I am very pleased to extend a warm invitation for you to join the ITE family in Charleston, South Carolina on the occasion of the 56th Annual Southern District (5) ITE Meeting, March 31-April 2, 2008. Spring weather during this normally temperate season is a great time to enjoy the historically charming and beautifully serene SC Lowcountry, and nearby surrounding coastal environs.
A superb technical program is being prepared to inform you of the latest transportation innovations in our profession. New this year, two instructional technical workshops will be offered during Sunday afternoon. The conference program will include sessions on the latest traffic control/operations engineering, innovative intelligent transportation system applications, corridor planning/design, and much, much more.
Our keynote speaker for the opening session will be the Honorable Joseph P. Riley, Mayor of the City of Charleston who is a nationally recognized champion of responsible urban growth and balanced transportation infrastructure. Lieutenant General John W. Rosa, President of The Citadel, will be on hand to provide an official welcome to conference participants.
Greatly enhancing conference interactions, ABD company representatives will be on hand to demonstrate their latest equipment, software and related technologies aimed at helping our profession address traffic and transportation problems we deal with in our communities and states on an ongoing basis. Technical field trips are being planned to the new Cooper River Bridge and SC State Port Authority. Finally, you will have an opportunity to test your knowledge, to be inspired by our talented student members, and to enthusiastically support your favorite universities through the always fan-favorite William H. Temple Scholarship Challenge.
This year’s meeting will be held at the Francis Marion Hotel in downtown Charleston. I believe you will be delighted with the accommodations and amenities the Francis Marion has to offer, not to mention the hotel’s extraordinary location in the heart of Charleston’s walkable downtown peninsula. The Lowcountry should be in (near) full bloom during this time of year and I think you will take great pleasure in exploring the city’s charming streets, meandering along a vibrant waterfront, seeing unique architecture, strolling through lovely neighborhoods, and visiting local attractions.
Of significant note is this year’s exciting spouses program that will include a Festival of Houses & Gardens tour, a visit to Middleton Plantation, a carriage ride through the historic district, shopping, (lots of shopping) and much, much more. The perennial conference favorite, Monday evening ABD event will be a “Carolina Beach Party” at The Citadel’s Beach House located on the front beach at Isle of Palms. With fantastic views of the Atlantic Ocean, tasty cuisine, great live music, sand between your toes, and entertaining evening of dancing, I believe will combine to make a great event for us all to remember.
So with all of this to look forward to, I hope you will make plans to join us in the Palmetto State for what I know will be a memorable 56th Annual Southern District ITE Meeting in Charleston. You’ll have loads of fun, see some interesting sites, leave with some new information, learn what others are doing in the field, renew old friendships, and make new friends amidst comfortable historic surroundings and unique scenic environs of coastal South Carolina.
