MoASBO Suitcasing and Outboarding Policy
MoASBO values our relationship with business partners and conference sponsors. Consequently, we seek to protect the investment of our exhibitors and sponsors to ensure their success at our conferences.
MoASBO’s business partners, event sponsors, and exhibitors invest significant financial and other generous resources in the planning and hosting of their on-site booth spaces and/or sanctioned activities.
Therefore, MoASBO strictly prohibits “suitcasing” or “outboarding” by persons who conduct business at the conference and do not have an exhibit or sponsorship investment at the conference. For the purposes of this policy, the following definitions will be applied:
- SUITCASING is defined as any activity designed to solicit or sell products/services to attendees of a meeting, conference, or event without the proper authorization via the event organizer, or in ways that violate the rules of the event or exhibition. It can also refer to non-exhibiting/non-sponsoring companies or individuals who go to conferences as an attendee and solicit business in the tradeshow aisles, session rooms, or hotel lobbies and common areas.
- OUTBOARDING refers to non-exhibiting/non-sponsoring companies or individuals that host meetings, events, or demos, etc. outside of the exhibit hall, such as in hospitality suites, restaurants, or public places in close proximity to the conference, and encourage conference attendees to leave the conference to attend their events. MoASBO considers outboarding to be unethical business conduct and will not be condoned nor tolerated.
MoASBO provides permission for registered exhibitors to market their products and services within exhibit spaces. Only MoASBO may provide permission for sponsors to market outside of those designated areas. Attendee registration is intended for practitioners of school finance and operations. We welcome an interactive environment and encourage attendees to network and discuss ideas. To cultivate this learning environment, attendees are not permitted to solicit other attendees or distribute marketing/promotional materials.
Consequences of Suitcasing or Outboarding
- Any attendee or company who is observed to be suitcasing or outboarding will be given a warning and asked to stop their activity. Companies/attendees who do not comply will be asked to leave the conference immediately and may be prohibited from attending future MoASBO meetings and conferences. Companies may be prohibited from registering for the business partnership program.
- MoASBO reserves the right to shut down on-site events, including meetings and demos, if the event is found to be in violation of this policy and does not have prior authorization from MoASBO to take place.
- Companies that do not have an exhibit or sponsorship investment at the conference will be excluded from MoASBO’s hotel room block for the conference. If these individuals register for hotel rooms at the conference, they will be asked to cancel the reservation, as space is limited and priority should be given to conference attendees and presenters.
- MoASBO reserves the right to suspend partnership for one year with companies who violate this policy, with the hope of re-establishing a partnership in the future. A letter of explanation will be sent, explaining the violation and resulting consequences.
MoASBO asks that attendees do not engage with individuals who are involved in Suitcasing or Outboarding activities. We ask attendees to decline invitations that conflict with official MoASBO activities and programming and to report violations to MoASBO staff or a board member.
