Greetings:
The following information will provide you with details to assist you in making your hotel reservation and travel arrangements for the 2024 Grand Lodge Convention in Austin. Please read this information in its entirety before clicking on any of the links.
The 2024 Grand Lodge Convention will be held in Austin, Texas June 30 through July 3, 2024. The Florida delegation hotel is the Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol located at 705 E 11th St, Austin, TX 78701. All attendees are responsible for making their own travel arrangements (only endorsed DDGERs make theirs through Grand Lodge), and all hotel room reservations for the Sheraton (this includes the Endorsed DDGERs) must be made through the “Make Your Hotel Reservation” link on the left. The room rate for 1 king bed or two doubles is $129.00 per night plus $22.72 tax, making the room $151.72 per night inclusive of tax. The cutoff date for reservations is June 7, 2024.
The Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol is located .7 miles from the Austin Convention Center where the convention will be held. It is about a 16-minute walk to the convention center or a 7–10-minute shuttle bus ride. There will be three other states co-located with us in the Sheraton, they are Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. The Hilton Austin and the JW Marriott Austin are the co-headquarter hotels.
The following convention links are available on the left:
- Link to Register & Pay the Required $75 pp Florida Hospitality Room Fee
- This registration is required for all Florida attendees (including guests/spouses) regardless of where you are staying.
- List of Florida Convention Attendees (those who have completed the above $75 pp registration process)
- Link to Make your Hotel Reservation
- Hospitality Room Hours
- Link to Purchase Tickets for the Florida Dinner - $65 pp
- List of Florida Dinner Attendees (those who have purchased a ticket)
You will want to plan to arrive in Austin by Saturday, June 29th as the Opening Ceremonies begin on Sunday at 4:00pm. Exalted Rulers and Alternate Delegates are required to attend all general sessions and the opening ceremonies. The final general session of the convention will end around 11:00am on Wednesday.
The check-in time for the Sheraton is 3pm and check-out is 12pm. The Sheraton does not offer an airport shuttle. The Austin-Bergstrom (AUS) international airport is located about 8 miles from the Sheraton or about a 19-minute drive by car.
If you drive or rent a car, the Sheraton has discounted overnight self-parking at 50% off their standard rate of $42 daily. Valet parking is $49 per day.
Airline discounts are being offered through the Grand Lodge and are posted on the Grand Lodge website www.elks.org. Once there click on Members Only, login to Elks.org, scroll down on the left and click National Convention, then scroll down on the left and click Discounts.
Most major car rental counters are in the airport, a short tram ride from the baggage claim area. The Sheraton is about 19 minutes from the airport.
The information on wheelchair, power chair, or electric scooter rentals is located on the Grand Lodge website. See instructions on how to locate it on the GL Website above in Airline Discounts. If it is not there yet continue to check back as they will add it as they receive it.
You will want to do your Grand Lodge Registration for your official convention name badge and voting credentials online on the Grand Lodge Website at www.elks.org. This registration is required by the Grand Lodge and is separate from and is in addition to the $75 pp Florida Elks Hospitality Room Fee/Registration done through our link on the left. The Grand Lodge has not yet placed on their website the link to do the online Grand Lodge registration. Once they place the link and open their registration, probably sometime in April, the fee will be $50.00. If you do not do the online registration and instead wait to register and pay on-site, the cost is $60.00. The Grand Lodge Registration fee is required to be paid by Elks members only. There is no fee for Non-Elks registering with an Elks member. Everyone must do this as your name badge is required to gain entry to all meetings & the exhibit hall, and your voting credentials are required to be in your possession to be able to vote during the legislative session. See instructions on how to locate the GL Website above in Airline Discounts.
Upon your arrival in Austin, you will want to make your way to the Austin Convention Center to obtain your voting credentials and badge. The registration schedule is as follows:
Saturday, June 29 – 8am. to 4:15pm Monday, July 1 – 7:30am to 3:45pm
Sunday, June 30 – 8am to 3:45pm Tuesday, July 2 – 7:30am to 1pm
The official Grand Lodge Opening Ceremonies will be held at the Austin Convention Center on Sunday, June 30th from 4pm to 6pm. Members and accompanied guests are encouraged to attend. Florida attendees are encouraged to wear red, white & blue for the opening ceremonies on Sunday, and orange jackets or orange shirts for the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday Grand Lodge sessions. Please sit in the area designated for the Florida delegation starting Monday. There is no reserved seating for the opening ceremonies on Sunday, but I am sure someone will make sure to hold some seats for Florida. Also, be reminded that all Exalted Rulers or Alternate Delegates are required to check-in with their Endorsed District Deputy prior to the beginning of each official Grand Lodge session.
The Ritual Competition will take place in the Austin Convention Center. The District Deputies Designate Seminars will be held on Monday, July 1st and Tuesday, July 2nd at 12:45pm in the Austin Convention Center.
The Florida Dinner will be held at the Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol on Tuesday, July 2nd starting at 7pm. Dress for the event is business casual. Tickets for the Florida Dinner may be purchased through the link on the left.
A highlight of the Grand Lodge Convention each year is the Florida Hospitality Room. As we have done in the past, we will offer limited food and snacks with beer, wine, and liquor. Every Florida attendee, regardless of where you are staying or whether you drink or not is required to pay the $75 per person fee to assist in defraying the cost to operate the hospitality room.
Unfortunately, there are no lodges local to Austin. The closest lodge is 45 miles away according to the directory on Elks.org.
I think you are going to enjoy Austin. For those of you who went to Austin in 2012 we are in the same hotel this year that we were then, however the hotel is scheduled to be rebranded by the time we arrive. The new concept is called Down Right Austin a Renaissance ® Hotel.
I am looking forward to seeing you in Austin this summer and as always, if I may be of any further assistance, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me!
Safe travels everyone!
