Convention Information: 2025 Motor Maids Convention

The Motor Maids is a membership driven club and the business of the club is conducted at Convention. Attendance at the Convention Business meeting provides members with the opportunity to have an active role in the management and direction of the club.

The Motor Maids annual Convention begins on the first Tuesday after the 4th of July. Conventions are held in a different part of North America by zones each year and hosted by a different district. Convention sites rotate between the Eastern, Western, and Central zones with elections of Executive Officers always held in the Central zone. The Convention sites are voted on at Convention three years ahead.

A district representative makes a bid for a Convention by giving a short presentation at Convention three years prior to the year their zone will be hosting. If more than one district makes a bid, the location is voted on by the membership in attendance at Convention.

The riding requirement for Convention attendance has been a major factor in differentiating the Motor Maids from other women’s motorcycle groups since the inception of the club. The rotation of Convention locations provides ample opportunities for members to attend a Convention.

Convention is a Motor Maids sponsored event with prizes and trophies awarded for highest direct and touring miles to Convention, winners of the Dot Robinson Road Run, a district with the most miles ridden to Convention, a district with the highest percentage of their district’s membership in attendance, and a district with the most members in attendance. Regular, Life, and Silver Life Members must ride to Convention from their home and from Convention to their home on a motorcycle they operate to attend the Business meeting, count their mileage, appear in the Convention photo, ride in the parade, and have a voice and vote.

If a member lives in a Recreational Vehicle (RV) full time, her mileage is calculated for Convention purposes from where the RV is parked. She must notify the President prior to Convention and receive approval for riding from the RV location.

If a member does not live on the North American continent, she must acquire a motorcycle on the mainland and ride to Convention. Her mileage is calculated from the point of motorcycle acquisition.

If a Regular, Life, or Silver Life Member arrives at Convention by any other means of transportation, she is registered as a guest. As a guest member the Convention does not count towards increment awards. A guest member cannot fully participate in the Business meetings (depending on her membership status), participate in the Dot Robinson Road Run, or be in the official Convention photo or parade. A guest member can attend the planned social activities, including the banquet. The guest member is expected to be in full uniform when attending the banquet and receiving an award.

The President in collaboration with the Convention Coordinator may waive the riding requirement that someone must ride to and from convention due to extenuating circumstances such as:

sudden illness while enroute to or from Convention that necessitates the member to trailer her motorcycle,
a sudden family emergency that requires the member to get home quickly and trailering her motorcycle is the only way to safely and quickly get back home,
mechanical failure of her motorcycle to or from Convention,
members in the military, or a member who must quickly get back home in order to see her son or daughter before the child is deployed to a hostile location while serving in the military.

Note: If something happens on the way to Convention, notify the President immediately to address and discuss options!

All Convention registrations and room bookings are handled through a website portal as outlined in Convention-specific communications.

Only members whose dues are paid through the end of July can register for Convention. Members will be advised when registration begins in March and members with dues paid through the end of July will receive a registration email link.

The Convention registration portal will have two registration start dates.

Early bird registration will open first with registration open to members who are current on their dues through the end of July and turned in their year-end letter by the December 15th deadline.
General registration will open approximately a week later for all members who are current on their dues through the end of July. The status of a member’s year-end letter will not impact her ability to register for Convention during the general registration period.

Members should not register until they are confident that they can attend the Convention. Registration cancellations are non-refundable.

Convention registration close date is outlined in Convention-specific communications and typically mirrors the date when the Convention room block closes at the host hotel. There is no late registration date and no walk-in registrations at Convention.

Members with an email address in the club’s membership roster and dues paid through the end of July will receive an email invitation with a direct link to the registration website. If a member in this group does not receive the email invitation and has checked her spam folder, she may use the direct link to the registration website following the instructions provided in the Convention-specific communications.

Members whose dues are paid through the end of July but do not have an email address in the club’s membership roster can contact their District Director for help in registering for the Convention.

Hotel bookings are part of the Convention registration process. When a member registers for the Convention she indicates her room type, lists the full name(s) of all roommates, and specifies arrival and departure dates. If a member is sharing a room with one or more other members, one member is designated as the room owner. Once the room owner completes her registration, she makes the room reservation using the booking link provided in the registration portal. All housing is based on availability.

At no time should a member call the hotel to book a room, cancel a room, or make any changes to the hotel reservation until she has registered for the Convention.

Members must stay at the contracted Convention hotel for a minimum of 3 nights within the Motor Maids room block. A room reservation at the contracted Convention hotel must either be in the member’s name, or she must be listed as a roommate with another member who has booked a room in her name within the Motor Maids room block. A member’s stay as a roommate in another member’s room must be for a minimum of 3 nights.

The 3-night minimum is required to satisfy the club’s contract obligations for the number of room nights to be booked to receive the benefits of meeting rooms at the hotel.

Registration Cancellation

There are no refunds for any Convention items, including the banquet meal and registration fee. Cancellation requests must be submitted to the Convention Coordinator in writing following the instructions provided in the Convention-specific communications.

Registrations cannot be given or transferred to another member in the event of a cancellation. Any convention items pre-ordered will be forfeited. The items will not be available and there will not be a “ditty bag” assigned to the member who cancelled her registration.

Tips for a member to prepare for convention

Pack uniform and membership card.
Start out prepared – full tank of gas, proper riding gear, knowledge of route, baggage properly secured, and snacks and water packed.
Zero out trip meter before departing from home – this will used to track touring miles to Convention.
If riding in a group – be on time, have a riders meeting so all members in the group know what hand signals will be used and the range between gas stops and breaks. Each member should ride her own ride, which may mean breaking from the group to take additional breaks. Be courteous and expect to make compromises.

No pets are allowed during any of our official convention activities. Convention activities include any meetings, convention photos, convention parade, Dot Robinson Road Run, guided rides, Red Ribbon luncheon/breakfast, registration/check in to pick up ditty bag, banquet and any organized social events or receptions.

No pets in any of the rooms assigned specific to convention- (raffle room, hospitality, history room, meeting rooms, or meeting space assigned for Red Ribbon luncheon/breakfast, receptions or banquet).

It is your choice to bring your pet assuming the host hotel is “pet friendly”. Keep in mind your pet will have restricted access to areas in the hotel related to the Motor Maid convention. If the hotel is pet friendly, then plan accordingly with regards to your pet’s care and well-being when you are busy participating in convention activities.

If you do bring a pet, it must be kept on a leash when interacting with other convention attendees in public areas of the hotel—lobby, parking lot reserved for motorcycles, etc.

We do not make any special concessions with the hotels under contract for convention regarding their corporate pet policy. If there is a fee for housing your pet in the hotel room, then it is your responsibility to pay that extra expense.

Emotional Support Animals must follow the same guidelines as outlined above related to Motor Maid convention activities.

If someone has any issues about this policy contact the Convention Coordinator, Susan Gibson prior to registration for convention.

Our host hotel in Spokane, WA is pet friendly.

Members must check in at Convention even though they have pre-registered. Note: You must have your driver’s license with you to complete the check-in process! The onsite check-in includes signing the event liability waiver and answering a direct question on riding. Members will be asked “Did you ride your motorcycle the full distance from your residence in (State/Province)”?

If Yes
- The direct mileage from the member’s home address (postal code to postal code) is calculated and compiled for district mileage awards.
- The member’s touring miles are recorded – this is the number of miles or kilometers the member rode to Convention based on her zeroed out trip meter (or tracking of odometer miles) from her residence. This information is used to determine the member with the highest touring miles to the Convention.
- The member must sign the registration sheet and liability waiver.
If No, and the member is not a Golden Life Member
- The member will be directed to an Executive Officer so the situation can be assessed, and a determination made on the member’s status as a guest member. If a member is reported as not riding to Convention after registration, her District Director and the President will meet with the member to discuss the situation and determine if a change is needed regarding the member’s status for the Convention.
- The member must sign the registration sheet and event liability waiver.

The next part of the onsite check-in is picking up the Convention “ditty bag”. Members should review the contents and verify that they match their registration form. The ditty bag will include the Convention items the member pre-ordered, a schedule of events, member and guest name tags, and any tickets that will be used onsite such as banquet tickets.

Note: Name tags must be worn during Convention except while riding in the parade and for the Convention photo.

Members attending their first Convention are called Red Ribbons; hence they will have a red ribbon on their name tags along with the blue Convention ribbon.

Typically, after check-in there is a designated place for Red Ribbons to meet other members and ask questions.

The schedule of events lists room locations and times that each room will be open.

Hospitality Room – snacks and drinks and is a place to play cards, games, or visit and share stories.
Supply Room – store of the Motor Maids items for sale by the Supply Officer.
History Room – displays of some of the club’s history items and pictures.
Raffle Room – donated raffle items and ticket sellers.

Welcome meeting. This is a kickoff meeting that includes introductions and explanations for the rest of the Convention:

introduction of the Executive Officers, host District Director and her team, and the Golden Life Members,
acknowledgment of Red Ribbons,
announcements about the parade, Dot Robinson Road Run, and other activities,
presentations by districts bidding for Convention in three years,
Linda Dugeau mileage awards other than the top ten highest mileage,
recruiter awards, and
any additional housekeeping items.

Convention Parade. The full official uniform (including white gloves) and helmets are required. The sidecars, trikes, and Spyders will ride single file at the back of the parade group. All others will ride in a staggered formation with the flag bearers/Executive Officers first. Golden Life Members are allowed to ride in a sidecar or two-up on a trike or Spyder. No other two-up riding is allowed. “Parade angels” will check to ensure that all members are wearing the full official uniform and helmets. The parade angels may also ask members to sheath any flags on their motorcycles and remove items from their motorcycles that may be deemed a safety hazard.

Dot Robinson Road Run Riders and Checkers Meeting. The Dot Robinson Road Run (DRRR) is not a race, it is a timed road run. Riders are given a route sheet with mileage indicators at each turn. The road run is approximately 60 miles of scenic roads with signage posted at the turns. The route has checkpoints where the rider’s time is recorded by checkers. The goal is to average 30 miles per hour and not be early or late to the checkpoints. The details of the run are explained at the Riders meeting and Checkers meeting and all riders and checkers should attend their respective meeting. Note to riders: technology such as a standalone GPS, integrated motorcycle GPS, or the GPS and timer on a smartphone/smartwatch cannot be used by a rider on the DRRR for the purpose of navigation or timing. To avoid any questions or concerns for the DRRR checkers, please keep phones and smartwatches in saddle bags or other secure location during the DRRR.

Dot Robinson Road Run History. The road run was introduced in July 1956 by Aggie Hunt (KS) and Ilene Tilson (MO) to honor the club’s President, Dot Robinson. A newspaper clipping from July 8, 1956, states:

“Motor Maids Event Will Test Skill at Low Speeds. Thirty-five members of the Motor Maids of America will participate in the Annual Dot Robinson Road Run beginning at 10 o’clock Sunday at the intersection of Highway 71 by-pass and Highway 40. The 50-mile event is a contest of skill in riding motorcycles, testing the riders on their ability to maintain stipulated low speed averages. In charge of arrangements in Missouri and state director for the organization, Mrs. Agnes Hunt of Overland Park. Six Kansas City women plan to enter the competition, the event is named for the national president, who lives in Detroit. Trophies and prizes will be awarded in a ceremony at the home of Mrs. Loretta Hutchinson (address extracted).”

Business Meeting. All electronic communication devices (e.g., cell phones, tablets, PCs) must be turned off during meetings. The June Advisory each year contains any proposed changes to the Constitution and Bylaws and other business being brought to the floor for a vote, including candidate profiles in an election year. Members are encouraged to review the June Advisory and to attend their district meetings to be informed about their voting decisions. The election of Executive Officers is held every three years in the Central zone. Additional details on the election process are in the Executive Officer Election Process section of this handbook. If there is more than one district bidding for the Convention three years out, members will vote on the location.

Members eligible to vote are Regular, Life, and Silver Life Members who rode their motorcycle to Convention and Golden Life Members.

Sergeant at Arms. The President appoints several members to serve as Sergeant at Arms during the Convention. These appointed members help with meeting coordination and member matters during meetings. They keep track of members entering and exiting the room to ensure proper quorum numbers for voting and monitor the use of electronic communication devices. If a Sergeant at Arms finds a member using such device during a meeting, the member has the option of turning over the device and retrieving it at the end of the meeting or leaving the meeting entirely.

Banquet. The full official uniform other than the white gloves is required. There will be a social hour prior to the banquet. Meal tickets that were in the ditty bags are needed to assist the servers. Except for a few reserved tables, it is open seating. After the meal, membership status awards, Dot Robinson Road Run winner awards, Linda Dugeau high roller awards, and long-distance awards (direct miles and touring miles to Convention) are presented. Acknowledgements are made, the 50/50 drawing is held, the banner is passed to the hosting district for the following year, and the Convention is officially over.

When is registration open for convention?

The 2025 convention registration portal will have two registration start dates:

Early Bird Registration will open April 21st. Early Bird registration is open to members who are current with their dues through July of 2025 and who also turned in their Year End Letter by the December 15, 2024 due date. If your join date is in the month of, April, May, June or July you may have to pay your dues ahead of time in order to be current through July of 2025 in order to register for convention.

General Registration will open on April 28th. General registration is open to ALL members who are current with their dues through July of 2025. The final status of a member’s 2025 Year End Letter paperwork will not impact a member’s ability to register for convention during general registration.

Not being current with dues through the month of July of 2025 will impact a member’s ability to register for convention both for the Early Bird registration date and General Registration date.

You cannot register for convention at any time unless your dues are current/paid up through the month of July 2025.

The last day to register is on June 2nd. This is the very last day you can register for convention. There is no late registration date.

How do I start the registration process?

How do I register for convention if I do not have an email address?

metroConnections, our current event planning company, does not offer call-in registration services. All attendees must register for convention on-line through the registration website link. We are asking District Directors to help the 14 Motor Maids who currently do not have an email address. If a Motor Maid who does not have an email address wants to attend convention, then the District Director needs to contact the Convention Coordinator-Susan Gibson. Susan will walk the District Director through the process on how to register these specific members.

What happens if I do not receive an email from metroConnections to register for convention?

First check the SPAM/Junk Mail folder on your email account. If you do not receive an email invitation to register for convention check the following:

Do we have your correct email address? If not, notify Angela Manley, our Membership Secretary OR go to our Motor Maid web site and update your email in your membership profile.
Are your dues current through the month of July of 2025? If not contact Pam Tiller, our Treasurer.
Did you Year End Letter paperwork arrive by December 15, 2024? If not, you will be able to register on April 28th during general registration (assuming your dues are current).

metroConnections will receive updated membership rosters every 2 weeks, or so after the initial launch of registration. These updated membership rosters include members who are current with their dues and new members who are listed on the monthly report.

Can I help another member register on-line if they do not feel comfortable going on-line to register or who do not have an email address?

How do I know I have successfully registered for convention?

How do I make changes to my convention registration- i.e. change t-shirt size, add an item, etc.?

Are we doing walk-in registrations at the start of convention week?

Does my guest have to register for convention?

How do we cancel our convention registration?

Contact Susan Gibson as the Convention Coordinator, in writing, to cancel your convention registration. You must submit something in writing to cancel your registration.

There will be no refunds for any convention items; including the banquet meal and registration fee. If you do not have email, then call Susan Gibson, and she will go through the proper channels in the Motor Maid organization and metroConnections regarding your cancellation. Your cancellation will be noted and recorded once the Convention Coordinator and President have reviewed the circumstances around your cancellation. You cannot give your registration to another member or transfer it to another member in the event you need to cancel. We all need to register under our own name and unique Motor Maid ID #. Any convention items pre-ordered will not be mailed after convention. When you cancel you forfeit any convention items you pre-ordered. Do not make arrangements for another attendee to pick up your convention items during convention. The items will not be available and there will not be a convention “ditty bag” assigned to you when you cancel.

How are we booking our hotel reservations?

You must first register for convention with MetroConnections before booking a room. You must indicate during registration if you are the Room Captain/owner of the room or are you rooming with someone else who has booked a room. If as the owner/Room Captain who is sharing a room with another Motor Maid(s) or guest, please list their full name(s) as your roommate when asked.

If you are rooming with someone else and they are responsible for booking the room, you must list the Room Captain/owner when asked during convention registration.

Once you have completed registration for convention with metroConnections, you will receive a separate email from metroConnections with a link to the hotel on-line reservation services specific for the Motor Maid block.

If you do not need to book a room because you are a roommate with a Motor Maid who is making the hotel reservation, then no further action is needed on your part when you receive the link to the hotel on-line booking services. Make sure you are not duplicating room reservations, where all 3 roommates are booking a room they plan on sharing. Decide before registration who in your group is reserving the room.

Your hotel reservation confirmation letter along with your hotel room confirmation number will be sent directly to you via email from the host hotel. Only the room captain/owner of the room will receive the hotel confirmation notice.

At no time should you call the hotel to book your room until after you have registered for convention.

You must stay at the hotel we have contracted for convention a minimum of 3 nights within the Motor Maid room block. A room reservation at the contracted hotel must either be in your own name or you must be listed as a roommate with another member who has booked a room in their name in the Motor Maid block. Your stay as a roommate in someone else’s room must be at least 3 nights.

The Motor Maid room block at the host hotel closes on June 4th.

There is a 48 hour notification requirement prior to your check in date to cancel your room without a penalty.

How can I change my hotel reservation?

You will need to contact the hotel directly to make any changes. Additionally, you will need to contact Susan Gibson regarding ANY changes to your hotel information (arrival/departure dates, roommate changes and/or no longer need a room). Susan will need to track all changes in our hotel block for convention so she can closely monitor the Motor Maid room block ensuring we are meeting our contractual obligations with our hotel. Susan will receive regular updates from the hotel on number of rooms booked, types of rooms booked, who has made a reservation, etc.

I have some special housing needs for convention, how do I make those arrangements?

What do I need to successfully register for convention?

Your 4 digit Motor Maid ID #. You can go on-line to the Motor Maid web site to find your unique Motor Maid ID #. Your ID # is also listed on your membership card
Make sure we have your current email address.
Decide if you are booking the room in your name or if you are rooming with someone who is making the reservation.
Know who you are rooming with BEFORE registering for convention.
Your dues MUST be current through the month of July to register for convention. Check your dues expiration on your personal dashboard member information available on the Motor Maid web site-members’ only section. You can contact Pam Tiller, our Treasurer, to verify if your dues are current. Your Motor Maid membership card will also indicate when your dues expire.
Do your homework before registering. Use the registration work sheet found in the March Advisory to pre-plan your convention purchases, guest information, and housing needs.

If you have any questions about your convention registration link; especially if you are looking for the event invitation link in your email, please contact Angela Manley at mmmembership@gmail.com Angela manages the membership roster lists metroConnections receives for registration invitation links sent to our members via email.

What are the COVID Mitigation Policies during Convention?

What is the pet policy for Convention?

This policy has been in place since 2017 and clearly states expectations regarding pets attending convention; including emotional support animals.

If you do bring a pet, it must be kept on a leash when interacting with other convention attendees in public areas of the hotel—lobby, parking lot reserved for motorcycles, etc.

Emotional Support Animals must follow the same guidelines as outlined above related to Motor Maid convention activities.

If someone has any issues about this policy contact the Convention Coordinator, Susan Gibson prior to registration for convention.

Our host hotel in Spokane, WA is pet friendly.