[TCTAAmembers] Convention Update

[Sam McGowan]

Dear TCTAA Members,

Planning for our 2010 Convention is coming right along and we hope to have everything finalized by May 1. 

The contract for the hotel has been signed and members may now starting booking their suite at the Victorian Hawthorne Suites. This is the URL for the web site http://www.hawthorn.com/Hawthorn/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=30815&brandInfo=BH&cid=ROMLBCHW. I would suggest calling the hotel directly, but you might want to try the Wyndham 800 number first. The identification is Troop Carrier 2010 to get the group rate of $77.00 per night for a one bedroom suite or $125.00 a night for 2-bedroom. (Taxes will also apply. In order for us to not have to pay state sales tax, we would have to pay for all of the rooms with a single check.)

There is one thing I would like to get some feedback on. The main complaint about the hotel in 2006 was the breakfast, particularly that people felt rushed due to the size of the room. I have obtained a proposal from the caterer to provide breakfast for us in the hospitality room at a cost of roughly $13.00 per person. Benno is offering three menus, one built around scrambled eggs with sides and meat, one around a vegetable omelete with ham and the other a Mexican breakfast. We could have a catered breakfast on Friday, Saturday and, possibly, Sunday mornings. The advantage would be a much better breakfast than the hotel breakfast, which is typical of the complimentary breakfasts offered at hotels, and would also give us privacy. Please let me know what you think so we can decide at the planning meeting next month if we want to go that route or not. 

Speaking of the planning meeting, we will be meeting at the hotel on Saturday morning, April 17. We're expecting about a two-hour meeting starting at 10:00 and finishing in time for lunch. If you'd like to help with planning and are close enough to Galveston to participate and are not already involved, please let us know. 

Our tentative schedule for the convention is:

Thursday, October 21 - arrive, register, catered reception that evening (probably at the Lone Star Flight Museum)

Friday, October 22 - breakfast, board meeting, members meeting, banquet that evening at the hotel.

Saturday, October 23 - breakfast, travel to Ellington Field for the Wings Over Houston Air Show. No formal event that night but we'll have barbecue brought in and served in the hospitality room.

Sunday, October 24 - breakfast (possibly catered), rain date for air show. 

The total cost for the event has yet to be determined, but the registration fee will be under $150.00 per person, and that includes the cost of the reception (which is essentially a meal,) two or three breakfasts, the dinner on Friday and barbecue Saturday evening - in essence, food from Thursday evening through Saturday night and Sunday morning. 

As you know, we are also offering a cruise leaving Saturday, October 16 from Galveston on Carnival ECSTASY. To keep things simple, we're letting people make their own reservations through whatever means they wish - www.carnival.com, AARP, travel agent, etc. I understand that Carnival offers special rates for veterans, subject to availability. At some point (once I've made my own reservations and set it up) you'll need to call Carnival and let them know you are part of the Troop Carrier group for identification purposes. This is mainly for dining room seating. Carnival rates are all-inclusive except for alchohol and soft drinks, shore excursions and a couple of other things. They are also per person so any people who are planning to go alone might get in touch with someone else who is doing likewise and make your reservation together and share a state room. Each state room has beds that can be made up a one king or two queens. The lowest rates are for inside cabins, and go up through Ocean View on up to balcony.

We'll keep everyone as well informed as possible as details emerge. The names of those who have indicated they are coming are being posted on the web site at www.troopcarrier.org/2010attendance.html as we get them. Once we start taking registration forms, the names will be posted. 

We're looking forward to a great convention, and expect for everyone to have a lot of fun! Make plans to come and pass the word around to other troop carrier/tactical airlift veterans you know.

Sam McGowan
Secretary/Editor
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