Logistics

Here is some info that Polly Riddims, our Logistics Coordinator, gathered about transportation in Austin…

From the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), you’ll want to either grab a taxi (approx. $40 to $45 for the trip), rent a car, take the SuperShuttle (recommended), or take the Capital Metro (bus). The address of the Renaissance Austin hotel is 9721 Arboretum Blvd, Austin, Texas. Tell the driver it’s in the Arboretum, and they’ll know where to go.

SuperShuttle

512-258-3826 or 1-800-BLUE-VAN or www.supershuttle.com

Take the SuperShuttle for a budget-friendly ride to and from the Austin airport and the Renaissance Austin hotel. Like at many airports, SuperShuttle provides you with a shared ride in a chauffeured van. It’s cheaper than a taxi, and more convenient than public transportation.

You do not need a reservation to take the SuperShuttle, but you can get a $2 discount if you reserve a round-trip SuperShuttle ride on at www.supershuttle.com using the NCDD group discount code “DYZJ5.” (The discount code is only available for roundtrip reservations made on the website, for travel between October 1st and October 6th.)

One-way shuttles from the airport to the hotel are $17 per person. Roundtrip tickets are $30, or $28 with the NCDD discount.

At Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, follow signs to the SuperShuttle ticket counter, which is inside the airport just past baggage carousel 1. Purchase your ticket to the hotel with cash or credit card, or get instructions if you’ve already purchased your ticket online. You can schedule your return shuttle from the ticket counter or later by calling 512-258-3826 or 1-800-BLUE-VAN; 24-hour advance notice is recommended.

Expect to also pay a $2 fuel surcharge, and we encourage you to tip the driver a couple of dollars as well.

Capital Metro (bus)

If your funds are super-tight, you can take the metro from the airport to the Arboretum Mall for just $1, but you will need to transfer buses and the trip takes about 90 minutes. The Capital Metro website is www.capmetro.org and you’ll need to check the bus schedule there. You may also want to use the bus system during the conference to explore downtown Austin. They have a nice trip planner tool to help you figure out which buses to take to get to where you’re going (enter “Arboretum” rather than the hotel’s address.

Taxicab Companies

In case there are no taxis waiting at the hotel, or you find yourself downtown with no transportation back to the hotel, here are some numbers and websites for local cab companies…  And just so you know, a taxi ride to the hotel from the Austin airport (and vice versa) is about $40 to $45. We’ll make sure there’s a place near the registration/info table where you can schedule and coordinate taxi ride shares back to the hotel.

American Yellow Checker Cab

512-452-9999 or 800-874-0278
www.yellowcabaustin.com

Austin Cab

512-478-2222
www.austincab.com

Lone Star Cab Co.

512-836-4900
www.lonestarcabaustin.com

Although we’ve negotiated a pretty nice rate at the Austin Renaissance ($149/night), we know that can add up to a big expense for many people. One option is to find someone else who’s attending the conference who you can share rooms with at the Renaissance. We’ve helped people locate roommates for all of our conferences and, as far as we know, no one’s had a bad roommate situation yet.

Add a comment below to tell people you’re looking for a roommate. Share your name, email, phone number, gender, dates you’ll be in Austin, and anything else you think your potential roommate should know about you (like if you smoke, snore, sleep in the tub, etc.). Once you find someone to room with, add another comment so people know you’re taken!

You and your roommate will be responsible for making hotel reservations and payment arrangements.

We want NCDD Austin to be an accessible conference. Young people, people from developing countries, and people who have lower incomes add so much to the conference, and we want to do all we can to make sure they are able to join us in October. That’s why we only charge $375 for registration, when comparable conferences often charge twice that.

One of the biggest expenses for people coming from out of town is lodging. We negotiated a discounted rate of $149 for our attendees at the Renaissance Austin, where we are holding the conference. But we know that several nights at that rate can be a major expense.

That’s why, in addition to helping people share rooms at the Renaissance, we are trying to secure as many homestays as possible for conference attendees. The Central Texas team is busy locating as many homes as possible where people are open to conference participants using their guest room, or even just their comfortable couch, for several nights.

If you do not have the funds to cover lodging, add a comment below letting us know you need a homestay. Tell us your name, email, and phone, where you’re from, your gender, the dates you’ll be in Austin, and whether you need a guest room or you’re comfortable sleeping on a couch.

We’ll do our best to find you a homestay, and we’ll let you know one way or the other as soon as possible. If we do arrange a homestay for you, we’ll work on making sure you’ll have transportation to and from the conference hotel each day.

If you have questions about homestays or you’d like to host someone yourself during the conference, please contact planning team member Rod Reyna at .

We’re about to launch registration for NCDD 2008, and I wanted to announce that NCDD members who have paid the optional membership fee ($50 for individuals) save that same amount on their conference registration!

That means that NCDD members who have paid the membership fee will only pay $325 to attend NCDD Austin. And if they register early (before May 1), they get the shockingly low rate of $250 (!). Pretty darn cheap for a national conference - especially one that offers as much as an NCDD conference does.

Our paid members also get a $50 discount on the great post-conference training on Facilitative Disaster & Crisis Intervention. And our organizational members will be able to send two people to the conference or the post-conference training at the discounted rates.

If you haven’t yet joined NCDD, please do!  Complete the join form at www.thataway.org/join. (more…)

For those who missed it in earlier conversations, NCDD2008 is the official tag for the conference and should be used wherever appropriate, whether it be for personal blog posts, photos on Flickr, Tweets or Pownces, Social Bookmarking or any other online reference. Thanks to both Jerry Michalski and Tim Bonnemann for pointing this out again.

Follow-up: I made some suggestions above of where we can use this tag, but I would love to hear more. If you have ideas of other places we can use the tag, please share them in the comments.

Experience an authentic luxury hotel in Austin featuring the distinct style and diverse personality of the Lone Star State at the Renaissance Austin Hotel. Nestled in the picturesque hills of Texas Hill Country, this Austin Arboretum Hotel provides a tranquil environment surrounded by nature trails, sophisticated boutiques, and a variety of restaurants. From the dramatic nine-story atrium to the stylish, oversized rooms, this newly renovated Austin, Texas hotel features luxurious accommodations and an abundance of upscale amenities.

The 60,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space combines modern technology with personalized service in a unique environment. Enjoy close proximity to Downtown, University of Texas, Sixth Street, as well as Austin Bergstrom International Airport. This distinctly Austin, TX hotel offers a luxurious, eclectic experience.

Most importantly, NCDD negotiated a great $149/night room rate with the Renaissance Austin (the rate is normally close to $300). Plus parking on site is free if you park yourself (valet parking is $14/day).

The hotel address is 9721 Arboretum Boulevard, Austin, Texas 78759. Their phone number is 1-512-343-2626 (be sure to get the “NCDD” group discount). You can learn more about the hotel at www.renaissanceaustin.com.