FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS GENERAL INFORMATION When does the Restaurant Managers’ Convention 2015 take place? The Restaurant Managers’ Convention 2015 Event will take place in Los Angeles from Monday 14 Friday 18 September 2015. All attendee's will need to arrive at the hotel before 4pm on Monday 14th September for registration and check in. What does the Restaurant Managers’ Convention 2015 involve? The Restaurant Managers’ Convention 2015 Event consists of a number of conference sessions, activities and functions, including: MONDAY – Late afternoon arrival party TUESDAY - Conference TUESDAY - Afternoon group activity TUESDAY - Welcome dinner WEDNESDAY – Conference WEDNESDAY – Group dinner THURSDAY – Conference THURSDAY – Closing night party FRIDAY – Optional activities at own expense Who is eligible to attend the Restaurant Managers’ Convention 2015? Australian Licensee Restaurant Managers Australian Licensee Supervisors/Staff Australian McOpCo Restaurant Managers Corporate Staff When are you required to register by? All attendees must register their attendance via the event registration site by Friday, 10 July 2015. Am I able to attend if I am under the United States legal drinking age of 21? Yes, you are able to attend; however, as you are under-age you will be required to wear a wristband at the event’s functions and activities as alcohol will be served. Attendees that are under the age of 21 are advised to contact the cievents Restaurant Managers’ Convention 2015 Team. Can my partner attend? If your partner is travelling with you and would like to attend the evening functions please contact the cievents Restaurant Managers’ Convention 2015 Team regarding partner packages and associated costs. PACKAGE COSTS What does it cost to attend? The cost to attend the Restaurant Managers’ Convention 2015 is AUD$3,700.00 What does the AUD$3,700.00 fee include? 4 nights twin share accommodation at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, Los Angeles 'Grab and Go' Breakfast daily Attendance & catering at conference sessions and official evening functions Airport transfers (when arriving and/or departing on group flights) How do I make payment? Licensees: Credit card payment can be made online during the registration process Invoiced internally and your restaurant will be charged A tax invoice/payment summary can be sent to make payment by direct deposit McOpCo: Invoiced internally and your restaurant will be charged When is my payment due? Payment of your package is due no later than Friday, 17 July 2015. Any package payments outstanding after this date will be invoiced internally and your restaurant will be charged. FLIGHTS Are my flights included in the package cost? Licensees – the package cost does not include group airfares and you are welcome to source your own fare. McOpCo – the package cost includes group airfares. How are flight arrangements made? Cievents have been engaged to manage the group flights relating to this event. McOpCo – if you need to make any amendments to the group flights which are included in your package please specify during registration and the cievents Restaurant Managers’ Convention 2015 Team will be in contact. Licensees – if you would like cievents to book your flights either on the group schedules or alternatively if you would like a quote to travel on alternative flights please specify details during the registration process and the cievents Restaurant Managers’ Convention 2015 Team will be in contact. What airlines are group flights with? McDonald's Australia will be utilising Qantas Airways to fly to Los Angeles. What dates are the group flights? The group flights leave Australia on Monday 14 September and depart Los Angeles on Friday 18 September. What are the costs of group flights? From AUD$1,909.14 ex Sydney From AUD$1,877.42 ex Melbourne From AUD$1,801.30 ex Brisbane From AUD$2,172.11 ex Adelaide From AUD$2,394.61 ex Perth What class are group flights? Group flights are economy class. What if I am travelling from an alternative port? When registering if you will be travelling to/from a regional port please include your required departure port under the 'alternate departure port' request in the travel section. The cievents Restaurant Managers’ Convention 2015 Team will then contact you and confirm flight costs and schedules from your desired port. I am a McOpCo attendee and I would like to travel on alternative flights to the group. If you are travelling from a port other than those listed above please specify details during the registration process and the cievents Restaurant Managers’ Convention 2015 Team will be in contact. Please note: all costs resulting from deviating from the group flights will be at your own expense. All changes are subject to airline availability. I am from a Licensee Restaurant and I would like to travel on the group flights, how do I make payment? The group flight options will be displayed during your online registration, please select your relevant home port from the group flight options and this cost will automatically be added to your package payment. When you reach the payment page of the website you will see that the package cost and the group flight cost have been added to your registration. From here credit card payment can be made online, you can select to be invoiced internally and your restaurant will be charged or alternatively a tax invoice/payment summary can be sent to make payment by direct deposit. I am from a Licensee Restaurant and I would like cievents to provide a quote for alternative flights. If you are from a Licensee managed restaurant and you would like cievents to provide a quote for alternative flights (outside the group schedules) please specify details during the registration process and the cievents Restaurant Managers’ Convention 2015 Team will be in contact. I am from a Licensee Restaurant and I would like to arrange my own travel. If you are from a Licensee restaurant and you would like to arrange your own flights please specify the details of these arrangements during the registration process. You will be required to arrive at Hyatt Regency Century Plaza no later than 3pm on Monday, 14 September. Departures should be arranged for Friday, 18 September. I have a dietary requirement and would like to request a special meal on my flight. Please complete your special meal requirement during the registration process under ‘Dietary Requirements’ and this will be requested with the airline. Please note: Special meals are subject to airline offerings. In the case that your exact dietary requirements cannot be met by the airline most suitable alternatives will be provided. Will I be eligible to redeem Frequent Flyer Points? Yes, if you will be travelling on the group flights provided by cievents, you will be eligible for Frequent Flyer Points. Please ensure that you have included this either in the registration process on the flights page or have advised cievents on [email protected]. Can I upgrade with my Frequent Flyer Points? Frequent Flyer points can be used to upgrade flights in most instances. Upgrades can only be made once group flights have been ticketed in July. Should you wish to use points to upgrade your flights, please contact cievents to arrange a new PNR number. Once this number is received, you will be required to liaise directly with Qantas. All upgrades are subject to availability and there may be a fare difference that will need to be paid. Are attendees able to extend their stay in Los Angeles? Yes, attendees may extend their stay in Los Angeles either pre or post the Restaurant Managers’ Convention 2015. Any additional expenditure associated with flight changes/accommodation/meal expenses/transfers will be the responsibility of the attendee. Flights and accommodation will be subject to availability. You will have the opportunity on the registration website to request your extension and the cievents Restaurant Managers’ Convention 2015 Team will be in contact to confirm details. How do I make payment for my extension travel? Once the details of your extension travel have been finalised, cievents will provide you with a tax invoice of charges. Extension travel is at your own expense and you will have the option to make payment by credit card or direct deposit. Payment is due immediately on receipt of invoice. Please note: payment via credit card is subject to a 2% merchant fee for VISA and Mastercard and a 3.3% merchant fee for American Express and Diners. What if I need to amend or cancel my flights after they have been booked? If you need to amend or cancel your flights after they have been booked the following fees apply: Qantas Airlines - Prior to 10 July: Amendments to flights: Incurs a fee of $75.00 plus any difference in airfare which may be applicable. Cancellations: $200.00 cancellation fee applies. Qantas Airlines - From 10 July: Amendments to flights: Incurs a fee of $155.00 plus any difference in airfare which may be applicable. Cancellations: 100% cancellation fee applies. TRANSFERS Arrival and departure transfers from the airport to the hotel will be provided for all delegates arriving and/or departing on the group flights (Monday, 14 September and Friday, 18 September). If you are planning pre or post travel, transfers will be at your own arrangement and expense. ACCOMMODATION What are the hotel details? Hyatt Regency Century Plaza 2025 Avenue of the Stars Los Angeles, CA 90067 What accommodation type is included in my package? The delegate package includes twin-share accommodation. All attendees will be required to share a room throughout the convention. What dates is my included accommodation for? Accommodation has been held for all delegates over the standard convention nights from Monday 14, September to Friday 18, September. What if I would like to extend my stay at this hotel? If you require additional accommodation nights please advise in the 'Accommodation Extension Request' field in the accommodation component of the registration process. Hyatt Regency Century Plaza will offer an extension rate of USD$276.50 (including taxes) room only/night for 3 days pre and post the convention. This rate is subject to availability and payment will be required in AUD at the current exchange rate prior to the request being confirmed. What if I would like my own room? If you would like a single room please select this option during the registration process and the cievents Restaurant Managers’ Convention 2015 team will confirm availability with the hotel. The single room supplement is AUD$750.00 (for four nights). A 'grab and go' breakfast is included only for registered convention attendees. All requests are subject to availability. What if I would like to share with a friend? Before nominating your share person you must confirm with your friend. Ensure you advise each other's name when registering. Please note: Share partner changes will be accepted until Monday, 3 August. Your room mate will be confirmed in your convention confirmation. If there are any discrepancies with your share partner you may be allocated someone else. What if I am bringing someone who is not a McDonald's employee? Please indicate by noting their name and then typing "(partner)". E.g. John Smith (partner). You will also need to select a single room request. What if I would like to request a Triple/Family Room? If you would like a triple room or family room please note this in your registration and the cievents Restaurant Managers’ Convention 2015 Team will contact you to discuss availability and any additional costs. Why do you need my credit card details? These will be sent to the hotel to guarantee your incidentals and assist with expediting your check-in process. Please note that the hotel will not be charging anything to your credit card prior to arrival. TRAVEL INSURANCE Am I covered for travel insurance? Licensees: Licensees, Managers, including their accompanying spouses and dependent children (as authorised by the Licensee) are covered under the McDonalds Licensee Insurance Policy from the date they depart Australia to the date they return to Australia, subject to the full terms and conditions of the policy. More information in regards to this will be included in your final travel documentation. McOpCo: McOpCo employees, spouses and dependent children (as authorised by McOpCo) are covered under the McDonalds Australia Limited Insurance Policy from the date they depart Australia to the date they return to Australia, subject to the full terms and conditions of the policy. More information in regards to this will be included in your final travel documentation. RSVPs RSVPs are not required for any of the event functions and activities as the expectation is that you will attend all of these as outlined in the Event Program. However, if for any reason you are unable to attend any particular function/activity then please contact the cievents Restaurant Managers’ Convention 2015 Team. CANCELLATIONS What if I need to cancel my attendance? Cancellations must be advised in writing to the cievents Restaurant Managers’ Convention 2015 Team. Are there any cancellation fees? For any cancellations after Friday, 10 July 100% cancellation fees will apply. VISAS & PASSPORTS How much validity do I require on my passport? A valid passport is required by all nationalities for entry to USA, with 6 months validity from the day of departure from USA. What if I need to renew my passport? If you need to renew your passport this is via your own arrangements and expense. Once your passport has been renewed please provide details immediately to the cievents Restaurant Managers’ Convention 2015 Team. Am I eligible for the ESTA Visa Waiver Program? Depending on the country of citizenship, people who are entering the United States for business or a holiday may be eligible to be admitted for up to 90 days under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) on an ESTA. To view a full list of eligible citizenships please click here. ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation) is a web-based system that determines the eligibility of visitors to travel to the United States under the VWP. Travellers who do not have a valid ESTA before travelling may be denied boarding; experience delayed processing or be denied admission at a United States’ port of entry. Those who hold Australian, British, American and New Zealand passports will need to apply for the ESTA Visa waiver. The cievents Restaurant Managers’ Convention 2015 Team will assist you in organising your ESTA Visa for entry into America and you will be required to complete this information during registration. Do I need a Full Visa? If you hold a passport other than the countries specified above or if you have a criminal record, you may be required to apply for a full visa to enter the United States, generally a B1 or B2 (Temporary Travel or Work or Pleasure). To do this you should contact your local United States Embassy, who are located in Sydney, Melbourne & Perth. Please be mindful that this process can sometimes take time so please commence applications as soon as possible. Should you have any hesitations or are unsure of your VISA requirements please contact the cievents Restaurant Managers’ Convention 2015 Team immediately to discuss arrangements. CONTACT DETAILS cievents are managing all arrangements for attendance to the Convention including delegate registration, group flights, accommodation, activities and dinner events. If you have any questions in relation to any of these components, please contact the cievents Restaurant Managers’ Convention 2015 Team on the below details. Sonia Wadher - cievents E| [email protected] P| +61 2 9923 8683 If you have any questions in relation to extension travel pre or post the Restaurant Managers’ Convention please contact your designated travel specialist on the details below. Carole Trevenna - cievents E| [email protected] P| +61 2 9923 8767
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