Conference Facility
HighEdWeb 2008 will be held on the campus of Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri.
A campus population
of 21,000 students provides the resources of a large state university with the
feel of a small, friendly community.
Conference sessions will be held in the open, inviting atmosphere of the Robert W. Plaster Student Union, which houses ten conference and meeting rooms that range in capacity from 8-800, including a 500-seat theater, and utilizes the reliable and robust Missouri State network and technology infrastructure.
Parking and Shuttles
Parking
Hotel guests are welcome to park in their hotel's lot. Additionally, conference commuters are invited to park in the University Plaza Hotel parking lot (directions) and catch the HighEdWeb Shuttle to the Plaster Student Union. The shuttle stop at University Plaza will be located on the south side of the building. We strongly discourage parking on campus.
HighEdWeb Shuttle
The HighEdWeb Shuttle is free for all conference attendees and includes three loops:
Springfield-Branson Airport Loop - continuous loop between Springfield-Branson Airport, University Plaza, and Holiday Inn Express.
- Saturday and Sunday: 10:00am-11:00pm
- Wednesday and Thursday: 6:00am-7:00pm
The airport is located approximately 15 minutes from the conference site.
Plaster Student Union Loop - continuous loop between Plaster Student Union, Unversity Plaza, and Holiday Inn Express.
- Sunday: 11:00am-1:30pm and 4:30-6:30pm
- Monday and Tuesday: 7:00-9:00am and 4:00-6:00pm
- Wednesday: 7:00-9:00am, 11:30am-1:30pm, and 3:30-5:30pm
The shuttle stop at University Plaza will be located on the south side of the building, and the shuttle stop at Holiday Inn Express will be located on the east side of the building.
HighEdWeb After Dark Loop - continuous loop between Springfield Brewing Company, University Plaza, and Holiday Inn Express.
- Monday: 7:30-10:30pm
Bear Line Shuttle
The Bear Line Shuttle is the regular Missouri State University shuttle and is available to all conference attendees. The shuttle runs six different routes, but the most applicable route is below:
- The Blue Route operates from 7:00am-6:00pm Monday through Friday and includes stops at the Plaster Student Union and Kentwood Hall, which is less than a block west of University Plaza Hotel.
Hotel Accommodations
The
conference
hotels are
University Plaza Hotel as the host
hotel and
Holiday Inn Express as the overflow hotel.
The University Plaza Hotel is completely full. If you still need to reserve a room for the conference, please call the Holiday Inn Express.
Holiday Inn Express - $119/night
1117 East St. Louis Street
Springfield, MO 65806
Phone: (800) 465-4329
Directions
University Plaza Hotel and Convention Center - $96/night
333 John Q. Hammons Parkway
Springfield, MO 65806
Phone: (417) 864-7333
Directions
Getting to Springfield
Nearly half of the U.S. population lives within a 500-mile radius of
Springfield, making this central location easy to access.
By Air
The Springfield-Branson National Airport offers non-stop jet service to twelve major cities through several airlines:
Chicago, Dallas, St. Louis
Chicago, Denver
Atlanta, Cincinnati
Detroit, Minneapolis, Memphis
Las Vegas, Orlando, Tampa
By Car
Springfield is conveniently located off of Interstate 44 and Highway 65. I-44 runs east and west through Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri. Highway 65 runs north and south and connects Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, and Minnesota. Driving distance from Kansas City is 170 miles, from St. Louis is 220 miles, and from Tulsa, OK is 185 miles.
Getting around Town
Public Transit
City Utilities manages the public transit for the city of Springfield. Bus schedules are available in Braille, large print, and audio cassette format in addition to the printed schedules. Contact Transit Services at (417) 831-8782 for more information. The adult cash fare is $1.10. Bus routes can be downloaded from the Public Transit website.
Taxi Service
There are three choices for taxi service in the Springfield area:
- Springfield Yellow Cab
(417) 862-5511 - Metropolitan City Cab
(417) 865-7700 - Blue Taxi
(417) 865-2583
After Hours Fun
Springfield may be one of the country's most common city names, but Springfield, Missouri, is anything but common. A premier mid-size metro area, Springfield is a great place to work and play.
Near Campus
The revitalized downtown area is adjacent to Missouri State University and offers a large variety of unique restaurants, brew pubs, lounges, dance clubs, art galleries and boutique shops.
The Hammons Hall of the Performing Arts is just a short distance from the hotel. For a fun shopping excursion, the Battlefield Mall, with more than 100 stores, is just a short drive away. Three 18-hole golf courses can be found in the city, as well as the world headquarters of Bass Pro Shops.
Near Springfield
The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame includes thousands of sports memorabilia, hands-on exhibits and interesting displays.
Wilson's Creek National Battlefield is a 1,750-acre battlefield that remains one of the most historically pristine battle sites in the country.
Laura Ingalls Wilder Home and Museum is the historic home where the "Little House" books were written.
Branson is just thirty minutes away and has something for everyone — from magicians to musical performances. Play miniature golf, enjoy go-carts, water parks, history museums — even visit the Titanic.