DCAT WEEK FAQs
FAQ: General DCAT Week
DCAT Week takes place throughout Official DCAT Week Hotels that are located within a few city blocks from each other in Midtown Manhattan. The host hotel of the event is the InterContinental Barclay, which is the location of the DCAT Office, one of two DCAT Member Lounges, and all of the Education Programs and Networking Events organized by the DCAT organization.
The Official DCAT Week Hotels where we have contracted business meeting space for DCAT Member Companies are as followed:
- The Benjamin Royal Sonesta New York
- The Fifty Sonesta Select New York
- Hotel 48LEX New York
- InterContinental New York Barclay
- The Lexington Hotel NYC
- Lotte NY Palace
- San Carlos Hotel
DCAT Week concludes on Thursday night with our Annual Dinner which takes place at the New York Hilton Midtown. Click here to see a city map of our locations.
There is no formal registration to attend DCAT Week. However, registration is required to attend DCAT education programs and networking events, as well as obtaining a DCAT Member Company Name Badge which offers exclusive benefits to our member company representatives. For more information, click here.
No. The lounges cannot be utilized for customer or client meetings. Since there can be no guarantee of privacy, member companies doing so put their critical business information at risk. From an organizational perspective, it can also raise the perception that there is intent to share confidential information with other Member Companies, which is in direct conflict with DCAT’s bylaws and antitrust policy.
If we perceive that a member is conducting a business meeting in the lounge, our staff will be forced to ask them to leave. For more information, please see the Member Lounge Policy.
No. DCAT Week is not a trade show and does not offer booth space. The event offers DCAT Member Companies with the ability to reserve Business Meeting Space located in Official DCAT Week Hotels to privately conduct high-level business meetings behind closed doors throughout the week.
Meetings for DCAT Week are predetermined by each company and DCAT does not schedule the meetings for its Member Companies. To help members plan their meeting schedule, DCAT provides the following resources:
- DCAT Mobile App – Offers a networking feature for attendees to login and connect with each other directly through the app.
- DCAT Week Meeting Locator – Lets attendees know in which hotel DCAT Member Companies have Business Meeting Space during DCAT Week, making it easy to plan meetings
Yes. During DCAT Week, customers and suppliers of DCAT Member Companies are not restricted in any way from attending meetings or visiting Member Company Business Meeting Space in Official DCAT Week hotels. Additionally, DCAT membership is not required to attend meetings with any of our Member Companies in their private Business Meeting Spaces if you are invited.
If you have any questions about Business Meeting Space, please contact the Meeting Operations Manager at mvenice@dcat.org or by calling 856-388-2971.
No. There is no additional cost to attend DCAT Week. DCAT Member Companies can incur an optional fee if they wish to obtain Business Meeting Space, Annual Dinner tables, sponsorships and program registration fees for your employees.
Representatives of DCAT Member Companies don’t need a badge but they should obtain one by pre-registering for it or registering for one on-site. The badge will provide your company employees with access to several member-only locations throughout the event, including the DCAT Member Lounges in the InterContinental Barclay and Lotte New York Palace hotels. Plus, it is a great way to network all week long!
We don’t have one universal list of attendees. However, DCAT Member Company representatives are encouraged to download the DCAT Member Company Mobile App to view and connect with other members who are planning to attend. A list of DCAT Member Companies who have Business Meeting Space in our official hotels can be found in the Meeting Locator.
We recommend you start your preparations as soon as possible. Everyone’s schedules get busy, so the earlier you can do prep-work, the better. A suggested planning timeline:
- Two/three months out:
- Set up meetings with customers/suppliers
- Plan your DCAT Annual Dinner attire
- Register for Member Name Badges and Events
- Make other plans (dinner or lunch reservations, tickets for a show, etc.)
- One month to one week out:
- Reconfirm meeting locations and times
- FInalize your company calendar for the week
- Print a copy of the schedule and your agendas
- Plan your elevator pitch for networking
- Bring more business cards than you think you will need!
All information relating to the on-site DCAT Office and Member Lounges at DCAT Week can be found here.
Yes, DCAT has a year-round mobile app! There are features within the app such as direct messaging for setting up meetings, digital business cards for using onsite at the event, event attendee lists (and more!) that will help you navigate DCAT Week and make the most out of your week. We suggest you download it ahead of time to get familiar with those features.
Each week DCAT sends out a weekly newsletter. Click here to read archived issues of the newsletter. Click here to subscribe to the DCAT mailing list to never miss out on DCAT news.
Yes, if you are a DCAT Member Company you can utilize the Member Brand Toolkit to use DCAT Week logos.
No, you must pick up a physical bage and display your badge to gain access to member lounges, networking events, education programs, and anywhere else that a name badge would be required.
FAQ: Business Meeting Space & Hotels
Business Meeting Space in Official DCAT Week Hotels is exclusively available to DCAT Member Companies. All reservations for Business Meeting Space must be made through DCAT by contacting the Meeting Operations Manager at mvenice@dcat.org or by calling 856-388-2971.
DCAT contracted Business Meeting Space can only be booked though DCAT directly and is exclusively available to DCAT Member Companies. Do not contact the hotel if you are interested in Business Meeting Space. Please contact the Meeting Operations Manager at mvenice@dcat.org or by calling 856-388-2971. If you are looking to book a guest room for overnight accommodations, please click here.
Most Business Meeting Spaces have TV screens if they are in the hotels. The only spaces that would not have TV screens are larger breakout spaces. If you are in one of these spaces and would need a TV, please contact the A/V team that is listed on your letter of confirmation from the hotel.
Please contact the Meeting Operations Manager at mvencie@dcat.org for more information on how to fill these requests.
You cannot bring your own food and beverage into meeting spaces at DCAT partner hotels. You must use the menus that are provided by the hotel your space is booked in.
Only Business Meeting Space is booked through DCAT. If you wish to make overnight accommodations for individual stay, please click here or call an individual hotel’s reservation department directly.
Yes. Hotel sleeping rooms are open to the public. You may book sleeping rooms directly through the hotel by going here.
FAQ: Registration
For full instructions on how to register for DCAT Week, please read the Registration User Guide.
No, however if you are an employee of a DCAT Member Company, it is encouraged you pre-register for a member name badge, even if you don’t plan to attend education programs or networking events. The member company name badge offers its own set of exclusive benefits including access to member-only areas throughout the event.
No. Customers and suppliers of DCAT Member Companies, regardless of membership, are not restricted in any way from attending meetings or visiting Member Company Business Meeting Space in Official DCAT Week Hotels if you are invited by the hosting member company.
Registration is only an option for DCAT Member Company representatives so they can pre-register for education programs, networking events, and receive their member name badge onsite to receive member privileges.
DCAT identifies Member Company Representatives by their email domain which must match the Registered Member Company domain. DCAT’s website is able to identify member company domains during event registration. At DCAT Week, please present a business card.
No. Registration is exclusive to employees of DCAT Member Companies.
No. If you are invited to meet with one of our member companies in their private meeting space, you are not restricted in any way from attending it.
No, only employees of registered subsidiaries of DCAT Member Companies are eligible for benefits.
No, only employees of Registered DCAT Member Companies are eligible for benefits.
Yes. Program and event registration is exclusive to all employees of DCAT Member Companies.
No. There is no limit to the number of employees from a DCAT Member Company who register for a member badge, or register for any education session or networking event.
When you log into the event for registration, you will enter the quantity of people you are registering for, then click continue. On the next screen you will select or enter the information about the contacts you are registering for. After they are entered, you will be brought to the next screen to set up sessions for the contacts in your group. If they are only receiving badges, click continue to checkout.
Yes. They will receive an email confirmation after you complete their registration.
Log into the event here and click the Manage Registration button. You may also add additional people to your group by clicking “Create New Attendee.”
Yes. They will log into the DCAT Portal then go into the event (or log directly into the event here) then can select “Manage Registration” to register and pay for additional sessions. If they don’t have a user record, they will select new user on the login screen to create one.
No the system will only allow you to register and add contacts from your company who have an approved email domain associated to your company account.
Go to the event page and click “Login” at the top-right corner of the screen. Once you’re logged in, you will see the Register Button turn to “Manage Registration.” Click that button to view your registration.
Yes, but only if that contact is at your company. To view instructions on how to transfer your registration, please read the Transfers User Guide.
Yes. Log into the event -> Click Manage Registration -> Click the three dots to the right of your registration and click “Add New Sessions.”
FAQ: Troubleshooting
It is likely that the person you are trying to register is already in our database but listed with their previous company. You may complete and submit this form with the contact’s information, or email their information to support@dcat.org so we can update the contact internally. Please include the name, title, email and company of the registrant.
Please contact support@dcat.org.
Go to the login screen and click “Forgot password?” Then follow the prompts to issue yourself a reset password email to set up a new password.
Please let us know by filling out this form or contacting support@dcat.org.
This means your colleague is already registered for DCAT Week with a different group. If you need access to their registration, contact support@dcat.org.
FAQ: Annual Dinner
The 98th DCAT Annual Dinner Speaker will be announced at a later date.
Non-members are welcome to attend the DCAT Annual Dinner as guests of table holding member companies.
Yes, all guests who attend the event need to be pre-registered by the Designated Table Contact using the DCAT Annual Dinner System. However dinner guests do not need to be registered with a DCAT Week Member Name Badge, they only need to be registered within the Dinner System if they are attending the dinner.
The Designated Dinner Table Contact for the company hosting your table will have your Annual Dinner Badge, unless he or she has contacted the DCAT office to make other arrangements.
Designated Annual Dinner Table Contacts are responsible for picking up and distributing name badges to guests. Please do not send individual guests to pick up their name badges.
Designated Dinner Table Contacts can pick up their table’s dinner badges during DCAT Week at the DCAT Office in the InterContinental Barclay (Barclay Salon, 1st Floor). In addition, Dinner Table Contacts will also have the opportunity to pick up dinner badges at Early Badge Pick up on the Sunday before DCAT Week. Designated Dinner Table Contacts can find more information regarding their table and guests here.
Yes. Name badges are the official ticket to the DCAT Annual Dinner. They are required for entry into the Pre-Annual Dinner Reception, the 97th DCAT Annual Dinner, and Post-Dinner Hospitality events. Individuals without the appropriate name badge will not be allowed access to these areas.
The Designated Dinner Table Contacts should use the DCAT online dinner system to add or change dinner guests up until Thursday, March 20th at 12:00 PM. Click here for more information.
There are only a certain number of allotted tickets given to sponsors of the Annual Dinner for the meet and greet of the Annual Dinner speaker. If you are interested in becoming an Annual Dinner sponsor, please contact the Director of Member Services at lkuna@dcat.org.
Yes, vegetarian meals are available. The designated table contact can indicate the request for a vegetarian meal for their guests when they enter them into the online dinner system.
The DCAT Annual Dinner is a black-tie event. Gentlemen are required to wear tuxedos and ladies must wear evening or cocktail attire.
Tuxedo rental:
Ladies’ formalwear rental: