Congregational Vitality Training Event — San Diego

Travel & Logistics for Training Event & Pre-Events: February 17-21, 2020

TRAINING EVENT LOCATION

Town and Country Hotel, San Diego | 500 Hotel Circle North, San Diego, CA 92108 | www.towncountry.com

TIMING OF EVENTS: Monday – Friday, February 17-21, 2020

  • Homeless and Justice Network Gathering – Sunday & Monday | arrive Saturday PM or Sunday early AM
  • Boundaries Training for Mission Developers – Monday (8:00 am – 5:00 pm) | arrive Sunday PM
  • ELCA Level 1 Coach Launch Training – Monday & Tuesday (8:00 am – 5:00 pm) | arrive Sunday PM
  • REDIL/Latinx Leaders Meeting – Monday | arrive Sunday PM
  • United States – Mexico Border Experience – Tuesday (8:00 am – 4:30/5:30 pm) | arrive Monday PM
  • CV Training Event Facilitators’ Check-In – Tuesday early evening, approx. 5:30 pm; details to come
  • CV Training Event: Wednesday – Friday | arrive Tuesday PM
    • Wednesday – Thursday timing: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
    • Friday timing – 8:00 am – 2:30 pm | Friday evening flights home are strongly encouraged. Friday housing is not provided.

TRAVEL PLANNING & BUDGET CODE

  • Fly in and out of San Diego International Airport (SAN).
  • Make your flight arrangements ASAP, before using the online registration form. You will need to provide your arrival and departure times when you register.
  • Travel Arrangements and Flight Budget Code for Mission Developers: Please shop around: In some cases, certain airlines can offer a better price. If you are invited to use ELCA budget codes to cover your flights, we encourage you to look for the most reasonably priced flights before contacting Direct Travel — you can provide specific flight requests to the agent. Our policy is to help cover flights up to $500 for approved mission developers and other travelers approved by the CV Team. Mission Developers and DEMs Accompanying Mission Developers: If you are a mission developer who has been invited by your synod’s director for evangelical mission and you need a flight, please contact our in-house travel agency, Direct Travel, right away at 773-380-2440 or Direct.Travel@elca.org, to make your own reservations. Please provide the travel code included in event communication e-mails. DEMs may also use this code if they are accompanying mission developers. Make flight reservations as early as possible. Those who make last-minute or late travel arrangements will be expected to cover the additional cost personally. See the point above regarding looking for the best flight prices.
  • ALL OTHER PARTICIPANTS MUST ARRANGE TO COVER THEIR OWN TRAVEL (FLIGHT) COSTS. Please consult with the Congregational Vitality team if you are unsure.
  • Dress for the weather – Average temperatures in San Diego in February reach a mild 65⁰F (18⁰C) for the high, and 54⁰F (11⁰C) for the low. Bring light layers. It can be very sunny (bring a hat and/or sunscreen) or rainy (bring rain protection).
  • If you are participating in the US – Mexico Border Experience, please READ ALL THE DETAILS HERE. You must register separately for this event and book Monday night housing (if needed) through this Border Experience link.

ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE

  • WHEN TO ARRIVE: Note the timing of your events before you book your flights. See the timeline of events at the top of this page.
  • WHEN TO DEPART the CV Training Event: Congregational Vitality Training will end at 2:30 pm on Friday (February 21). Hotel rooms are not offered on Friday evening. Plan to travel home Friday evening, after 4:30 pm. Please do not plan to depart earlier in the day, as you will miss important elements of this event.
  • On Friday morning, check out from the hotel and bring all luggage with you to a designated room (we will let you know where) for luggage. Plan to travel directly to the airport after the event ends.

DIRECTIONS AND LOCAL TRANSPORTATION

  • Town and Country San Diego is in the Hotel Circle in San Diego (500 Hotel Circle North, San Diego, CA 92108) (towncountry.com). It is conveniently located near San Diego International Airport (3225 N. Harbor Dr., San Diego, CA 92101), which is approximately a 15-minute drive. Visit the hotel website for directions and a link to a map application (https://www.towncountry.com/hotel/directions). Click on “Start Your Journey.” Here is a direct link to the map.
  • Local Transportation is “on your own.” DEMs, please help your participants find transportation if needed.
  • SUPER SHUTTLE DISCOUNT: For your convenience, you can use a Super Shuttle discount link to book your transportation between San Diego International Airport and the hotel, with a cost of approximately $14 each way (link coming soon, via event communication e-mails). You can adjust your reservations by reentering the link. Reservations are not required when traveling from airport to hotel. However, please allow at least four hours of lead time when making a reservation for the return trip from the hotel to the airport.
  • An easy, inexpensive option is Uber or Lyft (approx. $17).
  • The hotel offers shuttle service to the Riverwalk Golf Club, Fashion Valley Center, Old Town Mission Valley Center, and Hazard Center, daily, 10:00 am – 7:00 pm, based on availability. Shuttle pickup and drop-off is in the hotel lobby.

IMPORTANT HOTEL NOTES

  • Hotel arrival and departure: Check-in time is 3:00 pm / Check-out time is 11:00 am. On Friday morning, check out from the hotel and bring all luggage with you to a designated room for luggage. Arrange to travel directly to the airport after the event ends.
  • Rooms are double-occupancy: Participants will be assigned a roommate if one is not specified on the online registration form. A limited number of single rooms are available for an upgrade fee. Please do not bring nonparticipating spouses, or children, along with you. 
  • Parking at Town and Country San Diego: Parking is available at the hotel for $10 per night plus tax.

FOOD

  • Meals (breakfast, lunch and snacks) have been selected based on your arrival and departure times.
  • Food sensitivities and allergies will be accounted for to the best of our abilities, based on what participants entered into the online registration form.
  • A catered breakfast is included (no charge) at the hotel each morning (7:00-8:30 am).
  • Lunch and coffee breaks/refreshments are included at no extra charge.
  • Dinner is “on your own” (not included). Gather with your colleagues and head out to explore beautiful San Diego!

EVENING ACTIVITIES

  • San Diego is beautiful and full of amazing adventures waiting to happen. If you are looking for things to do in the evening after training, check out information (https://www.sandiego.org/explore/things-to-do.aspx) from the San Diego Tourism Authority or do your own Internet search.

  • Join the CV Team and other colleagues for a CV Social, Wednesday, 8:30-10:00 pm, on an outdoor patio at the Town and Country! We’ll provide appetizers, you purchase your own beverages!

 

QUESTIONS?

CONTENT/TRAINING QUESTIONS? Contact Anna-Kari Johnson, Rob James, or Ruben Duran.

REGISTRATION ISSUES? Contact Kholoud Khoury (or call 773-380-2830); or Philip Rivera (or call 773-380-2553).

HOUSING OR OTHER LOGISTICAL QUESTIONS? Contact Philip Rivera (or call 773-380-2553).

 

SEE YOU IN SAN DIEGO!

 

“For Christ is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall.” 

— Ephesians 2:14

 

by Kris A. Mainellis, program director for communication and events