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2008 ANNUAL CONVENTION
CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF SERVICE
April 25- 27, 2008
The Convention Committee has been hard at work to provide you with the best convention possible to celebrate 30 years of ACBCO and its service to the blind and visually impaired. The ACBCO Annual Convention brings alive the future and celebrates the past and present for people of Colorado who are blind and visually impaired. Educational sessions, vendors exhibiting the latest products, and opportunities to make new friends and reunite with old friends are the highlights of the convention.
We welcome all individuals who are blind and visually impaired, their friends, families and others interested in a better future for those who are blind and visually impaired to attend our 30th Anniversary, which will celebrate the success not only of ACBCO but of blind and visually impaired individuals who have met some extraordinary challenges with courage and achieved success. So many people have asked for more information before Convention that we thought it best to include a draft program for your convenience.
The event will be held at the Crown Plaza (formerly the Holiday Inn Denver City Center) which is located at 1450 Glenarm Place in Denver. This is where we held the Convention last year. But we are pleased to report that all the renovations are completed and you will be delighted with the changes! Meeting and vendor rooms are conveniently located on the first floor with access to restrooms, the restaurant, the lounge and the elevators. The room rate is $109.00 plus tax per night for a single or $119.00 plus tax for a shared double room. We have reserved a block of rooms for Thursday through Saturday evening for your convenience.
This year we will be starting the event on Friday afternoon with registration starting at noon with the first general session at 1:00 pm sharp. A reception will be held that evening. Additional education sessions will be held throughout Saturday all of which will inform and celebrate ACBCO and all the fabulous people, programs and accomplishments of our organization. Saturday evening will be a celebratory dinner. Following is our draft agenda for the event. Please note that this is subject to change as not all participants have confirmed as of the publication of this information.
The $60.00early bird registration fee (members - and a $70 fee for non-members) includes, break food and beverage, a Friday reception (cash bar), a continental breakfast on Saturday and the Evening Banquet on Saturday. Early Bird registration will be open until March 31, 2008. Late registration will be $70.00 for members and $80.00 for non-members with an $85.00 fee at the door.
Save the dates today and get your registration in early. Planning ahead will save you time and money!
DRAFT CONVENTION PROGRAM
Friday, April 25, 2008
- Noon
- Registration Check In Opens (Vendors Exhibit Hall Opens)
- 1:00 pm
- Opening Session- Rod Chard, ACBCO Chair
- 1:30 pm
- Your Ticket to Work - Jennifer Pfau, President, Deaf Association of Colorado
- 3:00 pm
- Break (with snacks and beverages)
- 3:30 pm
- Voting Accessibility Issues, Faith Gross, Legal Center for People with Disabilities and Older People
- 5:00 pm
- Adjourn Sessions
- 5:30 – 7:00
- Reception hosted by ACBCO (Cash Bar)
Visit Vendors from Noon to 5 pm
Saturday, April 27, 2008
- 7:30 am
- Registration Check In - Continental Breakfast
- 8:30 am
- Opening Session: Rod Chard, ACBCO Chair
- 9:00 am
- Yvonne Sandoval – Inclusiveness Session
- 10:00 am
- Break (Beverages)
- 10:30 am
- Changes in Social Security Administration Benefits (Medicare, Medicaid, SSI, SSDI)
- 12:00
- Lunch – on your own
- 2:00 pm
- 30 Years and Counting – Celebrate the accomplishments of ACBCO and learn what we are doing now
- 3:30 pm
- Break (snacks and beverages)
- 4:00 pm
- Meet with the ACBCO Board of Directors – Questions & Answers
- 5:00 pm
- ADJOURN
- 6:30 pm
- ACBCO Anniversary Banquet with Guest Speaker: Carrie Willoby, Artist and Para-olympian Swimmer and Karen Karsh and her band for your listening and dancing pleasure
Note: Visit our Vendors in the Exhibit Hall from 8:30 am to 5 pm
Sunday April 27, 2008
- Board of Directors Meeting 8 am
- As always, Board meetings are open to everyone and you are invited to sit in on the Meeting of the Board of Directors. A full breakfast will be served at a cost of $16.00 per person. Please be sure to indicate whether you will attend on the registration form so we can plan appropriately. Payment for the breakfast is due with your registration. Thank you.
Helpful phone numbers and other contact information for transportation
Crown Plaza
1450 GLENARM PLACE
Denver, CO 80202
Phone:(800) 345-8082
Located between 14th and 15th Streets on Glenarm Place.
RTD:
Phone: 303-299-6000
Toll Free: 1-800-366-7433
Website: http://www.rtd-denver.com
FREX (Front Range Express from Colorado Springs, Fountain and Castle Rock):
Phone: 719-636-FREX(719-636-3739)
Toll Free: 1-877-i25-FREX(877-425-3739)
Website: http://www.frontrangeexpress.com
Greyhound Bus Lines:
Denver: 303-293-6590
Fare and schedule information: 1-800-231-2222 or e-mail ifsr@greyhound.com
Assistance for customers with disabilities: 1-800-752-4841
Website: http://www.greyhound.com
Shamrock Airport Express:
Ft. Collins and Loveland: 970-482-0505
Greeley: 970-686-9999
Cheyenne: 307-638-3940
Longmont: 303-772-5466
Website: http://www.rideshamrock.com
Directions:
From Ft. Collins, Greeley, Loveland, or Cheyenne, you can catch the Airport Express to either Longmont or DIA and catch a bus from one of those locations into downtown Denver. You can also take a Greyhound bus (see information below on getting from the Greyhound bus station to the hotel).
From Longmont, you can take the L bus to Market Street Station
From Boulder you can take the B bus to Market Street Station
From Colorado Springs, you can take the FREX bus to 16th & Market Street (right outside of the Market Street Station
From other locations you can catch the Greyhound bus, AmTrack train, or airline transportation into Denver and then follow the directions below from either of those locations.
From DIA, there are various RTD busses to Market Street Station. Contact RTD for routes and schedules.
From the Greyhound bus station at 19th Street and Arapaho, there are various RTD busses you can catch. The simplest route is probably to go to the Market Street Station and then catch the 16th Street shuttle as described below. Alternatively, you could walk from 19th to 16th on Arapaho and then catch the 16th St. Shuttle there. Call RTD for specific bus routes and times.
Once you are at the Market Street Station, get on the 16th St. shuttle (a FREE service that runs every few minutes). The shuttle can be boarded on 16th street, just outside the Market Street station (to the Southeast. You will need to cross 16th Street and catch the shuttle on the opposite side of 16th St. from the Market Street Station.
From the FREX bus, go to 16th Street, ½ block toward the front of the bus when it stops at 16th and Market. You will have to cross Market St. and catch the shuttle on that corner.
Ride the 16th Street shuttle to Glenarm Place. This shuttle will stop at every block and will call out all streets with an automated call-out system. Get off of the shuttle at Glenarm and walk 1 ½ blocks down Glenarm Place to the hotel. Stay on the same side of 16th Street. No need to cross the street that the shuttle runs on. Simply walk down Glenarm away from where the shuttle drops you off. You will only have 1 street to cross.
Click here for a Convention Registration form.
Are you interested in being a Vendor or Exhibitor at the Convention? Click here for the Vendor Letter or Click here for a Vendor Registration form.
Are you interested in being a Sponsor for the Convention? Click here for more information specifically for Sponsors.