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Sponsorship & Exhibiting

Your business survives by innovating, but innovation needs customers willing to push the status quo. Sponsoring the conference goes beyond advertising your company; it creates the means for attendees to explore new ideas. Whether you’re a service provider or technology producer, a merchandiser or a builder, an exhibit producer or theater integrator – we present the Universe in new ways, and we need your vision to do it.

Sponsor registration consists of two sections; package selection and optional add-ons.

Sponsorship puts you in front of our attendees, and becoming a member of GLPA gives you the opportunity to professionally develop beyond the week of the conference, and shape the organization’s mission. Consider adding membership for yourself and your team.

Regardless of how you contribute, we’re grateful for your commitment to our community. See you in Grand Rapids!

Registration price increases
September 19

Sponsorship per-day late fees start
October 7

Packages

Moon

$150

  • Materials displayed on shared, unfacilitated table
  • Listed by name as a ‘Conference Sponsor’ in the notebook

Planet

$400

  • Standard booth
  • Listed by name as a ‘Conference Sponsor’ in the notebook
  • Eligible to add-on Fulldome Film Screening time

Solar System

$1,200

  • Standard booth
  • 10 minute plenary session (flat screen)
  • One conference registration – including meal package, minus banquet
  • Listed by name and logo as a ‘Conference Sponsor’ in the notebook
  • Recognized as a break sponsor
  • Eligible to add-on Fulldome Film Screening time

Galaxy

$1,800

  • Standard booth
  • 10 minutes plenary session (dome or flat screen)
  • One conference registration – includes meal package, minus banquet
  • Listed by name and logo as a ‘Conference Sponsor’ in the notebook
  • Recognized as breakfast, hospitality, or break sponsor
  • Eligible to add-on Fulldome Film Screening time

Universe

$3,250

  • Double booth including space for portable dome
  • 15 minutes plenary session (dome guaranteed – first 3)
  • One conference registration – includes meal package, minus banquet
  • Logo on the cover of the printed notebook
  • Listed by name and logo as a ‘Conference Sponsor’ in the notebook
  • One included promotional item in bag
  • Recognized as dinner, lunch, or reception sponsor
  • Eligible to add-on Fulldome Film Screening time

Parallel Universe

$4,000+

  • Double Booth including space for portable dome
  • 20 minute plenary session (dome guaranteed – first 2)
  • One conference registration – includes meal package, minus banquet
  • Logo on the cover of the printed notebook
  • Listed by name and logo as a ‘Conference Sponsor’ in the notebook
  • One included promotional item in bag
  • Recognized as dinner sponsor
  • Eligible to add-on Fulldome Film Screening time

Add-Ons

Sponsor early to ensure you get the add-ons you want. Contact the Development Chair with other ideas!

Additional Sponsor Representative
Includes meal package, minus banquet

Full Conference: $450 ($520 starting September 19)
Tues-Thurs: $300 ($340 starting September 19)

Dome Plenary Presentation Time
5 minutes – $250
10 minutes – $500
15 minutes – $1,500
20 minutes – $2,000

Flat Screen Plenary Presentation Time
5 minutes – $150
10 minutes – $300
15 minutes – $800
20 minutes – $1,000

Wifi Naming
Name the conference center wifi or password
$1,000

Exhibit Hall Space
Standard Booth – $300
Double Booth – $700
Portable Planetarium – $1,000

Item in the Conference Bag
$50/item

Fulldome Film Screenings
Thursday, Oct 22 7:00 pm – 10:30 pm
$20/min (min: 15 min | max: 45 min)

Attendance is optional and out of our control. Please respect the audience’s time by presenting complete shows; demos or trailers will be declined. Register early – the presentation order is determined by registration order.

Bussing
$500/bus

Table Wine at Banquet
Company name & logo placed with wine at each table
$750

Another Way to Contribute

The Planetarian Exchange Program (PEP) connects Great Lakes Planetarium Association members with opportunities to visit fellow planetarians, fostering collaboration, professional growth, and the sharing of innovative programming ideas. Through this program, host institutions gain access to guest presenters and fresh perspectives, while visiting planetarians expand their networks and experience diverse approaches to science communication. By strengthening connections across the region, the Exchange Program helps build a more vibrant and supportive planetarium community.

Select a $500, $1,000, or $1,500 contribution during your registration process!

Timeline

September 19

Registration price increases

September 23

Conference Bag items due

October 1

Fulldome content due

October 6

Registration period ends
Cancellation & Refund period ends

October 7

Sponsorship per-day late fees start

October 20

Conference starts

Additional Details

Facilities

About the Planetarium & Theater

Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium
50ft diameter dome
147 seats
Digistar 2025
JVC DLA-VS4010R x2
ChromaCove lighting

Meijer Theater
24ft rectangular screen 16:9
237 seats

About the Exhibit Hall

The exhibit hall is located on the second floor of the museum.
5,300 sqft
13ft 8in ceiling

Standard booth table size – 8ft x 3ft
Sponsors supply their own power extension cables
Contact conference host for storage needs
If you would like your booth to be located in the darkened section please note this in registration. This section is best for showing off lasers and projections.

Shipping & Fulldome Content Delivery

Shipments for the Exhibit Hall, Planetarium, and Theater
Can arrive on October 12

Jack Daleske
272 Pearl St NW
Grand Rapids Public Museum
Grand Rapids, MI 49504

Include:
“Hold for GLPA Conference”
Date of Conference: 10/20/2026 – 10/24/2026
Box _ of _ [multiple boxes must be numbered]

Fulldome Content Delivery
Upload up your files to: contentandconferences.wetransfer.com
(maximum 200GB transfer)

Submit fulldome content by October 1

Shipments for the museum (dome demonstrations and flat screen sponsor talks)
Jack Daleske
272 Pearl St NW
Grand Rapids Public Museum
Grand Rapids, MI 49504

Shipments for Conference Bag
Jack Daleske
272 Pearl St NW
Grand Rapids Public Museum
Grand Rapids, MI 49504

Fulldome Specifications

Video
Fisheye projection, 4096×4096 maximum resolution
MP4 video container, either H.264 or H.265 (HEVC) codec
For H.264: minimum of 30 mbps, maximum of 125 mbps, CBR or VBR 1-pass; 8-bit color
For H.265: minimum of 20 mbps, maximum of 50 mbps, CBR or VBR 1-pass; 8-bit or 10-bit color
Frame rate of either 30 or 60 FPS (please specify in file name)

Video file title name example:
sponsorName_projectTitle_resolution_frameRate_fps_stereo/surround/noAudio.mp4
No spaces in filename. No hyphens in filename. Limit filename characters to letters, numbers, or underscores.

Audio
Stereo (L & R channels) can be encoded within the video if preferred. Otherwise, see specifications for surround 5.1.
Surround 5.1 should be a single combined uncompressed .WAV, 16-bit/48 kHz
Digistar channel ingestion: L > R > C > LFE > Ls > Rs
Sound files should be 0 timecode — playback of audio and video files must be synchronized.

Audio file title name examples — include stereo or surround as appropriate for the file:
sponsorName_projectTitle_stereo/surround.wav
sponsorName_projectTitle_stereo/surround.mp3
sponsorName_projectTitle_stereo/surround.ac3
Split surround audio file title name example:
sponsorName_projectTitle_L.wav
sponsorName_projectTitle_R.wav
sponsorName_projectTitle_Lfe.wav
sponsorName_projectTitle_Ls.wav
sponsorName_projectTitle_Rs.wav

No spaces in filename. No hyphens in filename. Limit filename characters to letters, numbers, or underscores.

Great Lakes Planetarium Association
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