsburgh International Airport (Airport Code: PIT). Duquesne University is about 30 minutes from the airport by car, located at 600 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15282 (GPS Location: 1015 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15282). View airport transportation options HERE.

All of the conference events will take place on campus, except for Holy Mass, which will take place at the nearby Epiphany Church (184 Washington Pl, Pittsburgh, PA 15219).

The vendor hall is located in the Power Center, on the 5th floor, in the Dougherty Ballroom and the Shepperson Suite. Please see the Duquesne Campus Map for details. The Power Center is #39 on the map. The 5th floor is accessible using elevators in the Power Center, or via the Sklar Skywalk (#49 on the map) from the Forbes Avenue Parking Garage (#41 on the map).

LODGING OPTIONS

Please be sure to make your own housing arrangements. Note that housing is NOT included in your conference registration. We recommend the following lodging options:

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel & Suites Pittsburgh Downtown: Reserve your room at our special conference rate of $169 / night HERE. Please be sure to check the link’s default dates and change the dates of your stay if needed.
On-Campus Housing at Duquesne University: Single occupancy ($60 / person / night) and double occupancy ($50 / person / night) rooms are available in St. Ann Hall. Please note that St. Ann Hall features community-style bathrooms in each hallway. The following are provided by Duquesne for each guest staying in the hall: two (2) sheets, one (1) pillow case, two (2) bath towels, (2) wash cloths, (1) pillow, and blanket. Take a virtual tour HERE. University housing is being coordinated by Duquesne University. To reserve your room, please complete the Housing and Parking Reservation Form.

Please note:

The Housing and Parking Reservation Form must be completed once for each person. There is not an option to complete the form for more than one person.
The Reservation Form does not collect payment. Duquesne will reach out to you in a couple of weeks with a link to a separate payment form. Payment must be received no later than June 30, 2023, to secure your room.
Anyone needing priest, religious, or married housing is asked to reach out to Department of Catholic Studies Program Manager Gerriet Suiter at Duquesne University (via email at suiterg@duq.edu) to make separate arrangements.

If you have any questions at all related to Duquesne University housing, please contact Department of Catholic Studies Program Manager Gerriet Suiter at suiterg@duq.edu.

VENDOR ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE

Vendor setup begins at 9 a.m. on Monday, July 17, and should be substantially complete when check-in begins and the vendor space opens at 1 p.m. A limited number of hand carts will be available to you for transporting your materials from the Forbes Avenue Parking Garage to the conference venue.

We ask that vendors stay for the duration of the conference.

For your planning purposes, these are the times each day of the conference that are identified as key opportunities for our attendees to visit vendor tables:

Monday, July 17 – 1-3:30 p.m.
Tuesday, July 18 – 9:30-10:15 a.m.; 4:15-5:15 p.m.
Wednesday, July 19 – 7:45-8:15 a.m.; 9:45-10:45 a.m.; 12:15-1:15 p.m.

The vendor hall closes at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 20, and vendors are asked to vacate the Dougherty Ballroom and the Shepperson Suite by 4 p.m.

Please contact Megan Fassero with any concerns about these vendor arrival and departure times.

PARKING ON DUQUESNE’S CAMPUS

Parking is available in the Forbes Avenue Parking Garage. Standard parking is $14 per vehicle per day for over 4 hours of parking, with only one in-and-out privilege. Upon entering the garage, please be sure to take your ticket with you and pay for your parking before going back to your vehicle; you will have a limited time to exit after paying. Pay stations are located on the 1st and 8th floors of the Forbes Garage.

Discounted parking tickets will be available for $10 per vehicle per day for over 4 hours of parking, with only one in-and-out privilege. All discounted parking tickets must be ordered by June 30 via Duquesne’s Parking Ticket Reservation form, which will be made available at a later date.

Absolutely no overnight parking is available, unless you are staying overnight at St. Ann Hall on the Duquesne campus, in which case you will have the opportunity to order your discounted overnight parking tickets through Duquesne’s Housing Reservation form, which will be made available at a later date.

Please do not park at Epiphany Church. Parking is limited and must be reserved for the parish.

For general information about parking at Duquesne, click HERE.

VENDOR SHIPPING

You may ship vendor materials in advance of the conference. Please mark your box clearly as “ICLE VENDOR MATERIALS” and ship to the following address:

Duquesne University
Attn. Megan Peterson / Power Center Ballroom
913 Bluff Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15282

Please ship your materials to arrive between July 5 and July 12. It is important to note the following key dates:

Wednesday, July 5 – Earliest date vendor materials may arrive at Duquesne.
Wednesday, July 12 – Latest date vendor materials may arrive at Duquesne. Note: Packages that arrive at Duquesne after July 12 are not guaranteed to be available for you on Monday, July 17.

After the conference, vendor boxes that have been securely packaged for shipping and that have prepaid shipping labels (USPS, FedEx, and UPS) attached may be left on designated carts in the vendor hall to be taken to the Duquesne mailroom on your behalf. Alternatively, you may take your own boxes to the Duquesne mailroom, or take them with you and arrange for return shipping on your own.

Empty box storage will be available for you for the duration of the conference.

VENDOR SETUP

In advance of the conference, you will receive a conference venue map indicating the location of your vendor table. Vendor table locations will be pre-assigned. When you arrive, you will find your vendor table labeled with your organization’s name.

Vendor tables are standard 6-foot tables.

Please bring your own tablecloth and anything you need for your display. If you need a tablecloth provided for your booth, please contact Megan Fassero as soon as possible and no later than June 1.

All displays must be freestanding; nothing may be attached to the walls of the Dougherty Ballroom or the Shepperson Suite.

Standard electrical outlets are available throughout the Dougherty Ballroom and the Shepperson Suite, but are not available at each vendor table. If you have unique electrical needs, please contact Megan Fassero as soon as possible and no later than June 1. Multiple charging stations will be made available in the conference venues.

We anticipate a total of 400 people at the conference, including vendors, speakers, and ICLE staff. Please plan for 350 conference attendees.

You are welcome to collect conference attendee contact information at your own table via a sign-up sheet, a raffle, or other methods.

Free wi-fi will be available using conference credentials for access.

VENDOR TIME ON THE CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

It is important to us that you feel your time at the National Conference is well spent. Our conference schedule is being designed to open and close with dedicated vendor time and to include dedicated vendor time on each day of the conference. As the schedule is finalized, you will receive a list of the dedicated vendor times for each day for your planning purposes.

INFORMATION SHARING

We will provide you with a list of schools and organizations of our conference attendees, along with the school or organization’s city and state. (Non-vendor conference registrants will be provided with a list of fellow conference attendees. Should you end up with this list, we ask that it not be used for commercial purposes.)

You are welcome to collect individual attendee contact information at your vendor table via sign-up sheets, inquiry cards, raffles, etc.

HELPFUL NOTES

The Dougherty Ballroom and the Shepperson Suite will be locked when not in use. Please do not leave valuables unattended at any time during the conference.
Luggage storage will be made available on the first and last days of the conference. Please stop at the ICLE table to be directed to the storage room.
Please view a Google Map of Duquesne and the surrounding area HERE.
The dress code for the conference is business casual. The Duquesne campus and its surroundings can be hilly. Please plan your footwear accordingly, and leave yourself plenty of time for walking.

National Conference Vendors

We are grateful for your support and we appreciate your presence at our National Conference.