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1. What led to changing the date of the Awards Banquet and Concert to Thursday?
At NCEA/NPCD headquarters we have heard the disappointment expressed by many members who informed us of their inability to find hotel rooms in Boston for Friday night. The move helps ensure that as many attendees as possible can join in the Banquet that celebrates parish catechesis and honors the recipients of the Emmaus Award and the Religious Education Excellence Award.
Rates in reserved blocks go up after January 31! Shuttles will be available from hotels at a distance from the Hynes Convention Center and Sheraton Boston.
3. Why are there insufficient hotel rooms for the needs of NPCD Convocation?
On rare occasions, a phenomenon occurs that has come to be known in popular circles as "the perfect storm", a critical or disastrous situation created by a powerful concurrence of factors. Such a "perfect storm" has occurred within our 2012 NPCD Convocation. We are forced to deal with the Convention/Convocation being scheduled at the very same time as
a. Patriot's Weekend
b. the Boston Marathon
c. the 2012 Red Sox home opener
There have also been changes in personnel in Boston as well as at NCEA since the time the original hotel contracts were established. So what are the ramifications of this "perfect storm"? The answer is quiet simple: hotel rooms are at a premium throughout the city!!! Many of you already know this because you have tried unsuccessfully to reserve rooms for the Convocation through Saturday.
4. What is being done to correct this situation?
Amy Durkin, the NCEA Convention Planner, has worked tirelessly to secure more hotel rooms and some additional rooms have opened, we know they are not nearly enough to accommodate all those who wish to stay through to Saturday. So in addition to securing some additional hotel rooms we are taking to following steps:
a. We are changing the night of the Awards Banquet from Friday to Thursday.
b. John Angotti's Concert has been moved also from Friday to Thursday.
Moving these two events up one day means that it will not be necessary for you to have to stay over on Friday evening unless you are one of the lucky ones who have a hotel room.
5. Is anything else in the 2012 Convention or Convocation schedule changing?
The rest of the NPCD Convocation schedule is remaining the same as published in the preliminary program. All Professional Development Sessions for Friday will remain in their already announced time slots. A word to the wise.... if you have not yet made your hotel reservations, please do so immediately since the newly added rooms will fill very quickly.
6. What if I already booked my hotel and flight to stay Friday night? For those of you lucky enough to have a room for Friday Lori Dahlhoff (the Executive Director of the NCEA Department of Religious Education) and other NPCD members still plan to be available to you and are open to working with those interested in more informal, relaxing gathering that evening. You can also cancel your room reservation for Friday night without penalty if you choose to leave after the closing liturgy.
7. What can I as a participant do to make the most of the Convocation schedule?
With some flexibility and adaptability on everyone's part, we can overcome this unfortunate "perfect storm" and participate fully in our Convocation, come away enriched and work even harder to see that it doesn't happen again any time soon. You can review a “near final” listing of professional development sessions online at /UserFiles/File/Convention/NCEA_2012_Boston_Final_Program_Listing.pdf
8. How do I check to see if I’m already registered for the convention/convocation?
You should have received an email confirming your registration. If you have not, all is not lost. Go to the NCEA Registration Resource Center https://www.xpressreg.net/register/NCEA042/XPressToolkit/Login.asp Convention website click on “Forgot your login information?” then enter the email address you used when you registered If you have a badge number you are registered and can print out a confirmation. Bring the sheet with you to the registration desk in the Hynes where it will be scanned and your badge will print out.
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National Catholic Educational Association
