Annual Conference

                                         57th Annual Conference

                                     San Antonio, TX, July 12-13, 2013

                                                2013 Annual Conference                           

                          CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TODAY!

City of San Antonio

Join Sister Cities International, elected officials, engaged citizens, community and business leaders to discuss the power of multi-sector partnerships in building, “Sustainable Cities. Sustainable Relationships.”

  • Celebrate the international relationships of San Antonio during a reception hosted by Mayor Julian Castro.
  • Learn how to raise more funds by effectively telling your story.
  • Hear experts from the U.S. Department of State and leading programs about new opportunities for exchanges in the renewable energy and economic development sectors.
  • Diversify your membership and help build the next generation of citizen diplomats with new recruiting techniques.
  • Invite high school youth from your community to attend a special youth conference program on international diplomacy.
  • Recognize leaders in the network during the Lou Wozar Annual Awards Gala on Saturday evening.
  • ENJOY SAN ANTONIO! San Antonio's old world Spanish flair and blend of cultures make it one of America's most picturesque cities. Enjoy San Antonio's vibrant beauty, heritage, culture and art! CLICK HERE to explore great places to eat, shop and play while visiting the city for the Annual Conference.

THANK YOU TO THE 57TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE HONORARY HOST COMMITTEE:

  • The Honorable Julian Castro, Mayor of San Antonio
  • The Honorable Henry Cisneros, Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development & Former Mayor of San Antonio
  • The Honorable Lila Cockrell, Mayor Emeritus of San Antonio
  • The Honorable Phil Hardberger, Former Mayor of San Antonio
  • The Honorable Joaquin Castro, U.S. House of Representatives (TX-20)
  • The Honorable Henry Cuellar, U.S. House of Representatives (TX-28)
  • The Honorable Lloyd Doggett, U.S. House of Representatives (TX-35)
  • The Honorable Trey Martinez Fischer, Texas House of Representatives (116th District)
  • The Honorable Councilman Diego M. Bernal, District 1, City of San Antonio
  • The Honorable Councilwoman Elisa Chan, District 9, City of San Antonio
  • The Honorable Councilman Ray Lopez, District 6, City of San Antonio
  • The Honorable Councilman Cris Medina, District 7, City of San Antonio
  • The Honorable Councilman Rey Saldaña, District 4, City of San Antonio
  • The Honorable Councilman Carlton Soules, District 10, City of San Antonio
  • The Honorable Councilwoman Ivy R. Taylor, District 2, City of San Antonio
  • The Honorable County Judge Nelson W. Wolff, Bexar County, Texas
  • The Honorable Commisoner Paul Elizondo, Precinct 2, Bexar County, Texas

SPEAKERS:

Keynote Speakers include:

  • Carola McGiffert, Director of the “100,000 Strong” Initiative
  • The Honorable Julian Castro, Mayor of San Antonio
  • The Honorable Henry Cisneros, Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development & Former Mayor of San Antonio
  • The Honorable Richard Daley, Former Mayor of Chicago (Invited) 
  • The Honorable Seishi Kohyama, Mayor of Kumamoto, Japan
  • The Honorable Kang Un-Tae, Mayor of Gwangju, South Korea
  • The Honorable Margarita Arellanes, Mayor of Monterrey, Mexico
  • Amy Fraenkel, Director of the United Nations Environment Programme

CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINKS FOR DETAILS!

REGISTRATION:                      

CLICK HERE  TO REGISTER TODAY!

AGENDA:

This year, the conference features an exciting line-up of expert sessions, off-site visits, receptions, and speakers awaits you in San Antonio! For a list of the sessions and tours, CLICK HERE. 

For detailed descriptions and featured speakers on the sister city info sessions listed below, CL ICK HERE !

  • Fundraising 
  • Economic Development
  • Communications
  • Exchanges and Partnerships

CONCURRENT SUMMITS:

URBAN ENVIRONMENTAL ACCORDS (UEA) SUMMIT:

                               UEA                                   UNEP

The 2013 San Antonio UEA Summit, in conjunction with the City of San Antonio and Sister Cities International, and in collaboration with the United Nations Environmental Programme, will provide opportunities to show the progress for the last 2 years, best practices of a sustainable city to 148 member cities from 52 countries as well as participating international organizations in the environmental field.

Click here for the UEA Summit Agenda.

Click here for the UEA Summit Save the Date.

PAN-PACIFIC SUMMIT (July 12):
Focusing on building stronger, sustainable pan-pacific ties. Click here to view the Pan-Pacific Summit flyer!
 
YOUTH LEADERSHIP SUMMIT (July 11-13):
Providing youth with the tools to lead, network, and become informed global citizens! Open to high school students aged 14-18 years. The Summit includes specially guided sessions where youth participants will role-play as a country representative at a convening of the United Nations. Youth will learn, debate, deliberate, and negotiate, as they play the role of an international diplomat. Sessions will culminate with the youth delegates passing a “formal” resolution on a global issue. CLICK HERE to view the detailed Youth Leadership Summit Agenda.

Special youth registration rate of $450 includes room and board during the entire Youth Leadership Summit. Special $250 rate available for local youth (lodging not included.)

Click here to download and share the Youth Leadership Summit flyer! 

Information for parents regarding youth supervision:

  • Airport-Hotel Transportation: All youth participants will be greeted at the airport by authorized chaperones and will be shuttled directly to the hotel where they will be greeted by additional chaperones.
  • Lodging Arrangements: Hotel costs are covered by Youth Track registration and all youth will be housed on one floor or one section of the hotel and they will share double rooms with other participants (all will be single gender rooms). Authorized chaperones will be housed in rooms in the youth area and will be responsible for the participants during off hours.
  • Site Visits: All off-site visits will be chaperoned by authorized chaperones as well as Sister Cities International staff or Leadership.

OPTIONAL TOURS AND EVENTS:

This year at San Antonio, attendees can take part in a range of tours specially designed to explore the various highlights the city has to offer! Tours and events highlight history, sister city-business connections, green energy, and much more! Many of the tours offered below are free of charge for Sister Cities International conference attendees. Please CLICK HERE to see details on each tour.

Attendees can sign up for these tours during the online registration process HERE . Tours subject to availability. HURRY AND SIGN UP TODAY!

  • San Antonio RiverwalkA Day for Mexican Delegates
  • International Gifts and Commissions Tour
  • Dos Rios Wastewater Treatment Facility Tour
  • UEA Buckhorn Saloon & Museum Mixer
  • East Meets West: Alamo Asian American Chamber of Commerce Welcome Banquet for San Antonio's International Sister City Delegations
  • Bicycle Tour with B-Cycle 
  • Toyota Factory Tour
  • Historic Tour of Downtown San Antonio 
  • Renewable Energy Sector River Tours
  • Build San Antonio Green “Green Tour of Homes”  

HOTEL AND TRAVEL:

The official hotel for the conference is the Hyatt Regency San Antonio. The room block under "Sister Cities International Conference 2013" is officially full. Attendees that have not yet booked rooms should check back frequently to see if rooms become available. However, there are a lot of other hotel options nearby. Please see below for suggestions:

Indigo Alamo Hotel
105 N Alamo St
San Antonio, TX 78205
(210) 933-2000

(This hotel is just across the street from the Hyatt Regency and is giving Sister Cities International 57th Annual Conference attendees a group rate of $106. Please note, space is limited. If you would like to book a room e-mail George Cantu, Director of Sales at george@tnjgroup.com and mention you're with Sister Cites International.)

The Menger Hotel
204 Alamo Plaza
San Antonio, TX 78205
(210) 223-4361

Marriott River Center
101 Bowie Street 
San Antonio, TX 78205
(210) 223-1000

Homewood Suites San Antonio Riverwalk/Downtown
432 W Market Street
San Antonio, TX 78205
(210) 222-1515

Help us spread the word! Share the 57th Annual Conference Save the Dates!

For details on sponsorship opportunities, please CLICK HERE or email Meghan Schmidt at MSchmidt@sister-cities.org.