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<p>Dear Mr. Johnson, Thank you for the recent invitation from Keith Johnson to the OACE conference in Seaside; we appreciate the invitation and also your efforts to get attendees to visit the exhibits. Regarding the request from parents asking for materials to be sold at the conference. Representatives of educational publishers are prohibited from selling curriculum directly at the conference. The policy of most educational publishers is for customers to order materials through the catalog. I realize this policy can create an inconvenience for the parents, but the publisher representatives are following the rules of their respective companies. In this time of economic downturn, publishers like schools, school districts, and educational organizations are watching their budgets. In order for a representative to attend a conference, they are more and more needing to show the benefits of a particular conference to their managers. Thus, it is really important that participants are both encouraged and given time in the conference schedule to visit the exhibits. The representatives know the value of connecting with educators at conferences and supporting various organizations. However, with the number of conferences across the state and northwest, they are having to budget like everyone else. This means attending those conferences with the most contact time with participants who are decision makers and/or recommenders. Again, thank you for the invitation and your continued efforts to get conference attendees to visit the exhibits. Sincerely, Jody McCrain Executive Director WOATRA</p>
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