# 2009 National Garden Railroad Convention - Anyone Understand the Registration Form?



## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

Looking at the registration form, general registration does not include attendance at the garden railroads. It would seem the only way to get this is to buy the $200 Drivers Package, that actually includes more than we want. Ala Carte listings do not appear to include admission to the garden railroads at any cost. 

I also assume that each package is per person. No where in the forms can I actually find where it is specified how many can use the package. 

An individual registration is $91 and a couple is $119.

So if I want to take my wife just to see the garden railroads and exhibits, it would seem that I can either buy two Drivers Packages at $400, or one Driver's Package at $200 and one general admission at $91 for a total of $291. Does this seem right?


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## Del Tapparo (Jan 4, 2008)

*RE: 2009 National Garden Railroad Convention - Anyone Understand the Registration Form?*

toddalin - To my knowledge, the tours are free, unless you want to ride the bus. All are certainly welcome to come to my place for free. Fort Collins on Saturday! Hope to see you all !


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## Gary Woolard (Jan 2, 2008)

*RE: 2009 National Garden Railroad Convention - Anyone Understand the Registration Form?*

Todd, Didn't I _TELL_ you? The driver's package only makes sense for a single, self-driven attendee -- there is no discounted couple rate for it! I originally thought that they had forgotten about couples, so I exchanged email with several of the organizers, and tried to explain that when you did the arithmetic, the 'a'la' carte' selections were the least expensive way to go for a couple who don't wish to take the buses. The only response I got was a packaged spiel that the 'driver's package' was the best choice. I wound up sending them an excel table to illustrate the point, but they never responded to it.


The only downside to the a'la'carte' menu







is that they don't offer a 'self-driven' option to visit the layouts that the Georgetown Bus Tour get to see on Monday. (In fact, that was the original reason I wrote them -- it seemed unreasonable to pay $400 for two driver's packages, just to see the Monday layouts!). The organizers are clearly very enthusiastic about selling their "PLATINUM", "GOLD", and "SILVER" packages - "we appllied our lowest markups to these packages", they write - but if you've already been there and done that when you 

attended the LAST Denver convention, just pay the a'la'carte' prices and be done with it!



P.S. - Yes, the basic registration DOES include self-driving. Except for Monday. Go figger.


P.P.S. On the other hand, if you HAVEN'T been to the Georgetown Loop, the bus package is reasonable. In fact, before or after the convention, every right-thinking railroad fan MUST make a pilgrimage to Chama & Silverton!


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

*RE: 2009 National Garden Railroad Convention - Anyone Understand the Registration Form?*

Posted By Gary Woolard on 01/08/2009 10:11 PM


P.S. - Yes, the basic registration DOES include self-driving. Except for Monday. Go figger.


P.P.S. On the other hand, if you HAVEN'T been to the Georgetown Loop, the bus package is reasonable. In fact, before or after the convention, every right-thinking railroad fan MUST make a pilgrimage to Chama & Silverton!











I didn't see this anywhere on the form and now the form no longer seems to be present?









Anyway, Linda and I have ridden the Georgetown loop _in the Shay with the engineer and fireman_. We've also been to Chama and D&S. We were thinking of taking the Amtrak up and renting a car in Denver. Linda was born and raised in Denver so has things she wants to see.


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

*RE: 2009 National Garden Railroad Convention - Anyone Understand the Registration Form?*

My wife and myself are doing the drivers special we will arrive on the 5th and stay till the 11th then we are going to ride the chamas rr.To ride the whole chamas trip is it a one day trip or do you stay over night. Also we were going to do the pikes peak and the gourge. We are not flying back to ohio till the 15th so we have four days to see the sights.Any other suggestions


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## Mike Reilley (Jan 2, 2008)

*RE: 2009 National Garden Railroad Convention - Anyone Understand the Registration Form?*

Posted By Gary Woolard on 01/08/2009 10:11 PM


P.S. - Yes, the basic registration DOES include self-driving. Except for Monday. Go figger.







Huh? If so...what is the purpose of the Driver's Special for $200?


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

*RE: 2009 National Garden Railroad Convention - Anyone Understand the Registration Form?*

Posted By Mike Reilley on 01/09/2009 10:38 AM

Posted By Gary Woolard on 01/08/2009 10:11 PM


P.S. - Yes, the basic registration DOES include self-driving. Except for Monday. Go figger.







Huh? If so...what is the purpose of the Driver's Special for $200? 




*I've printed the two options below and highlighted the differences. Note that there is NO MENTION of the garden railroad layouts in the General Admission Package nor is there a listing in the ala carte options for the garden railroads. Hence my confusion??? I'm hoping someone associated with the convention will see this and make sense of it for all of us.
*
*DRIVER’S SPECIAL:*
*Day 1 - Monday: Self guided layout tours*
*Day 2 - Tuesday: **Self-guided layout tours*, return to hotel for clinics, _*banquet and dance*_.
*Day 3 - Wednesday: **Self guided layout tours*, clinics, and convention activities, ice cream social, opening night of exhibit halls.
*Day 4 - Thursday: *_*Self guided layout tours*_, clinics, & convention activities.
*Day 5 - Friday: *_*Self guided layout tours*_, clinics, and convention activities, *bus trip to the Colorado Railroad Museum with steam train **rides, Galloping Goose rides and a western BBQ dinner.*
Driver’s Special: $200 after January 31, 2009: $220


* Basic Convention Registration (must be purchased in addition to any other items)
* You must purchase the convention registration with any other purchase from the Al a Carte menu. Included with registration: convention program, ID badge, admission to exhibit halls, clinics, and ice cream social.
Individual Registration: $91 after January 31, 2009: $119
Couples Registration: $110 after January 31, 2009: $135


Family Registration: $150 after January 31, 2009: $175


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## Mike Reilley (Jan 2, 2008)

*RE: 2009 National Garden Railroad Convention - Anyone Understand the Registration Form?*

OK...so it's the dinner/dance and BBQ/train rides that are the extra cost...for sure...and perhaps the self drive part. That makes a LOT more sense.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

*RE: 2009 National Garden Railroad Convention - Anyone Understand the Registration Form?*

Mike, I'm counting on you to decode this, then I'll appear with a bottle of Scotch and we can run trains and you can explain it to me! 

Greg


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## Mike Reilley (Jan 2, 2008)

*RE: 2009 National Garden Railroad Convention - Anyone Understand the Registration Form?*

Another way to look at it

The regular registration/family registration covers the convention stuff that happens at the hotel...and maybe the drive yourself layout tour (this is still in contention)

The Driver's Special gets you all that plus the Friday BBQ at Golden...and a Friday train ride (somewhere)....plus the Tuesday banquet/dance at the hotel.

Or something like that.....it would help if the organizers clarified what was covered by each option.


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## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

*RE: 2009 National Garden Railroad Convention - Anyone Understand the Registration Form?*

Just wondering--does a regional garden railway club make the marketing rules, or is there a national organization that provides a local club with all the boilerplate material the club publishes in its show brochure? If it's the Denver club that's trying to nail convention goers for a few extra bucks, then someone should tell them "WE ARE IN A RECESSION." 

Today's Honolulu Advertiser says, "Massive Job Losses: 2.6 million gone in 2008, worse to come." 

Or maybe these guys are on a Rocky Mountain High. 

Actually, I suspect it's another example of playing fast and loose with the English language. Looks to me like the bunch in Denver doesn't know exactly what "Driving Package" means.


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## MikeK (Jan 3, 2008)

*RE: 2009 National Garden Railroad Convention - Anyone Understand the Registration Form?*

This will be part of a family vacation for us and I'm paying the $150 family registration and that's it. My two daughters, age 7 and 9 come next July, have no interest in sitting through a banquet and dance or the western barbeque that are a couple of the features of the "Drivers Special". Plus, since there is no discount consideration for children (I made that inquiry at the Denver convention booth at the Arizona convention last year), I have no interest in paying $800 for a family of four to be entitled to the "Drivers Special" anyway. I better be entitled to participate in the layout tours for $150, otherwise someone better explain why the relatively higher basic registration cost imposed by the DGRS than required of the sponsoring local societies in the last several years.


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## Mike Reilley (Jan 2, 2008)

*RE: 2009 National Garden Railroad Convention - Anyone Understand the Registration Form?*

I emailed the NGRC coordinator about the confusion on what you get with the basic registration. He said, 

"Mike, 

Spread the word: the basic registration package includes maps to all of the 
layouts on tour (program book) along with access to the convention hall, clinics 
and the ice cream social."


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

*RE: 2009 National Garden Railroad Convention - Anyone Understand the Registration Form?*

Posted By Mike Reilley on 01/12/2009 9:28 AM
I emailed the NGRC coordinator about the confusion on what you get with the basic registration. He said, 

"Mike, 

Spread the word: the basic registration package includes maps to all of the 
layouts on tour (program book) along with access to the convention hall, clinics 
and the ice cream social." 





Thanks. I also e-mailed them but have not heard back.


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

*RE: 2009 National Garden Railroad Convention - Anyone Understand the Registration Form?*

OK, just got the official word:

Todd,
Yes, the general admission does include maps to the garden railroads. 
We’re updating the registration form to reflect this information.
Chuck
2009 NGRC


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