Nothing could be finer than to be in Charlotte, North Carolina!
On behalf of the 2011 Carolina Convention and Show Committee, we would like to invite you to attend the 36th Annual International Cake Exploration Societé Convention and Show in the “Queen City” of Charlotte, North Carolina, August 4 – 7, 2011. We look forward to showing you what southern hospitality and charm is all about! Charlotte isn’t just the largest city on the Eastern Seaboard between Washington, DC and Atlanta. It is also the most accessible city between Washington, DC and Dallas, TX. Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT) offers convenient non-stop flights to 28 international destinations as well as domestic flights. It also serves as a national hub for US Airways. More than 55% of the U.S. population is within a 2 hour flight of Charlotte. If you are driving, Charlotte offers drivers convenient access by way of its highly efficient and growing interstate highway system. Amtrak provides rail service to the North and South lines that access most of the U. S. There are also connections to the East and West lines and many other major city connections you can find at www.amtrak.com. Getting to Charlotte is easy from anywhere in the country or the world, garnering the “Queen City” another nickname – “International Gateway to the South”.
Once you arrive you will find yourself in Uptown Charlotte, where the action is! There is so much to do in and around our city. Look for the new NASCAR Hall of Fame. Take a tour by horse and buggy, hop on the Gold Rush Trolley for a free ride, or take a ride on the Lynx Line rail system to shopping, restaurants and fun every evening, 7 days a week. And don’t forget a walking tour – Uptown Charlotte has a lot to see! Bring the entire family, and come early in the week. There will be a tour to Biltmore Estate, America’s largest home! Carowinds Amusement Park will delight the kids and is just a 15-minute drive from our convention site. The nearby U.S. National Whitewater Center is fun for the whole family. We will also be offering a special treat: a trip to Johnson & Wales Culinary School, just a few short miles from the Westin, our host hotel.
Convention activities will begin on Wednesday with the ICES Certification Test. For a small fee, you can come and go from the area to watch the candidates create their works of sugar art. Testing is from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. The first hands-on classes will begin at 6:00 pm that evening. Demonstrations will begin at 9:00 am on Thursday. These events as well as The International Sugar Art Gallery and The Vendors Room will be located in the Charlotte Convention Center, just across the street from the host hotel.
The culmination of all our hard work will be our International New Year’s Eve Banquet on Saturday night. We invite everyone to dress up for this wonderful ball. We encourage our internationals to wear attire that is unique to their individual countries. We also invite our U.S. attendees to wear New Year’s Gala attire or formal costumes of their ancestry!
Want to know more? Visit www.ices2011.org. We hope you will come early or stay late in Charlotte, because nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina!
Source: International Cake Exploration Societé
