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Print out the Convention Registration form. PDF Word
COLUMBUS MARRIOTT HOTEL
2006 ATA Annual Meeting Host Hotel
standard room $104
suite $195
Room block is released on October 11, 2006
Call now 1-800-228-3429, Identify yourself as part of the group.
Driving directions from Port Columbus Airport to Columbus Marriott North
There are detailed directions and maps on the above link or www.mapquest.com using the address above. The easiest way to get from the airport to Columbus Marriott North, about 14 miles.
Start out going WEST on INTERNATIONAL GTWY toward Sawyer Rd. Merge onto I-670E /US-62 E toward Cleveland/Wheeling. Merge onto I-270 N via the exit on the left toward Cleveland. Take the Cleveland Ave North exit, Exit 27 toward OH-710/Schrock Rd. Merge onto Cleveland Ave. Turn Left onto Schrock Rd /OH-710S. Turn left onto Doubletree Ave. End at Columbus Marriott North, 6500 Doubletree Ave, Columbus, OH. 614-885-1885.
Driving directions from Columbus Marriott North to Eden Park Equestrian Center
Go North on Doubletree Ave to Kingsmill Pkwy. Turn Right onto Schrock Rd/OH-710 N. Turn Left onto S Cleveland Ave. Turn Right onto Polaris Pkwy. Turn Left onto OH-3 / N State St. Continue to follow OH-3. Turn left onto N OH-61. Turn Slight Left onto Blayney Rd. End at Eden Park Equestrian Ctr, 2607 Blayney Rd, Sunbury, OH 43074. 740-965-8323.
The Thursday night Welcome Reception will take on a new dimention this year to allow more time to enjoy the Awards Banquet on Saturday.
We will start the evening at 6:00 p.m. with hors d'oeuvres and then a buffet dinner..
Next we will have a brief presentation of the Horse of the Year Awards.
We will then enjoy renewing old frendships and making new ones until...
This year the Saturday night activities will be a bit different in order to make time for Fun!!!
The evening will start off at 6:00 p.m. with dinner. Make sure you make your food choices on the convention registration form.
Those choices are Grilled Salmon or Herb Roasted Tenderloin.
We will then have the presentation of the Merit Award winners.
Next we will enjoy visiting, dancing and having fun until 11:30 p.m.
ATA Room rates $104/night
Suite rate $195/night, book by calling 614-431-6056. The hotel does not allow suites to be used as hospitality rooms.
Hotel Notes and News, July 31, 2006
I hope everyone has marked November 2-4 on his or her calendar - and plans on attending the 2006 ATA Annual Meeting in Columbus, OH. I hope you can “TRAK ON BACK TO COLUMBUS” and help us celebrate another successful year for the ATA and the Trakehner horse.
It will be fun to renew old friendships and develop new ones. I remember that as a first-time visitor to the ATA convention, back in the late 70‘s or early 80’s, so many people made me feel welcome - Dr. Robert Baird, Guenter Bertlemann, Gerhard Schickedanz, Dagmar Zimmerman, to name a few - so I encourage the “old-timers” to welcome the newcomers into our “Trakehner family” at the convention.
Board members selected the Columbus Marriott North Hotel as our 2006 Host Hotel. This hotel was our host hotel many years ago, and the memories of it were so nice that the board chose it for our return to Columbus. The rooms, bedding, and decor are beautiful, and the staff is eager to make sure our convention rates an A+. I sampled some of the Marriott’s food, and it certainly is not run-of-the-mill. I’m hoping that everyone will be pleased with the cuisine that has been selected.
Thursday night’s Welcome Reception will be a bit different than in the past. We will start off with hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar at 6:30 p.m. This would be a great time to introduce yourself to newcomers and welcome them to the ATA. At 7 p.m. we will have a buffet dinner, which will include roasted sirloin and smoked turkey breast, penne pasta tossed with pesto or marinara sauces, fresh fruit and cheese, vegetable crudite, assorted cakes and pies, coffee and decaf, and fruit punch. At 8 p.m. the Horse of the Year Awards will be presented. After the awards, we will have plenty of time to socialize, and the hotel lounge will remain open for us. In a word, FUN!
Friday evening there will be a Baked Potato Bar with all the trimmings - including chili topping, mixed green salad, corn bread muffins, dessert bars, and iced tea - at Eden Park prior to the ATA Exhibition. This will make it more convenient to get dinner and not have to rush to get to the exhibition. The Baked Potato Bar is included in your registration fee.
Saturday morning’s ATA Annual Meeting is tentatively scheduled to be held at Eden Park, which is a beautiful, modern facility with a nice meeting room. This way, exhibitors who have brought horses can come to the meeting. Generally, those who bring horses miss the meeting since they have to be at the barn facility to take care of their horses. This change may help to solve that problem. If anyone has any objections to this change, please let me know so that a final decision can be made. Dress will be casual since many people will just want to have lunch at Eden Park (there will be a food vendor available) or visit a local restaurant (a list of restaurants will be included in your registration packet) and then be back for horse activities scheduled for the day.
The Saturday evening Awards Banquet will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the hotel with a fabulous dinner served in the beautiful Marriott pavilion. A cash bar will be available. Your food choices are: Herb Roasted Tenderloin, served with peppercorn cognac sauce or Grilled Atlantic Salmon, topped with a beurre blanc sauce. Please make sure you mark your registration form as to which entree you would like. Both entrees include house salad, chef’s selection of potato or rice, fresh vegetable, rolls and butter, dessert, coffee, decaf, and iced tea. An ATA souvenir will be presented to each attendee. At approximately 7:30 p.m., the Awards of Merit will be presented, and door prizes will be given. Then, at 8:30 p.m., get your dancing shoes on and settle in for a night of visiting, dancing, and just having fun. Several bands and DJ’s are being considered at this printing to help make our last night in Columbus a memorable one. It will be our last chance to say goodbye to old and new friends.
One excellent suggestion was given to us to have committee meetings during the convention. However, we can’t seem to find the time to schedule those meetings into our already full schedule, so we suggest that committees schedule their own time and meeting. Just let me know as soon as possible what day and time you plan on meeting, and I will have a room available for you.
If you have any questions, concerns, or problems with your hotel reservations, please let me know - and I will try to take care of the problem. The Marriott is a first-class establishment, so I am hoping that all runs smoothly.
I’m looking forward to seeing everyone in Columbus. Have a safe trip and get ready for fun!
Welcome back to Columbus, Ohio! The Columbus Marriott Hotel, 6500 Doubletree Avenue, Columbus, OH, was selected by Charee Adams and Board members in 2005 as the 2006 ATA Annual Meeting Host Hotel. I have volunteered to serve as chairman of the hotel activities for 2006, so I will be overseeing this aspect of the Annual Meeting.
I did an on-site visitation of the hotel, and the hotel is absolutely beautiful. The rooms are lovely and cheerful, and the bedding is first-class. No more bedspreads - down comforters inside custom-sheeting duvet covers are provided and are changed with each guest. The mattresses are not your typical hotel brand; they are thick mattresses with plush toppers, and huge pillows accent the beds. Each room has Internet access, in-room coffee, full-size irons and ironing board, hair dryer, and guest voice mail.
On the premises is a fitness center, indoor/outdoor pool, whirlpool and sauna, a full-service restaurant with excellent food, and a lobby lounge, which will stay open late for ATA members. There are many attractions and landmarks close to the hotel, and The Polaris Fashion Place Mall, a unique shopping experience, is only 5 minutes from the Marriott. The hotel also provides an airport shuttle service.
The banquet area is very pretty and unique. I'm hoping to have a great band to entertain guests this year after the Saturday evening banquet. The Welcome Reception on Thursday evening will serve as the venue for the ATA Horse of the Year Awards presentation, and the ATA Merit awards will be presented after dinner at the Saturday evening banquet. This will allow time after the banquet to dance, have fun, socialize, and renew old friendships and establish new friendships.
I'm hoping that ATA members will view the ATA Annual Meeting as a mini-vacation and join us in Columbus. Sue Pitzer will serve as the chairman of the barn activities at The Eden Park Equestrian Complex, a beautiful facility in Sunbury, Ohio. She has already been busy getting sponsors and organizing the events, starting with the Mare Show on Thursday morning, November 2. Both of us are especially pleased to welcome Cindy Fortin and her family back to coordinate, choreograph, and direct the ATA Exhibition on Friday evening. Just like old times!
ATA members can call The Columbus Marriott North directly to make reservations. Rooms with two double beds or one king bed are available. Cost of the rooms is $104 per night (basic rate is $169.95), so be sure to tell them you are with the American Trakehner Association to get the discount. Please make your reservations as soon as possible. We have reserved a block of rooms, but when those rooms are booked, there is no guarantee that additional rooms will be available for the dates of Wednesday, November 1, through Saturday, November 4. The hotel telephone number is (614) 885-1885; fax number is (614) 885-3813.
If anyone has any questions, comments, or suggestions about the hotel activities, please let me know. You can call (740) 896-2894 or e-mail me at blackhorse@ee.net. More detailed information will be forthcoming in future issues of the newsletter.