The 2019 American Council of the Blind Conference and Convention will be held in Rochester, N.Y. from Friday July 5th through Friday, July 12th.
Opening general session will be Saturday evening, July 6th. Daily general sessions will be held Sunday through Wednesday mornings, and our final general session, which will include officer elections, will be Thursday the 11th.
The exhibit hall is open Saturday through Wednesday. We will have all-day tours on Friday the 5th and Friday the 12th, with many other tours throughout the convention. Special-interest affiliates, ACB committees and our business partners will hold sessions beginning Saturday, July 6th.
Hotels
We will be utilizing two hotels, the Hyatt Regency Rochester and the Rochester Riverside Hotel. We will have about the same number of rooms at both hotels, and room rates are the same at each property. We will have guide dog relief areas at each hotel. If your dog prefers grass, the Riverside has a large grassy area just outside the front door.
The two hotels are across the street from each other. For safe and easy crossing, there is an audible pedestrian signal at the corner. You can also go between hotels via a walkway through the convention center where general sessions and exhibits will be held. Other activities will be held in both hotels.
The Riverside has a grab-and-go counter, and their restaurant is Rocburger, featuring build your own burgers, wings and decadent milkshakes! At the Hyatt you will find Starbucks, Morton’s The Steakhouse (fine dining), and the Hyatt’s restaurant, The Street Craft Kitchen and Bar, that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Although we will be using two hotels and the convention center, walking will not be an issue since the spaces are compact, with no historical stairways.
Hotel Reservations
Room rates at the Hyatt and the Riverside are $89 per night (single or double occupancy, with an additional $10 per person for up to four people). This room rate does not include tax, which is currently 14%. For telephone reservations, call the Riverside at (585) 546-6400 or the Hyatt at 1-800-233-1234. Make sure to mention you are with the American Council of the Blind 2019; rooms must be booked by June 7, 2019 to guarantee the convention rate.
To make reservations online for the Hyatt hotel, visit the ACB Hyatt Reservation page. To make reservations online for the Riverside hotel, visit the Rochester Riverside Hotel – American Council of the Blind Convention 2019 page.
Traveling to Rochester
The Rochester airport (code ROC) is 10 minutes from the hotels; there is complimentary shuttle service to both hotels. The Amtrak station is six blocks away, as is the Greyhound bus station. The shuttle will pick up at both these locations.
The Megabus stop is 10 blocks from the hotels. For anyone driving to Rochester, parking is $4 per night.
Staying in Touch
Once again this year, the conference and convention announce list will be filled with information! To subscribe to the list, send a blank email to acbconvention-subscribe@acblists.org. If you received updates for the 2018 convention, you do not need to re-subscribe.
Convention Contacts
2019 exhibit information: Michael Smitherman, (601) 331-7740, amduo@bellsouth.net
2019 advertising and sponsorships: Margarine Beaman, (512) 921-1625, oleo50@hotmail.com
For any other convention-related questions, please contact Janet Dickelman, convention chair, at (651) 428-5059 or via email, janet.dickelman@gmail.com.