A natural prerequisite to a successful Lone Star Region Convention is adequate publicity to whet the appetites of the Region members and build up the interest necessary to register for the Convention. For the most part, the publicity is achieved through articles in the Region publication, the Marker Lamp. All too frequently, however, those articles are read and the Marker Lamp is put aside with no further action toward registration for the Convention. This is because regis- tration materials are not usually included with the articles.

The Region has a procedure that has the greatest potential benefit toward getting Region members to register early for the Convention - a mailout from the office of the Secretary. All Convention Committees are encouraged to take advantage of this service.

In the Spring of each year, the Secretary mails out information for election of Officers and Directors; that information goes to all members of the Region. By agreement, the Secretary accepts printed information on the next Lone Star Region Convention and includes it with the mailout for the year. The time of mailing usually precedes the Convention by about sixty days, which tends to encourage the members to get their registration forms, and hotel reservation requests, into the mail.

The usual material prepared by the Convention Committee includes an update of publicity for the Convention activities, a Convention registration form, and a request for hotel reservation. However, the Committee is not necessarily limited to those items, and can be as much as can be agreed with the Region Secretary.

There are some simple ground rules:

1. The Committee must ascertain from the Secretary when the mailout is to be made, and the deadline for receipt of the Convention material at the Secretary's address.
2. The Committee must furnish the Convention material printed, collated, folded, and ready for stuffing into envelopes.
3. Hotel reservation cards should be enclosed within the folded papers so they can be stuffed together.
4. The Committee share of the mailing cost will be determined by the Secretary; this cost is a legitimate Convention expense.

If the Convention hotel does not provide a reservation card (usually but not always postage prepaid), the material to be mailed must include a form suitable for the reservation request, as determined by coordination with the hotel.