Details on conference location, lodging, and transportation are listed here.
Venue
The 2012 Galaxy Community Conference was held at the UIC Forum conference facility on the University of Illinois Chicago campus, located minutes from downtown Chicago. The UIC Forum is at
 | UIC Forum 725 W Roosevelt Rd. Chicago‚ IL 60608 Phone (312) 413-9875 |
Lodging
There were blocks of rooms available at both a nearby hotel and on the UIC campus. All conference lodging was within walking distance of the conference venue.
James Stukel Towers
A limited number of low-cost rooms were available at James Stukel Towers on the UIC Campus, and adjacent to the UIC Forum. A mixture of 5 person and 8 person suites has been reserved. Each suite shares living space and bathrooms with a mix of single and double rooms. Linens are provided. There are no amenities and no housekeeping service.
Dormitory rooms must be paid in advance, as part of the conference registration process. Dormitory costs will be added to your conference registration fees.
Room rates per person, per night are:
| Room Occupancy | $ / person / night |
|---|---|
| Single room (one person) | $90 |
| Double room (two people) | $45 |
These rates include free wireless internet / wifi.
Crowne Plaza Chicago Metro Downtown
The Crowne Plaza Chicago Metro Downtown is the official conference hotel. A block of rooms has been reserved at a significant discount for conference attendees.
| Room Occupancy | $ / night |
|---|---|
| Single or double occupancy | $145 with tax: $167 |
These rates include wireless internet and expire on July 23, or when all the rooms are gone. The discounted rate is available for any booking that arrives on or after July 24, and departs on or before July 28.
The Crowne Plaza Chicago Metro Downtown is a 22 minute, 1.1 mile walk to the UIC forum. We will also be providing shuttle buses at the start and end of each day. Finally, CTA Bus #8 also connects the two.
Hotel rooms can be reserved with this link. We encourage you to reserve your room(s) early.
Getting There
Chicago is served by O'Hare and Midway Airports. Ground transportation details are available for both airports. You can take public transportation from both O'Hare and Midway airports:
- O'Hare Airport to Crowne Plaza Hotel
- O'Hare Airport to James Stuckel Towers
- Midway Airport to Crowne Plaza Hotel
- Midway Airport to James Stuckel Towers
All of these routes involve starting on a subway line, and then transferring to the #8 bus.
If you are driving to the meeting, see the UIC Forum Parking and Directions page.
Meals
A continental breakfast and lunch were provided on the Training Day, and both days of the conference.
The conference dinner was on July 25. The cost is included in registration. Guest dinner tickets may also be purchased when registering.
Visas
If you need a visa to travel to the United States for the conference, please contact Galaxy Outreachas soon as possible.