Know Before You Go

The Details.

ELIGIBILITY

Attendance to the conference is voluntary. However, once an employee has registered, they are committed to attending. Details regarding last-minute cancellations can be found below.

Employees hired prior to December 20, 2023, are eligible to attend the Conference. Community Managers and Resident Services Supervisors who were recently promoted since December 20 are eligible to attend.

Attendees must be in good standing and approved by the Regional Manager to attend the Conference. If an employee has received documented disciplinary action in the past 90 days, they may not be eligible to attend and must be approved be the Regional Vice President.

TRANSPORTATION

Should I fly or drive to the conference?

All site teams within a 5-hour drive of downtown Nashville, TN will be expected to drive to Conference. Consult with your Regional Manager about departure & arrival times, airfare costs, etc.

I'm flying to and from the conference, how should I purchase my tickets?

Airline tickets are purchased through your property's petty cash card. You are responsible for booking your flight and you must obtain Regional Manager approval prior to booking. You are also responsible for adhering to the travel expense policies located in the Employee Handbook.

If I'm flying to and from the conference, when should my flight arrive/depart?

If you are flying to and from the conference, we ask that you arrive in Nashville (airport code: BNA) by 6:00 pm on Monday, March 18. Return flights should depart no earlier than 3:15 pm CST on Thursday, March 21, to assure you are in attendance, and able to enjoy the conference in full.

Is there a hotel shuttle I can take to/from the airport?

There is no shuttle to the hotel. It is recommended to hire a rideshare such as Lyft or Uber. You can also use a taxi service. When possible, please try to carpool with other attendees to reduce the total travel cost. It is recommended that you schedule a pickup in advance but no earlier than 1:30 pm CST to avoid price surges and ensure a timely return to the airport.

I'm driving to Conference. Is there anything I should be aware of?

Employees should carpool to/from Conference, when possible.
Rental cars may be used when other suitable and less expensive means are not practical. If this is necessary, employees should share rental cars.
Reserving rental cars must be approved in advance by your Regional Manager.
Employees who choose not to carpool will not be reimbursed for mileage unless prior written approval has been granted by a supervisor.
Parking: There is no self-parking available at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel. Instead, attendees must park in the public parking garage across the street from the hotel. Entrance to this garage is at 151 6th Avenue N, Nashville, TN 37203. The cost for parking is $20 per day and may be expensed back to your community. Valet parking will not be reimbursed.

CHECK-IN & REGISTRATION

What day should I check in at the hotel?

Everyone should arrive and check in on Monday, March 18th after 4:00 pm.

Will I have to provide a credit card to the hotel upon checking in?

No. Hawthorne is handling this on your behalf. However, please be advised to not charge any incidentals to your room. If expenses are incurred, they will be charged back to you.

Where is the conference registration booth?

After checking in to your room, you'll want to visit the conference registration booth in the event lobby to secure your name badge and other Leadership Conference resources. The registration booth is open during the following times: A hotel representative can guide you to the booth.

Monday evening (March 18th): 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Tuesday morning (March 19th): 7:30 am – 8:15 am

When is check-out?

Checkout is Thursday, March 21st. While the official check-out time is 11:00am, it is recommended that everyone check out before the morning's kickoff at 9:00am. Luggage check will be provided for those who need it.

DRESS CODE

Throughout Conference:

Community Managers: Business Casual. Capris are acceptable.
Resident Services Supervisors: Polo or button-up shirt and khakis or navy pants. No jeans, service uniforms, or hats.

Awards Dinner - March 20th
The Hawthorne awards dinner is a time to reflect and celebrate on your achievements from the past year. Come dressed looking your best in Hawthorne's colors! Choose from any of the colors in the palette below, sequins and sparkle are encouraged!
• Ladies: Hawthorne-colored cocktail attire
• Gentlemen: Hawthorne-colored suit and tie OR dress slacks, button-up shirt with tie

Casual Day - March 21st

Casual dress is allowed on Thursday. Come dressed in your Regional T-Shirt, khakis, capris, or jeans (no holes or tears). No shorts, hats, sandals, or flip-flops, please.

HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS

During registration, attendees have the option to share a room with two queen beds with another attendee at no charge or to request a private room at a $500 charge.

Private Rooms: Availability at the hotel is limited, so attendees who pay the room charge in full first will secure their reservation first. Once all private rooms have been filled, attendees who did not make the reservation list will still be able to attend the conference but will be notified accordingly and any payments will be refunded.
Shared Rooms: For attendees choosing to share a room, they will be asked to add up to 2 roommate preferences. It is advised that attendees contact their preferences before registering. Please note that roommate preferences cannot be guaranteed.
Rooming List: In order to provide clear communication, Hawthorne will provide Regional Managers with their site team rooming list prior to the conference to review and make any recommended edits.
This hotel is smoke-free.

MEALS

Meals provided to attendees at the Conference are as follows:

Any meals not covered by Hawthorne at the conference can be expensed back to the property, including travel to & from the event.

Please refer to the HRP Employee Handbook's travel policies below:

The Company offers a per diem meal limit of $25.00 for employees that travel back home from an overnight stay. Day trip travel is not eligible for this meal reimbursement.
When traveling overnight, meal reimbursement is allowed up to a maximum of $50.00 per day. Detailed receipts of each meal must be submitted with the expense report in order to be reimbursed.
Regional Manager and Regional Vice President may pay for onsite staff lunches and/or dinners for special occasions. Ex: birthday, meeting financial goals etc. This should not occur at each property visit.
The Company will not reimburse gratuity that is paid over 20 percent.
Alcohol will not be reimbursed.
Coffee breaks or snacks are considered a personal expense and are not reimbursable.

FREE TIME: MARCH 19TH

This time is set aside as on opportunity for our employees to relax, unwind, or take in all the host city has to offer. During this time, the company will reimburse employees for dinner per the policies detailed in Hawthorne’s Employee Handbook with these meal expenses being charged back to their property.

Alternatively, Regional Managers may opt to gather their employees from their region during this free time to spend quality time together as a group in order to create a memorable team-bonding experience. Please note that this is not a company requirement, but is optional, should the Regional Manager choose.

CONFERENCE POLICIES

Please refer to the HRP Employee Handbook's leadership conference policies below:

The Company may host leadership and education conferences for eligible members of corporate and on-site teams. Eligible employees must be in good standing with the Company to be considered to attend these annual conferences. Regional Managers will advise team members of their eligibility status. This is a time of learning, fellowship, and teambuilding with other associates within the organization. Employees need to adhere to the below policies regarding pay and travel time in consideration with their attendance to the annual leadership conference.

Attendance at the Leadership and Education Conferences is not mandatory, but the Company encourages all eligible employees to attend as an opportunity for professional development. Eligible employees unable to attend annual conferences must notify their Regional Manager.

Due to the advance nature and cost of event planning, an employee who registers for a conference and fails to cancel prior to 30 days in advance of the first day of conference or who attends and voluntarily terminates their employment with the Company within 30 days of attending the conference, will be required to reimburse the Company for a portion of the cost of their participation in the conference. The Company policy regarding cancellations fees and reimbursement of employee conference attendance costs that are initially paid for by the Company is as follows:

Cancellation Fees

Current active employees who register for a conference who do not attend and did not cancel more than 30 days before the first day of conference will be charged a cancellation fee of $250.

Current active employees who register for a conference who cancel more than 30 days before the first day of conference will not be charged a cancellation fee.

Cancellation fees will be in the form of a payroll deduction.

Attendance Cost Reimbursements

Employees who voluntarily terminate employment within 14 days after the last day of the conference are required to reimburse the Company $1,000 for attendance cost.

Employees who voluntarily terminate employment between 15 to 30 days after the last day of the conference are required to reimburse the Company $750 for attendance cost.

Employees who voluntarily terminate employment 31 days or more after the last day of the conference will not be required to reimburse the Company for attendance cost.

The above reimbursement may be in the form of a payroll deduction.

Exceptions

Employees unable to attend conference after registering due to starting an approved leave of absence will be excluded from the cancellation fee.

Military spouses employed at the Company will be excluded from the conference reimbursement requirement if it is deemed that their separation from the company was due to military transfer orders. Documentation verifying the military transfer may be requested as a condition for exclusion.

Last Day of Conference

Team members attending conference whose property is in the same city where the conference is held are expected to return to their communities for the remainder of the workday if the conference ends prior to the end of business hours for that day and property.