by Janet Dickelman
The home of the 2020 American Council of the Blind conference and convention will be Schaumburg, Ill. Convention dates are July 3rd through July 10th. The opening general session will be on Saturday evening, July 4th. Daily general sessions will be held Sunday through Wednesday mornings, with the final general session, which includes board member elections, being held on Thursday the 9th.
The exhibit hall will be open Saturday through Wednesday. We will have day-long tours on Friday the 3rd and Friday the 10th, with many other tours throughout convention week. Special-interest affiliates, ACB committees and our business partners will hold sessions beginning Saturday, July 4th.
Introducing Schaumburg
The place to be is the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center. Everyone will be glad to know that all rooms at the hotel have refrigerators, and there are also washers and dryers in the hotel. The Schaumburg Renaissance is served by two airports, O’Hare (airport code ORD) and Midway (airport code MDW). O’Hare is 18 miles from the hotel, Midway is 36 miles away. Information regarding airport shuttle service will be forthcoming; taxi costs are $26 from O’Hare and $53 from Midway.
If you’d like to travel to Illinois by train, Chicago’s Union Station is 31 miles from the hotel. From Union Station, you can take a commuter train or a taxi to arrive in Schaumburg.
Staying in Touch
Want to keep up with all the latest convention news? The conference and convention announce list will be filled with information. To subscribe to the list send a blank e-mail to [email protected].
If you received updates for the 2019 convention, you do not need to re-subscribe to the list.
Hotel Details
Room rates at the Renaissance are $94 per night plus tax (currently 15%). Reservation information will be posted when it becomes available.
Convention Contacts
2020 exhibit information: Michael Smitherman, (601) 331-7740, [email protected]
2020 advertising and sponsorships: Margarine Beaman, (512) 921-1625, [email protected]
For any other convention-related questions, please contact Janet Dickelman, convention chair, (651) 428-5059 or via email, [email protected].