WESTERNITE 2011 - Anchorage

Thank you all!

2011-07-15T11:56:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the meeting participants, Western District Board, International President and Executive, sponsors, vendors, exhibitors, spouses, children, volunteers and local arrangements committee members. We received terrific feedback for producing a memorable and informative Western District Annual Meeting.

See you all in Santa Barbara -- June 24-27, 2012!

Overflow Hotel and Duct Tape

2011-06-21T11:25:00.000-07:00

Hi all -- We hope your duct tape apparel is shaping up for the Tuesday Awards Banquet. We are working on ours. (Hint: Walmart offers a great selection of duct tape).

Our conference hotel, the Anchorage Hilton, is sold out. We have designated the Marriott in downtown Anchorage as our overflow hotel. They are holding a block of rooms spanning the conference dates for us. Follow the instructions below to book your room:

1. Reservations can be made by calling 1-800-228-9290. When
calling, refer to your Mini Hotel Code "TRETREA" and the name of the conference, "Transportation Engineers".

OR

2. Book online at www.marriott.com/ancdt following these steps:

* Under "Check Rates & Availability" (on the left-hand side of the page) enter the desired arrival and departure dates.
* Click on the Special Rates & Awards Button
* Enter your online group code, TRETREA, in the box that says "Group Code".
* Select the button "FIND"
* Follow the simple steps outlines to complete the reservations.

Should you have any difficulties making your reservations, please do not hesitate to contact Jacqui direct at (907) 792-2108 or via email at jacqui@columbiasussex.com.

Western District Conference Awards Banquet

2011-06-10T09:53:00.000-07:00

Hi all. The Alaska Local Arrangements Committee is excited to be hosting the event and looking forward to sharing our beautiful state with conference attendees.

The Awards Banquet theme is "DUCT TAPE" ball. We hope you will plan and dress accordingly. It is fun. For ideas check out the following web site: Duct Tape Ball Scrapbook You will get come ideas on what one wears to a Duct Tape Ball.

The entertainment will be provided by Alaska's own Mr. Whitekeys in a fun Alaskana show followed by dancing.

Should be fun -- see you soon.

Cruise Home!

2011-06-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

It has come to our attention that some folks will fly north and cruise south to attend the 2011 Western District Annual Meeting in Anchorage. For cruise details check out this web page.

Our days are getting longer so be prepared to have fun and rest when you get home. The sun rose this morning at 4:38 am and will set tonight at 11:28 pm for a total of 19.0 hours of sunlight. Remember summer solstice is June 21st so the days will be getting shorter during your visit.

See you all soon!

Don't forget the Alaska Airlines discount!

2011-05-24T15:22:00.000-07:00

Alaska Airlines is providing a 5% meeting discount, valid for travel between Anchorage and any alaska Airlines/Horizon Air US (except Hawaii) city. The discount code can be applied to travel July 7 through July 16. Use discount code - ECMA25 -- when booking online.

Come check out our big, wild life at the Western District Annual Meeting

2011-05-17T17:44:00.000-07:00

In Anchorage, we keep an eye on wildlife and the bears and moose are showing up to greet spring along with the rest of us. You can check out some photos submitted by readers to our local newspaper, the Anchorage Daily News by clicking this link. It is not at all unusual to see animals in our urban area. We hope you'll have a sighting in July! Don't forget to register by June 1, 2011.

Early Registration Deadline Extended to June 1

2011-05-14T15:31:00.000-07:00

We had numerous requests on Friday to extend the deadline for registration so folks can get have a chance to coordinate with colleagues for groups rates, etc. The Alaska Local Arrangements Committee decided we could give you more time.

Let us know if you have any difficulty getting hotel reservations at the Hilton. Remember the conference rates are good for the three days before and three days after the conference giving you plenty of extra time to take a side trip to Denali, Seward for some salmon fishing or visit the quaint fishing community in Homer.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone in July.

Early Registration ends Sunday, May 15, 2011

2011-05-12T08:58:00.000-07:00

Spring is officially in Anchorage as the birch leaves begin to unfold and blanket the city was a beautiful new green. Salmon fishing will begin next week as my family heads down to the Kenai Peninsula for some King (Chinook) salmon in the early saltwater run.

Get your registration in by the end of the day (Alaska Standard Time) on Sunday, May 15 for the best rates. Watch for a updated preliminary program on Friday afternoon.

We are looking forward to seeing you in Alaska!

Early Registration Deadline Extended to May 15!

2011-05-05T09:47:00.000-07:00

The Alaska Local Arrangements Committee has extended the date for early registration to May 15! This should give Western District transportation engineers some extra time to make arrangements and take advantage of the early registration date.

Sponsorships and vendor spots are still available.

2011-04-11T16:43:00.000-07:00

Registration are coming in and the Local Arrangements Committee continues to fine tune details. For those of you who are interested in some side trips--you can get an app for your smart phone--the Alaska APP.

Click here to access the app.

Don't forget to get registered, finish writing your paper or sponsor a coffee break!

Need a travel agent to book those side trips?

2011-04-07T15:14:00.000-07:00

The Anchorage Local Arrangements Committee is pleased to provide information from Explore Tours. Give these kind folks a call, send an email or check out their web site (link on right). They can help you and your family plan some side trips if you have the time and resources to do touring before and after the conference.

Don't forget to sign up to attend and remember the early registration deadline is May 1, 2010.

Registration is open!

2011-04-01T22:14:00.000-07:00

The Anchorage Local Arrangements Committee opened registration today for the 2011 Western District Annual Meeting scheduled for July 10-13, 2011. Check your email and register. The Preliminary Program is available -- click on the link on the left to view or download.

We are still looking for sponsors, vendors/exhibitors. The sponsor packet is available on the links to the left. Click on the Exhibitors tab for information and the vendor/exhibitor packet.

We look forward to showing you our great state!

Anchorage 2011 Conference Update!

2011-02-04T16:08:00.000-08:00

February 4th the Western District board approved the member early registration rate of $395. To qualify for this rate you must register before May 1, 2011. The Local Arrangements Committee will have on-line registration up and running later this month.

Send the Committee your questions about travel schedules and fun things to do before and after the conference to ite2011ak@gmail.com.

Alaska Airlines Discount for Annual Meeting Attendees

2011-01-19T13:32:00.000-08:00

Alaska Airlines has extended Western ITE a 5% meeting discount, valid for travel between Anchorage and any Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air US (except Hawaii) city. The discount can be
applied to travel July 7 through July 16. The online discount code - ECMA25 -
is ready for distribution.

To take advantage of the discount online at www.alaskaair.com, simply use e-certificate code ECMA25 in the Flights Quick Search Box.

Technical Program taking shape!

2010-12-01T09:50:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all who submitted the more than 170 abstracts. About 135 will be receiving notice of abstract acceptance, many will be asked to be alternates in the event someone else is unable to attend.

We received abstracts from 10 states (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington) and all 10 states will be represented in the technical program. Monday and Tuesday technical sessions will be held at the Egan Convention Center. Wednesday's sessions will be at the Anchorage Hilton Hotel.

We received 18 student papers, 20 faculty papers, 28 papers from government and agencies, and the rest from private entities (consultants and vendors/manufacturers).

Look for notice of abstract acceptance this week.

Thanks to Stephanie Mormillo of HDL Alaska LLC, Scott Thomas of Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities and Mitsuru Saito of Brigham Young University for assisting the technical co-chairs, Randy Kinney of Kinney Engineering and Osama Abaza of the University of Alaska Anchorage in making the selections.

Presenters please make your reservations early -- July in Alaska is peak tourist time!

Deadline for Abstracts Extended!

2010-09-28T14:28:00.000-07:00

If you have been procrastinating, there's still hope! The deadline to submit abstracts for the 2011 Annual Meeting has been extended to October 18, 2010! Click on "Technical Program" for more details and contact information. Western District meetings are known for their excellent technical programs and we want to maintain that reputation!

2010-07-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Western District Institute of Transportation Engineers 2011 Annual Meeting Blog!

The Institute of Transportation Engineers Western District annual conference will descend upon Anchorage, Alaska July 10-13, 2011. The Local Arrangements Committee created this blog to keep you informed about the conference. Look for recommendations on travel, side trips, places to eat and fun things to do before and after the conference.

We will be updating this site with information about events, travel, and answer your as conference gets closer and closer.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us.