Highlights:
Dates: Saturday and Sunday February 12 & 13, 2011 for the owner/breeder seminars and Saturday February 12 for the vet sessions

Location: Crowne Plaza Syracuse (formerly The Renaissance where we held the 2009 event). 701 East Genesee Street, Syracuse, NY 13210. Rooms are $115 per night for up to 2 people. Phone 1-315-479-7000 for reservations and be sure to mention EMPIRE ALPACA ASSOCIATION. You can also book your hotel reservations online at www.crowneplaza.com.  Type in Syracuse, NY and hit "Enter". Then click on Crowne Plaza Syracuse and it will bring you to the hotel’s website. On the left side of the page, enter dates of arrival/departure. Below the dates there is a box labeled "Group Code". In that box insert: ALP. This will bring you to our room block with your discounted rate of $115.

Speakers:
Dr. Walter Bravo, DVM, Drs Ruthanne & Ed McCaslin, DVM, Dr. Frank Rossi, PhD, AOBA judges Cameron Holt and Wade Gease, fiber arts judge and instructor Tom Knisely. More to be announced.

Fleece check-in:
By mail or in person on Friday night 6PM to 9PM; Saturday 7- 8AM.

Spin-off:
Deadline: November 30, 2010

Registration:
Online registration for symposium and vet session opens in December.

Symposium Fee:
$175 for Empire members; $225 for non members. Seminars are only open to registered participants. Fee includes lunch on Saturday and Sunday and a light continental breakfast on Saturday and Sunday. Vegan and vegetarian options are provided.

Veterinarian session fees:
$75 per veterinarian. Lunch is provided. Online registration opens in December.

This event is very costly to produce (speakers, meals, workbooks, etc). The fees do not come close to covering the cost of putting on this event and we appreciate the support of sponsors who help underwrite the event. Be a Platinum Sponsor ($500) and get a full page color ad in the seminar workbook that will be used all weekend by the participants! Gold Sponsors ($300) get a half page color ad. We will also be conducting a herd sire auction where 100% of the monies received will be used to underwrite this event; watch your emails for more information on this.

Cancellation policy: Winter weather in the Northeast is unpredictable so you must remember that when you sign up for the seminars. Please be sure to read the cancellation policy on the registration page.

Times, events, titles and speakers are subject to change without notice.

Saturday, February 12, 2011
Time	Session	Session	Alpaca Health Sessions for Veterinarians and Vet Students. Owners/Breeders may observe but cannot ask questions in these sessions.	Session
7:30 - 8:30 am	Continental Breakfast – Registration Continues
8:30 - 10:00 am	Reducing Guard Hair and the Micron of Coarse Primary Fibres Cameron Holt	Chorioptic Skin Disease in Alpacas (Mites) Drs. Ruthanne & Ed McCaslin	Female Alpaca Reproduction: Part 1 Dr. Walter Bravo
10:00 - 10:15 am	Coffee Break
10:15 - 11:45 am	Tax Issues for Alpaca Owners/Breeders: Introductory Jim Daniels, CPA	Current fiber outlets: What are our choices for US fiber? Wade Gease	Alpaca Neonatology Dr. Walter Bravo & Drs. Ruthanne & Ed McCaslin
11:45 - 1:00 pm	Optional Working lunch for vets with Jim Daniels, CPA, covering Tax Issues for Vets. Those vets not interested in this topic will dine in Horizons on the top floor of the hotel.
12:00 - 1:00 pm	Lunch
1:00 - 2:30 pm	Tax Issues for Alpaca Owners/Breeders: Advanced Jim Daniels, CPA	E-Marketing Tom Lyga	Chorioptic Skin Disease in Alpacas (Mites) Drs. Ruthanne & Ed McCaslin	Open Fleece Judging Advance Signup Required Judge TBA
2:30 - 2:45 pm	Coffee Break
2:45 - 4:15 pm	Marketing your fleece & yarns. What does your customer want? Tom Knisely	E-Marketing Tom Lyga	Female Reproduction: Part 2 - Includes Case Studies & Live Ultrasounds Dr. Walter Bravo	Open Fleece Judging Advance Signup Required Judge TBA
4:15 - 4:30 pm	Coffee Break
4:30 - 6:00 pm	Preparing & Spinning Alpaca Fleece Into Conventional & Novelty Yarns Tom Knisely	Herd Health: A Preventative Approach Drs. Ruthanne & Ed McCaslin	Reproductive Case Studies & Ultrasounds Continued Dr. Walter Bravo	Open Fleece Judging Advance Signup Required Judge TBA

Sunday, February 13, 2011
Time	Session	Session	Session	Session
7:30 - 8:00 am	Continental Breakfast
8:30 - 10:00 am	Chorioptic Skin Disease in Alpacas (Mites) Drs. Ruthanne & Ed McCaslin	Fabrics & Felts: How & Why? Wade Gease	Alpaca Neonatology Dr. Walter Bravo	Preparing & Spinning Alpaca Fleece Into Conventional & Novelty Yarns Tom Knisely
10:00 - 10:15 am	Coffee Break
10:15 - 11:45 am	Cria Care Drs. Ruthanne & Ed McCaslin	Using & Understanding Measurement to Develop Superior Fibre Cameron Holt	A Grass Guy's Guide to Alpaca Pasture Management Dr. Frank Rossi	Marketing your fleece & yarns. What does your customer want? Tom Knisely
11:45 - 12:30 am	Lunch
12:30 - 1:.30 pm	Fleece Show Orals in the Phoenix ROom
1:30 - 3:00 pm	Herd Health: A Preventative Approach Drs. Ruthanne & Ed McCaslin	Reducing Guard Hair and the Micron of Coarse Primary Fibres Cameron Holt	Female Reproduction in Alpacas Dr. Walter Bravo	Current fiber outlets: What are our choices for US fiber? Wade Gease
3:00 - 3:15 pm	Coffee Break
3:15 - 4:45 pm	A Grass Guy's Guide to Alpaca Pasture Management Dr. Frank Rossi	Using & Understanding Measurement to Develop Superior Fibre Cameron Holt	Reproductive Case Studies and Ultrasounds in Alpacas - Continued Dr. Walter Bravo	Fabrics & Felts: How & Why? Wade Gease

Educational Seminars – Saturday & Sunday:
Click here for the descriptions of the Seminars

Empire Fleece, Fiber Arts, Skein and Spin-off Event:
Click here for the description of the Fleece Event