April 7, 2006

RE: The LAMARIBBEAN Cruise . . . in celebration of llamas

Dear ILR Members,

Let’s celebrate llamas! A few months ago we sent out an e-mail to see what the interest was for a conference cruise and enough of you responded – “Yes, let’s do it” that it’s a go – January 29- February 3, 2007 . It was decided by those representing various associations (all had been invited to be involved) that the ILR head this up. So, we are proceeding.

Many of us have been involved in the llama industry for many years, others have not. One thing we think we can all agree on is llamas have been good to us in many ways; another thing is llama people are some of the best people in the world. We certainly agree!

We would like to invite you to celebrate, learn, and brainstorm with llama friends, old and new, about the llama industry now and in the future AND experience the wonder and delight of a cruise – the Royal Caribbean’s Splendour of the Seas! As an FYI – if you check online, you will see the cruise advertised for a lower rate. The difference is the online price does not include taxes and gratuities. The price on the enclosed flyer includes taxes, lodging, all meals on the ship, and gratuities. Drinks and shore tours are additional costs. Going ashore and doing your own thing does not cost extra.

We have a great time planned to incorporate both the conference and cruise venues. If you have family or friends that would like to join us for the cruise but not be involved in the llama conference, they are welcome to do so. They would register for the cruise but not the conference.

You will register for the cruise on one form and the conference on another.

Cruise Info

• Register on the mail-in form or call 1-888-583-2020

Itinerary

• January 29 – board the ship around noon in Galveston , TX
• January 30 – at sea with llama sessions; our own cocktail party in the evening with dinner together as a group in our own area
• January 31 – Cozumel , Mexico
• Feb. 1 – Costa Maya , Mexico
• Feb. 2 – at sea with llama sessions
• Feb. 3 – back at Galveston 7:00 am . . . getting off ship around 9:30-10:30 am

Diane, our cruise specialist, will work with you for your cruise arrangements including providing information about the airports to fly into in Houston; the transfer arrangements from the airport to the hotel in Galveston (approximately one hour away) where she has a block of rooms reserved for those coming in the night before or, if you fly in on the 29 th, the transfer to the cruise ship that day. The hotel in Galveston is right by the cruise port.

We have a limited number of cabins reserved until April 30; some of those are suites. A $200 deposit will hold the cabin of your choice. Any additional cabins after these will be subject to availability and might be at an additional cost so reserve your cabin as soon as possible. Suites are more limited than other cabins so if you would like to reserve a suite, we recommend doing it soon to increase your chances of availability.

Conference Info

• Register with the ILR office on the mail-in registration form which also includes information regarding opportunities for sponsorship and advertising.
• The purpose of the conference is to bring together llama aficionados to celebrate old and new friendships and our love of llamas. We plan to celebrate the diversity of our industry and perhaps look for ways for everyone to cooperate for the good of llamas and llama owners.
• Topics will include:
• The State of the Industry – a look at all the different types of llamas, the different uses of llamas, the different reasons people became interested in llamas, and the different organizations that have formed to address the diverse needs of llamas and llama owners. A look at our diversity may give us some ideas on the things we have in common and areas in which we can cooperate with each other for the benefit of everyone.
• The Llama – a historical look at llamas as well as the changing look and differentiation of llamas that has occurred in North American llamas over the last 30 years. We also plan to have a look at some of the genetic principles that can be used by llama breeders to help produce the type of llamas they prefer.
• Reaching Out – a look at some of the reasons we are involved with llamas, a look at some of the ways we found our way into the world of llamas with the hope those insights will lead us to ways we may be able to reach out to people outside the present boundaries of the llama world. We are involved with a wonderfully versatile animal and reaching out to spread the word to more people about llamas will benefit all of us.
• Looking Forward – an open discussion about how we might be able to meld our diverse visions of the future of the llama world into a vision that benefits everyone involved with llamas. Current challenges, possible solutions, goals, and first steps toward those goals and so on are all open for discussion.

We’re looking forward to you joining the fun with us. Send in your cruise reservation and your conference registration as soon as possible. The sooner we have an idea of how many people will be joining us, the better job we can do of planning.

Sincerely,

Jan L. Wassink
for the ILR Board of Directors
Kathi McKinney , Karen Baum , Mark Smith, Sally Taylor, Sally Rucker