Dear Kimberly
Thank you for highlighting one of the major concerns that the IACP Board and
the Forum planning committee have always made a priority - ensuring that the
Forum is as affordable as possible for our members while at the same time
providing the quality of educational content and service amenities that make
the Forum experience so worthwhile.
First let me address the border crossing issue; passports are required for all
air travel between Canada and the US but not yet at land crossings. That is
scheduled to be implemented in January 2008 as a requirement of the US
Department of Homeland Security. Nevertheless, it is recommended that everyone
considering international travel have a passport as that is the single document
establishing identity and citizenship that all Immigration Services recognize
in virtually every country. With respect to the time involved in clearing the
ports of entry, I have personally crossed at the Buffalo-Fort Erie port on
numerous occasions post-9/11 and found the wait times very minimal. I think, as
Stu Levison has indicated, you don't need to fear that there will be problems
if you choose that route. I understand that several of our colleagues in
Rochester, New York intend to charter a bus to make the trip. Perhaps you could
investigate the feasibility of linking up with them to share costs.
With respect to the hotel accommodations, the event will take place at the
Royal York Hotel (not the Westin) and we have negotiated a discounted room rate
of $229 CDN which is about $196 US depending on the rate of exchange at the
time of payment. This is comparable to the room rates at the San Diego, Atlanta
and Boston Forums. Many of the rooms that are blocked off for us are large and
can accommodate more than one person comfortably. You may want to consider the
option of sharing a room.
The registration fee for this year's Forum will be slightly higher than last
year but some of our costs are higher as well. We are very mindful of the need
to stay on budget so as to not escalate the cost to members unreasonably. This
does mean that some of the extras we might want to provide will have to be
eliminated but again we want to keep a balance between quality and
affordability.
On behalf of my colleagues on the Board and the planning committee, we
appreciate your comments and insight and we will continue to do our best to
ensure that all attendees have a rewarding Forum.
Marg Opatovsky
Forum 2007 Chair
----- Original Message -----
From: Kimberly A. Schavey
To: CollabLaw@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, January 30, 2007 6:04 AM
Subject: Re: [CollabLaw] IACP Annual Forum
Dear Forum Planning Committee:
First, let me say that I have found the IACP Forums to be the highest
quality CLE events/forums I have EVER attended. Because of that, I
would like to be able to get as many people as possible, particularly
from my state (New Mexico), to attend. This is my goal.
I would like to let you know that I have looked into traveling to
Buffalo, NY and car-pooling over to Toronto because airfares are
about half what they are to Toronto ($380 to Buffalo from
Albuquerque, $700 to Toronto from Albuquerque). I have been advised,
however, especially with the new border ID rules, that this is
probably inadvisable in late October.
I also looked at the website for the hotel, and find the hotel is
$350 CAD per night. All things considered, it looks like a New
Mexican should plan approximately $3,000 US for this event if they
fly to Toronto and stay for the whole conference at the Forum hotel.
I can unequivocally say that these prices result in the IACP Forum
costing way more than my average vacation, let alone conference! I
urge the future Forum planning committees to be mindful of the rank
and file collaborative practitioner (especially those in the mental
health fields, whose professional rates here are generally less than
half of the lawyer rates) and their financial circumstances.
Especially since our goal is apparently to "grow globally and expand
locally."
Anticipating the event to be at the Westin again, I booked a room
there at $219 CAD I think. I of course will take advantage of more
affordable accommodations, even though this hampers the whole
conference experience (especially on banquet night!).
As you can tell, the IACP Forum is very important to me. And
perhaps, because I am a Southwestern hick, I imagine I would be as
happy at a retreat center as I would at the fanciest hotel in
downtown. I want a decent bed, pleasant food, a private lavatory,
and internet and cell service. And, I do not want to lose a week of
vacation because I chose to go to the Forum and can no longer afford it.
Kimberella of Albuquerque
On Jan 26, 2007, at 8:58 AM, mopatovsky wrote:
> Further to Stephanie's inquiry and to some other inquiries we've had
> recently, I can tell you that for the IACP 2007 Forum (in beautiful
> downtown Toronto), the Call for Proposals has not been issued yet.
> The Forum planning committee is actively working on that however and
> we anticipate being able to issue same in a few weeks. It will be
> posted on this listserve as well as on the IACP website and in other
> media so watch for it soon.
>
> The 2007 Forum, entitled "The Collaborative Mosaic: Growing Globally,
> Expanding Locally", is scheduled for October 26 - 28th at the
> Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto, Canada. As an IACP member, you
> can expect to receive a registration form in early June and IACP
> members always receive a discount on the registration fees. We
> anticipate a large attendance and there will be some space
> limitations, so be sure to register early to guarantee your place.
> Also we advise all non-Canadian registrants to ensure they carry a
> passport to facillitate border crossing whether by air or land (or
> water if you prefer!).
>
> We are looking forward to hosting our collaborative colleagues in our
> great city for an exciting and challenging program of education and
> networking. See you there.
>
> Marg Opatovsky
> Chair
> IACP 2007 Forum
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
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