AFSA 2010 Annual Convention
Where - Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati, Ohio
When - September 19-22, 2010
The Board of Directors for the AFSA is proud to announce that arrangements have now been finalized for the 2010 AFSA Annual Convention to be held in the Northern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati Area. This year, the AFSA is breaking away from the tradition of alternating its host site between the east and west coasts, and instead has located it in a more centrally located area of the country. Hopefully, this will make it much more convenient for those members in surrounding states like Ohio, West Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, to make the short five or six hour drive. The site for this year’s convention will be The Embassy Suites Cincinnati RiverCenter. It sits on the bank of the Ohio River in Covington, Kentucky, just across from the beautiful skyline of Cincinnati, Ohio. The convention will be held from September 19 – 22, 2010.
The rate for the Embassy Suites is $135.00 (plus applicable taxes) for a King Standard View Suite per night, (plus applicable taxes). Rates are valid for single and double occupancy. Additional adults are $10.00 per person, per night. Each suite has two rooms which feature a bedroom with a king bed, plus a separate living room area. The living room has its own microwave, refrigerator, well-lit work station, and a sofa sitting area with a flat panel television. The sofa also pulls out into a sofa bed. Every room in the hotel was completely renovated and updated in September 2008. The hotel is conveniently located atop a covered parking garage, with easy access to the hotel. Guests of the AFSA Conference will receive complimentary self-parking, a savings of $14.00 per day (valet parking is also available at a daily charge of $24.00). In addition, all members also receive other great benefits, including:
- Embassy Suites’ famous complimentary breakfast which includes cooked-to-order omelets, bacon, sausage, potatoes, pancakes, waffles, and everything that you would find on a continental breakfast.
- Embassy Suites’ Evening Manager’s Reception in the atrium each evening from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. The reception includes complimentary sodas, beer, wine, cocktails, and light snacks.
- Complimentary high-speed internet access in each guest room. (The normal charge of $12.95 per day will be waived upon check-in).
- Hilton Honors Points and Miles program for members (visit www.hiltonhonors.com for membership)
Reservations can be made by calling the hotel direct at 859-261-8400 or by calling their national reservation line at 1-800-EMBASSY. All reservations must be guaranteed and accompanied by a first night room deposit, or guaranteed with a major credit card by the individual members. Be sure to let the reservationist know that you are with the Association of Former Special Agents, Group Code AOF. Correction: Please note, the registration form in the Newsletter had an incorrect code of AOS, be sure to use the AOF code. The rate will also be offered for 3 nights before and 3 nights after the core dates of the convention for those wishing to come in early or stay past the convention. If any member experiences a problem making reservations outside of the four core nights or with the correct Group Code, then call the hotel direct at 859-261-8400 and ask to speak specifically to Leslie Hoppenjans, the Reservations Manager. She will authorize the convention rate for the additional nights and assist with the code. The Embassy Suites has also provided us with our own personalized group web page to make reservation easier if you choose to make your reservations on-line. The AFSA website has a link posted that can be used to access our reservation web page. Additional information about the hotel can also be viewed by visiting the hotel’s website at www.embassysuitesrivercenter.com.
The final schedule of events and the cost of the convention, as well as the planned trips and events, have also been finalized and are listed on the attached registration form. This year there will be three bus tours, each starting at about 9:00am and returning by 4:00pm. The price for all three tours includes the cost of lunch plus all admission charges. One will be on Monday, the same day as the annual pistol match and the Bob Manzi Memorial Golf Tournament. You will have your choice of two different tours on Tuesday. Reservations are taken on a first come-first served basis, so make your reservations early. Each of the three tours will be limited to the approximately the first 50 people who sign up. Please make your reservations and payment before September 1, 2010. Also, as has been the policy in past years, the registration form includes the hospitality room soft drink preference of $10.00 for any person who will not be consuming alcohol in the hospitality room. The registration form and full payment should be sent to Ron Line at the address listed on the bottom of the registration form. Any questions regarding the form can be directed to Ron at r44line@hotmail.com. The following is a brief description of the itinerary for the 2010 convention.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Formal registration will begin upon check-in at the hotel and the first formal event will be an executive board meeting from 3:00pm to 5:00pm. The evening will feature the annual Past Presidents Reception/Dinner at 7:00pm where members will be able to renew acquaintances and meet new members. A special buffet dinner will be prepared for us by Executive Chef Eric Rolfert and will be served in the newly renovated City View Ballroom. The buffet will give each member a hearty meal after their day of traveling and will feature a choice of three salads, three entrees, veggies, warm rolls, drinks, and even a choice of desserts. The hospitality room will be open for the remainder of the evening until midnight.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Our first full day will be packed with activities and options for your enjoyment. Both the annual pistol match and the annual Bob Manzi Memorial Golf Tournament will be held and both events have been structured much like the events that were held in prior years. The pistol match will start at 9:00am and will be completed by 11:00am. All fees will be paid by the participants at the shooting range. The Bob Manzi Memorial Golf Tournament will start at 8:00am at Lassing Point Golf Course in Union, Kentucky and it will be a four-person scramble format. The entry fee of $67 includes green fees, cart, range balls, tee and competition prizes, a box lunch, and all taxes and gratuities. Jim Meyers, our “resident” golf expert, has also indicated that there will be plenty of other “Ad Hoc” fun golf opportunities that will be available throughout the convention dates.
Also on Monday, there will be a tour that will travel to the historic river town of Augusta Kentucky, for a visit to the Rosemary Clooney House. This is the former home of the Kentucky born and raised Hollywood legend who co-starred with Bing Crosby in the classic movie “White Christmas”. A tour of the town will show you all of the 18th and 19th century architecture listed on the National Register of Historic Places. You will see where George Clooney grew up and where Heather Renee French, Miss America 2000, was born. You will also visit Augusta’s 1811 Historic Jail, the oldest intact jail in Kentucky. There will be time for antique and craft shopping and a home cooked lunch buffet at the Parkview Inn Restaurant. On the way out of town, you will stop at the Baker-Bird Winery, the oldest winery in America with its original vineyard land. Out of over 3,200 wineries in America, it is one of only 22 that are on the National Register of Historic Places and its vineyard is the ONLY vineyard in America that is on the Register. A docent tour of the winery will be followed by tasting some of their wines.
On Monday evening, we will take a two and a half hour river boat dinner cruise on the Ohio River. You’ll be able to relax and enjoy both the peaceful riverboat-era charm of the cruise, as well as a buffet of some local favorite foods. After the cruise, we will again be able to retreat to the comfort of our hospitality room at the hotel.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
On Tuesday, you have the choice of two different day tours on the registration form, depending on your interest.
Tour #1
The first choice that is listed is a city tour that will cross the Ohio River and take a historic tour of Cincinnati, Ohio, the German settled town that once housed over 50 breweries. You will become familiar with many of Cincinnati’s most well-known landmarks, including Union Terminal/Museum Center, a nationally acclaimed landmark and a monument to Art Deco architecture with its magnificent 110 foot high mural-filled rotunda. Lunch will be served to us at The Montgomery Inn at the boathouse, known for its world-famous ribs. It sits on the Ohio side of the river and provides a great view of Newport, Kentucky. After lunch, you have a choice as to how to complete your tour. Your first choice is to visit Great American Ball Park for a docent tour of the home of the Cincinnati Reds, the first major league baseball team in history. Highlights of the tour include Crosley Terrace, the Broadcast Booth, Club 4192, and the Reds’ Dugout. Additionally, you will also visit the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum. The museum offers baseball fans a comprehensive look into the Reds and baseball’s heralded past. If baseball is not your game (no pun intended), then the second choice for the afternoon might be more to your liking. That tour will be a visit to The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, a Smithsonian affiliate that brings to life the inspiring and heroic stories of courage, cooperation, and perseverance for the pursuit of freedom. The Freedom Center is based on the Underground Railroad…a 160 year-old example of people of different races and backgrounds coming together to fight for the cause of freedom. However, it is not just a museum. It is also a building that pays tribute to the extraordinary efforts of those who are working for freedom all over the world.
Tour #2
If a city tour is not for you, then choice number two on the registration form might be more to your liking. It is a bus trip to Versailles, Kentucky, home of The Woodford Reserve Distillery. A guided tour will take you through the entire process of making bourbon, the only “spirit” that is both federally regulated and native to America. All bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon. You will learn the difference. After having lunch at the distillery, the tour will travel through horse-farm country to nearby Georgetown, Kentucky. There, we will stop and visit Old Friends, a Kentucky Facility for Retired Thoroughbreds. It is a home for at-risk racehorses ( i.e. those whose racing and breeding careers have come to an end) where they are provided with a dignified retirement that they deserve plus availability to the public. Among the horses that you will “meet” will be Awad, the fastest winner of all time of The Arlington Million, and Gulch, the father of Kentucky Derby winner Thunder Gulch. Also, in retirement is the horse that played the part of Sea Biscuit in the movie of the same name.
Tuesday evening will feature a visit to America’s first authentic Hofbrauhaus that is located in nearby Newport, KY. Like the original Hofbrauhaus in Munich, Germany, you will enjoy authentic German music, food that you can order from their extensive menu, and (of course) beer!!! Please indicate on the registration form whether you are interested in joining the group. Food is purchased on your own, but a head-count is needed to reserve tables in their main area. (Can you say oompah-pah???) Our hospitality room will also be open and available through the evening.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
As in past years, the AFSA-IRS annual meeting will be held on Wednesday and will begin with an invocation, an opening ceremony, and a presentation by the Color Guard at 8:30am. Arrangements are still being made for our speakers and for the annual business meeting that follows. We have a tentative commitment for attendance from CI Headquarters, so we should be able to get our annual update on what’s happening within the organization. A four-hour Professional Development Seminar (PDS) will be held in the afternoon. The curriculum is being developed and will be posted on the AFSA website as soon as it is available. The PDS will be approved for continuing education credit for EA, CFE, etc. We are also in the process of planning our second annual Consultants Summit where representatives from various vendors will be available to explain employment opportunities for our membership.
Our evening will conclude with our Annual Banquet and Dinner at the Embassy Suites City View Ballroom. You have a choice of three magnificent dinners that will be prepared for us by Executive Chef Eric Rolfert. (Hint: you’ll love desert!!!).
For Registration Form , please click on this link:
Generally, the attire at the Past President’s Dinner and the Annual Banquet and Dinner is business casual or business attire. This is not enforced, but is given to you for information.
Finally, any questions, suggestions, or feedback regarding the convention can be sent to either Dan Pieschel at djpieschel@gmail.com or to Ron Line at r44line@hotmail.com. You can also call Dan at 859-466-7677.