The hotel for this conference is the Gateway Hotel and Conference Center at Iowa State University, 2100 Green Hills Drive, Ames, Iowa, 50014. Join our rooming block to be at the conference hotel and steps away from the campus of Iowa State University. Booking in our exclusive room block means you'll receive the negotiated discount rate of $139.00/day plus tax. Discounted room rates are available until August 8, 2024. Free parking is available at the hotel.
Call: (515) 292-8600
Reference: EDTECH
When you reserve your hotel through the link provided by ETC, your reservation is secure. ETC has not authorized any travel companies to make reservations on members’ behalf. Please do not share your credit card or personal information with unauthorized hotel solicitors or fraudulent websites.
Need a lift? Carpooling options from Des Moines to Ames
ETC has a page for conference attendees to organize carpools from Des Moines Airport (DSM, 5800 Fleur Dr, Des Moines, IA 50321) to the Conference Hotel (Gateway Hotel, 2100 Green Hills Drive, Ames, Iowa, 50014). The distance is approximately a 1-hour drive. The site we are using to organize carpools is user-managed so please read the instructions carefully. If you would like to offer up space in your vehicle or if you are looking to share a ride, this is the site for you: https://www.groupcarpool.com/t/3pwfud
- The "departing trip" meeting place for most of these carpools will be just outside of Baggage Claim on the Arrivals Level.
- Departure trips from conference will meet in the conference hotel lobby unless otherwise indicated in the Carpool instructions mentioned by the driver.
How the GroupCarPool app works:
- It is browser-based, you don't have to download anything
- You do need to provide at least your email address so you can receive notifications of changes to your carpool and also so that the others in your carpool can contact you. Only share as much information as you are comfortable sharing on this platform. You can always email the members of your carpool to get more contact information.
- Everyone who has access to this link can see and edit entries. Please do not edit someone else's entry! They will be notified of changes.
How to ADD a Vehicle to the CARPOOL (Drivers, People calling an Uber/Lyft):
- Click on the Blue Icon of a Vehicle that says "ADD"
- Enter the details:
- For "Name", this is the name of your Vehicle. Name your Vehicle so it's clear what the format will be (i.e. "Donnie's Minivan", "George's Accord", "Karen's Uber XL no split" or "Dave's Uber split fare")
- Your email address is mandatory
- For "Seats", enter the number of available seats not including yourself. Please also take into account if you will have luggage that might need to take up a seat.
- For "City", write Des Moines Airport
- For Departing Time, select a meeting time taking into account disembarking and baggage claim, not just the time you will land!
- Deselect "Return Time"
- Add any notes you see fit
- Click on "Add Car" button to submit
Tips:
- Look at the "EXAMPLE CAR" for this information in the moment
- Take a look at the waitlist after you have "Created your Car" and reach out to people if they match your "Departure Time"
- Close to the day-of your travel, reach out to the people in your pool to confirm and potentially share your phone numbers so you don't have to rely on email.
- If you plan on ordering a rideshare vehicle (Uber/Lyft) and intend to split the fare with your passengers, please refer to the rideshare app's options.
How to JOIN a carpool (People who are looking for a ride):
- Look at the list of available vehicles in the carpool (they are arranged in order of Date/Time) to meet up
- Click on a Green Icon of a silhouette of a man with a plus sign for the vehicle you would like to join. If the icon is grey, the seat has already been claimed. Once the icon has been clicked, a pop-up window will prompt you to fill in your details. Select "Departing Trip". Click on the "Join Car" button to finalize.
- If there is no current car available to join, add yourself to the WAITLIST by clicking on the yellow "+ Join Waitlist" button. A pop-up window will prompt you to fill in your details
- For "Name", it's helpful if you follow this format so drivers can see immediately if you're a match:
- [Your Name] - ISO [DATE] [TIME YOU WILL BE ABLE TO MEET]
- Your email address is mandatory.
- For "Notes", it's helpful to include your flight information - flight number and arrival time
Tips:
- Look at the details of "EXAMPLE CAR" at the top of the vehicle list for more information in the moment
- Look at "EXAMPLE RIDER" under the yellow "WAITLIST" section of the app page for how to structure your details if you are unable to join an existing carpool
- Select a meeting time taking into account disembarking and baggage claim, not just the time you will land!
What to do if you have changes to your travel plans:
- If you are a driver: Contact your passengers and inform them so they can swap if needed
- If you are a passenger: Try to swap to a different pool (the driver will be notified if there are changes)
- Take a look at the waitlist if someone was ISO ("in search of") the space you are giving up
