NASIG 2007 Conference Blog

The Metadata Standards and Applications workshop is full. Anyone interested in being added to a waiting list should contact Peter Whiting at .

Online registration will close at 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Thursday, May 17th. After May 17th, you must register onsite at the conference and pay an additional $50 late fee.

The Queen may be gone and Derby may be over, but NASIG 2007 is heading for the post. We know you’ll have a good time but wanted to share a few pointers to improve your odds.  The weather in Louisville in late May and early June can be variable.  We can have cool gray days with rain and temps in the 50’s to sultry, southern, summer days with temps in the upper 80’s.  Also remember that most conference hotels can be quite chilly so bring a sweater. 

If you need any assistance during the conference or have any questions, look for one of the locals.  You can’t miss us, we’ll be wearing black baseball caps with the words “The Ville” blazoned across the front in red and white.  We’ll also have a local information booth at the registration area with advice on restaurants and local attractions. 

It’s a sure thing you’re going to enjoy NASIG 2007 and your visit to Louisville.

Come to the NASIG conference and see more of Louisville than just the hotel. Take advantage of the tours we have scheduled for Thursday and Sunday.

Three tours are offered Thursday: a walking tour of downtown Louisville, a bus tour to Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum, and a bus tour to the Louisville Stoneware factory and store.

Sunday there is only one tour, but it includes a brunch and is more extensive than the other tours. It features the fossil beds along the Indiana shore of the Ohio River, downtown Louisville, the Victorian neighborhood of Old Louisville, and Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum.

Tours are listed on the conference registration form. Each tour requires a separate charge in addition to the conference registration. Fees vary. Please see the website for more details. Sign up now and reserve your spot!See you soon

Please be aware that the conference room discount ends Sunday, April 29th. Rooms reserved after that date will be charged the normal rate. See the conference website for the discount code and more important information regarding the hotel. http://www.nasig.org/conference/2007/hotel.html

Saturday, June 2nd, 9:30 p.m.-12:30 p.m. Join your colleagues and friends for the second annual Open Mic event at NASIG 2007! Whether you’re a comedian, poet, singer, or story-teller, get on-stage at the Open Mic event and share your talent with the NASIG community. A small selection of props will be provided, but feel free to bring your own. A cash bar will also be available from 9:30-11:30 p.m. Continue mingling after the entertainment portion of the evening at the late night social. We hope to see you at this fun and entertaining event that’s sure to become a NASIG tradition.

After a full day of conference activities on Saturday, join us for a relaxing dinner cruise down the Ohio on the Spirit of Jefferson, a replica sternwheeler. The Spirit combines the charm of the historic steamboat experience with attractive modern conveniences. Besides a great meal, you’ll get to see a panorama of the city from a unique vantage point, the islands of the Ohio River and some of the stately homes up river. For more information, look under Events on the conference web site.

Remember if you’ve already registered, you can still add events by updating your registration online. Tickets to the Spirit and other events will also be available in the conference registration area at the hotel until sold out.

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The NASIG Program Planning Committee has added a section to the conference website that gives speakers tips on conducting a successful NASIG conference program, including a section on audio visual resources.

NASIG’s Mentoring Program is again sponsoring a Conference Mentoring Program to help make new conference attendees feel more at ease, highlight membership benefits and create networking opportunities. The program will match experienced NASIG conference attendees with new conference goers. For more information about the program and to apply to become a mentor or mentee, visit NASIG’s mentoring website at http://nasig.org/mentor/index.htm .

The deadline for accepting applications is May 14, 2007.

The contract NASIG has with the Galt House includes a block of rooms reserved for each night. We have already exceeded the number of rooms in the block for both Tuesday and Wednesday nights, which contributed to the problem with reservations. In addition, the Galt House had just implemented a new booking system. If you try to reserve a room, and the number of rooms in the block has been exceeded, then the system will not allow the person reserving the room to override the block.

To assist the high demand for rooms, the Galt House has been adding rooms to the blocks. However, due to the high demand, there are not many standard rooms available. The standard rooms in the West Tower are $95 (single/double) and $105 (triple/quad). The “executive suite” rooms in the East Tower are $115 (single/double) and $125 (triple/quad). From the Galt House web site: “Each suite has over 720 square feet of space, a luxurious bathroom, vanity and a separate bedroom with two double beds. Many offer complimentary high-speed Internet access.”

If you encounter problems making a room reservation, you need to call the Galt House at 1-800-THE GALT (or 502-589-5200) and make your reservation. 

There are still plenty of rooms available, and the Galt House is still giving us the conference rate for the additional rooms beyond the block.