The ANCA-WR will host the 2015 Grassroots Conference and annual Gala Banquet this weekend. If you are not one of the 500 conference attendees­­ or you missed our e-mail updates and press release­s­-not to worry, we’ve got you covered. Here are the essential things you need to know about Grassroots weekend:

Location

The Grassroots Conference will be held at the iconic California Showroom at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel, located at 2025 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 900067.

Registration

Registration will begin on Friday, October 23, 2015 at 5:30 p.m. There will be a separate sign-in desk for media personnel, situated right next to the signage area for regular participants. Online registration will close Thursday, October 22, 2015 at 11:59 p.m. Conference tickets will be available at the door thereafter. Regular admission is $85 per person. Student admission is $50 per student.

There will be Grassroots Ambassadors wearing #goANCA t-shirts during the conference.

Attire

Suggested attire for the conference is business casual.

Photography & Videotaping

Videotaping and flash photography will not be permitted at the conference without prior approval. All requests must be submitted to Elen Asatryan at elen@ancawr.org. Failure to comply with this rule will result in immediate removal from the conference room.

Panel Schedule

The Film & Arts panel, featuring author and actor Eric Bogosian and moderated by Aram Kouyoumdjian, Esq., will begin at 7:30 p.m. An author book sale and signing session will follow for Bogosian’s latest work, Operation Nemesis: The Assassination Plot that Avenged the Armenian Genocide.

The Conference will continue on Saturday, October 24, 2015 at 8:00 a.m. with registration and a complimentary continental breakfast, followed by the first morning panel, Western Armenia & The Hidden Armenians to begin at 9:00 a.m. Matthew Karanian, Esq. will join highly-respected free speech and human rights experts Aris Nalci, George Aghjayan, Baris Alen, and Raffi Bedrosyan. Karanian will be showcasing his photographs which will be available for purchase.

Beginning at 10:30 a.m. The Marching On For Justice panel will feature a discussion on the national and regional priorities of the Armenian National Committee of America, in addition to the grassroots efforts enacted to build on the successes of community activism, post Genocide Centennial, with ANCA National Board Member Raffi Hamparian, ANCA-WR Board Member Nora Hovsepian, and ANCA-WR Executive Director Elen Asatryan. The panel will be moderated by ANCA-WR Grassroots Conference Co-Chair and Asbarez Editor, Ara Khachatourian.

There will be a lunch break between 11:45 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. The Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel will offer Grassroots attendees a wide variety of lunch options for sale. To view the menu, visit: http://bit.ly/1GUf8SI

The afternoon session will begin at 1:00 p.m. with the Road to Reparations panel, featuring Geoffrey Robertson QC and Karnig Kerkorian, Esq. Steven Dadaian, Esq. will serve as moderator. Through the co-sponsorship of this panel by the Armenian Bar Association, attorneys attending the panel discussion will receive 1.5 hours of CLE credit. There will be an attorney check-in desk near the registration booth.

During the Armenians and Politics panel, which will take place between 2:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., Congressman  Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), California State Assemblymember Katcho Achadjian, and Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian will discuss grassroots activism, the changing landscape for political involvement by Armenian-Americans, and community organizing to maximize civic participation. Glendale City Clerk Ardashes “Ardy” Kassakhian will moderate the panel.

Between 4:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. renowned photographer Scout Tufankjian, UCLA Professor Paul Von Blum, and Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America Aram Hamparian will come together for the Alternative Activism panel.  Dr. Lucig Danielian, former Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America Los Angeles, will moderate. Tufankjian will be showcasing her photographs which will be available for purchase.

Following the conclusion of the panels, conference attendees will have the opportunity to meet and greet with panelists. ANCA-WR will host book signing sessions for Matthew Karanian, Esq.’s best-selling books, Armenia and Karabakh: The Stone Garden Travel Guide and Historic Armenia After 100 Years: Ani Kars and the Six Provinces of Western Armenia; Geoffrey Robertson QC’s An Inconvenient Genocide: Who Now Remembers the Armenians?; and Scout Tufankjian’s latest book, There is Only the Earth: Images from the Armenian Diaspora Project;

Networking Receptions

On Day 1, hors d’oeuvres will be served at the Welcome Cocktail Reception from 9:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. in the Olympic Ballroom and Foyer. There will be a cash bar.

On Day 2, from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., enjoy an evening of networking and socializing with fellow Grassroots Conference attendees at the ANCA-PN Grassroots Mixer. The mixer will be hosted by the ANCA Professional Network at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel. No host bar.

Hotel Accommodations

The Hyatt Regency Century Plaza hotel is offering a special rate of $189 per night for those who are attending the conference. Space is limited.

Directions

From Los Angeles International Airport (10 miles) – Take Century Boulevard East to the San Diego Freeway (Interstate 405) North and exit at Santa Monica Boulevard. Turn right onto Santa Monica Boulevard, proceed 2 miles, and turn right onto Avenue of the Stars. Hyatt Regency Century Plaza is located two blocks ahead on the right.

From East – Take Interstate 10 West past downtown Los Angeles. Exit at Overland Avenue and turn right. Proceed 1 mile to W Pico Boulevard and turn right. Proceed 1 mile to Avenue of the Stars and turn left. Hyatt Regency Century Plaza is three blocks ahead on the left.

From North – Take Highway 101 South to I-405 South. Exit I-405 onto Santa Monica Boulevard and turn left. Turn right onto Avenue of the Stars. Hyatt Regency Century Plaza is 2 blocks ahead on the right.

From South – Take Interstate 5 North to I-405. Follow I-405 North to Santa Monica Boulevard and turn right. Proceed 2 miles to Avenue of the Stars and turn right. Hyatt Regency Century Plaza is 2 blocks ahead on the right.

Parking

Parking is $12 for self-parking per entry per day (10 Hrs/Day) and $20 for valet parking. Self-parking and valet does not include in-and-out privileges.

ANCA WR Annual Gala Banquet

The ANCA WR Annual Gala Banquet will be held at the Los Angeles Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza hotel and begin at 4:30 p.m. with a silent auction and cocktail reception. Dinner will be served at 6:00 p.m. and the program will begin at 7:30 p.m.

The dynamic 2 day ANCA-WR biennial Grassroots Conference is the third in a groundbreaking series of informative and inspirational lectures, workshops and seminars which brings together artists, academics, legal experts, and political officials with hundreds of activists from all over the world to explore issues related to the Armenian Cause and to develop and promote new avenues of leadership and civic engagement.

The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

For additional information for the Grassroots Conference, please visit

www.ancawr.org/grassroots

For additional information for the ANCA WR Gala visit www.ancawr.org/gala

For updates on panelists, panels, promotions, please visit www.ancawr.org and like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ANCAWesternRegion, call 818.500.1918