Please join the Fellows of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys for the 2023 Spring meeting in Louisville, Commonwealth of Kentucky. A thoroughly delightful city, Louisville has much to offer guests. Southern hospitality will be on display at the Omni Louisville Hotel, the venue selected to host our event. An article in a recent issue of Southern Living magazine, “The Allure of Louisville,” can be viewed (with the publication’s permission) for your introduction to the City. The Omni is a new, beaming structure with all sorts of warm and interesting spaces, such as a speakeasy, an equestrian lounge, an outdoor terrace with views of the city and river, and meeting and dining spaces that invite the sort of exchange for which the College is well known. The guest rooms are superb. At the gateway to the South, the weather promises to be accommodating for those of us needing to escape harsher climates, and the local culture and customs are unique; Louisville invites us to a new experience for our clan.
The Spring meeting will be held from Sunday, April 16, 2023, through Tuesday, April 18. This is a different schedule for our typical College gatherings, and I am curious to test its reception by those of us juggling family and business commitments against the usual timing. We have a favorable room rate for attendees, and perhaps you will consider an extra day or two with a spouse or significant other, or perhaps even make it a family adventure. I plan to arrive on Friday before the meeting. A word of caution: Louisville is likely to leave you wanting to return in the near future.
The Spring meeting of course is the venue for the College Board of Regents to meet, as well as Committees and a hosted, fun dinner event. All Fellows are welcome at the Spring meeting – you do not need to be an officer, regent, committee chair, or College leader. We welcome and encourage all Fellows in the College to contribute to the event. It is the interaction with other Fellows, senior and younger, experienced and newer to our industry, from across the United States, Canada and Mexico, that makes this event time well spent. Perhaps you will find a place in our organization that fits your interests and skills. I never know just what is going to happen at a Spring meeting, but I am confident that it will not be entirely what was expected, with value added to your practice in ways you may not have anticipated.
We have arranged several fun extracurricular and out of the ordinary adventures, including a tour of Churchill Downs near Derby Day (close enough to learn the elusive ways of the mint julep), a visit to a Bourbon distillery with a taste of the local finest at the source, and witnessing Major League Baseball bats being turned from select lumber—recall the Louisville Slugger label from childhood experiences? Did you know that Scotch whiskey makers import barrels, referred to as cooperage, from the Bourbon region to make their product distinct? The President’s reception will be held, of course with Al Capone’s ghost lurking, in a speakeasy. A good time should be had by all!
I recommend you make your hotel reservation at your earliest opportunity. We will also have dine-around opportunities at local eateries that are sure to delight. Louisville is centrally located, with connections to pretty much anywhere through Chicago, Indianapolis, and Detroit; and the local airport is an easy cab ride to the Omni Louisville Hotel. Parking at the hotel is on-site and reasonably priced if you would prefer to have a rental car.
I am looking forward to seeing you in Louisville.
Rob Sargeant
ACMA President 2023