131st NGAUS General Conference
Nashville, Tennessee
September 11-13, 2009
The 131st NGAUS General Conference will be hosted by the Tennessee National Guard in Nashville from September 11-13, 2009. Participant guestrooms and business sessions will be at the amazing Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center.
The resort boasts nine acres of indoor gardens, cascading waterfalls and an indoor river with its own Delta flatboat. Within this lush landscape, guests will have access to a variety of restaurants, shops, and a spa and fitness center.
 But the hotel is only the first thing that will amaze when the conference returns to Nashville for the first time since 1986. There’s a reason Nashville is known the world over as Music City. This year’s conference schedule reflects that reputation, starting off with an opening-ceremony appearance by Charlie Daniels and ending with an evening at the Grand Ole Opry, the show that made country music famous.
And downtown is full of clubs that offer a chance to hear established musicians or some of tomorrow’s stars. One such place is the Wild Horse Saloon, the site of this year’s Company Grade/Warrant Officer Mixer, which welcomes more than 1.5 million patrons a year for live music and dancing.
The Music City Walk of Fame honors some of entertainment’s most celebrated musicians—Reba McEntire, Emmylou Harris, the Fisk Jubilee Singers, John Hiatt, Jimi Hendrix and many more.
Country music fans can’t miss the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Ryman, a National Historic Landmark. Several dinner theaters, cafés and bars also provide live music and shows on “Honky Tonk Highway,” the clubs of Lower Broadway.
All of this should put this year’s NGAUS conference on the calendar of any music lover!
PACKED AGENDA
A full business schedule, as usual, is planned for the conference, with defense leaders and Guard officials expected to speak at various times.
The Sponsors’ Golf Tournament, September 9th, and the NGAUS tournament the next day are both set at the Hermitage Golf Course.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4 p.m., Sept. 10th, opens the trade show at the Ryman Exhibit Hall in the hotel’s convention center. It will be followed by a reception for all attendees.
Other events set for that evening include the Adjutants General Reception in the convention center, followed by the Adjutants General dinner on the General Jackson, the nation’s largest paddlewheel riverboat. The four-hour dinner excursion cruises the Cumberland River.
Western wear—blue jeans and cowboy hats—is the suggested attire for most social events!
“Leave your combat boots and bring your cowboy boots,” says retired Colonel Don Deering, the Tennessee National Guard’s conference chairman.
The entire Wild Horse Saloon has been reserved for the Company Grade/Warrant Officer Mixer on Sept. 10, with plenty of food, drink and in-house entertainment. Nashville’s ultimate party destination for 15 years, the three-story converted warehouse offers 66,000 square feet for fun, with a 2,500-square-foot dance floor and the largest big-screen TV in town. The doors open to other conference attendees at 11 p.m. Transportation will be provided. This is the place to be in Nashville and a sure bet to wear out your dancing boots.
Hopefully, runners will save their energy for the 5K Fun Run set for 6:30 a.m., September 11th. The flat course will take runners along roads and trails on the sprawling Opryland property.
“We could do it inside of the hotel,” Deering jokes.
The annual area meetings and caucuses will begin promptly at 9 a.m., September 11th, followed by brunch and the first business session. Charlie Daniels will highlight the opening ceremonies with his relentless fiddle play. The Roll Call of States also will take place at this time.
The Governor’s Reception is scheduled to take place in the exhibit hall September 11th.
Expect the same abundant food, drink and entertainment as previous Governor’s Receptions. Only this year the big party will be in the trade show floor and within walking distance of your hotel room.
The popular cyber-café also will be set up in the exhibit hall.
A spouses’ luncheon is scheduled during the second business session on September 12th. Hospitality Night will be held in several suites around Opryland that night. Deering says the states are very enthusiastic about participating this year and he predicts big crowds since attendees won’t have to wait for shuttles to hop from hotel to hotel.
Separate worship services for Catholics and Protestants are set for 7 a.m., September 13th.
The Army and Air separate sessions are scheduled for 8 a.m., September 13th. The last of the three business sessions will follow after lunch in the exhibit hall.
As always, the conference will close with its annual States Dinner, but the fun begins earlier this year. The reception kicks off at 5 p.m. and dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. The party will continue afterwards at the Grand Ole Opry for some of the country’s finest entertainment. Performers will be announced at a later date. Western wear is the recommended attire for the entire evening.
Special room rates at Opryland will be extended to three days before and after the conference to encourage longer stays. This gives attendees more time to explore the greater Nashville area.
Registration
Conference registration is $165. This covers ground transportation and admission to all business sessions, the exhibition, coffee breaks, the opening reception in the exhibition hall, the Company Grade/Warrant Officer Mixer, brunch in the exhibit hall Sept. 12, the Governor’s Reception, lunch in exhibit hall Sept. 13, the States Dinner and the Grand Ole Opry following the dinner. Most other activities are extra.
Click here for a printable NGAUS Conference Registration Form.
While NGAUS in the process of planning an excellent line-up of speakers, business sessions, and special programs, feel free to visit the following resources:
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