FTA 70th ANNUAL MEETING

Papers & Presentations are Now Available

Preliminary Program is Now Available

The 70th Annual Meeting of the Federation of Tax Administrators will take place June 2-5, 2002, at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. The conference will feature a mix of general and concurrent educational sessions. The conference registration deadline is May 3 and the hotel deadline is May 8. This bulletin features the preliminary program. Program updates will be available at http://www.state.tn.us/revenue/fta2002/fta2002home.htm.

Conference Schedule
The meeting begins with registration on Sunday, June 2 and concludes at noon on Wednesday, June 5. General sessions will be held Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings. In-depth, break-out sessions--organized around legal/policy developments, management and customer service initiatives, technology developments, sales tax simplification, and disaster preparation and recovery--are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday afternoons. The President’s Awards luncheon will be held on Monday, and there will be luncheon for the senior tax administrator from each state on Tuesday. The Annual Business Meeting will take place on Wednesday morning. A complete preliminary program is attached.

Local Arrangements
Golfers will want to take advantage of the Sunday morning golf tournament. Conference social events include an opening reception Sunday evening; join fellow attendees for cocktails and cool jazz. Monday evening is left free for participants to enjoy the sights, sounds and rich diversity of the great city of Nashville. Tuesday evening will feature a banquet starring the rhythm and blues sound of Ruby Wilson, the Queen of Beale Street.

Additional events are available for delegates and their guests. These special events are priced separately; they include a garden walking tour of Opryland with a horticulture expert, a visit to the Grand Ole Opry, a tour of the Jack Daniel distillery, a tour of The Hermitage, and a Grand Ole Nashville tour. Also, plenty of information will be available for enjoying a memorable self-guided visit or shopping tour.

Informational links for Nashville may be found on the conference Web site at http://www.state.tn.us/revenue/fta2002/fta2002home.htm.

Conference Registration

Governmental agencies that send more than five (5) people to the conference will be entitled to a refund of $150 per registrant over five. This refund will be made following the conclusion of the conference.

To register, complete the enclosed Conference Registration Form, including Golf Registration form if applicable, with payment made payable to FTA Nashville 2002, and send to: FTA Nashville 2002, P.O. Box 198317, Nashville, TN 37219-8317.

The conference registration deadline is May 3, 2002. After that date, please add a $50 late fee. For questions on registration, send an e-mail to fta.nashville2002@state.tn.us or call Linda Patterson or Barbara Sampson at (615) 741-5300.

To register for special events for the conference, complete the enclosed Special Events Registration Form, with payment by either credit card or check made payable to Gaylord Opryland Special Events, and send to: Gaylord Opryland Hotel Special Events, Attn: Optional Program, 2800 Opryland Drive, Nashville, TN 37214.

Continuing Education Credits
Participants seeking continuing education credits will be asked to complete attendance forms and evaluations on site.

Hotel Reservations
The conference headquarters is the Opryland Hotel, located at 2800 Opryland Drive, Nashville, TN 37214-1297. Hotel rates for the conference are: Traditional rooms $149 single occupancy and $169 double occupancy; Garden Terrace rooms $199 single occupancy and $219 double occupancy. The deadline for making hotel reservations at FTA's special rates is May 8. Reservations made after that date are subject to space and rate availability. Make reservations with Opryland Hotel by either mailing the enclosed reservation form or calling the hotel at (615) 883-2211, Toll Free (888) 976-2000, stating reference code N-FTA02. The form may be faxed to (615) 871-5728.

The hotel requires a one night's deposit at the time of reservation. Check-in is at 3 p.m. and checkout is at 11 a.m. An early departure fee applies.

A shuttle from the nearby airport is available for $11 one-way or $18 round-trip. Parking is $6 plus tax; valet parking is available for $14 plus tax.