International Convention and Competition
October 20-24, 2009

Kick up your heels for a rousing good time in Music City. Sweet Adelines from all over the world will converge on the river port city of Nashville, Tenn., October 20-24, 2009, for the 63rd annual International Convention and Competition.

The all-events registration fee now covers admission to the Harmony Classic competitions, quartet semifinals/finals, chorus semifinals/finals, Harmony Bazaar, and education classes. Experience barbershop's future stars at the Rising Star Quartet Competition. Tickets are sold separately for the Rising Star competition with proceeds benefiting the Young Singers Foundation and the Young Women in Harmony program.

Please note that Harmony Classic will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009 and the Rising Star Competition will take place on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009

Nashville - where music is inspired.

Tickets are available on-site in the Nashville Convention Center, Room 103.

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Essential Information
Download the Notes of Interest newsletter to find out all that you need to know about convention.

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Coronet Club
Visit the Coronet Club Web site to order tickets to the Coronet Club show and to obtain show information.

There will be no busing for the Coronet Club Show. For more information about this decision, please contact the Coronet Club.

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Sommet Center Food and Drink Rules
The Sommet Center will allow personal water bottles to enter the facility from all entrances. Due to contractual obligations, water bottles with logos or brand names, as well as all other food and beverage is strictly prohibited from entering the arena.

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The Country Music Hall of Fame� and Museum Welcomes the Sweet Adelines International Convention and Competition

In the heart of Downtown Nashville, the largest popular music museum in the world, The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, stands as the hallmark of Nashville�s musical heritage.The ever-changing permanent exhibit, Sing Me Back Home, features rhinestone costumes, seasoned instruments and tear-stained lyric sheets on a journey through country music that entertains and inspires guests from all over the world. Show your Sweet Adeline Conference badge to receive $3.00 Off General Admission.

Don�t miss the museum�s special exhibit open now and included with museum admission, Brenda Lee: Dynamite now open through June 2010. Brenda Lee is one of the most beloved entertainers in the world, selling millions of records and contributing standards such as �I�m Sorry� and �Rockin Around the Christmas Tree.� The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum honors Little Miss Dynamite in an exhibit featuring artifacts and multimedia from throughout her exciting career.

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Sweet Adelines International Set the Guinness World Record for Largest Singing Lesson!

Download the Real Women Tag and Audio File
Click Here to access the Sheet Music.
Click Here to access the Audio File.

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Online Tour Registration
Tour many of the facets that make up the jewel that is Music City.

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Hotel Reservations and Availability
Reservations can be made by PHONE, FAX, MAIL or ONLINE between April 1, 2009 and September 11, 2009. Requests received after August 21, 2009 will be processed on a space-available basis. To receive the convention room rate, reservations must be made through the Sweet Adelines International Housing Bureau, Experient.

Please Note: RENAISSANCE� NASHVILLE Hotel is SOLD OUT.

Make a reservation online

Telephone: Toll-free (800) 611-2720 or (330) 425-9330 M-F 9:00 am – 5:00 pm EDT

Fax: Fax the housing form to 330.963.0319

(All rates are per room and are subject to a 15.25% sales tax and $2 city tax, both per room, per night.)

RENAISSANCE� NASHVILLE (Headquarters Hotel) 611 Commerce Street, Nashville, Tennessee 37203 Single/Double $189 Triple/Quad $199	SHERATON NASHVILLE DOWNTOWN 623 Union Street Nashville, TN 37219 Single/Double $153 Triple/Quad $163
DOUBLETREE HOTEL NASHVILLE 315 Fourth Ave North Nashville, TN 37219 Single/Double $150 Triple/Quad $160	HILTON NASHVILLE DOWNTOWN 121 Fourth Ave South Nashville, TN 37201 Single/Double $164 Triple/Quad $174
HOMEWOOD SUITES NASHVILLE DOWNTOWN 706 Church Street Nashville, TN 37203 Single/Double $159 Triple/Quad $169	HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS DOWNTOWN NASHVILLE 920 Broadway Nashville, TN 37203 Single/Double $142 Triple/Quad $152
HAMPTON INN & SUITES NASHVILLE - DOWNTOWN 310 4th Ave South Nashville, Tennessee 37201 Single/Double $165 Triple/Quad $175	MARRIOTT COURTYARD NASHVILLE DOWNTOWN 170 4th Ave North Nashville, TN 37219 Single/Double $141 Triple/Quad $141
LOEWS VANDERBILT HOTEL 2100 West End Avenue Nashville, TN 37203 Single/Double $184 Triple/Quad $194	NASHVILLE MARRIOTT AT VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY 2555 West End Ave Nashville, TN 37203 Single/Double $159 Triple/Quad $169
EMBASSY SUITES NASHVILLE AT VANDERBILT 1811 Broadway Nashville, Tennessee 37203 Single/Double $178 Triple/Quad $178	HOLIDAY INN SELECT NASHVILLE VANDERBILT 2613 West End Ave Nashville, TN 37203 Single/Double $142 Triple/Quad $152
THE HUTTON HOTEL 1808 West End Ave Nashville, TN 37203 Single/Double $189 Triple/Quad $189

For questions about convention or housing, contact Nancy Aloway (nancy@sweetadelineintl.org). For questions about registration and Rising Star Quartet Competition, contact Lana Clark (lana@sweetadelineintl.org). For questions regarding convention advertising options, please contact Mary Steil (mary@sweetadelineintl.org).

Check back frequently for additional convention information.

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Shuttle Bus Information

Members and guests in possession of room keys from the following Sweet Adeline hotels are eligible for complimentary shuttle service:

� Loews Vanderbilt
� Sheraton Nashville Downtown
� DoubleTree Nashville
� Homewood Suites Nashville Downtown
� Nashville Marriott at Vanderbilt University
� Embassy Suites Nashville at Vanderbilt
� Holiday Inn Select Nashville Vanderbilt
� Holiday Inn Express Downtown Nashville
� Marriott Courtyard Downtown
� Hutton Hotel

The Renaissance, Hilton Nashville Downtown and the Hampton Inn will not have shuttle service, as they are close to the convention center and Sommet Center. If you want to ride the shuttle to another hotel to visit friends or other choruses, just present your room key for passage on to the bus.

For non-competing attendees who choose to stay at a hotel not commissioned by Sweet Adelines a shuttle pass can be purchased in advance online or onsite. Shuttle passes are $75 per person and can be purchased in advance through the Sweet Adelines web site, or onsite at the ticket office.

SuperShuttle

SuperShuttle Service to/from Airport and to/from all Downtown Hotels
$12.00 per person one way*
$16.00 roundtrip*

*With reservation

Click here to recieve an additional $8.00 discount for roundtrip reservations for all Sweet Adelines International convention attendees. The discount code will already be entered for you so just click shared ride $12 and scroll down to see the discount.

Call toll free nationwide at 800 BlueVan to book your reservation over the phone.

Airport Arrival Instructions
� Upon arrival at the Nashville International Airport (BNA), please proceed to baggage claim to pick-up your bags. The baggage wheels are divided by airlines, so make sure you search for your airlines baggage claim area. � After collecting your baggage, follow signs to Ground Transportation. SuperShuttle has a booth on the ground floor (to the left of the glass entrance/exit doors).
� Check in with the reservation agent and give either your name/ID Badge or your confirmation number. If you find yourself slightly off track, the SuperShuttle agent will assist you. Tell them you are traveling on behalf of the Sweet Adelines International Convention and Competition going to any Downtown Nashville hotel and they will direct you to the next departing Shuttle.
� You may wait in the heated/air conditioned room near the agents� booth. Please ensure that all of your luggage is accessible to the drivers to load prior to departure.

Airport Transportation
Click here to print a discount coupon for airport transportation. The trip rate is $16 round trip (normally $20). If you have any questions contact Gray Line Nashville at 800-251-1864.

Scooter Rental
If you need a scooter in Nashville, please contact ScootAround. For rentals simply complete the inquiry form on their website or call toll-free at 1.888.441.7575 and a Scootaround Rental Specialist will provide you with a no-oblilgation rental quote.

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Answering Some of Your International Convention Questions
It is very important that competing choruses accurately estimate the number of hotel rooms needed during the week of convention. Since competitors make up approximately 50 percent of our convention attendance, they are vital to the organization’s ability to fulfill its contractual obligations to the hotels in our block. Most hotel contracts require that at least 80 percent of the room block be actualized or attrition penalties are levied.

Last year, after the deadline for dropping rooms, one of the competing choruses dropped a significant number of rooms from its original estimate. This not only put the organization in a significant attrition situation, it put the chorus in jeopardy of significant penalties for dropping rooms after the deadline date. Because we were able to negotiate the attrition, the Board agreed not to penalize the chorus. If the organization had incurred attrition penalties, the Board would have been forced to penalize the chorus several thousand dollars.

In addition to the potential loss of income due to attrition penalties, there is a possible loss of income if competitors and other attendees choose to stay outside the hotel block. This income helps to stave off significant increases to the convention registration fees. Sweet Adelines International receives a per room per night rebate from every hotel in the block to help offset convention expenses. Also, the company we work with for convention site selection and management, Experient, is paid solely through commissions on hotel rooms actualized in our block. Because of the potential loss of income for both Experient and Sweet Adelines International, the Board enacted the “fair share assessment” for all competitors who choose to stay in a hotel or other accommodations outside our contracted block.

Another factor related to attendees’ staying in our block is busing, our single largest convention expense. Busing companies use a formula based on the location and number of hotels, number of rooms contracted at each hotel, and an average number of people per room to estimate transportation needs. Our transportation, therefore, is planned for and limited to only those attendees staying in our contracted hotel block. For those who choose to stay outside the block, a bus pass is available for $75 per person.

Some attendees ask about the type of hotels that are chosen for the convention, questioning why we don’t have more lower-rated properties in our block. The primary reason is that our chorus competitors require an inordinate amount of meeting space for their riser rehearsals and meal functions. The only properties with this kind of space are the larger, higher-rated hotels. Of course, we work hard to negotiate the best possible rates at all hotels.

The intent of this article is to heighten awareness of these issues. Our goal is to make the international convention successful and a break-even venture. With everyone’s cooperation, and particularly that of our competitors for whom this event primarily is planned, we can continue to offer the high-quality convention that our members have come to enjoy and expect.