Decision Gates

Four gates, in order — each unlocks the work downstream of it. All currently pending.

D0 — Date Lockpending

Unlock criteria:

Family survey ranks candidate dates (3rd July weekend default)
Committee confirms July 16–18, 2027 works for host city venues
Locked by mid-2026 — hotel reservation systems only open 365 days out

Family Date Policy: 3rd week of July every other year. For 2027 this is July 16–18 (leading candidate); alternate July weekends are contingency-only.

unlocks D1 — Venue Selection & Contract Signed

D1 — Venue Selection & Contract Signedpending

Unlock criteria:

Atlanta quotes collected (~30 banquet seats + hospitality room)
Shortlist toured; force-majeure / pandemic clause negotiated
Contract signed & initial deposit paid (~50% of event-space fee, non-refundable)

unlocks D2 — Price Set

D2 — Price Setpending

Unlock criteria:

Projected budget finalized from venue contract numbers
Per-attendee tiers set (adult / child ≤12 / couple / family)
Shirt + souvenir book + banquet + Future Fund admin bundled into fee

unlocks D3 — Registration Open

D3 — Registration Openpending

Unlock criteria:

Pricing approved (D2) and e-registration ready
Hotel room-block booking link published
Close date set ~30–45 days out to feed the final food guarantee ('owe 3 days prior')