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Schedule of Events
BIA's Brick Show is a conference for the clay brick industry. The Show includes educational sessions on important topics and networking opportunities during the Grand Opening Reception, a Golf Tournament and the Reception and Annual Banquet on the closing night of the Brick Show.

Brick Show 2008 will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio, Texas. The Show dates are April 17-19, 2008.

Registration - Attendees
Registration is now open online for Brick Show 2008 attendees. Online payment is available or you can fax or mail your payment after filling in the online registration form. Confirmation will be sent to you via email. Early pricing is available until April 11, 2008. After April 11th you will need to register onsite, when the registration fees are higher.

Please note that the hotel registration cut off date is March 24th.

Annual Banquet Gold Sponsors:
Annual Banquet Silver Sponsors:
Annual Banquet Bronze Sponsor:

Annual Banquet
Join us at the Annual Banquet on Saturday, April 19th. Banquet tickets are included in Full Registration, Spouse/Guest Registration and Day 2 Registrations. Children under 18 years of age require a child's ticket ($60).

Annual Banquet Entertainment - BIA's "Solid Gold" Variety Show
BIA's "Solid Gold" Variety Show will include performances of music made famous by such country superstars as Dolly Parton and Neil Diamond, backed by the six-piece band "Wild Horses" and emceed by John Charles who led the "BIA's American Brick Idol" Show at last year's Annual Banquet.

2008 Opportunities to Exhibit
Brick Show 2008 has several opportunities to exhibit your company's products and services and network with current and new customers. The traditional Exhibit Hall will not be a part of Brick Show 2008.

Opening Reception Tabletop Displays
Online registration is open for your company to reserve a six-foot draped table to exhibit your products and marketing materials. You can also review the Exhibitor Contract, the Rules and Regulations and the floor plan first and then go online to select your space. Using the online selection process guarantees that you will get the space you select. If you prefer, you can download the Contract and fax it to BIA at 703-620-3928 with three space choices. Your space assignment will be sent to you within one week.

Payment can be made via credit card or check and must be received within two weeks of reserving your tabletop space. For information, contact Bethany Smith at 703-674-1543 / bsmith@bia.org.

Hospitality Parlors
Another option that is available is to host a hospitality parlor. Your company can host events to meet and network with attendees during the Brick Show. The parlor is a 530 square foot room located in a high traffic area on the lobby level. BIA will advertise your events on the BIA website and in the registration bags. Also, BIA will provide your company with a list of attendees before the Brick Show. Please note that at least two company representatives need to be registered for the full 2008 Brick Show and no parlor events are to be open during official Brick Show or BIA-sponsored activities such as Board, Council and Committee Meetings. More information will follow.

Hill Country Suites
An additional option is to host a Hill Country Suite. Much like the Hospitality Parlors a company can offer events to meet and network with different attendees at the Brick Show. The difference is that these rooms are a little smaller, 494 square feet, and are located on floors one through four. BIA will advertise your events on the BIA website and in the registration bags. Also, BIA will provide your company with a list of attendees before the Brick Show. Please note that at least two company representatives need to be registered for the full 2008 Brick Show and no suite events are to be open during official Brick Show or BIA-sponsored activities such as Board, Council and Committee Meetings. More information will follow.

Members Annual Golf Tournament
Reserve a foursome for the tournament on Friday, April 18, 2008 at the Hill Country Golf Club. Registration includes green fees, cart rental, unlimited practice balls, and a boxed lunch. Golf course is onsite.

We will be accepting registrations for foursomes until March 14, 2008. To place your name on a waiting list as an individual golfer, email Bethany Smith at bsmith@bia.org. If there are spaces available, she will contact golfers after March 14th in the order in which they contacted her until the tournament is filled.

Spouse/Guest Get Acquainted Breakfast
The Annual Spouse/Guest Get Acquainted Breakfast will be held Friday, April 18 at 9:00 AM. This is a great opportunity to greet your friends and make new ones.

This event is included in the Spouse/Guest Registration Fee.

Tours
Rafting on the Guadalupe River - Thursday, April 17, 2008
Time: 12:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Cost: $80.00

Come float on the Guadalupe River. Everyone gets to select a raft, tube or canoe. The average water temperature is 68+ degrees. The leisurely 2 hour float down the river includes curves, bends, rapids and great scenery to enjoy. Guides will assist with the float, especially for those who choose to walk around the rapids.

Should the water level be too low on the Guadalupe River, we will switch over to the Comal River, right next door and float away. Everyone must wear some sort of shoes (tennis, etc) and know how to swim. Life vests will be provided to all participants. This is an exciting trip one will truly enjoy. Transportation between the hotel and the Guadalupe River are included.

San Antonio Tour - By River, Foot and Motor Coach - Friday, April 18, 2008 Time: 12:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Cost: $70.00

The motor coach departs our hotel and takes you to board the river barges for a 45-minute tour along the beautiful San Antonio River. The certified tour guide will enlighten the group on the many wonderful stories that make up the river itself.

After disembarking from the river barges, the group will walk one short block to the Alamo, the most famous spot in Texas, where 189 defenders fell on March 6, 1836. Guests can tour this sacred monument at their leisure and feel free to ask their personal tour guide any questions they may have.

Next, the group boards the motor coach and begins the driving tour of the City of San Antonio. The first place of interest is one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in all of Texas, the King William Historic District, with its tree-lined avenues recalling a more gracious era. Prosperous German merchants who made their mark in San Antonio in the late 1800's built the grand homes of this area. A visit to this district would not be complete without a tour of the Guenther House. The Guenther family built this home in 1876, which has been carefully restored and turned into a frequently visited museum and tea room today.

Natural Bridge Caverns Tour/Gruene, Texas - Saturday, April 19, 2008
12:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Cost: $70.00

The tour will begin with a short 30-minute ride to the Natural Bridge Caverns, voted one of the top ten caves of the United States, for a private tour of the cave. The cave was discovered March 27, 1960 and opened for tours four years later. Except for the lighting, the North Cavern is much the same as in 1960. As the constant dripping of water creates the formations, these formations grow at the rate of one cubic inch every one hundred years!

After visiting the cave, the group will proceed to Gruene, Texas for a thirty minute walking tour. This uniquely named town of Gruene (pronounced "green") includes scattered, restored buildings of the original 19th century town. Gruene offers examples of several crafts including unique hand crafted furniture, woodworking, two pottery shops and a silversmith. In addition, there are 8,000 square feet of antiques and an old time drug store along with many dress shops. The group will have time to shop at these places.

The tour includes a visit to Gruene Hall which is over 100 years old and is the location for the dance scene in John Trovolta's movie "Michael." This is the oldest continually operating dance hall and is where George Strait and Lyle Lovett started their careers. With a tin roof, open rafters and fold down shutters, Gruene Hall proudly claims it has never been updated since it was built in 1878.

This tour includes transportation and will pick-up and drop-off at the hotel. Please make sure to wear comfortable shoes since you will be walking for some part of the tour.

Educational Sessions
Educational Session #1 - "New Green Building Design Standards"
Ray Tonjes, National Association of Home Builders
Saturday, April 19 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM

Educational Session #2 - "BIA's Green Building Design/Sustainability Initiatives"
Dick Jennison, Brick Industry Association and Chris Fisher, Ducker Worldwide
Saturday, April 19 from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM

Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa
Located in San Antonio, TX the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa provides the perfect location for Brick Show activities.   

The deadline for hotel reservations is March 24, 2008.  The room rate for the show is $241.00 for single/double occupancy plus $10.00 resort fee.  Please call 210-647-1234 to make your reservations and be sure to mention the Brick Industry Association to receive the correct sleeping room rate.