AGC NYS 2016 Winter Meeting Panama January 22-27, 2016 Registration and sponsorship Information PLEASE BE SURE TO REGISTER EARLY FOR THE 2016 WINTER MEETING. THIS DESTINATION REQUIRES AN EARLY REGISTRATION SO PROPER ARRANGEMENTS CAN BE MADE.
Explore Panama with AGC NYS Panamá is located right in the middle of the America s continent with an S shape that gives it a particular position with the Atlantic Ocean to the North, Pacific Ocean to the South, Colombia to the East and Costa Rica to the West. This position has made the country the Bridge of the continent and the hub of the America s; connecting more than 100 routes from around the world. The geologic history of Panama is relatively recent. Approximately three million years ago, one narrow earth strip emerged from the sea as a result of tectonic movements and volcanic activity. This new isthmus separated waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, united the continental masses of North America and the South, created the Caribbean Sea and the current of the Gulf, transformed the world-wide climate before warming up the previously frozen coasts of Europe and gave rise to the African savannah. It also gave beginning to a massive interchange of the flora and fauna between the north and south, acting like a life-bridge that included the passage of the humans who populated both continents. Since then, the geographic position of Panama has played a predominantly strategic roll, in all senses. The slim silhouette of the country measures only 80 kilometers in its narrower waist; which allowed the construction of the Panama Canal at the beginning of the twentieth century. Today, Panama is one of the most developed countries in Central America and has the greatest economic and tourist development in all of America. In 1904, the construction of the Panama Canal began and is considered the eighth wonder of the world. This work defined the vocation of the territory as a crossing site and interchange. It took 250,000 people from all over the world more than 10 years to build. Watch 5,000,000 ton vessels rise and drop more than 50 feet in the locks as they travel from one ocean to the other. The expansion of the Panama Canal is almost complete. By allowing larger vessels to pass through the economic impact on the world is significant. Many coastal ports in the US are expanding to be able to accommodate the large vessels.
Tentative Meeting Schedule Friday - January 22 AGC Registration 6:30-9:30 p.m. Welcome Reception Saturday - January 23 8 a.m. - Open Board of Directors Meeting and Board of Governors Meeting along with the Membership Business Meetings 11 a.m. - Committee Meetings 6 p.m. - Reception & Banquet (Installation of 2016 Building, Highway and LLC Boards) Sunday - January 24 9:00 a.m. - Committee Meeting 5 p.m. - Travel to Miraflores Locks and enjoy the museum and visitors center in a private group setting. We will have dinner and view vessels as they travel through the Canal. Cost included in your registration fee. Please see last page to register. Monday - January 25 6:00 a.m. - Train to Colon to view the Gatun Locks then the new lock visitor center to see the new lock location. Box breakfast and lunch provided. Tour Cost $370. per person. Please see last page to register Evening Free Tuesday - January 26 8:00 a.m. - Partial transit tour of the Canal by boat, lunch included. Tour Cost $230 per person. Please see last page to register Evening Free Hotel Accommodations & Information - The 2016 Winter Meeting of the AGC NYS will be held at the Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower in Panama City, Panama. All reservations and cancellations for your trip must to go through the AGC NYS office. Please contact, Cathy Newell 518.456.1134 if you have questions. AGC NYS has reserved rooms to accommodate Members January 21, 2016 to January 27, 2016. We do have some rooms available for early arrival or late departure. To make arrangements for early arrivals and/or late departures, notify AGC NYS as soon as possible, since all special arrangements are on a space available basis at the hotel. You will receive your confirmation from AGC NYS. Special Needs - Any guest who will require special needs for accommodations such as handicap necessities or medical necessities should contact Cathy Newell at the AGC NYS office with the specifics. Daily Room Rates Single/Double Room $249.00+ Suites (limited) On Request Standard guest rooms offer a partial Ocean View. There are several options for suites based on availability if that is your preference. Suites on the curve are $299; Junior Suites $399; Executive Suites, 1 bedroom $699; Two Bedroom suite $799. All room rates are subject to a 10% tax per night, based on current tax rate. These rates are European Plan (EP) and include no meals.
Additional room charges include a $6.50 per person, per stay round trip porterage fee and a room attendant gratuity of $4.00 per room per night will be added to your room folio. If more than two people are in the room an additional $45 per person per day will be charged. No room may occupy more than 2 adults and 2 children under the age of 12 using existing bedding. Dinner Functions: There will be one (1) pre-planned dinner function - The Annual Banquet on Saturday, 1/23/16. In order to facilitate matters, the meal costs for the dinner, including applicable gratuity, will be added to your hotel bill as a one-time charge. Hotel Deposit and Payment - A deposit of $273.90 per single/double room is required at the time of registration. Your credit card supplied on the registration form will be charged the value of one night s room deposit. This will be credited to your individual folio. The balance of the hotel costs will be paid by individual registrants upon checkout. Please inspect your individual folio during your stay, so as to allow time to resolve any problems prior to departure, thus expediting your checkout. The Hotel will accept cash and major credit cards (American Express, MasterCard, Visa) for payment of individual guest accounts. Please note that travelers checks and Diners Club are not recommended for payment anywhere in Panama. Transfers - Transportation to the Hotel from the Tocumen International Airport will be arranged based on your scheduled arrival and departure. There will be complete details in your confirmation packet along with a form for you to complete and forward to the AGC for scheduling your transportation. Cancellations - Deposits are refundable in the event of individual room cancellations, providing notice is received 72 hours prior to arrival. If a room is cancelled less than 72 hours prior to arrival, the amount for the full reservation will be charged. ALSO, if you adjust the duration of your stay on check-in you may be charged for the total amount of nights you originally reserved. Some special circumstances will be considered for a refund. If you need to cancel, please contact Cathy Newell as soon as possible. Travel Planning - Flight arrangements can be through Plaza Travel Center. Please call 1-800- 666-3404 or 518-785-3338 for fare quotes, reservations and tickets. Passport: A valid passport is necessary for your travel. Please be sure your passport is valid for at lease 6 months after to your departure date. Check-In/Check-Out Times - Check-in time is 3:00 p.m. Check-out time is 12:00 noon. Guests arriving before 3:00 p.m. will be assigned rooms as they become available. For those who will be taking later flights when you are returning home, your bags may be held with the bellman so you can relax and enjoy the facility before you depart. Responsibility - Associated General Contractors of New York State, Plaza Travel Center, Inc., and/or their authorized agents act only in the capacity as agents/coordinators for services provided on this trip. As such agents, no liability can be accepted, and responsibility is limited to the conditions outlined in this folder. The airlines concerned are not to be held responsible for any act, omission or event during the times the passengers are not held responsibile for any act, omission or event during the time sthe passengers are not on board their aricraft. The passenger contract in use by the airline concerned, when issues, shall constitute the sole contract between the airline and the purchaser. Tour information is listed on the following pages. It is imperative that you register for each tour when you register for the meeting so the proper logistics can be secured. See page two of the registration form
Panama Canal Museum at Miraflores Sunday, January 24-5:30 pm - 10:00 pm Panama Canal is one of the treasures of Panama; more significant since the expansion program and the construction of the biggest set of locks in the Panama Canal. Located on the Pacific end of the canal, traffic flows in the evening since the tides have such an impact on this set of locks. We will view a short movie on the construction of the Panama and then move into the Museum where you will have to time to explore and view the history of the construction of the canal. Various artifacts are shown and you will learn more about the country of Panama. The tour will end on the fourth floor where we will have dinner while viewing the ships as they move through the canal. We will leave the hotel at 5:30 pm and return at 10:00 pm. Transportation, entry into the museum, dinner and drinks are included in your registration fee. Panama Canal by Train - Monday, January 25 6:15 am - 2:30 pm The Panama Canal Railway is one of the great train rides of the world. Along with its colorful history, the railroad follows a picturesque path across the Isthmus of Panama. Passing through lush rainforests, cruising alongside the locks, through the historic Gaillard Cut and gliding along Gatun Lake. This ride links one of the less traveled but most attractive tourism corridors between Panama on the Pacific and Colon on the Atlantic Coast. This is the same path traveled during the California Gold Rush. Th cars have wood paneling, tables, carpeted floors and air conditioning with large windows to appreciate the journey. The ride is just over an hour and when we arrive in Colon we will visit the Gatun locks where you have the chance to see the vessels up close. After spending time at the Gatun lock we will travel to the Expansion visitor center where you will view the construction of the new locks on the Atlantic side. We will have lunch at the visitor center then board the bus for transportation back to the hotel. We will leave the hotel at 6:15 am via bus to the train station where we will board the train. The bus will meet us in Colon and return us to the hotel at 2:30 pm. This tour includes transportation, a box breakfast, lunch and entrance fee to the visitors center. The cost of this tour is $370 per person.
Partial Canal Transit via Boat - Tuesday, January 26 (Limited to the first 150 people to register) This tour will take us to the Gamboa Dredging Division where we will board a private catamaran for the water portion of the tour. Traveling through the Gaillard Cut to the Pedro Miguel Locks, giving you the chance to view the continuous maintenance that is required in this area of the canal. We will also view the work in progress for the Canal expansion project. We will then enter Pedro Miguel Locks, one of two on the Pacific side, and be lowered 9 meters in one step. Traveling through Miraflores Lake to the Miraflores lock before reaching the Pacific Ocean. We will then travel to the Famenco Marina where we will disembark. We will leave the hotel at 8:00 am for transfer to the boat and we will return to the hotel at 2:00 pm. This tour includes transportation, lunch and drinks on the boat ride. The cost of the tour is $230 per person. Please note: The direction and time may vary. We will be notified 24 hours prior to departure time by the Port Authority based on the traffic through the locks on that day. We are offering sponsorships for transportation for the tours. If we receive sponsorships the cost of the tours will be adjusted. SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES - Each Sponsorship is $2,000. Please indicate which item you would like to sponsor. We are seeking multiple sponsors for the tour transportation. Welcome Party Entertainment at the Welcome Party Breakfast at the Board Meetings Annual Reception Annual Banquet Bus Transportation for Tours YES We would like to be a sponsor of the 2016 AGC Winter Meeting. Our preferred event would be. Check enclosed payable to AGC NYS below) Please charge my credit card (information Card Holder Name: CVV2 Code on back of card: Card Number: Exp. Date Street Number Zip Code for credit card billing address Signature Email Company any Please fax this form to AGC NYS AT 518-456-1198 or email to smanny@agcnys.org
2016 Winter Meting January 22-27, 2016 Panama Last Name: First Company Name Company Address City/State Zip Home Address - Street City/State Zip Spouse s First Name (if accompanyng) Others in my party (specify - if children, include names & ages) First names for badges (if different from above) Cell Phone Business Phone Fax Email address Mail correspondence to my Home Business The registration fee of $1,150 per couple or $950 per single. Children accompanying you ages 18 and under are included in the fee. PLUS the appropriate room deposit as outlined below is required with this form. Single/Double Room $249.00/night + $24.90 tax = Required Deposit $273.90 King Size Bed 2 Beds Room is based on Single/Double Occupancy. If there are more than 2 people in the room you will be charged $45 for each additional person in the room. NOT TO EXCEED 4 people in the room. There are several Suite options to select from. Please see page 3 for cost. If you request a suite, the accommodation needs to be verified so please contact Cathy and let her know you have an interest in a suite. Registration Fee + Room Deposit = Total Due Make all checks payable to AGC NYS or complete credit card information (MC/VISA/AMEX) and send with completed form to: Cardholder Name: Expiration Date: Card Number: CVV2 Code Street Number: and Zip Code for biling address. AGC NYS 10 Airline Drive, Suite 203, Albany, NY 12205-1025 518-456-1134 Phone - 518-456-1198 Fax ~ HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS ~ Please confirm my reservations at Trump Ocean Club based on the information provided above. I will check in on (date) and check out on (date) ***Early arrivals and late departures accepted on a space available basis*** EARLY RESERVATIONS ARE ENCOURAGED TO GUARANTEE YOUR ROOM AND SO PROPER AR- RANGEMENTS CAN BE MADE. OFFICIAL CLOSE DATE NOVEMBER 30, 2015. PLEASE SEE NEXT PAGE FOR TOUR REGISTRATION. THIS MUST BE DONE WITH YOUR HOTEL RESERVATION.
AGC NYS 2016 Winter Meeting Tour Registration Miraflores Locks - Dinner Tour - Sunday, January 23-5:30 pm - 10:00 pm This tour is included in your registration fee. Please indicate if you will be in attendance: Name: Number in your party: Canal by Train - Panama Canal by Train - Monday, January 24, 6:15 am - 2:30 pm Tour cost $370 per person. Name: Number in your party: Partial Transit of the Canal by Boat - Tuesday, January 26 (Limited to the first 150 people to register) Tour Cost $ 230 per person. Name: Number in your party: The cost of the tour will be billed to the card you indicate on your registration form. More information on these tours will be available in the meeting brochure. If you would like more information please contact Cathy Newell at 518-456-1134