What is CPAC?

From Wikipedia:
Conservative Political Action Conference

The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC, is an annual political conference attended by conservative activists and elected officials from across the United States. It is the largest annual gathering of conservatives.

It is hosted by the American Conservative Union Foundation (ACUF), a 501(c)3 charity. More than 100 other organizations contribute in various ways. Human Events, the Young America's Foundation, and the National Rifle Association have been three of the most prominent cosponsors in recent years. CPAC has a dedicated staff of two people, conference director Lisa De Pasquale and an assistant.

CPAC History
The conference was founded in 1973 by the American Conservative Union and Young Americans for Freedom as a small gathering of dedicated conservatives. Over the years it has grown to thousands of annual attendees. Roughly half of those in attendance in the past few years have been college-aged.

Speakers have included Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Pat Buchanan, Karl Rove, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Tony Snow, and hundreds of other notable conservatives. Before, during, and after his presidency, Ronald Reagan spoke at CPAC a total of 12 times. In his 1985 speech, he referred to CPAC as his "opportunity to dance with the one that brung ya", referring to the fact that CPAC was a contributing factor to his political success.

Awards
Every year there are several awards given to notable conservatives. Although the exact lineup of awards varies, five awards are usually presented:

The Ronald Reagan Award is the highest award given at CPAC. It is awarded to diehard activists regardless of how high profile they are on a national scale. ACU director David Keene described the award in 2008: "The winners of this award, our highest honor, are not household names, but the men and women working in the trenches who sacrifice, and in so doing set an example for others."
This award is different from the Ronald Reagan Freedom Award, which is not affiliated with CPAC.

The Jeane Kirkpatrick Academic Freedom Award is presented annually in honor of Jeane Kirkpatrick. The Award was first given in 2007 in remembrance of Kirkpatrick's death in 2006.

Defender of the Constitution Award
The Blogger of the Year Award is given to leading conservative bloggers.
The Charlton Heston Courage Under Fire Award is named after the late actor and political activist Charlton Heston and is awarded to people who who demonstrate grace under fire.

CPAC Straw Poll
The annual CPAC straw poll vote serves as a barometer for the feelings of the conservative movement. During the conference, attendees are encouraged to fill out a paper survey that asks questions on a variety of issues. The questions asking for opinions on possible presidential candidates are the most widely reported in both traditional and new media.

CPAC 2006
CPAC 2006 was held February 9-11th at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C.

CPAC 2007
CPAC 2007 was held March 1-3rd at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington D.C. Its tone was uncharacteristically anti-Republican because many speakers and attendees felt that Republicans in congress and to some extent President Bush abandoned conservative principles. Many of the speakers blamed the 2006 election losses on Republican corruption and fiscal irresponsibility. Other than John McCain, every Republican candidate for president at the time was present.

The inaugural Jeane Kirkpatrick Academic Freedom Award was given to Matt Sanchez, who stood up to anti-war protesters critical of his military service at Columbia University. He also appeared on cable television programs on Fox News and penned editorials for the New York Post and Marine Corps Times about the issues involved.

CPAC 2008
President George W. Bush waves to the crowd, alongside American Conservative Union chairman David Keene.CPAC 2008 was held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., from February 7 to February 9, 2008. Mitt Romney ended his campaign during his speech to the crowd, effectively giving the nomination to John McCain. McCain later made a speech where he apologized for not attending CPAC 2007.

Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) co-founder and Chairman Emeritus Alan Charles Kors won the Jeane Kirkpatrick Academic Freedom Award for his "work defending individual liberties on campus". In his acceptance speech Kors "addressed the critical importance of fighting censorship and repression on campus." The Ronald Reagan Award went to Jessica Echard.

CPAC 2009
CPAC 2009 was held February 26–28, 2009, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington D.C. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney won the straw poll for the third consecutive year. Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh was the keynote speaker and winner of the Defender of the Constitution award.

The Jeane Kirkpatrick Academic Freedom Award was awarded to Stephen H. Balch, chairman of the National Association of Scholars (NAS). The Charlton Heston Courage Under Fire Award was given to Paul Jacob for his support of grassroots politics in the face of strong legal opposition.

CPAC 2010
Television and radio host Glenn Beck delivering the keynote address.CPAC 2010 was held February 18–20, 2010 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. The opening keynote speaker was former Florida House speaker Marco Rubio and the closing keynote speaker was conservative commentator Glenn Beck. In his speech Beck denounced progressivism as "a disease in America."[24][25] The Ronald Reagan Award was given to the Tea Party Movement, which marked the first time it was ever given to a group instead of an individual.[26]

The 2010 conference marked the first year in which one of the co-sponsoring groups was the John Birch Society, which had previously been considered too extremist.

CPAC 2011
CPAC 2011 will be held from February 10-12 at the Marriott Wardman Park, which was also the venue for CPAC 2010.

Several people have been invited to speak, including Andrew Breitbart, Arthur C. Brooks, Liz Cheney, Chris Christie, Ann Coulter, Mitch Daniels, Newt Gingrich, David Horowitz, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty, Mike Pence, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum. The final schedule of speakers will not be released until close to the conference.