The road to NCECA – tips and tricks on getting there.

So, you’ve registered for the conference….now what?  (What?  You haven’t registered yet?  OK, well, click here and get that taken care of first, and don’t forget to renew your NCECA membership at the same time.)

Have you gotten your hotel reservation?  NCECA Headquarters is split between two hotels: The Hyatt and the Hilton.  Click on either hotel to view images and details about each.  NCECA has a special rate at both hotels.  For more information and the registration link, you can click here to visit the accommodations page on NCECA’s website.  Please note that the NCAA Basketball Tournament will be taking place in Milwaukee on the last couple of days of our conference, so do not delay in getting a room.  The student hotel block of rooms is already full, and rooms outside of the NCECA hotels might be increasingly difficult to obtain (and probably expensive)

Next step?  Get to Milwaukee.  Let’s talk flights:  General Mitchell International Airport is a hub for AirTran, which is now part of Southwest, so if you live near an airport with Southwest service, that’s probably your best bet.  AND, NCECA has secured an extra discount for conference goers.  (details click here)  Checking a few cities I found the following regular rates (before discounts, but rounded up to estimate taxes):

• Boston – direct flights available, direct travel time 1 1/2 hours each way,  round trip tickets available for about $250 with taxes
• Seattle – direct flights available, but limited, direct travel time 4 hours each way, round trip tickets available for about $400 with taxes
• Los Angeles – direct flights available, but limited, direct travel time 4 1/4 hours each way, round trip tickets available for about $375 with taxes
• Kansas City – direct flights available, direct travel time 1 1/2 hours each way,  round trip tickets available for about $300 with taxes
• Atlanta – direct flights available, direct travel time 2 hours each way,  round trip tickets available for about $400 with taxes

Once again, the NCAA Tournament is at the end of our conference.  In most cases, this is causing many outbound flights to be sold out or more expensive than usual.  In some cases, staying over a couple more nights and flying back on Monday will cut the cost quite a bit (for example, from KC, an outbound flight on Saturday is around $225, but if you fly back on Sunday, it’s $150, and on Monday, it’s $109)  CheapoAir is also a good place to find flights.

You also need to plan to get from the Airport TO the Hotel.  If you’re renting a car, NCECA also secured a 10% discount with Advantage Rent A Car (click here for details).  I also noticed that the same link for discounted Southwest flights included discounts on cars reserved through the special link.  You might check both of those for the best rate.  

• If you’re not renting a car, you do have a couple of options to get from the airport to the hotel and back:  Shuttle service is available through GO Riteway – https://www.goriteway.com/reservations or 800-236-5450 to book your reservation.  Rate is $14.00 one way; $27.00 round trip.  Taxis are approximately $26.00 one-way.
• Milwaukee also has a bus system that will cost you $2.25 to get from the Airport to the Hilton for $2.25.  The #80 bus runs directly from the Airport and stops about 367 feet from the Hilton.   If you’re staying in the Hyatt, you’ll have about a quarter mile or so walk….in the cold….If you’re gonna go by bus, I’m suggesting you book your room in the Hilton!  You can also get a week-long pass to use the bus system for $17.50.

Many people living within 6 hours or so of Milwaukee opt to drive in order to save money.  With parking being around $20 a night at the conference hotels, you might think about taking the train.  From about an hour and a half away (Chicago), rates are about $50 round trip and from 6 hours away (Minneapolis/St.Paul) the rate is $100 roundtrip.  That’s cheaper than gas and parking!