Lots, as it turns out.

ALA–both staff and the volunteer web developers–has been working for many months on a major revision to our very large (70,000+ pages), complex Web site.  At the Annual Conference in Anaheim members had the opportunity to see the new design.  This design may be previewed at a staging site.  As part of the transition to the new site, we “froze” the current website, except for the news feeds on the home page, as reported in a press release and on this blog.

But before freezing the site, we did publish information on the Midwinter Meeting, and this information is accessible three ways:

1. Through the logo link in the upper right quadrant of the current home page;
2. Through the preview site: starting at http://staging.ala.org/home.cfm, click on “Conferences & Events” in the left navigation, click on “Upcoming Events,” then 2009 Midwinter Meeting, bringing you to Midwinter site; and
3. Directly (bookmark this, if you bookmark anything).

The functionality at the staging site is limited, as we are working behind the scenes to transfer and reorganize content from the current site to its new structure.  Some paths, such as that indicated above, work as intended, even if some intermediate pages are still skeletal; other paths do not work at all; and yet others do not work as intended, but allow us to understand what needs to be adjusted.

In summary, registration for the “bundled” registration will be available September 2-30, and regular registration opens October 1.

So — what’s the situation? At this point (May 6th), we show 7992 sold or committed rooms on Friday night, rising to 8212 on Saturday night, with 8025 on Sunday night. Friday, Saturday and Sunday are the “peak nights” — the nights when there are the highest numbers of sleeping rooms being used by people attending the ALA Annual Conference. Those figures put us right in our normal range — in a conference campus with lots of hotels. It’s still possible to get a “pending” message from the ALA’s housing bureau. (As of May 6th, there are 40 “pending” reservations.) Why? Usually it relates to the specifics of a given request — a particular arrival or departure date, a specific room type or configuration. Historically, the record is good — like 100% — on clearing any “pending” requests.

Why would rooms become available late in the advance registration period? Starting at the end of this week, ALA will confirm blocks of rooms committed to exhibitors. If, for instance, an exhibitor anticipated taking 6 staff members to Annual Conference and is actually taking 5, that 6th room goes back into “inventory” — and becomes available to someone else. Typically, exhibitors will reserve rooms for the maximum number of staff they would take — on the reasonable theory that it’s easier to cancel than to get a block of rooms later. Similarly, if two conference attendees plan to room together — but each made a separate reservation — the “extra” room reservation will eventually (usually a month before conference) be cancelled and that room also will go back into inventory. Repeat those scenarios many times — and, yes, there are rooms.

So, here are some key dates to know.

• Friday, May 16, is that last day for pre-registration for the 2008 Annual Conference.
• Wednesday, May 28, we close the housing reservations.

What do you do if you are unexpectedly able to attend? Register. Then, call us (800-974-9833) and we’ll do our best to get you a hotel room within the block. (How that is handled varies with the specific conference site.) But do come. The lineup of speakers is great, the exhibit floor will be bustling, and there will be a wealth of connections and conversations. See you there.