Re: [AGA-sc] 2008 Convention

Yep. No complaints here. I was running it through my head and thought I should share with the group so we don't have any big surprises later.

I actually need to update the numbers via-a-vis budget but I haven't got the file with me. I carry 200 GB of data back and forth between home and work each day and I somehow don't have the AGA2K8 files. Go figure.

----- Original Message ----
From: Karen Randall <karenran@verizon.net>
To: Aquatic Gardeners Association Board <aga-sc@thekrib.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 2, 2008 10:06:28 AM
Subject: Re: [AGA-sc] 2008 Convention

I’m really trying to pin them down, but the Asians (where most of the expense is) have been hard to pin.

Amano is going to visit ADG, either before or after the convention… he’s not sure, so they can’t give me dates yet… Plus he and Yoshi are away on a photography trip at the moment. (3^rd time this summer. I seem to have 2-day windows to communicate with them between trips) I’m really hoping they decide to go to ADG first, then he won’t need any more “adjustment time” and could just arrive on Thursday. I know he wants to leave the convention on Sunday, if possible.

I checked the rates from Singapore for Ben Tan, and it looks like between $1,600 and $2,100 depending on how many stops we make him take.<g> He wants to arrange it himself, and let us know what we owe, since he’s doing the 3^rd leg to Toronto. (that part, as you mentioned, is dirt cheap right now) I hate to tell him he HAS to take the 2-stop flight, but he might prefer it any way, as it will give him a chance to stretch his legs during 22 hours of travel time.

Flights from Japan are much less than Singapore. (saw that last March when I was traveling too) A coach ticket is running under $1,200 at the moment. (and he seems to have no choice, ALL the flights from Niigata have 2 stops.<g>

Well, we knew it was going to be expensive to have these two before we invited them!

Karen

From: aga-sc-bounces@thekrib.com [mailto:aga-sc-bounces@thekrib.com] On Behalf Of S. Hieber
Sent: Tuesday, September 02, 2008 9:30 AM
To: Aquatic Gardeners Association Board
Subject: Re: [AGA-sc] 2008 Convention

Thanks.

So things still look pretty squishy. Same here. I'm about 50% certain I can attend and expect to have that nailed down in the next few weeks.

Normally we would have paid for speakers' Fri and Sat roomnights, and maybe Thurs too. I recall we're going to stretch things a bit for the Asian travelers, given the distances.

Amano is times 3 (Him, assistant & Translator that we provide). Domestic airfares are lower than I expected -- Less than $300 incl tax, tariffs, surcharges, etc) from NY area to Atlantis. But domestic flights seem to still be in the strato-nimbus.

So total, we're looking at possibly 33 roomnights or about $4 grand for roomnights.

----- Original Message ----
From: Karen Randall <karenran@verizon.net>
To: Aquatic Gardeners Association Board <aga-sc@thekrib.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 2, 2008 8:39:04 AM
Subject: Re: [AGA-sc] 2008 Convention

I am still trying to pin down speakers, as I think it is important for at least one of us (probably me) to be there to greet them on arrival, and we have a couple who are going to need some adjustment time for our time zone. I believe Ben Tan is coming in on Thursday afternoon. He is staying through Tues. AM, but has offered to pay his last night’s room. (he’s going from Atlanta to Toronto to visit his brother) Still haven’t heard a final answer from Amano (surprise, surprise) The way east coast flights run, I can get there reasonably early in the AM. So depending on when Amano arrives, I figure I’ll need to be there either Wed. morning or Thurs. morning.

I was hoping to leave Monday AM… I doubt I can be done with speaker hosting duties before then. I’m hoping we can find someone local to spend some time with Professor Tan that day, and maybe take him to the Botanical Gardens. I hate to just leave him there.

Karen