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Join your fellow conference attendees to kick off the 2012 TLA Annual Conference! This year’s Welcome Party and Exhibits Grand Opening will take place in Exhibit Halls C & D at the George R. Brown Convention Center on Tuesday, April 17, from 6:30 – 8:30 pm.

Hurry in for a special sneak-peek at the Exhibits! Start the first-ever Conference Geocache Challenge for a chance to win prizes! Meet and greet old and new friends and colleagues!

It's not too late to sign up to volunteer at this year's conference! Do you have paraprofessionals or support staff members? Let them volunteer at conference for four hours and get a free exhibits pass! Sign up to volunteer and enrich your conference experience by meeting and working with some great librarians from the area.

Lots of good deals await you in Houston! The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has offered a 20% discount to conference attendees. Just show your conference badge or provide promotional code 4GHCSGA during the month of April, 2012 for $2 off an adult or senior general admission.

While you’re at conference, be sure to stop by the TLA Store for much needed supplies and gifts for the folks back home. It will be located between halls C and D as you head toward the exhibits.

Have a Roaring Good Time at Jeri’s Speakeasy

The President of TLA invites you to toss on your glad rags and visit Jeri’s Speakeasy on Wednesday, April 19, from 8:00 – 10:30 pm. Jeri will turn the Hilton Americas Ballroom into a Roaring 20’s-themed speakeasy, complete with casino games and prizes, refreshments, a cash bar with signature cocktails, and big band entertainment and dance instruction. 1920’s dress is encouraged!

The Local Arrangements Committee invites you to take the GeoChallenge at this year’s conference. We’ve got great prizes lined up, sponsored by District 8. Pick up a scorecard at the Welcome Party & Exhibits Grand Opening Tuesday evening at 6:30 PM. The cards will have coordinates for 10 caches. Find 7 caches to be put in the prize drawing. Find all 10 caches and get a commemorative pathtag!

Need a job? Want to fine-tune your resume and get some interviewing practice and tips? Visit the TLA Placement Center while you’re at conference. The Placement Center provides services to job seekers including resume critiquing and presentations on interviewing and job search skills. You can also view and apply for open positions. Here's what we've got planned for you so far:

The Local Arrangements Committee's conference countdown continues! The conference will be here before you know it, so start thinking about how to spend your free time at the conference. We've got some great parties and activities planned.

Where in Houston is? Houston may come in second to Austin with this, but it’s still fun to visit them at sunset.

The Local Arrangement Committee's "Conference Countdown" continues this week with some Houston trivia.

Where in Houston is? Houston may no longer use trolley cars, but you can still find one here (minus the tracks). We’ll post the answer next week!

Tip: Look at the TLA program, and plan your personal schedule on the TLA App. To download it, point your mobile web browser to http://m.core-apps.com/tla2012 or search for “TLA 2012” on your device’s app store. Don’t forget to add parties to your schedule!

The Houston Local Arrangements Committee is excited to have TLA librarians visit our home town. We are excited about this year’s conference, and we hope you are too. Over the coming weeks, we will be posting information about the city and the conference that will help you get the most out of this year's conference.

Would you like to volunteer at TLA in Houston this year? Please fill out the volunteer application.