Dateline: 03-05-2009

Hotel News

Repeating last year’s success, we are reporting now that the Sheraton Bloomington is currently full, and we are in fact about to overflow into another venue. This came as quite a surprise to the hotel team, as it seems filling the Sheraton is happening earlier and earlier each year. Over the coming weeks we will be working to submit the final room requests to the Sheraton, whose staff is poised to create the reservations and email them out.

We apologize for having missed earlier deadlines, and commit to having all reservations in to the hotel by April 10, 2009, and to advising anyone who will be housed elsewhere at that time as well.

But the even bigger news is the hotel team has not been idle this past few weeks. We entered into new talks with the Sheraton, and are please to report that we have negotiated a lower rate for this year’s convention. Instead of the previously reported $104.00 per night rate, we are happy to say that the Sheraton has rolled back this year’s regular sleeping room rate to $99.00 per night (plus tax of course). Knowing that we were working towards that lower rate we held off allowing confirmations to be sent so as to minimize confusion and duplication. The first of the room confirmations went out late last week and should have carried the $99.00 rate. If you have received a confirmation from the Sheraton, please be sure to check!

At this time, the CONvergence hotel team asks that any queries regarding room status be held and not submitted until March 25, 2009. We have a large backlog of emails requesting information to get to, and need the time to both assign rooms and answer what’s already pending. Of course, if the question is pressing, please feel free to send the inquiry.

We will keep everyone updated either through this venue, our usual emails, or on a person by person basis as is warranted. We thank everyone for their patience.