Thursday, November 9, 2017

Registration is OPEN for the 2018 Garden Bloggers Fling in Austin

Update 4/4/18: Registration for Austin Fling is now closed. Thanks to everyone who registered, and we'll see you in Austin!

Join us as we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Garden Bloggers Fling in Austin, Texas, on May 3-6, 2018.  Come see where it all began.  We'll give you a bigger-than-Texas welcome and show you a rockin' good time.  We’ll tour the city’s great gardens, eat fabulous Tex Mex and BBQ, and enjoy live entertainment.

How will registration work? 
To register for the fling, please email your name, blog name, and URL, to austingardenbloggersfling@gmail.com and once we've verified that you're an active garden blogger (see attendance eligibility) we'll email you a secure registration code and a link to our registration site. 

How much will it cost?
The registration fee is $275 USD, plus a $6.50 PayPal fee (USD). Registration includes entry to all the gardens, bus transportation for three days, a banquet dinner on Saturday night, lunches on all three garden-touring days, an opening reception on Thursday evening, a BBQ Bash on Sunday afternoon, and 3-1/2 days of fun and gardens with your fellow bloggers. (We thank our generous sponsors -- listed in the sidebar -- for their support, which helps us keep the registration cost as low as possible.) When you register, the cost appears on the first page of the registration website - it won't appear again on the site.  Please note, you do not need to have a PayPal account or pay by PayPal.  The payment button on the checkout page will read PayPal, click on it and you will be taken to another  page where you will have the choice to login to PayPal, or just scroll down to enter your credit card without using PayPal.  Just pass the login button and go on to fill out the credit card details and submit.


Make your hotel reservation
After you complete your registration, you'll be led to the confirmation page which includes the link to our official Fling hotel, where you can reserve a room at the special Fling rate of $189 [current rates apply, as our hotel block at the Fling rate has sold out]. Please note:  The hotel link appears on the last page after you have completed registration.  The hotel logo is very small - wear your readers and click on the link that reads   Limited Availability   below the hotel logo and it will take you our hotel website to book your reservation.

We expect it to fill fast, so be sure to make your reservation now. There may be a slight delay between when you send your email and when we respond.  As you know, we’ll be fielding lots of emails and questions, and Pam Penick, Laura Wills, and I will all be on call to answer questions as soon as we can.  We appreciate your patience and understanding.  We are eager to get everyone registered as quickly and seamlessly as possible.  Rest assured, once we receive your email, we will respond on a first-come, first-served basis according to the time we receive your email. 

When should I plan to arrive and depart?
The Fling kicks off on Thursday, May 3rd, with a 6 to 7:30 p.m. opening reception (appetizers included) just a 17-minute stroll from the hotel. We encourage you to arrive early enough to attend, as it's a fun opportunity to get your bearings and meet everyone before the tours begin. We'll meet up in the lobby at 5:30 pm and walk over to the reception as a group.

The Fling ends on the evening of Sunday, May 6th, with a BBQ Bash -- an Austin-style back-yard party with live music, BBQ and sides, and drinks at Articulture. The buses will take us there directly from garden touring and then deliver us back to the hotel around 7:30 pm. Plan to depart later that evening or, preferably, on Monday in order to attend this fun event!


What will the Austin Fling include?
Here's a link to our working itinerary (subject to change). We're excited to share Austin and its gardens with you!

Not only will you see the best that Austin has to offer, attendees at the Austin Fling will receive a free, commemorative souvenir booklet, highlighting 10 years of Flings.  For those who can't join us, the booklet will be available to previous Fling attendees for purchase by mail after the event.


Who can attend, and how many spaces will there be?
Garden Bloggers Fling is an event for active garden bloggers; please see the Fling attendance guidelines for full details. We have 92 spots available, and we do expect it to fill up quickly.

In the event something happens and you can't make it -- here's the cancellation policy:
100% -- Today through January 3, 2018
  75%  -- January 4 through February 3, 2018
  50%  -- February 4 through March 3, 2018
  25%  -- March 4 through April 3, 2018
    0%  -- April 4 through May 3, 2018


I have a burning question. How should I contact the planning team?
Please email the Austin Fling planners directly rather than asking questions here or on the Facebook page. We'll be monitoring our email carefully. 

Who's planning this event?
The Austin Fling planning team is:

Diana Kirby of Sharing Nature's Garden
Pam Penick of Digging
Laura Wills of Wills Family Acres


We hope to see you at our anniversary shindig in Austin next May! Ready, set, go!