Transcript 2012 General Conference

Welcome to Nashville!
KNOW BEFORE
YOU GO
Bishop Gregory G.M. Ingram
Chairperson of the General
Conference Commission
Bishop Vashti M. McKenzie
Host Bishop
Bishop John Bryant
Senior Bishop
THE COUNTDOWN IS ON!
35
DAYS TO GO
Pre-Conference
Events
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
2012 Platinum Golf Tournament
7:00 AM at the Opryland Links Golf Course
Believe Banquet
7:00 PM in the Delta Ballroom
 Tickets are still available for both events!
 For more information visit www.13thame.com
Arriving In
Nashville
By Plane
 When arriving into Nashville International Airport (BNA), baggage claim is
located one level below the terminals
 Gaylord Stars (employees) as well as representatives from the 13th District
will greet guests at baggage claim with signage with the AME logo on it.
The Opryland Airport Shuttle cost is $28 roundtrip to Opryland or the
Radisson. (A taxi will cost approximately $25 each way.) Tickets may be
purchased in advance through the transportation web link on www.AMEChurch.com or upon arrival at the Gaylord Opryland Welcome Desk. The
welcome desk is located one level down from baggage claim.
Buses are located to the left when exiting the airport. The shuttle leaves the
airport every 30 minutes, on the hour.
Arriving In
Nashville
By Car
 Driving directions to Opryland will be posted on the website at www.AME-
Church.com
When arriving by car, signs will direct you to the Cascades entrance. This is the
main lobby entrance.
Self parking at Gaylord Opryland is $10.00 per day for all guests as well as local
attendees. This includes in and out privileges.
Valet parking is $26.00 per day. Valet parking does not include in and out
privileges.
Guests with a handicapped placard or license plate may use valet parking for the
self-parking price of $10.00 per day.
Parking at the Radisson is complimentary for overnight guests
Arriving In
Nashville
Vans/Buses
We have been working with Opryland to coordinate the flow of traffic in order to
avoid bottle necks and allow our shuttles to run smoothly.
Are You Arriving by Church Van or Chartered Bus? PLEASE NOTE:
We have arranged for complimentary parking for large vans and buses at
Opryland. However, you will need to pre-register those vehicles in order to have
access to that lot.
Once registered you will receive a placard that should be placed in the window of
the vehicle which will help the driveway attendant know how to direct your vehicle.
There will be a charge to do it on-site.
Pre-registration is free and can be done online at www.13thame.com onsite registration will cost $100 and will be on a space available basis.
Check-In
 Upon arrival, guests will enter the Cascades Lobby for check in. Guests will
have the option to have their luggage delivered by Bell Services. The bell
stand is located just to the right as you enter the lobby.
 Check in time is 3:00 PM. If a room is available prior to 3:00 PM, guests will
be provided a room number and room key. If their room is unavailable upon
arrival, guests will receive a room key and will be asked for their cell phone
number. The guests will receive a call on their cell phone and told their
room number once the room is ready.
Check-In
Check In
 At check-in, guests will be asked if they would like to place a credit card or
debit card on their room for incidentals. If they opt to not put a card down on
the room for incidentals, they will be unable to place any charges on their
room.
 If guests opt to place a credit or debit card on their room for incidentals, the
card will be authorized for $50.00 per day and the funds will not be available
to the guests until approximately five days after check-out. Guests using a
debit card will be asked at check-in to sign a form authorizing the hold.
 If you are a Delegate or Alternate and all of your room has been prepaid by
your district, you will be asked to show ID and can decide if you will provide
a card for incidentals. If a partial payment or deposit has been made on
your room, you will be required to provide the remaining balance due at
check-in.
Hotel Map
 Each guest will be provided
a map of the facility at
check-in. A line will be
drawn on the map directing
guests to their room. The
room number is located in
the top left hand corner of
the map.
 Opryland guestrooms are
located in 4 neighborhoods
 Each neighborhood is color
coded to assist you in
getting around.
 Room keys and the carpet in
each neighborhood are the
same color as the map.
Guestrooms
All rooms come equipped with:
In-room iron & ironing board
Blow dryer
In-room safe
Personal coffee maker
Refrigerator
2 phones with data port and voicemail
Hotel Amenities
Additional hotel amenities include:
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High Speed Internet Access in all Guest Sleeping Rooms
Free Local Calls and Toll-Free Calls (up to 20 minutes)
Access to the fitness center
Online access to the Wall Street Journal
Bottled Water (2 per day)
Scheduled complex transportation to Opryland attractions to
include Opry Mills Mall
Concierge Desk
Relâche Spa and Salon
On-site shops and restaurants
Indoor and Outdoor swimming pools
Expediting
Check-In
 We have been working with Opryland to come up with a
plan to expedite check-ins and avoid long lines where
possible.
 If you are arriving as a group by bus to check in, we can
work with you to expedite your check in process. Please
let us know so we can plan for your arrival.
 We need your help to make check-in flow smoothly.
Expediting
Check-In
Provide the hotel with as much information in advance
as possible:
 Split Checks – If you have a roommate and would like to set up
split checks, this can be setup in advance by calling the hotel
and requesting it.
 Special Needs - Guests should provide advanced notice of any
accessible needs (such as roll-in showers, a lower bed, padded
toilet seats, feather allergies, etc.)
Getting Around Opryland
Scooters
 Scootaround will be on-site June 26-July 4 for scooter rentals.
 Cost per day is $35 or $260 for the week.
 Manual wheelchairs will also be available for $20 per day or $150
for the week.
 Scooters or wheelchairs may be reserved in advance on
www.AME-Church.com
 We recommend you reserve in advance because availability is
limited.
 Scooters will not be allowed on the General Session floor. A
parking area/charging station will be available in the foyer area
outside the General Session room.
Getting Around Opryland
On-Site Shuttles
Beginning on June 26th, shuttle buses will
circle Opryland and drop off at the Delta
Portico which is the closest entrance to the
General Session.
Each neighborhood lobby as well as the
Radisson will have it’s own shuttle stop on
the route.
Schedules will be posted on-site.
Registration
 Registration will be at the Ryman Hall B
Registration Desk.
 On-site registration and kit pickup will open at
8:00 AM on Tuesday, June 26, 2012.
 To expedite your registration, please bring a
copy of your registration confirmation with the
printed barcode.
Registration
Observers
To date we have approximately 3,000 of
Observers registered.
The deadline for mail-in registration was
May 15th. At this point we are no longer
accepting registrations by mail.
Online registration will remain open through
out the conference.
Price for Observer registration is $125
(Student & Youth are also available)
Registration
Observer Registration Includes
Benefits/Kit Items
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General Conference bag*
General Conference badge
General Conference T-shirt
General Conference key chain
General Conference pen
Plus…
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Shuttle service outside hotel that loops around (badge required)
Access to observers seating in general session
Entry to Sunday’s event
General Conference Agenda
*Youth observers will receive General Conference backpack
Registration
Hours
Tuesday, June 26th Wednesday, June 27th-
Thursday, June 28th Friday, June 29th Saturday, June 30th Sunday, July 1st Monday, July 2nd Tuesday, July 3rd Wednesday, July 4th -
8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
7:00 AM to 10:00 AM
(Closed for Worship Serv.)
Reopen after service to 6:00 PM
7:30 AM to 5:00 PM
7:30 AM to 5:00 PM
7:30 AM to 5:00 PM
4:00 PM to 7:00 PM
7:30 AM to 5:00 PM
7:30 AM to 5:00 PM
8:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Registration
Day Passes
 Day Passes will be available on-site only
 Cost for a day pass is $50 per day
 Badges or valid Day Pass will be required to
enter the main hall during Business Sessions.
 Badges or Day Pass will not be required during
the Worship Services.
Registration
Kit Material
 All reports that are to go in the kits must be on-site by
Tuesday, June 19th.
 We will be preparing approximately 2,000 kits for
Delegates and Church Officials.
 We have copies of the shipping label that must be used
for all kit material.
 Please do not ship any items you do not want included in
kits to the hotel using these labels. We cannot
guarantee that they will not end up in the kits.
Dining Options
On-Site
 We have been working with Opryland to create
customized dining options for our conference.
They are designed to please your palate, be
kind to your pocket, and accommodate our
program schedule.
 Cafeteria-style dining option in the AME Mall
 Detailed information on all dining options will be
available on-site.
Dining Options
Breakfast
12 dining options, including grab n go’s,
quick eats, a la carte menus, and varying
sizes of hot buffets.
- 6 grab n go’s / quick eats
- 3 a la carte menus
- 3 hot buffets
Some outlets opening as early at 5:30am
to accommodate the early morning risers.
Dining Options
Lunch
 17 dining options, including grab n go’s, quick
eats, a la carte menus, and varying sizes of hot
buffets.
- 8 grab n go’s / quick eats
- 5 a la carte menus
- 4 hot buffets
 Opryland is aware of the 2-hour lunch break
between business sessions.
Dining Options
Dinner
 19 dining options, including grab n go’s, quick
eats, a la carte menus, and varying sizes of hot
buffets.
- 8 grab n go’s / quick eats
- 5 a la carte menus
- 4 hot buffets
- 2 upscale / fine-dining
 Opryland is aware of the 2-hour dinner break
between business sessions.
Dining Options
Late Night
6 dining options, including grab n go’s, and
quick eats.
Limited menus and options available until
2:00 AM.
In Room Dining available 24 hour.
Dining Options
Outside Opryland
 Several restaurants are available in the immediate area
surrounding Opryland including the food court at Opry
Mills Mall. (A complimentary shuttle runs from Opryland
to Opry Mills Mall.)
 We have reached out to these properties to make them
aware of our convention and our schedule
 Many are adjusting their hours and offering discounts for
our attendees who present valid convention badge
 A complete list of these discounts will be available onsite as well as the website
Mobile Meeting App
New for this General Conference we are
creating a mobile meeting app.
Available on 3 platforms:
– Apple
– Android
– Blackberry
Mobile Meeting App
 App will offer access to details about the
convention, including:
- Agenda with real time updates
- Restaurant information with menus &
pricing
- Event information on scooters, registration,
transportation schedule, facility maps
- Link to downloadable documents such as daily
minutes.
Mobile Meeting App
 Launch date is June 22nd.
 The link to download the app will be posted on
the website.
 We recommend you download the app prior to
arrival.
For Further Information
www.AME-Church.com
(202) 371-8700
www.13thame.com
(615) 242-6814
Opryland: (615) 889-1000
Questions
We look forward to
seeing you in Nashville!