Applied Improv: November 2007: Banff, Canada

November 2007: Banff, Canada

We're taking bookings for our conference in Banff in November 2007, which has the theme Peak Experience.

This will be held at the Banff Centre from November 10th to 13th.

Here's the at-a-glance guide to the conference, and the detailed session information (pdf documents).

This is the conference schedule with timings and room allocations(pdf).

The cost of the conference is US$499. Click here to register.

Preconference: There are two preconference sessions, and Keith Johnstone’s session is already full. The second offering is put on by the Banff Centre team and you can find detailed agenda (word file) here - and here are biographies of the hosts.

Food is being provided throughout the conference – Starting Saturday morning for pre-conferencers, and Saturday evening at the opening reception for everyone else, all the way Through Tuesday Lunch. The conference ends at 5 PM Tuesday. Those who need to or are planning to stay overnight on Tuesday will have to pay for their meals after that, starting with Tuesday dinner.

Click here for room reservations. Room rates are from C$127 for a standard single room and C$67 sharing, plus taxes.

Travel to Banff

When making travel arrangements for Peak Experience: AIN Conference 2007 fly into Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Many large airlines offer service directly into Calgary from Europe, the US, and Asia.

Once you arrive in Calgary, you will need to arrange transportation to Banff which is about 150 km (90 miles) west of the city of Calgary. This is very easy to do because it is such a popular destination for tourists. We recommend making reservations for this leg of the journey in advance – don’t wait until arriving in Calgary to sort out how to get to Banff!

Here are a few options for your consideration:

If you want to do some sightseeing while in the Rockies, you may wish to rent a car. All major rental car companies have outlets at the Calgary Airport (Hertz, National, Budget, Avis etc.)

If you are travelling with a group of people and you’re all arriving at the same time, you may wish to book your own shuttle van that will leave at your specifically designated time.

If you're travelling on your own, you may want to consider the Banff Airporter as they offer reliable, friendly service from Calgary Airport to the Banff Centre for $50 each way per person. This company has an excellent reputation and runs several shuttles per day between Banff and the Calgary Airport.

What's going on around Banff and Calgary?

Some delegates are planning to spend some time in Calgary and Banff before or after the conference. Here's some local information:

The Loose Moose is performing for our AIN conference in Banff on Sunday night (We are SO LUCKY!) and you might be able to catch their Calgary shows as well (as Moose alumni you might even be invited to perform!). Their website.

The City of Calgary website contains information about what's going on in town, generally. Once there, click on the City Living button, then Events.

The Epcor Centre is where many concerts and so on are performed. Their site has listings and ticket information. On Nov 11, they are hosting the Just For Laughs Comedy Tour.

Most of the theatre companies are dark until Nov 20 or so, getting ready for the big Christmas productions. However, Ground Zero is doing Cocktails from Nov 15 - 25 (In case you aren't familiar with Cocktails, it's kind of the male version of the Vagina Monologues and I've heard it's very good and really funny). Contact them at www.gzt.ca.

The Calgary Philharmonic has several series going this Fall. Calgary Opera is staging Rigoletto on Nov 10, 14 and 16.

The Banff Centre has some stuff happening in November for those who want to spend a few extra days in Banff.

The Glenbow Museum often has excellent exhibitions. There is one on Emily Carr that will be running through November.