Professional Letter



Barbara S. Baron Nicholas Butler Chris Harper Terry Rogers

President Secretary International Liaison Treasurer

Brookdale Community College Arizona State University Arkansas State University Casper College

bbaron@.nj.us nbutler11@ charper@mail.astate.edu trogers@caspercollege.edu

Clark D. Olson

Vice President

Arizona State University

Clark.Olson@asu.edu

August 3, 2009

September 24, 2012

Dear Forensics Directors, Competitors and Friends:

Greetings from the IFA! We are pleased to provide you with information about our 23rd Annual IFA tournament to be held in Belgium from March 9 – 17, 2013. Here you will find travel details and the tournament invitation will be finalized at the National Communication Association convention in November.

Or host city will be Antwerp, which was once host to the Olympic Games in 1920, and is fashionable, artistic, contemporary and fun. The majestic city in Flanders (Flanders is the northern, Dutch-speaking region of Belgium) is winning over legions of city-break fans because of its easy rail access from London, Paris and Amsterdam; great local cuisine and powerhouse cultural attractions, from fine art to cutting-edge photography and fashion design. (More about Antwerp, plus some photos will be included on the next page)

With the increasing economic challenges that we are all facing; we have worked to secure a hotel that is within walking distance to many major attractions; one that has the meeting spaces that we need to run our tournament; and one that provides a full breakfast for our students and attendees. This year we will again be staying at the Radisson Blu, who offered us the most competitive rates. Besides all of the attractions that are within walking distance or a short train ride away, we will be having a mayor-hosted reception in the Antwerp City Hall for our Awards Ceremony on Tuesday. We are also working with the Belgium Convention & Visitors Bureau to coordinate some tours of Belgium, including a visit to the headquarters of the European Union. For the past three years, everyone has arranged for their own travel to/from the tournament. This model works. The demands placed on us by hotels have increased each year, and this year is no different. Hotels are now requiring a one night deposit per room, to be paid at the time of your booking. Full details and room rates for our tournament hotel can be found on the next page.

Please let me know ASAP if you are able to join us. We had a wonderful turnout in Rome, and look forward to a great experience for our students, our coaches, and those who choose to join us in Belgium. If any of you will be at NCA/Orlando in November, please do attend the IFA Business meeting on Saturday, November 17 at 9:30 in the Swan Hotel, Room Heron. A panel discussion “The Experience of International Forensics: Pedagogy, Practice and Participation” will be held on Friday, November 15, at the Swan Hotel, Room Egret.

***One matter of IFA Business: Marjorie Hazeltine informed me recently that she needed to step down as our secretary. I have assigned Nick Butler, from Arizona State to serve as Secretary, and represent us at the Planner’s Committee at NCA. We can hold an election for the position in November***.

Looking forward to your participation in IFA~

Barbara S. Baron

President for the IFA

Hotel details will follow:

INFO ON HOTEL LOCATION:

We will be staying at the Radisson Blu Astrid Hotel. Below is a link to the website: please use the rate code IFA13 when booking your rooms. This rate code will give you the guaranteed lowest rate over the dates of the event.

GO TO: astridhotel-antwerp

Fill in the dates that you will be staying

Before clicking enter click “More Search Options”

In the box for “PROMOTIONAL CODE” put IFA13 Then, proceed with the reservation.

SINGLE: One Person 151 EUR

DOUBLE: 2 People 163 EUR (2 twin beds)

We are pleased to let you know that each room in this hotel has its own heating/air conditioning units. The hotel also has a fitness center and aquarium. Rates also include breakfast.

Check out Trip Advisor to see recent reviews of the hotel:



Alternately, if you have a lot of rooms to book, feel free to contact Jill Kraatz at jill.kraatz@ and she can send you a spreadsheet to fill out as well as a credit card authorization form. She will then submit these completed items to the hotel and you will receive your confirmation number via email.

Getting to the hotel: This hotel is located by the train station in Antwerp (and please note that the noise of the trains cannot be heard at the hotel!)

• Airport Shuttle bus to Antwerp - the bus leaves every hour on the hour from departure level at the airport and has its final stop in front of Central Station in Antwerp - travelling time is 50 minutes

• Brussels Airport Express Train - leaves from the airport (train level) twice an hour and goes direct to Antwerp Central Station (which is right in front of the hotel) - travelling time is 34 minutes

HOTEL RESERVATION POLICIES

We are requesting that all IFA participants stay at the Raddison Blu Hotel . The hotel is holding a block of rooms for IFA until January 31, 2012. After this date, rooms can still be reserved at the special group rate, based on availability. The special IFA rate (which is the LOWEST rate available at the hotel during the IFA tournament) can be reserved via the special group website or a reservation form. Be sure to book your rooms as early as possible. If the room block gets full, we will ask the hotel for more rooms and there needs to be ample time to do this. The IFA block of rooms runs from March 10-March 17th. The special rate is available 3 days before and 3 days after these dates (“shoulder” dates), but are based on availability – be sure to book early if you want to get a room on the shoulder dates.

A credit card number is needed to hold the rooms but will NOT be charged until the day you check out of the hotel. You may also wire the money or bring a certified check for the amount of the room to the hotel, to pay for the hotel charges.

Cancellations of rooms can be made until February 10th. After this date, a one-night fee to each reservation will be charged for cancelled rooms. Credit card on file will be automatically charged in case of cancellation.

ROOM RATES: (all room rates include breakfast)

• Single: (one person in room) : €145

• Double: (2 people in 2-bedded room): €165

Above rates are subject to Belgium city tax, which is currently € 3, 00 per person, per night (for a maximum of 10 nights). Actual currency exchange rate on day of check-out will determine total cost. A conservative exchange rate is currently €1.33 per $1.00.

Check-In: 2:00 PM

Check-Out: 12:00 PM

More about Antwerp and beautiful pictures included here!

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Het Eilandje, otherwise known as Small Island – around the docklands area north of the Old Town, experienced a major urban regeneration project in the past years. The modernist Museum Aan de Stroom (MAS or Museum at the Stream) forms the cornerstone of the new north-shifting city centre.

Antwerp's sprawling port has always been the lifeblood of the city and the new museum, strikingly decorated with 3,000 shiny aluminum hands (The hand is a symbol for the City of Antwerp – represented in the city`s coat of arms since the 12th century), reconnects the city with its rich maritime heritage. The top floor is given over to the two-Michelin-starred restaurant, Zilte.

Elsewhere on the island, People on the Move, the museum housed in the former Red Star Line building, will open in late 2013 as a companion to New York's Ellis Island museum of immigration. Between 1873 and 1934 the ocean liners from the Red Star Line sailed to the United States and Canada with more than two million adventurers and fortune hunters on board amongst them Irving Berlin and Albert Einstein.

The Legend of Brabo

More than 2,000 years ago, when Antwerp was just a small settlement in the Roman Empire, Druoon Antigoon - a giant from Russian descent - built a large castle along the river Scheldt. He exacted a toll from every passing ship sailing down the river. The giant cut off the hands of sailors who were unable or unwilling to hand over half of their cargo, and threw their hands in the river.

One day, the Roman soldier Brabo sailed along the giant's castle. He refused to pay the toll and challenged Antigoon to a duel. Brabo managed to defeat the giant, cut off his head and hand and threw it in the river. Today the Statue of Brabo stands proudly on the Main Square in front of the Antwerp Town Hall.

Apart from housing one of the largest ports in Europe, Antwerp is also the diamond centre of the world. Here 85% of the world diamond’s wealth is treated in an area of one square kilometer, a district close to the impressive Central Station and Antwerp`s China Town. The `Railway Cathedral` has been restored to its former splendor after years of renovations, and is adjacent to one of the oldest and most beautiful zoos the world: The Antwerp Zoo.

In old town Antwerp, you can’t miss the rich historical heritage represented by a thousand years of architecture. The numerous museums and buildings are the witness of a rich past. The most beautiful example is the Cathedral of our Lady. Once more, artists like Van Duck, Jordaens, Breugel but also Rubens have lived in Antwerp. The last one, the great Flemish master, has left us a wonderful house: the Rubenshuis, built around an inner courtyard, as a heritage.

Antwerp is now a major trend-setter in the European world of fashion. You could find the fashion museum: ‘Modenatie’ and stores of fashion designers like Walter Van Beirendonck or Dries Van Noten, known to be a part of the ‘Antwerp Six’. Antwerp has one of the most important and influential Fashion Institutes in the world: The Royal Fashion Academy. Diane von Furstemberg, Brussels born fashion designer, is known to be a great Antwerp lover and says too often get inspired by the cities beauty and diversity.

While in Antwerp, do not hesitate to visit the other Flemish Medieval Arts cities of Bruges, Ghent and the nation’s capital city: Brussels; all in less than one hour away from Antwerp central station. In Belgium, more than 700 different kinds of beers are brewed and 172.000 tons of chocolate are produced every year. There are over 35 Unesco heritage sites in the country (including the whole city of Bruges) and world famous comic book art such as the Smurfs and TinTin come from Belgium.

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International Forensics Association

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