Presents  The 12th Annual  CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT BENCHMARKING GROUP CONFERENCE June 19 - 22, 2005 Cleveland, Ohio

The theme of this year’s conference is “Cleveland Rocks”.  Cleveland is a Great City by a Great Lake.  It has a rich history of civil, mechanical and industrial engineering.  Some of Cleveland's greatest scientists and engineers include Charles F. Brush (inventor of the arc light) and Garrett Morgan (inventor of the gas mask and the traffic light).  Brush received one of his 50 career patents, for the "perfect" open coil-type dynamo, a predecessor of the modern generator.  His arc light, demonstrated in Cleveland's Public Square in 1879, made Brush world-famous, and by 1882 "Brush Lights" were used throughout the world.  Brush helped turn Cleveland into an early center of the electrical industry.  Thus, Cleveland is a “rock” or “foundation” of our industry, and today, is home to 163 engineering companies, many of which specialize in civil engineering and construction, key practitioners of Configuration Management.

The Cleveland Marriott  Downtown  at Key Center Located on historic Public Square, within easy walking distance to all the downtown attractions and museums, the sports stadiums and arenas, restaurants and entertainment districts. Rooms have a great view of Lake Erie, the Cleveland Skyline and Browns Stadium.

2005 Conference Registration

The conference registration fee is still only $200. This includes a welcoming reception on Sunday evening, a Lake Erie dinner cruise on the Nautica Queen on Tuesday evening, and breakfast, lunch, and refreshments daily.

Hotel Reservations

The CMBG rate is $129.00 per night, and the hotel will extend this rate to CMBG attendees for the weekend before and the weekend after the conference. The reservation cutoff date is May 19, 2005. After this date, reservations will be accepted as available and will be at the hotel’s normal rates. Register at www.marriott.com/clesc or call (216) 696-9200. Use Group Code FECFECA to get the conference rate.

  Cleveland Indians vs. the Boston Redsox

The World Champion Boston Redsox will be in town to play the Cleveland Indians www.clevelandindians.com at Jacobs Field the week of the conference. We have purchased Indians tickets for the Monday night game (June 20th) at a cost of $21.00 a piece. If you are interested in purchasing tickets for this game, please click here to pre-register.

Air/Ground Transportation

The Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) www.clevelandairport.com is located approximately 12 miles from the hotel. A shuttle from the airport costs approximately $11. Ground transportation and taxis are also available. Directions from airport to hotel: Take I-71 North to Downtown. Exit 171B to Ontario Street and proceed North about ½ mile. Turn right on St. Claire Avenue, then right on West Mall Drive. Hotel is located on West Mall Drive off of Public Square in the heart of downtown Cleveland.

For a quick, convenient ride to and from the Airport try using RTA's Red Line www.gcrta.orgAirport.asp. It's simple to catch the Red Line train and it takes less than 30 minutes to ride to or from Downtown Cleveland’s Tower City Station and only costs $1.50 each way. When you arrive at Tower City Station, turn right to the elevator. Take the elevator to M2 (Mezzanine 2). Exit to the right, then make an immediate left and proceed through the mall to Public Square. Cross Public Square and head for the tallest building diagonally across the square (Key Center). The Marriott is located inside the Key Center. The walk from the RTA is approximately 3 city blocks.

The Akron-Canton (CAK) www.akroncantonairport.com airport is approximately 50 miles from the hotel . Shuttle service and taxi service is available from the airport to downtown Cleveland. Directions from airport to hotel: I-77 North, Exit at East 9th Street, turn right onto north 9th street, turn left on St. Clair, Hotel entrance on left 2.5 blocks.

Long term parking is available at the Marriott for $18 per day. Valet parking is also available. 

Area Attractions

Cleveland

There are new attractions and world-class museums to visit, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum www.rockhall.com and numerous museums in University Circle www.universitycircle.org. Have fun with the family at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo www.clemetzoo.com and area theme parks, including Geauga Lake www.geaugalake.com and Cedar Point Amusement Park www.cedarpoint.com. The Great Lakes Science Center www.greatscience.com gets fun down to a science with interactive exhibits and a six-story OMNIMAX Theater. Visit the NASA Glenn Research Center where you can expand your horizons of knowledge about travel through air and space www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/home/index.html. See Greater Cleveland from all angles with panoramic Lake Erie and river cruises and scenic train rides to downtown walking tours. Take a tour of the city on Lolly the Trolly www.lollytrolley.com. Go to www.travelcleveland.com for more information (including area golf courses).

Akron/Canton

Head south on I-77 approximately 40 minutes south of Cleveland to Akron (headquarters of FirstEnergy corporate headquarters) and visit Inventure Place and the National Inventors Hall of Fame www.invent.org. This interactive facility combines science and fun. Continuing south on I-77 for another 30 minutes will take you to Canton, home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame www.profootballhof.com where the legends of the game and the action of the American past-time come alive. Spend a day in the Akron/Canton area touring places such as Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens, one of the finest examples of Tudor revival architecture in America. Built between 1912 and 1915, the historic 65-room mansion sits on more than 70 acres of artfully landscaped gardens and grounds. At Hale Farm and Village you can journey back in time to the mid-1800s and be treated to a bit of living history. For chocoholics, there’s no better place to be than Harry London Candies. Go to www.visitakron-summit.org/2003 for more information.

Cleveland Skyline

FirstEnergy

William R. Kline

Design Programs Manager

(330) 384-4544

klinew@firstenergycorp.com