Who's going to NTI 2009 in New Orleans: 5/16-5/21 ??

There are only a few food places within the conference center in New Orleans and not may places within walking distance. It was a big problem the last time the NTI was there.

That's not much of a surprise. Big breakfasts and dinners with vending machine snacks in between seem to be the rule of the day at NTI. Most of the people I know who have gone in recent years have made comments on their evaluations of the conference about the dearth of fast, inexpensive food on site. Guess we'll all be doing it again this year too.

Hi NurseCass & Everyone -- This is my first post here .

I went to NTI last year in Chicago and will be attending again this year. I'm so excited! I found the best way to enjoy the conference and have a mini-vacation is to plan ahead. Your groups can either come a day or so earlier (or stay later) so you guys can explore New Orleans without worrying about the classes. Or, you guys can get an early start and leave earlier in the afternoon.

Last year, we signed up for a Sunrise Session (free but you have to sign up) that starts @ 7:30 but you get breakfast with the class. Then we picked early classes (You will get a huge book with class descriptions) and left by 2-3 in the afternoon. That gave us a few hours to explore the city. This year my friend and I are flying in a few days early so we can enjoy New Orleans. There are so many things to do @ NTI that it's like being a kid in a candy store. I loved the selection of all the classes - some are very basic while some offer "cutting edge" info.

Hope that helps I can't wait to try the Beignets!

The book isn't going to be huge this year. Much of the content from the book will be on a disc that you get with your registration package around the middle of April. NTI is going green.

Planing ahead is def the best way to handle any conference, no matter were you are going. This year I'm going down a day ahead. signed up for some of the preconference sessions, and have maps already printed out to the resteraunts I"m planning on visiting while I'm there. I've even managed to make some networking plans for an evening dinner on tuesday. Packing clothes that work for both conference and for an evening on the town so I don't hve to go back to the hotel if I don't want to.

My primary purpose is to go to the sessions. I alternate a nurse confernce one year and a doc conference the next year. The Doc sponsored conferences are the vacation conferences. Did Hawaii last year. The Docs are always done by noon so you've got the afternoon to play. and i still manage to walk away with 25+ hours of con ed.

Again to those of you who haven't made houseing arangements yet, don't discount using priceline or the like. Just do your homework ahead of time. I've got a 3.5 star room for $45/night less than 2 blocks from the conference center. (your milage may vary)

Hi, I'm new to NTI, I have a question: How do you register for the classes? When I registered on the AACN website, they were charging $99 to $200 dollars for each "ticketed session". Aren't classes included in the 500 dollar conference fee? If you don't register for any classes, are you stuck just wandering around looking at exhibits?

Thanks in advance!!

Hi Royal Nurse,

You can register 3 ways: 1) for the Pre-Conference (the weekend before the conference -- Sat & Sun only); 2) for the whole Conference itself (Mon-Thurs); or 3) you can register daily which means you can attend the conference that day only. If you want to attend the Pre-Conference and Conference you have to pay 2 separate fees. 1 Sunrise session (ticketed but free) is included with the Conference registration (Mon-Thurs). You can attend any of the classes for the day(s) you are registered to attend.

If you have problems/questions call AACN...they were very helpful to me when I had questions.

Hope that helps

I'm so excitied to be going to New Orleans as my parents love the city and visited yearly after retirement. Bringing DH, were staying through Monday so can sightsee. Anyone recomend a good place to visit for a football and Disney World loving man ??

Looking forward to meeting our members.

Pssssssssttttttttttt.....don't forget to tell us your user name to receive a special AN goodie bag.

Keep it a SECRET.

Only a few weeks left...I am counting down my shifts!! I cannot wait!