ILDA's 37th Annual Conference will be held November 3-5 in Huntsville, Alabama, hosted by Rocket City Lasers, assisted by Audio Visual Imagineering. Huntsville is the most populous city in Alabama.
NASA rockets, including the mighty Saturn V that launched humans to the moon, were developed at the Marshall Space Flight Center. This history is on exhibit at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, one of the world's most extensive collection of rockets, spacecraft, simulators and artifacts. There is an optional ILDA tour of the Center on Thursday Nov. 6.
Downtown Huntsville, where we will be staying, has historic buildings with shops, restaurants, live music and a thriving craft beer culture. In fact, all ILDA activities will be held in an event space that also has craft breweries, restaurants, bars, live music and entertainment.
Conference hotel
We will be staying at the AC Hotel by Marriott Huntsville Downtown. The AC brand offers a sleek, modern, European-inspired experience, focused on clean lines, open spaces and a sophisticated ambiance. There is a bar and lounge on property.
It is across from Big Spring Park (shown in the picture at the top of the page) and is a four-minute walk from the Huntsville Museum of Art.
The ILDA Conference is NOT in the hotel, it is at the Campus 805 event center that is a five-minute drive away. Shuttle busses will run continuously during the Conference, so it is always easy to get to and from the hotel.
For rates and reservation information, click the blue section below on this page that says "Make a hotel room reservation." Be sure to book before the hotel reservation deadline of Monday October 6. After that date, prices may go up and/or rooms may not be available.
Our host
Rocket City Lasers is a unique edutainment company led by Alex Hall. It blends science, technology, art, and music through interactive laser experiences and STEM education. Located at the popular Campus 805—a former school turned entertainment venue—Rocket City Lasers offers a mix of laser shows, educational programs, camps, and private events designed to entertain and inspire.
Assisting Host
Since 1978, Audio Visual Imagineering has been a leader in creating entertaining and educational laser light shows for planetariums, corporate events, sporting events and amusement parks worldwide. AVI has pioneered innovative, artistic and technical techniques for the laser entertainment industry. AVI is led by Joanne Young and last year's ILDA Career Achievement Award winner, Ward Davis.
Calendar
Conference events
All ILDA events occur at Campus 805, an event space located at 2620 Clinton Avenue West. It also has craft breweries, restaurants and bars. Campus 805 is about a five-minute drive from ILDA's official Conference hotel. Shuttle busses will run continuously during the Conference, so it is always easy to get to and from the hotel.
Detailed schedule
Above is the Conference Schedule for LAST year (2024). It gives you an idea of the type of activities we expect for this year (2025). We will post the 2025 schedule by the end of April. Check back to this page for more information then.
Registration and room reservations
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Full Conference (all events)
We are working on the ILDA Conference schedule and registration rates. We hope to have this by the end of April. Please check back later in the month to see when the Conference information is posted.
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Make a hotel room reservation
In addition to registering for the ILDA Conference, you also should reserve your hotel room at the AC Hotel by Marriott Huntsville Downtown.
This is the official Conference hotel, with an lLDA quoted rate of USD $189 per night ($219 after all taxes and fees are included). The ILDA rate is for either a King room with one large bed as shown above, or for a Double room with two double beds. The ILDA rate is available for stays from October 30 through November 10.- Check in time is 3 pm. Check out time is 12 noon.
- WiFi is free in the public spaces and in the guest rooms
- ILDA's rate includes free breakfast for one person each day — meaning free breakfast throughout your stay. For any other persons staying in the room, additional breakfast vouchers can be purchased at the front desk for $10 per person each day, plus tax.
- You do not need a car. Shuttle busses run all day between the AC Hotel and Campus 805 where the ILDA Conference events will take place. It is a five-minute drive. (To go to or from the airport, take a cab at about $31 each way, or Uber/Lyft.)
- If you did drive or rent a car, parking at the hotel is $16 per day. The hotel has both self-parking and valet; the cost is the same for either method. Parking at Campus 805 is free.
How to reserve your hotel room
For stays during the Conference
If you will arrive and depart sometime between Sunday Nov. 2 and Saturday Nov. 8, click the blue button below to make your room reservations. This takes you to the Marriott website with ILDA's group code "ILD" already showing the lowest group rate. This rate is $189 before taxes and fees ($219 after taxes and fees).
To get the ILDA rate, you must make your reservations on or before Monday Oct. 6. After that time, prices may go up and/or rooms may not be available.
Reservation cancellations can be made up to 48 hours before arrival with no penalty. For this reason, if you are not sure whether you can make it, book in advance (before Oct. 6) and cancel if your plans change.
For extended stays before or after the Conference
If you will check in on or before Saturday Nov. 1 and/or you will check out on or after Sunday Nov. 9, call the AC Hotel directly at +1 256-836-7776 to make your room reservations. Reference the group code "ILD".
ILDA has negotiated with the hotel so that you can get ILDA's lowest rate from check in on or after October 30 through check out on or before November 11.
However, room availability is NOT guaranteed for early arrival (checking in on Oct. 30, 31 or Nov. 1) or late stayover (checking out Nov. 9, 10 or 11). For this reason, to avoid any issues make your reservations as early as possible. If ILDA-rate King and Double rooms are not available, then you may have to book a more deluxe and expensive room.
Reservations should be made on or before Monday Oct. 6. After that time, prices may go up and/or rooms may not be available.
Reservation cancellations can be made up to 48 hours before arrival with no penalty. For this reason, if you are not sure whether you can make it, book in advance (before Oct. 6) and cancel if your plans change.
If you need more details, click the graphic below. It shows the different rate and availability periods:
For stays outside the AC Hotel
If you will NOT be staying at the AC Hotel, and you are not a local resident (e.g., you are staying at a different hotel), ILDA Conference registration costs $250 more. This is because we have guaranteed a certain number of rooms to the AC Hotel, in order to get a discounted group rate.
If we do not get enough persons staying at the AC Hotel, ILDA pays financial penalties. So please … come with us to the AC Hotel, our official headquarters.
It is easier and better to have everyone stay at the same hotel. It makes networking and informal meetings more fun!
Also, shuttle busses will only run between the AC Hotel where we stay, and Campus 805 where the ILDA Conference events will take place.-
Register for the ILDA Conference
Reserve your room
Helpful information
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Getting to Huntsville airport and the hotel
Huntsville International Airport (HSV) has direct flights to the cities shown above. (Note that some direct flights are seasonal, or only fly on certain days of the week.) All other non-direct flights have to go through hub airports such as Charlotte or Atlanta.
From the airport, it is a quick 15 minute drive to the hotel. There is no hotel shuttle service. A Huntsville Cab Co. ride is about $31 one way.-
See what a Conference is like
The videos below give you a quick overview of an ILDA Conference. The first one, from Christopher Short, shows lasers during the 2018 Lase-Off in Montréal, hosted by LaserTech Canada.
The second video shows meetings and seminars in the day, and the Lase-Off and the ILDA Awards in the evenings. Thanks to KVANT, host of the 2017 ILDA Conference, for producing the video.
For more information, visit our other ILDA websites:
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"Washington Crossing the Delaware" painting by Emanuel Leutze, 1851, collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Water Symphony" photograph background by Visual Sensation, 2019.