2019 ASI Annual Convention

2019 ASI Annual Convention

When the Sheep Go Marching In

We invite you to join us in New Orleans for the 2019 Annual Convention: When the Sheep Go Marching In.

The Crescent City is hosting the Annual Convention for the first time, so ASI hopes everyone enjoys their visit to New Orleans. It should be a productive week. Meeting alongside are the American Lamb Board, American Goat Federation, ASI Women, Make It With Wool, National Lamb Feeders Association, National Livestock Producers Association, National Sheep Improvement Program, National Sheep Industry Improvement Center, Sheep Heritage Foundation, Sheep Venture Company and Western Range Association.

Speakers

ALICIA RAINWATER is a certified keynote speaker at the Center for Generational Kinetics. Alicia is a millennial who has a reputation as a leader in her own generation. She has extensive experience working firsthand to bridge generations in a variety of organizations from hospitals to global non-profits. Alicia has received a tremendous response to her engaging delivery that combines the center’s latest research and how-to with her unique experience working with clients.

“I can’t ever remember ‘finding’ cowboy poetry,” says WADDIE MITCHELL of the entertaining and enduring art of storytelling. “It was always there. The cowboys sure never called it poetry. I know I wouldn’t have liked it if they would have.” From his earliest days on the remote Nevada ranches where his father worked, Waddie was immersed in the cowboy way of entertaining, the art of spinnin’ tales in rhyme and meter that came to be called cowboy poetry.

WEATHER

On average, temperatures range from the low-60s to the mid-40s in January in New Orleans. Rain isn’t uncommon in the city’s humid climate. The hotel is within walking distance of the French Quarter and other destinations.

HOTEL

New Orleans Marriott
555 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70130, 504-581-1000

Sleeping Room: $189 (single/double) plus taxes per night.

Hotel/Airport Transportation: The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) is 15 miles from the hotel. Cab fare from the airport to the hotel is $36. There is no hotel shuttle. Parking at the hotel is $47.57 per day and vehicles must be no taller than 5 foot, 9 inches. Parking is available by valet only.

TOURS

Experience The Great Mississippi Delta Ecosystem
Enjoy a unique, first-hand experience of the natural, cultural and economic importance of the Mississippi River. This fresh and insider’s perspective on New Orleans and its coastal communities, takes participants “off the beaten path” to explore the beauty and significance of the region’s greatest natural asset. View formidable flood, wetlands and water management innovations that are a part of the largest coastal restoration project in the world. Our participants will see wildlife in their natural habitat at Bayou Sauvage – the largest urban wildlife refuge in America – and will visit working fishing communities where America’s seafood is harvested. Meet Brad Robin, a fifth-generation Islenos oysterman, and owner of Robin’s Seafood – one of the largest oyster harvesters in Louisiana. Enjoy a relaxing lunch of delicious local cuisine at the historic Docville Farm, with stunning views of the Mississippi River. The tour is an invigorating mix of adventure, human connection, education and fun. The climate-controlled coach is the best way to explore the Mississippi River Delta – on either a hot-and-rainy or perfect blue-sky day.

Crescent City Connection
Guests will be guided through the fascinating circle that is the Crescent City: past, present and future. Starting where it all began – in the French Quarter – travel down Esplanade Avenue, “Promenade of the Creoles,” to languid Bayou St. John. Next, view the historic “dueling oak,” the New Orleans Museum of Art, and the Botanical Gardens among the magnificent oaks of City Park. Sit under the oaks and enjoy a cup of New Orleans-brewed coffee and beignets. Next, the tour follows the crescent of the river to the old town of Carrollton and the route of the St. Charles Streetcar. In the heart of Uptown, some of the city’s loveliest neighborhoods can be viewed. Following Uptown is the Garden District, which was once a thriving sugar plantation. Greek revival architecture and lush gardens delight the eye. Returning to the “new” city, the Central Business District, brings you full circle: New Orleans past, present and future.

Mardi Gras World
Since 1947, Blaine Kern’s artists and craftsmen have designed and built the oldest and biggest parade floats and attractions for each Mardi Gras season, with more than 500 floats built and decorated each year. The hour-long Mardi Gras Word Tour will begin with a video on the history of Mardi Gras and background on the real tradition of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Next your guide will take you through the float den, where artists work year-round to build spectacular floats and props. You never get this close to the floats while they’re rolling in Mardi Gras parades, and this is certainly the only place to see how these amazing pieces come to life each year. In the original celebration of Mardi Gras – dating back hundreds of years – masks were worn by all to escape society and class constraints. Masked and unidentifiable, people could be whomever they wanted to be and mingle among class lines without any repercussions. Today, masks continue to be an integral part of the Mardi Gras celebration, so much so that Mardi Gras World offers you the chance to make your own mask. Each workshop begins with a brief history of masking in New Orleans and is followed by an interactive mask-making class. Here, you and your colleagues can make your own one-of-a-kind creation. Whether you use it for the next Mardi Gras season or just want a souvenir of your time in New Orleans, it doesn’t get more authentic than a signature carnival mask.

National World War II Museum
The experience will begin with the viewing of Beyond All Boundaries, a 4D journey through the war which changed the world. The National WWII Museum’s exhibits cover the epic and global scale of the war in a voice that is intimate and personal, right in the heart of New Orleans. Exhibits not only highlight the role of world leaders, but also the everyday men and women who found the strength and courage to accomplish the extraordinary. Currently housed in three buildings, each arranged around central themes of the war, Museum exhibits offer visitors an opportunity to experience the war through the eyes of the men and women who lived it. Interactives, oral histories and personal vignettes add a meaningful perspective.

REGISTRATION

FULL Registration Includes all meetings, Welcome Reception, Industry Awards Lunch Saturday Speaker Lunch and MIWW Banquet. DOES NOT INCLUDE Ticketed Events and RAMS PAC.

ASI/NLFA Member………………$325……..After Jan. 7 – $400

ASI/NLFA + Companion……….$500……..After Jan. 7 – $575

Non Member…………………….$400……..After Jan. 7 – $475

Non Member + Companion…..$575……..After Jan. 7 – $650

Two-Day Registration…………..$250…….After Jan. 7 – $280

One-Day Registration………….$150……..After Jan. 7 – $180

* Scholarships Available for Young Entrepreneurs *

TOURS

Experience the Mississippi Delta Ecosystem…….$140 per person
Crescent City Connection…………………………..$75 per person
World of Mardi Gras…………………………………$135 per person
National World War II Museum……………………$120 per person

TICKETED EVENTS

RAMS PAC…………………….$50 for one person/$75 for two
Wool Recognition Lunch……$50 per person

ADDITIONAL TICKETS

Industry Welcome Reception………………………..$40 per person
Industry Awards Lunch………………………………..$50 per person
Saturday Speaker Lunch with Waddie Mitchell……$50 per person
MIWW Banquet and Fashion Show…………………$70 per person
MIWW Fashion Show Only……………………………$30 per person

CLICK HERE to register online.