by LeRoy F. Saunders
Everything is coming together for our convention in Louisville. Pat and I just spent several days in that beautiful city, and although we are exhausted — from all the tours and hospitality we experienced there — I am pleased to tell you that there are abundant resources and Kentuckians who are preparing to make us feel welcome and entertained in Kentucky.
Tours
Pat and I spent two wonderful, and exhausting, days going from one tour site to another, so we could check out what’s available for all of you who are planning to spend the July 4 week with us at the national convention. We were fortunate to be escorted by Carla Ruschival, who knows her way around the Blue Grass State, and two tour companies who were eager to show us the diverse attractions the state can offer us. We went to Churchill Downs; Sluggers Factory and Museum; The Bell of Louisville, a lovely plantation; a pottery factory; a dinner theater; a gambling riverboat on the Ohio River; and — of course — the American Printing House for the Blind! And that’s just a sample of what’s available!
Pat and I had a most pleasant visit with Tuck Tinsley at the American Printing House for the Blind (APH). I want to say a special word of thanks to Tuck, because in addition to keeping us company and showing us around, he was getting ready for APH’s annual meeting. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour of APH and the time we spent in the APH museum. I think many of you will want to schedule a block of time for touring this fascinating museum.
Jerry Annunzio will be setting up all the convention-related tours. I have asked Carla to work with Jerry, and I am confident that their team will be able to provide some exciting and entertaining experiences for those of you who plan on taking some tours and seeing some Kentucky sights. Stay tuned to “The Braille Forum” in coming months for more details.
The Hotel
The Galt House Hotel is close to the airport. It takes only about 15 minutes to make the trip from the airport to the hotel. We expect the Galt House to provide shuttle service at a rate of $8 each way. However, when Pat and I were in Louisville, we took taxis to and from the airport, for a flat rate of $14 each way, so we have not thoroughly investigated the hotel shuttle service yet.
While we were there, we were able to settle on the exhibit space, and also to figure out which meetings could be held where. All of the exhibits will be located directly across from the ballroom, where we will be holding our general sessions. Right now, it looks as though all of our meetings will be in the East Tower.
All of the restaurants are located in the West Tower. One coffee-shop-type restaurant, called the River Grill, is open from 6 a.m. until midnight. But, if you’re a real coffee-drinker, be advised that a cup of coffee in this establishment cost me $1.69. (I will be packing a coffee pot — and Pat will be packing a hair dryer —for our convention stay, since the Galt House does not supply coffee pots in the rooms, and we could not determine just how many hair dryers housekeeping might be able to make available.)
Don’t worry, though. Members of the Kentucky Council of the Blind are going all out to make sure that our stay in their home state is comfortable and pleasant. I would like to thank all the members of KCB for their help and input.
Margarine Beaman has also made a visit to Kentucky and has met with the hotel staff and with KCB. Margarine is the person who will work with the hotel on accessibility, braille, and recruiting and training volunteers. It takes a lot of volunteers to assist us in having a great convention. Thanks to Margarine and members of the KCB, everything is already falling into place for the 2000 convention.
The Galt House is a comfortable hotel. You may remember that all the accommodations in the East Tower are suites, and that the cost per night is $65 plus state and local taxes. Our contract with the hotel requires that you make a deposit for one night’s stay (including the amounts for state and local taxes) when you make your hotel reservation. You may use a credit card, a check, or a money order to accomplish this. To receive a refund of your deposit, you must notify the hotel of changes in plans at least 48 hours prior to your arrival date. Remember, if it turns out that you are unable to attend the convention after you have made room reservations — if you don’t want to lose your deposit and if you don’t want ACB’s convention costs to go up — you should notify ACB and the hotel of your intent to cancel by May 31.
Our Contract with the Hotel
Initially, we have contracted with the Galt House for a block of 400 rooms. Our contractual arrangements stipulate that, if 90 percent of the 400 sleeping rooms which we have blocked are filled, we will get all the convention amenities — including our meeting and exhibit space — at no cost. We can increase or decrease the number of rooms we have blocked up to one month prior to the convention, but once we have made that firm commitment (say, for 400, 500, or X-hundred sleeping rooms), we are obligated to fill the space.
If we do not fill the space — for example, if a number of you have second thoughts about attending the convention and do not cancel your reservations in a timely manner — then we will be billed for meeting and exhibit space according to a percentage-based formula. For example, should only 80 percent of the rooms in our block be filled, we would have to come up with 25 percent of the cost for the meeting and exhibit space (in this case, 25 percent of $5,000 equals $1250!) If 30 percent of our block were to be empty, we would have to come up with $2,500! So, you can see how important it is for us (John Horst and me, that is) to make an accurate estimate of the number of members who will be attending our convention and staying at the Galt House Hotel — and how important it is for each of you who may have a change in plans to cancel your reservations just as soon as you realize that you cannot attend the convention.
Think KY in Y2K!
As you can see, many of us are already busily making contacts and planning for your visit to the Galt House Hotel and other attractions in the beautiful Blue Grass State. We will see you there!