"BEYOND THE RIDE"
2024 Fall Conference & Annual Meeting
September 26-28, 2024
Holiday Inn & Northwest Arkansas Convention Center
1500 South 48th Street, Springdale, Arkansas
This year the conference will open on Thursday morning, September 26 with breakfast and off-site tours. The opening night vendor reception will take place Thursday evening. Attendees will remain on property attending plenaries and breakout sessions all day Friday and Saturday morning before departing for additional tours Saturday afternoon. The conference will end Saturday night with the banquet & Annual Meeting and awards ceremony at the hotel. Summary and full agendas are available for download:
Agenda (Summary; Tentative)
CONFERENCE REGISTRATION FEES INCLUDE ALL MEALS (except Thursday lunch), EVENTS, VENUE PASSES, AND TRANSPORTATION SERVICES
Registration fees are $675. Extra Saturday night banquet tickets are available for purchase ($65 pp), as well as tickets for this year's spouse tour (Spouse Tour Info) that will take place on Thursday during the conference excursions ($60 pp).
Options for pre and post conference trips are not included in the conference registration form and must be purchased separately (See registration links below).
To renew or confirm membership status or obtain your membership conference registration code, contact Lynette Rickman at contact@heritagerail.org.
NO REFUNDS AFTER SEPTEMBER 1, 2024
* Conference registration closes September 20 *
PRE-CONFERENCE TOUR -
OPTIONAL ADD-ON #1
For those arriving early, a pre-conference tour of historic Ozark Mill, followed by an excursion on the Branson Scenic Railway, is available on Wednesday, September 25. Cost per person is $170 and includes a full breakfast at the conference hotel, transportation, guided tour and lunch at Ozark Mill and tickets for the Branson Scenic journey. Dinner will be on-your-own in Branson before the return trip to Springdale. This is a separate event from the conference. Click here for more information about the tour and to register: PRE-CONFERENCE TOUR.
POST-CONFERENCE TOUR -
OPTIONAL ADD-ON #2
The Friends of the A&M will offer a Rare Mileage Tour to those remaining after the conference ends. This optional tour is separate from the conference, and attendees are responsible for their own transportation to the depot. The train will depart Springdale at 8:30 am on Sunday and go up to Monett, MO. Expected trip time is 4 hours (round-trip) but may be a longer due to photo stops. Cost is $62.99 per person and includes a box lunch. For more information or to reserve a seat, please call (479.725.4017) or e-mail the Friends of the A&M at admin@amrailroad.com.
ACCOMMODATIONS
T
he Holiday Inn is currently accepting online reservations at conference rates for overnight stays from September 24 - 29 at $135 per night. Click HERE to reserve your room online. When reserving your room online, click on the "Change Search" button to select your specific arrival and departure dates. Parking is FREE for conference attendees that plan to drive. For assistance with online hotel reservations, contact Mark Thaler: thalermeetings@aol.com or 954.649.1000. Conference rate deadline is September 1, 2024.
HOW TO GET THERE
Springdale, Arkansas is a 30-minute drive from the Northwest Arkansas Airport (XNA), which is served by six major airline carriers (See below) and a 2-hour drive from either Tulsa, OK or Branson, MO. If travelling by Amtrak, Springdale is 3 hours from Little Rock, AR and 3 hours 30 minutes from Kansas City, MO.
In addition to car rental, taxi, Uber and Lyft options are also available from the airport:
Lyft & Uber (Download apps for up-to-minute pricing)
Jim's Express Shuttle & Taxi - (479) 205-0011
NWA Taxi - (479) 636-8294
1st Choice Taxi - (479) 657-0378
SideRide NWA - (479) 640-7495
With special thanks to the following sponsors
