One-day House of Friendship passes available

By Arnold R. Grahl
Rotary International News -- 20 October 2010

Nelo Ude-Akpeh from Nigeria enjoys the House of Friendship at the 2010 RI Convention in Montréal, Québec, Canada. Rotary Images/Monika Lozinska-Lee

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Rotarians who live near New Orleans may purchase a special one-day House of Friendship pass good only for Saturday, 21 May, during the 2011 RI Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

The one-day passes were approved by the RI Board of Directors during its July meeting. The House of Friendship will be held in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

The US$40 passes will allow local Rotarians who are not registered for the convention to experience the House of Friendship, and to purchase tickets for Host Organization Committee events on 21 May. The passes are available only to those eligible to register for RI conventions.

The one-day passes are also designed to give Rotarians a chance to share Rotary with friends, family, and prospective new members, showcasing the variety of service activities and enhancing Rotary's public image. Passes for children under 18 are $10, and free for children under five.

"Our records show that less than 10 percent of the local Rotarians normally attend an RI Convention, and we are searching for ways to substantially increase that number," says RI President Ray Klinginsmith. "The one-day pass for the House of Friendship is an experiment to see if we can attract a large number of Rotarians who would not otherwise attend the convention.

"We firmly believe it will be better to have them in the House of Friendship to experience the internationality of Rotary for even one day than not to have them involved at all," he adds.

Download the PDF to register for a one-day House of Friendship pass by 31 March . After 31 March, a limited number of passes may be purchased on-site at the convention.

Completed forms may be e-mailed to ri.registration@rotary.org, faxed to 847-866-3064, or mailed to Rotary International, 14244 Collections Center Dr., Chicago, IL USA 60693.

If you’ve already registered for the convention and want to add a pass for a guest, follow the instructions for guest passes on the form. If you purchase the one-day pass and later decide to register for the entire convention, full credit for your payment will be applied to the registration rate.

To find out more about what happens at the House of Friendship, read the information for first-time attendees, visit the Booths page, and view photos from the 2010 convention in Montréal, Québec, Canada.

9 Comments:

At 9:55AM on 1 November 2010, muhaguzi Asaph wrote: A noble idea and great innovation arguably, in light of facilitating eligible people for registration to the convention but unable to register, to enjoy house of friendship.

At 9:24AM on 1 November 2010, Dr. William C. Fox wrote: Great idea! Hopefully some Rotary Districts will follow suit at District Conferences.

At 9:07AM on 1 November 2010, Dr. Robert S. Steinberg, PP wrote: I beg to differ with Rtn Ivar. I was in the HOF in Montreal every day and never found things so crammed. "Crowds" of Rotarians, spouses and children are welcomed and expected. The one-day pass idea is grand. I was very disappointed in 2005 when I only saw a couple of my fellow club members (out of 80+) from the Host District, in attendance. Attending an international convention, that is in your own backyard,, is something not to be missed. One thing though, one-day attendees should not have first pick of Host Committee Events

At 2:59PM on 29 October 2010, C RAY CARLSON wrote: A great idea, at last! If RI is seriously interested in helping local clubs to recruit new members, the price should be slashed. Most Exhibits at Los Angeles and Pasadena Convention Centers are FREE if registered some days before the event. Each new member of Rotary will generate a lot of long-term income to Clubs and R.I. and TRF. Do the math.

At 9:01AM on 28 October 2010, Ron Gaber wrote: Great idea and yet another way RI President Ray Klinginsmith shows innovation to engage Rotarians. Our future depends on getting out of the traditional way of doing Rotary business and Ray is leading the way. Congratulations!

At 9:18AM on 25 October 2010, Leonard KalfussMD wrote: Finally, this is now available; expect a significant increase in attendance and $ to Rotary!!

At 9:16AM on 25 October 2010, Sybil Webb wrote: Great idea! This will definitely generate more interest in area Rotary clubs to attend the 2011 R.I. Conventon in New Orleans, even if it is just for a day.

At 9:12AM on 25 October 2010, Ivar Berge wrote: Excellent idea! However, I hope you learned from the failed HoF in Montreal. The vendors were so crammed it was nearly impossible to get to them. More space in the isles like in Birnimgham please. Our friend in a wheelchair gave up on shopping because of the crammed set-up.

At 10:05AM on 21 October 2010, saiful Islam Hiron wrote: I would like to join in this conference. Please enroll my name

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