Editor's Note: For the convenience of members who may have missed the previous notices that appeared in the September and October issues of Perspectives, we print below a summary of the various instructions that would facilitate attending the annual meeting to be held in Chicago.

Preregistration

The printed Program was mailed mid-October and was made available online around the same time. The meeting preregistration form was printed in the September and October issues of Perspectives and was included in the Program mailing as well. Completed copies of the form should be returned to the headquarters office by December 4. AHA members can preregister (at the discounted members rate) after logging in at the members only page, http://www.historians.org/members/login/, while nonmembers can register at http://www.historians.org/annual/prereg/
prereg.cfm

Accommodations

Hotel reservations must be made exclusively with One-Stop Chicago, the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau's exclusive housing vendor. Reservations will be accepted via a link on the AHA web site (http://www.historians.org/annual), the call center, fax, or mail (only if accompanied by a check deposit) through December 8, 2002. The call center (toll-free 800.424.5248) will accept reservations from the United States and Canada during the hours 8:00 a.m.. to 5:00 p.m., Central Standard Time, Monday through Friday. International callers may call 847.940.2152 to make reservations during normal business hours. Faxes from the U.S. and Canada may be sent 24 hours a day, seven days a week to 800.521.6017, but will be processed during business hours. International attendees may fax to 847.940.2386. Suite reservations can be made by calling or by faxing a form to One-Stop Chicago. Only bookings made by check should be sent to AHA/One-Stop Chicago, 108 Wilmot Road, 4th Floor, P.O. Box 825, Deerfield, IL 60015-0825. Checks payable to One-Stop Chicago, in U.S. funds, drawn on a U.S. bank.

A reservation confirmation will be sent by the bureau for all new reservations, modifications, and cancellations. The bureau will send out confirmations by mail, fax, or e-mail within 72 hours of processing reservations. Room reservations made by phone are confirmed immediately with a confirmation number. Please note, hotels will not send out a separate confirmation. Deposit requirements are $125 per room, $250 for a one-bedroom suite, and $375 for a two-bedroom suite. A deposit is required for each reservation.

The cutoff date for the AHA's official block is December 8, 2002. After this date, remaining inventory in the block will be released and rooms will be available on a space-available basis. The hotels will continue to honor the AHA's convention rates based upon space availability. If all hotels sell out, the AHA will work with the bureau to secure additional hotel rooms. Meeting attendees can continue to make, modify and/or cancel reservations from September 2 through December 16, 2002 via One-Stop Chicago via telephone, fax, in writing, or e-mail. Attendees will not be penalized for any cancellation made before December 8. Cancellations processed prior to the cutoff date will be refunded the same method of payment by which the attendee originally paid the deposit. After December 16, attendees who wish to cancel must contact the hotel directly. Reservations canceled after December 8 but prior to 72 hours of arrival will be subject to a $14 processing fee. Reservations canceled within 72 hours of arrival date are subject to forfeiture of the entire amount of the deposit.

Travel Arrangements

Association Travel Concepts (ATC) is the official travel agency for the AHA's 117th annual meeting. ATC has negotiated discounts with United Airlines, Amtrak, Alamo, and Avis to bring you special air, rail, and car rental rates that are lower than those available to the public. To take advantage of these rates and benefits, call ATC at 800.458.9383, fax 858.581.3988, or e-mail reservations@atcmeetings.com. You can also link to ATC through the AHA's Web site, http://www.historians.org. ATC is available for reservations from 9:00 a.m until 7:30 p.mEST, Monday through Friday.

Air Travel: By calling ATC, you will save 10 to 15 percent off on United (I.D. 510CK) tickets purchased more than 60 days prior to the meeting. For tickets purchased less than 60 days prior, the discounts will be 5 to 10 percent off of the lowest available fares. Some restrictions may apply. Discounts apply for travel Monday, December 30, 2002 through Wednesday, January 8, 2003.

ATC will also search for the lowest available fare on any airline serving O'Hare International and Midway Airports. ATC also provides personalized service, advance seat assignments, special meal requests, frequent flier programs, electronic ticketing, e-mail access for convenient booking of your tickets and more.

Train travel: To book a reservation on Amtrak, call 800.872.7245 or contact ATC at 800-458-9383. Make sure you refer to fare order number X32X-949 when making your booking; discount fares available December 30, 2002 through January 8, 2003. The offer is not valid on Auto Train, Club, or Custom Class service.

Car rental: You can also arrange to rent a car through Alamo or Avis, with discounted rates effective from December 30, 2002 through January 8, 2003. Contact Alamo at 800-732-3232, noting I.D. # 72620 GR or Avis at 800-331-1600, noting ID # J992152. You can also call ATC at 800-458-9383.