Information and services for Congress 2005

AORN Journal,  Jan, 2005  

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Sunday, April 3, to Thursday, April 7, 2005

The 52nd annual AORN Congress ill be held April 3 to 7, 2005, in New Orleans. This article contains important information for attendees.

Airline Information

For airline assistance and information on airfare to Congress 2005, contact the AORN Travel Desk by telephone at (800) 755-2676 x 360 in the United States and Canada or (303) 755-6304 x 360 outside the United States and Canada. You also may obtain information online at http://www.aorn.org/congress/Attendees/airline.htm.

Airport Transportation

Discount coupons for the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport shuttle will be mailed with registration confirmations and will apply to round-trip prepurchased tickets only. Round-trip shuttle tickets are $26 to all destinations except New Orleans East. Coupons are worth $2 off the cost of the shuttle.

To prepurchase tickets, visit the shuttle service web site at http://www.dmineworleans.com/aorn/transportation/index.html or call (866) 834-0686. To purchase shuttle tickets at the airport, visit the shuttle ticket desk located across from the baggage claim carousels.

Taxis will be located in the ground transportation area of the airport. Fares will vary depending on destination; however, the flat rate for one to two people traveling from the airport to downtown is $28.

Hotel Reservations

AORN has secured blocks of rooms in New Orleans hotels. A portion of the room block in each hotel has been designated for nurses. There are four easy ways to reserve your hotel room:

* online at http://www.aorn.org/congress;

* by mail to Quality Business Services (QBS), 3110 S Wadsworth Blvd, Suite 307, Denver, CO 80227;

* by fax to (303) 914-9651; or

* by calling (800) 755-2676 x 273 in the United States and Canada or (303) 755-6304 x 273 outside the United States and Canada.

Room Deposit. All housing requests require a deposit. The deposit must accompany the housing request form. If the deposit does not accompany the form, your reservation will not be processed until the deposit is received. This delay could mean the loss of your hotel choice. Room deposits are

* $200 per guest room,

* $400 per one-bedroom suite, and

* $600 per two-bedroom suite.

Payment may be made with one of the following credit cards: MasterCard, VISA, Discover, or American Express. Your credit card will be charged at the time the reservation is made. If you are mailing your form, you may pay by check made payable to QBS in US dollars drawn on a US bank.

Room Confirmations. If you are sharing a room, please send only one form with the names of all the people who will be occupying the room. One confirmation will be mailed to the "room contact."

If your hotel choices are no longer available, QBS will make an assignment that is the most comparable to your request. Read the confirmation promptly. If you are not satisfied with your assignment, send a fax to QBS and ask to be placed on the wait list. Changes will be based on availability.

Quality Business Services cannot acknowledge receipt of forms; however, if you do not receive hotel confirmation within two weeks of making your reservation or have questions about hotels, contact QBS at (800) 755-2676 x 273 in the United States and Canada or (303) 755-6304 x 273 outside the United States and Canada.

Hotel Changes or cancellations. All changes or cancellations should be sent to QBS in writing by e-mail, fax, or mail on or before March 4, 2005. Deposits will be forfeited if cancellation notice is not received on or before March 4, 2005. After March 4, you must still contact QBS for cancellations, and deposits will be forfeited.

After March 14, you must contact the hotel directly to make any changes that are not cancellations. Hotels may apply an early departure fee equal to one night's stay for changes made on site.

Convention Center Parking

The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center has general parking available on Convention Center Blvd across from Hall H1. Parking is on a first-come, first-served basis, and at press time, daily rates were quoted at $10.

AORN Resource Pavilion

The AORN Resource Pavilion will be located in Hall B at the Convention Center. Services available in the Resource Pavilion will include

* AORN's Perioperative Bookstore,

* AORN's perioperative partners,

* the AORN Resource Center,

* chapter fund-raising,

* Clinical Improvement/Innovation posters and Research/Evidence-Based Practice posters,

* exhibitor registration,

* the Mail Home Center,

* Mardi Gras Party ticket sales,

* the Message Center,

* multimedia sales,

* nurse registration, and

* the tour Booth.

Specific hours of operation will be listed in the Congress Program given to each attendee at registration.

AORN Resource Center. Learn what AORN is doing for you. The AORN Resource Center is staffed by AORN Headquarters professionals ready to answer your questions, provide you with valuable information, and share updates on the latest products and services AORN offers. The Resource Center is a relaxed, comfortable place for attendees to network with colleagues, get information, and share ideas with AORN staff members. Information available includes government affairs and legislative updates and information on membership, education programs, the Center for Nursing Practice, upcoming conferences, specialty assemblies, AORN publications, and the Perioperative Nursing Data Set. The AORN Foundation and the AORN Museum also will be located in the Resource Center.