Information for Exhibitors

The 2007 NGS Conference in the States and Family History Fair will be held at the Greater Richmond Convention Center - 401 North 3rd Street, Richmond, VA 23219. Tel: (804) 783-7300.  Directions to the Convention Center can be found here: http://richmondcenter.com/main/directions.asp

The Exhibit Hall will be on Level Two of the Greater Richmond Convention Center in B21abc - Grand Ballroom.  The majority of conference sessions will be held at the Richmond Marriott Hotel - which adjoins the Convention Center by skywalk, and is just across a small road from the Convention Center - facing the Center.  A few sessions will be held at the Convention Center also. All registration will be at the Convention Center - directly outside the exhibit hall.  Food will be served for breakfast and lunch close to the exhibit hall.  We have exended exhibit hall opening hours this year to allow for more time for conference attendees to visit the exhibits. There is one late night opening on Thursday evening - until 7pm (sessions end at 5pm), also the exhibit hall will be open exclusively to attendees from 9:30 - 11am on Wednesday 16th May - the first day of the conference. In the evenings the hall will be open until 5:30pm - to allow for 30 minutes shopping time after the sessions end each day. 

BOOTH STAFF
You are allowed up to 10 booth staff for your booth. All booth staff must be registered. Please go into the Exhibitor Service Center and register all booth staff prior to the conference. Only exhibit staff wearing NGS nametags will be admitted into the exhibit hall during move-in and move-out times.

LOADING AND UNLOADING AT SHOW SITE
The Greater Richmond Convention Center has a loading dock (with 4 bays), the entrance to which is at 3rd Street, between Broad Street and Marshall Street. The entrance is down an alleyway which is next to the GRCC Parking Deck. You can pull into this alleyway and park to unload your vehicles, security will let you through the gate. There is a ramp to the loading dock area, and there are elevators up to level 2 where the exhibit hall is situated. Convention Center staff will be on hand to assist you with the goods elevators. You may unload your show supplies between 12 Noon - 8pm on Tuesday 15th May. You may also unload on the first show day - Wednesday 16th May from 8-9:30am (the show opens at 9:30am on this day). Loading out begins at 4:30pn on Saturday 19th May. Once you are unloaded, you should move your vehicle to another parking area.  Please note there is a height restriction of 6 feet, 8 inches on the parking levels of the Greater Richmond Convention Center. There is a nearby flat lot on Broad between 5th and 4th Streets which will take larger vehicles - please see details below.

If you are bringing large trucks to show site we are told by the Convention Center that parking and unloading these in the loading dock area will not be a problem. Once you have unloaded you must move your truck somewhere else.  Overnight parking at the Convention Center costs $26 per day and you can park your vehicle there, but as previously mentioned there is a height restriction of 6 feet, 8 inches at the Convention Center parking deck.  You will need to park your vehicle at a nearby flat lot.  There is a flot honor lot on Broad Street - between 5th and 4th Streets - which is across from the Convention Center and Richmond Marriott Hotel.  The cost is $4 per hour, up to a maximum of $15 per day. You will need to park your vehicle and then pay in advance for your parking at a machine (cash or credit card).  The machine will only take up to a maximum of 24 hours at a time. If you plan to park there overnight please make sure that you top up the machine beforehand to cover you overnight.  We are told there is no security at night in the lot. The lot is run by Standard Parking - 1-804-649-7275. 
The Richmond Marriott also has a height restriction in their parking garage.  Go to the Greater Richmond Convention Center website at: http://www.richmondcenter.com/main/parking.asp for information on other nearby parking lots. 

To unload and park a regular sized vehicle, go to the 3rd level of the Greater Richmond Convention Center parking deck. This level will take you through directly to the exhibit hall area where your exhibit will be set up, and you will not need to take elevators or stairs. 

HOTELS
NGS has contracted with 4 Richmond hotels for special rates for our conference attendees and exhibitors. The main conference hotel, which is closest to the Greater Richmond Convention Center is the Richmond Marriott hotel. Other hotels we have contracted with are the Omni Richmond, the Crowne Plaza, and the Quality Inn & Suites. Please see under Hotel information on the show site for rates and other information on each hotel. The closest hotel to the Greater Richmond Convention Center exhibiting space is the Richmond Marriott, which adjoins the Convention Center, and is just across the road from the Convention Center.

Richmond Marriott
(main conference hotel, adjacent to Convention Center)
500 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23219
Reservations: 800-228-9290/804-643-3400
Online Reservations - www.marriott.com/RICDT Group Code is NGSA
$149 single or double plus tax.
Website for Richmond Marriott 

Omni Richmond
100 South 12th Street, Richmond, VA 23219
8 blocks from Convention Center).  Limited service passenger van to Convention Center available - subject to availability.
Reservations: 1-800-THE-OMNI/804-344-7000
$135.00 single/double plus tax.
Website for Omni Richmond

Crowne Plaza
555 E. Canal Street, Richmond, VA 23219
(7 blocks from Convention Center) Shuttle available to Convention Center.
Reservations: 1-877 2 CROWNE/ 804-788-0900
$99.00 single/double plus tax.
Website for Crowne Plaza

Quality Inn & Suites
201 East Cary Street, Richmond, VA 23219
(5 blocks from Convention Center) No shuttle available
Reservations: 1-800-228-5151/804-788-1600
$75 double/$85 suite - double or king, plus tax.
Website for Quality Inn

The Radisson Hotel Historic Richmond, located at 301 West Franklin Street has also reserved a block of rooms for NGS conference attendees. The room rate
they are offering is $129 plus tax (single occupancy - each additional person is $10).  See their website at: http://www.radisson.com/richmondva
The telephone number is 804-644-9871.

SALES TAX
Sales Tax is payable at a rate of 5% for the state of Virginia. Forms will be available on-site at the conference for you to complete. Exhibitors do not need to purchase a business license.

SECURITY
NGS will provide security in the exhibit hall at all times when the exhibit hall is closed and overnight. 

SHIPPING TO SHOW SITE
Valley Expo Services is prepared to receive your freight in advance at one of their warehouse locations, or directly to the show site.  All shipments must be sent prepaid; collect freight shipments will be refused.  Shipments larger than 4' x 4' x 4' and/or weighing in excess of 400 lbs, may require special arrangements, and may be charged an additional handling fee. Please call Valley Expo before shipping such items. Valley Expo freight handling charges are based on incoming weight, rounded up to the nearest 100 lbs. For rates and schedule information that apply to this convention, please refer to the Freight Handling Order Form.  Exhibitors are responsible for crating and uncrating of their own product.

ADVANCE SHIPMENTS
Last day freight will be accepted: 5/11/07
Address all shipments to the Warehouse:
EXHIBITING COMPANY NAME
BOOTH NUMBER
29th Annual NGS Conference in the States
YELLOW TRANSPORTATION
C/O VALLEY EXPO & DISPLAYS
9600 Express Lane
Richmond, VA 23237

DIRECT SHIPMENTS
Freight may be shipped to the show site on either Monday May 14 or Tuesday May 15 2007 from 8am to 5pm.  Do not send shipments in advance of 5/14/07 to the show site.  The facility has no means of storage and may refuse your shipment. Freight will be accepted at show site only on 5/14 and 5/15/07.
Address direct shipments as follows:
EXHIBITING COMPANY NAME
BOOTH NUMBER
29TH NGS CONFERENCE IN THE STATES
C/O VALLEY EXPO & DISPLAYS
GREATER RICHMOND CONV CENTER
403 North 3rd Street
Richmond, VA 23219

SHOW COLORS
Show colors of the booth drapes will be burgundy and white.

SHOW HOURS
Operating Hours of Exhibit Hall
Tuesday, May 15th, 2007
(Exhibitor Move-in)
12 Noon - 8pm

Wednesday, May 16th, 2007
Exhibit Area Hours:
9:30am - 5:30pm

Thursday, May 17th, 2007
Exhibit Area Hours:
9:00am - 7:00pm

Friday, May 18th, 2007
Exhibit Area Hours:
9:00am - 5:30pm

Saturday, May 19th, 2007
Exhibit Area Hours:
9:00am - 4:30pm

Exhibitor Move-Out:
4:30pm - 8pm