Official Dates:
Clergy Laity Congress/Philoptochos National Convention will begin on Saturday July 1 through Friday July 7, 2000. YAL will meet on June 29 through Sunday July 2, 2000.
Location:
Clergy-Laity 2000 will convene at the Philadelphia Marriott Hotel, 1201 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107. Phone: (215) 625-2900. The Philadelphia Marriott is connected to the Pennsylvania Convention Center and Gallery Mall in Downtown Philadelphia. The hotel is 8 miles from Philadelphia International Airport and within easy driving distance of most of our communities on the East Coast.
Accommodations:
There are over 1,400 guest rooms and 76 Suites at the Marriott. The hotel has 460 guest rooms featuring a large console table and mobile writing desk, two power outlets and a data port. They also have a concierge level and a deluxe concierge level. The hotel also offers 5 restaurants and lounges as well as valet parking ($23 per night). There is also a florist, salon and spa and a Kinko’s Business Center on site. Non-smoking rooms and facilities for persons with disabilities are available upon request.
Hotel Reservations:
Reservations may be made by calling the Marriott directly (toll free) 800-320-5744. Please identify yourself as a Clergy-Laity attendee. To assure discount rates, please make your reservations prior to the cut off date of May 10,2000. The rates for Clergy-Laity 2000 are as follows: Single/Double $166.00 and Triple/Quad $186.00 Rooms in the towers and suites are available upon request.
Travel Arrangements:
Rex Travel Agency, our official Congress travel agency is offering exclusive discounts to all Congress/Philoptochos and YAL participants via Delta Airlines (Code # DMN131514A/Phone 1-800-241-6760, US Airways (Code # 46141138/Phone 1-877-874-7687 and United Airlines (Code # 543ZX/Phone 1-800-521-4041. Whether you are flying, driving or taking a train to Philadelphia you may want to call the Clergy-Laity 2000 travel desk at 1-800-223-0460 for your travel needs. If calling the airlines please be sure to use the appropriate travel code.
Hertz Car Rental
(Code # CV40048/Phone 1-800-654-2240) is the official car rental service for Clergy-Laity 2000. If you need to pick-up a car during your stay, there is direct line in the lobby of the Marriott.
Shuttle Bus Service
is available from the Airport to the hotel and return at a round trip cost of $16.00 per person.
Congress Registration:
The registration hours for both Clergy-Laity and National Philoptochos are as follows:
Saturday July 1 9:00am-5:00pm Monday July 3 8:00am-9:00pm
Sunday July 2 1:00pm-9:00pm Tuesday July 4 9:00am-12:00pm
The registration fee for Clergy-Laity 2000 will be $475.00 person and shall include all Congress meal functions, admissions to all workshops and forums, the registration portfolio and all other Congress related material. The $475.00 registration fee is inclusive of all Clergy-Laity delegates, as well as the National Philoptochos. The registration fee for non-delegate Presbyteres is $295.00.
The registration fee for retired clergy and retired Presbyteres,as well as widowed Presbyteres,will be complimentary. The Deadline for all registrations is May 15, 2000.
Ticket Sales:
Individuals who wish to purchase additional tickets for the Official Opening, Philoptochos Luncheon, the Grand Banquet or any other event requiring tickets may do so by no later than Friday June 16. Forms will be made available in future mailings or by calling the Archdiocese at 212-570-3500.
The Grand Banquet is a seated event and tickets must be exchanged by 6:00pm on Wednesday July 5.
Hospitality Area:
This year the hospitality area will be set-up in the Exhibit Area, which will be located in Franklin Hall-B on the 4th level. The hospitality area will be open during the posted hours.
Exhibit Hall:
The Exhibit Hall for Clergy-Laity 2000 will be housed in Franklin Hall-B on the 4th floor of the Philadelphia Marriott. The Exhibit area will officially open on Sunday July 2 at 3:30pm. Please visit one of our approximately 100 exhibitors and the information booths set up by the Archdiocese and our other ministries.
The rate to participate, as an Exhibitor in Clergy-Laity 2000 is $1,250 a booth, payable in advance. The deadline for all booths is June 1,2000.
Religious Functions:
The Congress will begin with our Divine Liturgy on Sunday June 2 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. We have also scheduled a special July 4th Doxology at the Marriott, the exact time has not been finalized. Services will be held in the Congress Chapel daily at 7:30am.
Workshops:
Under the direction of Rev. Frank Marangos, Director of Religious Education for the Archdiocese and Rev. Constantine Sitaras, Director of Saint Basil’s Academy we are developing a series of workshops and lecturers for the benefit of all attendees.
Computer Lab: Under the direction of Mr. Theo Nicolakis, Director of Information Technology for the Archdiocese, a computer lab and computer training seminars will be held each day during the congress. The seminars will focus on how to use parish administration software, the Internet, and Microsoft Office. After hours, the computer lab will be open to attendees to apply what they learned in the classes, surf the Internet, and check email.