Conference Dates

The 33^rd Annual National Trust Closely Held Business Association Conference will be held at the Hilton Sedona Resort & Spa located in Sedona, Arizona. The conference dates are September 9 – 12, 2008.  The Conference opens on the afternoon of Tuesday the 9^th with Registration and a group dinner, and will conclude late-morning on Friday the 12^th. ComStock Advisors, First Bankers Trust Services, Inc. and Management Planning, Inc. will be your hosts for this year's conference.

Conference Program

This workshop continues to be a forum to review and discuss issues related to closely held business interests with many of the leading experts in their respective disciplines. It is an excellent opportunity to meet with those of us involved on a daily basis with the management and valuation of closely held businesses and partnerships in trusts and estates. 

Topics for this year’s conference include: estate planning techniques for closely held business, ESOPs as an estate planning tool, rules of evidence on how to prepare your valuation for litigation, valuation court case update, fiduciary surcharge cases, current trends in real estate, marketing closely held business services, the non-financial side of closely held services and panels regarding valuation and closely held administration issues. 

Facilities

Located in Northern Arizona, the Hilton Sedona Resort and Spa is surrounded by panoramic views of the Coconino National Forest, awe-inspiring Red Rock formations, and nearby ancient Sinagua Indian ruins.  The resort overlooks the 18th hole of the Sedona Golf Resort – the only championship golf and spa resort in Sedona.  

For those desiring to make a long weekend of the conference, the Resort offers rooms on a first availability basis at their prevailing rates.  The conference coincides with high season in Sedona.  Therefore, if you wish to stay additional nights either before or after the conference, it is recommended that you make your plans well in advance.  Rooms at the discounted group rate are not available.  The Resort will provide assistance for arranging for tee times at the adjacent championship golf course or assisting you with making advance reservations for treatments at the spa. These activities, if desired, are in addition to the conference fee and are the responsibility of the attendee.

For more information on the area, go to www.sedona.net or www.go-arizona.com/sedona or visitsedona.com.

Location

Hilton Sedona Resort and Spa is located in Northern Arizona, at 90 Ridge Trail Drive, Sedona, AZ  86351.  Telephone:  (928)284-4040   Fax: (928) 284-6940.  The primary access to Sedona will be to fly to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) and to rent a car to drive to Sedona.  There is also an option to fly to Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (FLG) on US Airways/America West.

Directions

From Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport:  East on E Sky Harbor Blvd.  Continue on E Sky Harbor Blvd then bear a slight left to continue on E Sky Harbor Blvd.  Stay straight to go onto I-10 W (Papago Frwy).  Merge onto I-17 N via Exit 143A toward Flagstaff.  Take the AZ-179 exit (Exit #298) toward Sedona/Oak Creek Canyon.  Turn left onto AZ-179/NF-618. Continue to follow AZ-179.  Turn left onto Ridge Trail Drive.  (Approx. 113 miles)

From Flagstaff Pulliam Airport:  Northwest on S Pulliam Drive.  Turn left onto W John Wesley Powell Blvd.  Merge onto I-17 S via the ramp on the left.  Take the AZ-179 exit (Exit #298), toward Sedona/Oak Creek Canyon.  Turn right onto AZ-179.  Turn left onto Ridge Trial Drive.   (Approx. 46 miles)

Weather

In September the average high temperature during the day is 87 degrees and the average low temperature during the evening is 56 degrees.

Sedona Area

In 2003, USA Weekend ranked Sedona as No. 1 in their list of The 10 Most Beautiful Places in America.  Their review of Sedona provided the following description of the beauty in the area. “Ever since the early days of movies, when Hollywood has wanted to show the unique beauty of the West, it has gone to Sedona, a place that looks like nowhere else. Beginning with The Call of the Canyon in 1923, some hundred movies and TV shows have been filmed in and around town. We fell under Sedona's spell, too, and while debating our No. 1 spot kept returning to it for the same reasons Hollywood does: The area's telegenic canyons, wind-shaped buttes and dramatic sandstone towers embody the rugged character of the West -- and the central place that character holds in our national identity. There's a timelessness about these ancient rocks that fires the imagination of all who encounter them. Some 11,000 years before film cameras discovered Sedona, American Indians settled the area. Homesteaders, artists and, most recently, New Age spiritualists have followed. Many cultures and agendas abound, but there's really only one attraction: the sheer, exuberant beauty of the place. People come for inspiration and renewal, tawny cliffs rising from the buff desert floor, wind singing through box canyons, and sunsets that seem to cause the ancient buttes and spires to glow from within. We hear the canyon's call and cannot resist.”

Conference Registration

The registration fee for the 2008 Annual Conference will be $1,125 per person.  Spouses and guests are welcome at $350 per person.  The fee covers hotel room, all meals and conference breaks, meetings, a group outing on Thursday evening, and hospitality suite for attendees and rooms (double occupancy with attendee), evening meals, Thursday group outing and hospitality suite for spouses or guests.  Optional activities for spouses and guests will be available during conference hours.

We are planning a special group event on Thursday evening to explore some of Sedona’s breathtaking high-desert terrain.

Transportation to the Conference is not included. Registration forms will be sent to all members and to those who have expressed an interest in attending.

Please print a copy of the registration form and return to the address shown at the bottom of the form. When you send in the form, please be sure to include your check for payment of the registration fee.

Contact Info

If you have questions, please contact Lora Glass at (859)957-2300 or one of the individuals listed below.  As always, if you have any ideas for conference topics or how to make the conference a great success, we welcome your suggestions.