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"Quick Questions" about RECongress
Religious Education Congress
March 18, 2010 (Youth Day)
March 19-21, 2010 (Congress days)
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I just have a "Quick Question,"
...
How can I register?
I am disabled. Can I attend with a helper?
May I exchange my Youth Day tickets?
When will I get my Youth Day tickets?
When can I pick up my tickets?
I selected my workshops, but can I still change one or two
of them at Congress?
May I exchange my Congress tickets?
Did you get my registration? What's my Congress registration
number?
When do I get my tickets?
I registered online and I need help.
Why do so many good topics run concurrently?
I don't have a hotel reservation, and the list indicates
many hotels are "Sold Out." What am I supposed to do?
Why don't you book more hotels?
Is Continuing Education credit available for attending
Congress?
How do I get updated information prior to Congress?
I didn't attend Congress last year; how do I get a
Registration Guidebook each year?
I wasn't able to attend Congress. I need to order tapes of
the presentations.
How do I find future dates for Congress?
Do you still need volunteers?
If we arrive earlier in the week or stay longer, what is
there to do?
Are there discounts available to local theme parks?
Is there available WIFi at the Anaheim Convention Center?
What about ...
Congress Registration
Congress Tickets
Youth Day
Arena Workshops
Hall B Workshops
Taped Sessions
CLOSED Workshops
-- See the listing
How can I
register?
You may
pre-register online or by mail (until March 10, 2010). After that,
register on site. On-site
registration is available on Thursday night, March 18 from 6:30 p.m. to
8:30 p.m. and the three days of Congress (Friday
through Sunday, March 19-21, 2010). The Registration Booth
opens at 8 a.m. each day and is located in the Anaheim Convention Center's Prefunction area. The registration fee
for Congress 2010 is $70 ($60 by February 5, 2010).
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I am
disabled. Can I attend with a helper?
If you need
an attendant at Congress, we ask that only one personal care attendant (PCA)
accompany you to workshops and other Congress events. If an attendant is
to accompany you, it is important to mail your registration and payment
along with your attendants registration (no payment necessary) in the
same envelope with a brief note explaining the circumstance. It is essential
to register by the fee increase date (February 5,
2010.)
Distances
between the Convention Center and surrounding hotels are quite large.
Though the Convention Center has a free shuttle service to Convention Center buildings,
you may wish to be scheduled for Convention Center-only workshops. Please include a note with your registration card.
If you have any questions or
concerns regarding your ability to attend or enjoy RECongress due
to handicap access or mobility concerns, please feel free to contact Rob
Williams at
RECmobility@la-archdiocese.org. RECongress' Mobility Team will be
available to help with wheelchair transport, special seating and any
access issues within Congress. At Congress you can find the Mobility
Team located just outside Congress Headquarters (AR-1), in the Arena
Lobby area. This is a fairly new program, so any comments or suggestions
are greatly appreciated!
NOTE: The
Convention Center does not provide wheelchairs. You may contact Alpha Drugs
Pharmacy at either of their two locations in Anaheim: 1240 S. Magnolia,
(714) 220-0373; or 515 S. Beach Blvd., (714) 821-8959.
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May I exchange
Youth Day tickets?
No, once we
have assigned name tags and workshop tickets, they cannot be altered.
You may, however, substitute people. For example, if a youth or chaperone
is unavailable at the last minute, you may replace them with a youth or
adult respectively using the same name tag and tickets.
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When will I get my
Youth Day tickets?
Youth Day
tickets will be mailed in order of registration beginning February 10,
2010. (Please allow time for delivery.) The last day of mailing is March 10, 2010 for Los Angeles
archdiocese-area addresses.
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When can I pick up my
tickets?
Advance pick-up
of Congress tickets is available on-site at the Convention Center on Thursday,
March 18 from 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at the Registration Booth in the Prefunction
Lobby. Ticket and Program Book pick-up is also available during regular
Registration Booth hours, beginning each day of Congress at 8:00 a.m.
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I selected
my workshops, but can I still change one or two of them at Congress?
May I exchange my Congress tickets?
Yes. For Congress
you have the following options:
-
You may use
the tickets you receive; or
-
You may exchange
your tickets (beginning noon on Friday) at the Ticket Exchange window
located at the Registration Booth; or
-
Just use the
ticket you were assigned for the workshop you would like to attend.
Once all properly ticketed attendees are admitted, then the workshop
is opened up to other ticket holders -- if there is available seating.
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Did
you get my registration? What's my Congress registration number?
With this
question asked so many times, we can't look up registration numbers.
However, a benefit to online registration is that you are sent email confirmation,
first, when your credit card is charged and again when your registration
has been processed. Online registrants receive both their V Number (confirmation
of their payment) and their Congress Registration Number.
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C
an I be sure I got into the workshops I
chose?
Workshops are not actually assigned until we get about 7,000 registrants.
We then run a projection of attendance and assign the popular workshops
to the Arena and the larger rooms. So, generally speaking, the
first 5,000 registrants are "guaranteed" their first choices.
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When
do I get my tickets?
Congress
tickets are scheduled to begin being mailed in February 2010.
Check the Congress 2010 Updates
page for an expected schedule for mailing of Congress
tickets for the remainder of time prior to Congress:Ticket
pick-up (Will Call) at Congress is available on site at the Convention Center at the Registration Booth
located in the Prefunction Lobby. Hours will be on Thursday, March 18 from
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and on each day of Congress
beginning at 8 a.m.
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I registered
online and I need help.
Check our
Online Registration Help Page.
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Do workshops get
canceled?
We try not to cancel any Congress workshops. If a workshop speaker
can't attend Congress, we will try to fill his session with a speaker
offering the same or similar topic. There are no other new sessions
added at Congress.
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Why do so
many good topics run concurrently?
With over 280 workshops, scheduled over 8 periods, averaging 35 sessions per period,
all packed into three days -- it's no wonder workshop topics run in
conflict. We do plan out topics to try to spread them out evenly. Also,
check which workshops are recorded -- attend the ones not recorded and you can
pick up audio CDs for the sessions that have time conflicts.
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I don't have
a hotel reservation, and the list indicates many hotels are "Sold Out." What
am I supposed to do?
You must ask for the "Religious Education Congress" rate at the
hotels. However, many of the hotels contracted
by Congress sell out of these room blocks. Though there
are only a certain number of rooms contracted at the "Congress
rate" and the hotels may sell out of these rooms, you can check to see if there
are still rooms available at regular rates.
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Why don't you
book more hotels?
We book the maximum allowed number of rooms at
each hotel. A "Congress" room rate is agreed to at the time we sign the contract.
Congress guarantees that the room block at each hotel will be met or faces penalties.
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Is
Continuing
Education credit available for attending Congress?
Yes, Continuing Education Units (CEU)
are available for attending Congress workshops and keynotes through Loyola
Marymount University and Mount St. Mary's College. Each institution has their
own requirements and fees. Forms appear in the Registration Guidebook. You can
also contact Loyola Marymount's Continuing
Education Division at (310) 338-1971 and Mount St. Mary's Graduate Religious
Studies Program at (213) 477-2640.
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I have
tickets, but now I'm not able to attend. Can I get a refund?
Refunds are available (minus a $30 processing fee) only until
February 5, 2010. After that date, there are no refunds. However, you
may pass along your tickets to someone else who might like to attend
Congress. You must include the name badge along with the workshop
tickets. (Please note: For passed-along tickets, we cannot change the
name tag nor the ticket assignments. However, you may alter the name,
and ticket exchange is available.
If you would like the
registration changed to your name, you will need to register.)
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How do I get
updated information prior to Congress?
Keep checking our web site; it will contain the most up-to-date
information available. Also, be sure to
Sign Up for our monthly Congress Emailing (archived
here), which provides information and updates.
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I didn't attend Congress last year, but
how do I get a Registration Guidebook each year
?
Only Congress attendees "automatically" are mailed a copy
(usually in October) of the Registration Guidebook for
the following Congress event. If you missed attending last year's event or
moved since the last Congress, be sure to sign up to
order a Guidebook from the "Guidebook" link on the home page.
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I wasn't able to attend Congress. I need
to order a recording of the presentations.
Many of the Congress workshops are recorded by CSC Digital Media.
(Individual audio/video taping is not allowed.) Audio CDs (and cassette tapes
from prior years) can be ordered online, or from
the CSC Digial Media booth at Congress, or from the order form
and contact information printed in the Program Book.
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How can I find future dates for Congress?
You can usually find the next year's scheduled (or tentative) dates on the home page of our
web site -- www.RECongress.org.
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How can I purchase a video of Congress Arena
events?
Presently, we do not offer videos for sale for Arena events -- but we
are looking into the possibility for the future. At Congress 2010 we are
looking to have a live webcast during Congress - info at
RECongress.org/LIVE
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Do you still need volunteers?
Congress could not function without
the hundreds of volunteers who give of their time. If you have attended
Congress in the past and would like to find out more about becoming a
volunteer, check our Volunteer Page. We have
need for English-speaking, Spanish-speaking and bilingual volunteers.
Volunteer positions include "MC" (introducing the speaker), Chairperson
(coordinator) and Assistants (ticket takers) as well as opportunities in
the Congress Choir and as an Extraordinary Minister of the Cup in the Arena.
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If we arrive earlier in the week or stay later,
what is there to do?
The Anaheim/Orange County Visitor
& Convention Bureau (located on-site at the Anaheim Convention Center)
produces the Anaheim/Orange County Official Visitor Guide. You can order
one online at anaheimoc.org;
or write
them at 800 W. Katella Ave., Anaheim, CA 92802; call 1-714-765-8888, or fax
1-714-991-8963. Their website also offers other visitor information.
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Are there any discounts available to local
theme parks?
Watch our Congress web site
for updates. There are limited time offers made available online for
advance purchase of specially priced one-day, multi-day and convention
rate tickets for Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure themes
parks.
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Is there available WiFi
at the Anaheim Convention Center?
There is wireless access throughout the Anaheim Convention Center is
available at the rate of $12.95 per day. Contact Smart City at (714) 765-8600
or www.smartcity.com.
JWire also keeps tabs on wireless hotspots in the area
--
JWire WiFi hotspots (some are even free).
The RECongress Tech Center in Exhibit Hall A also offers
(free) Internet access at certain times on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. See
Tech Center Schedule for details.
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