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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 6^th. Daily general sessions will be held Sunday through Wednesday mornings, and our final general session, which will include officer elections, will be Thursday the 11^th.

The exhibit hall is open Saturday through Wednesday. We will have all-day tours on Friday the 5^th and Friday the 12^th, with many other tours throughout the convention. Special-interest affiliates, ACB committees and our business partners will hold sessions beginning Saturday, July 6^th.

Aira will be providing free service during the Conference and Convention so you can explore and experience everything the convention has to offer whether you are at the Joseph A. Floreano Convention Center, Hyatt Regency or Riverside Hotels – from the moment you get to the Rochester Airport, enter the hotel, are visiting the exhibit booths or reading menus while at dinner with friends, this service will be at no cost to you.

If you aren't attending the Convention, but would like to be an individual sponsor

For those who aren't attending the 2019 Conference and Convention, you can still become an individual sponsor by following this link: acbconvention.org/account/indivsponsor.

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