NCACC 34th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana August 4-10, 2007

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Conference of Appellate Technology Officials (CATO)

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See full list of appellate court web sites in the United States, including intermediate appellate courts.

34th Annual Conference
August 4-10, 2007
New Orleans, Louisiana

President Sandra Skinner has issued the official call to attend the 34th Annual Meeting of the National Conference of Appellate Court Clerks. This year we are meeting in beautiful and historic New Orleans, Louisiana, at the Wyndham New Orleans at Canal Place. Tom Hall and the program committee have put together a wonderful educational program, so plan on bringing the entire family.

This year's conference is co-hosted by the current and retired appellate court clerks in Louisiana:
Christine Crow, Clerk of Court, First Circuit Court of Appeal
Diana Wyatt, Clerk of Court, Second Circuit Court of Appeal
Kelly McNeely, Clerk of Court, Third Circuit Court of Appeal
Kenneth deBlanc, Retired Clerk of Court, Third Circuit Court of Appeal
Danielle Schott, Clerk of Court, Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal
Peter Fitzgerald, Clerk of Court, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal
John T. Olivier, Clerk of Court, Supreme Court
Frans Labranche, Retired Clerk of Court, Supreme Court

Wyndham New Orleans at Canal Place

The Wyndham New Orleans at 100 Rue Iberville is located close to the winding Mississippi River on the edge of the historic French Quarter. You will have direct access from the Hotel to the upscale shopping mecca, The Shops at Canal Place. The hotel is also only a short walk away from top restaurants, galleries, antique shops, the business district and Harrah’s casino. We feel certain you will enjoy the quality hotel atmosphere and the spectacular view of the river from the seventh floor lobby and most of the guest rooms.

Reservations: Call the hotel directly at 504-566-7006 or toll free at 1-877-662-2625, or use the online reservation page for our group. The group name for reservations is "National Conference of Appellate Court Clerks."

Rates and Cut-Off Date: The group rate is $102 per night for single or double occupancy; $112 for triple occupancy; $122 for quad occupancy; and for each additional person thereafter, $25. Hotel sales tax is 13% plus there is a $2 per room per night occupancy fee. Reservations must be made by July 4, 2007. Subject to availability, the group rate will be offered for reservations between July 31, 2007 through August 13, 2007. There is no fee or penalty for early departure.

Deposit: A one-night refundable deposit is required to be paid prior to July 7, 2007. To receive a refund, you must cancel your reservation no later that 72 hours before your scheduled arrival.

Check In/Check Out: Check-in time is 3:00 p.m. and checkout is 12:00 p.m.

Directions: The hotel is located at 100 Rue Iberville, about 16 miles from the New Orleans International Airport. From that airport, take I-10 East to downtown; exit Poydras Street, left on South Peters Street, right on Rue Iberville. Approximate cost of a taxi one-way is $28.

Parking: THE WYNDHAM DOES NOT OWN PARKING FACILITIES; A PARKING GARAGE is available at the Canal Place which is attached to the hotel; the rates are $18 per night, no in/out privileges; the rate is $5.00 for up to 10 hours if you do go in and out.

Getting to New Orleans

Despite the first line of a famous Fats Domino song: "It’s time I’m walkin’ to New Orleans", we don’t advise you to do so in the heat of the summer! However, there are a number of ways to arrive:

Air Travel -- Most of you will be flying into the Louis Armstrong New Orleans Intl. Airport located at 900 Airline Drive in Kenner, LA 70062
Airport Shuttle New Orleans -- Available from the airport to the hotel for $13.00 (per person, one-way) or $26.00 (per person, round-trip). Three bags per person. Call 1-866-596-2699 or (504) 522-3500 or go online for more details on service times or to make a reservation. Ticket booths are located on the lower level in the baggage claim area and a $2 fuel surcharge is added to total fare.
Taxi -- Rides costs $28.00 from the airport to the Hotel for one or two persons and $12.00 (per passenger) for three or more passengers. Pick-up is on the lower level, outside the baggage claim area. There may be an additional charge for extra baggage and a $1 fuel surcharge is added to total fare.
Rental Cars -- Available from 7 rental agencies with offices on the lower level of the airport; the list of the rental car agencies is available through the Airport website. The Airport is 16.4 miles from the New Orleans Wyndham. Barring traffic snarls, the ride from the airport is about 25 minutes to the hotel. Take and stay on I-10 East from the airport to downtown; Exit on Poydras Street; take a left on South Peters Street; and a right on Rue Iberville. (See comments about Parking with the hotel information.)
Driving -- Please visit your favorite website for maps to get driving distances and directions to The Wyndham New Orleans at 100 Rue Iberville, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130. (See comments about Parking with the hotel information.)

Attire

New Orleans is quite warm (actually hot) in August. The average temperatures are a high of 90 and low of 75 with 95% humidity. Therefore, the attire for the education conference and most social activities will be relaxed and very casual. You may, however, want to bring a sweater or light jacket because meeting rooms can be cool. Also, all of the social events are inside in air-conditioned arenas that may also be cool. The attire for Thursday night’s banquet will be dressy casual to cocktail. As some previous hosts have advised, you may also want to throw in some suntan lotion and maybe some mosquito repellant just in case!

Great Events

In addition to a fantastic educational program, a variety of great events have been scheduled for members and their familes. New details will be added as we confirm them.

Sunday: Sunday afternoon we will be doing a repeat of the Clerk's Silent Art Auction as a fund raising event. During the afternoon, attendees will get to bid on crafts created by clerks and lawyers from across the country to benefit the education fund. We are asking for your creative side to come out by donating a creation to the auction. Even if you don’t personally knit, crotchet, paint, draw, etc., and you know another clerk or lawyer who does, ask him/her to help! The items will be sold through a silent auction with the winners being announced one day during the morning announcements. Contact Trish Harrington, Clerk for the Virginia Supreme Court, for more information about the Silent Art Auction.

The Sunday night reception sponsored by BNA and NCACC will be co-hosted by Louisiana Clerks of Court John T. Olivier and Danielle Schott at the Supreme Court and Fourth Circuit Courthouse Building located at 400 Royal Street in the heart of the historic French Quarter. The Chief Justice and Judges in attendance from the hosting Louisiana appellate courts will welcome the group immediately prior to the Morgan Thomas Slide Show.

Monday: Thomson/West is sponsoring a terrific event at the National World War II Museum on Monday night. From the website:

The National World War II Museum is a national treasure. Dedicated in 2000 as The National D-Day Museum and now designated by Congress as the country’s official World War II Museum, this remarkable attraction illuminates the American experience during the WWII era with moving personal stories, historic artifacts and powerful interactive displays. From the Normandy invasion to the sands of Pacific Islands and the Home Front, the Museum brings to life the teamwork, optimism, courage and sacrifice of the men and women who won the war and changed the world.

From 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday evening, the Museum is reserved for us to dine buffet style with a chance to tour the museum at our leisure. As more details are forthcoming about the Thomson/West event, we will send out additional information concerning discounted or free touring opportunities for member/attendees and guests during the Museum’s regular hours of operation the week of the Conference.

Tuesday: On Tuesday at 1:30 p.m., Peter Fitzgerald, Clerk for the Louisiana Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal, welcomes golfers to his neck of the woods -- Jefferson Parish on the West Bank of the Mississippi River. The Tournament is scheduled at the Tournament Players Club Louisiana, a short drive over the Crescent City Connection to 11001 Lapalco Blvd., Avondale, Louisiana. Menus for Boxed Lunches are included in the packet at two levels: Players Boxed Lunch at $20 and Club Boxed Lunch at $14; prices include taxes and gratuity. Non-golfers have a free afternoon to experience the exciting sites and sounds of the city!

Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World Wednesday: No one should go to New Orleans without a Mardi Gras fete! LexisNexis is hosting a night of family fun at the Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World where "Mardi Gras is made". This museum holds the history of Mardi Gras and invites a long look behind the magic of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. This showcase of carnival with thousands of sensational sculptured props and breath-taking giant figures is truly a treasure of New Orleans. Blain Kern creates exceptional party experiences with true Mardi Gras magic and we believe Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World will be an unforgettable experience for all of our attendees.

Thursday: Thursday morning at 7:00 a.m. we will have the traditional fun run/walk for the fit and famous (or not so famous too), starting at Woldenberg Riverfront Park and heading north along the River toward the French Quarter; we’ll circle back close to Dumaine St., returning to the hotel on St. Peters Street passing Jackson Square on the way. Google Pedometer tells us this route is between 1.5 and 2.0 miles long. Thursday evening is the closing Reception and Annual Banquet that will be held at the Wyndham Hotel.

Information about New Orleans

The post-Katrina theme playing on the New Orleans Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Website is: “Forever New Orleans”. If you haven’t been to New Orleans before, you will truly enjoy one of the greatest tourist destinations in the world. If you have been to New Orleans before, we invite you back to see the rebirth of a city. Although our Louisiana world has changed dramatically post-Katrina in how we live and work, we haven’t changed how we play! Our joie de vivre is as strong as ever and we want you to be a part of our circle for that one special week when we reunite at our annual meeting to renew friendships and make new friends.

We close our invitation with a listing of Websites that you may find useful in planning your trip. Retired Clerk Kenneth deBlanc, Third Circuit Court of Appeal, is preparing information about his favorite New Orleans sites and activities that he plans to forward to you soon. Information and brochures on tours, attractions, and activities will be available when you arrive; however, any activity that we identify that requires pre-registration will be forwarded to you at the time we receive the information. Finally, although we regret having to address the topic, please remember that New Orleans is vulnerable to hurricanes from June through November. You may wish to purchase travel cancellation insurance as a precaution.

We are so looking forward to seeing y’all soon…Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!

Links of Interest

The Official New Orleans Tourism Web Site. New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation (NOTMC) is a private economic development corporation, created under Louisiana state law. Its purpose is to foster jobs and economic growth by developing the New Orleans tourism industry. It is funded by a hotel room occupancy tax and the City of New Orleans general fund and receives additional funding from the Regional Transit Authority/hotel tax. NOTMC’s mission is to promote the city as a leisure tourism destination throughout the year with special emphasis on developing visitation during the traditionally slow months of summer and the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.

The New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau’s mission is to create a vibrant, economic growth by developing and marketing the New Orleans region as the premier visitor destination, involving and leading the diverse elements of the hospitality industry and the community.

Since New Orleans has 35,000 hotel rooms and endless opportunities for entertainment, BigEasy.com was created to be the one stop shop for your New Orleans travel needs. This guide for visitors and locals was created as a guide to a more exhilarating experience in New Orleans. We are your one stop shop for New Orleans tours, hotel and package reservations.

FrenchQuarter.com The essential guide to New orleans' oldest neighborhood.

The Official Louisiana Tourism Website - sponsored by the Louisiana Office of Tourism and the Louisiana Travel Promotion Association. See also the official website of the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.

Upcoming Conferences

THIRTY-FIFTH: 2008 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
THIRTY-SIXTH: 2009 - Sacramento, California

National Conference of Appellate Court Clerks