Frequently Asked Questions
When is the 2023 Women in Trial travel summit
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The hosted events run from Wednesday, April 12th through Sunday, April 16th, 2023. The only event on Wednesday is the Welcome Reception, which runs from 6 pm to 8 pm that evening. The speaker sessions run each morning on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Attendees can feel free to stay all or part of the time. If you would like to attend all the hosted events, book a room for Wednesday through Sunday.
The Conrad has offered our group a room block for the conference dates, and is also honoring the contracted rate for an extended stay three days before and three days after. WITTS attendees can take advantage of this rate from April 9th through April 19th. To book an extended stay in our room block, simply book through our room block page and adjust the dates at the top.
Where is the Event?
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The event will be held at the Conrad in Punta de Mita, Mexico. Please check the expiration date on your passport before you go!
The Conrad is a stunning new property that is located inside a gated community in Punta Mita. Punta Mita is about 30 miles (a 45 minute drive) north of Puerto Vallarta.
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Who can attend the event?
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While this conference was created for women, the event is open to everyone. Whether you identify as female, male or non-binary, WITTS is an inclusive event open for everyone. While the speaker sessions are geared toward advancing the litigation practice of female trial lawyers, there is no requirement that attendees are women or even the legal field at all. Many attorneys come from different areas of practice, not just plaintiff's personal injury. The event is open to anyone interested in the legal field. Similarly, our small group trips are not limited to women lawyers and are open to anyone.
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Where Should I Stay?
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We have a room block at the Conrad for a significantly reduced rate of $459/night. Rates during high season (which is when the conference is being held), are often double. Attendees are encouraged to take advantage of the room block by booking their room HERE.
If you would like to stay somewhere else, there are a lot of really wonderful resorts in Punta de Mita, in varying budgets. The closest property to the Conrad is the Iberostar Selection Playa Mita, which is a short 3 minute walk from lobby to lobby. This is your best option if the room block sells out. For higher end properties, the St. Regis and Four Seasons properties are just 4-5 miles away. The W is a super fun, lively mid-priced option that is just 7 miles away. Dreams Bahia Mita Surf & Spa is an all-inclusive option nearby.
How Do I Get There?
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The closest airport is PVR (Puerto Vallarta’s Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport). Here are some suggested flights from Los Angeles to Puerto Vallarta.
The address for the hotel is Carretera Punta de Mita Sayulita Km 2, Litibu, Nayarit, 63734, Mexico. From Puerto Vallarta International Airport, take Francisco Medina Boulevard (Route 200) to Nayarit. Continue on “Puerto Vallarta - Tepic and Carr. Federal la Cruz de Huanacaxtle - Punta De Mita to Nayarit” until you arrive at the Litibu gates. Enter the gated community of Litibu and continue on Carr. Punta de Mita until you reach the Conrad Hotel.
Guests arriving at PVR can choose to take a taxi or private car service to get to the hotel. A private car service is strongly encouraged and always a much better option in Mexico due to safety reasons. Please visit our Transportation page for suggested transportation companies.
If you would like to share a private transfer van to and from the airport, please use our Facebook page to connect with other attendees who have also expressed an interest in sharing a car. If you encounter any difficulty contacting the transportation companies or finding individuals to share a car with, reach out to Lauren at lauren@womenintrialtravelsummit.com. Please indicate your arrival and departure times so WITTS organizers can connect you with other attendees who have a similar schedule.
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Are Guests Allowed?
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Conference attendees are encouraged to bring family and friends on their trip. This is one of the reasons the hotel has agreed to offer the group rate for three days before and three days after the event—so guests can extend their stay to relax and explore beautiful Punta Mita.
All guests who wish to attend the hosted events must purchase a guest ticket. Guest tickets are available for purchase on the main ticekting page. Guest tickets are tickets that accompany a paid attendee ticket or sponsorship. Guest tickets can be purchased HERE.
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Do I need to purchase a guest ticket if my spouse/partner/children won't be attending the events?
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No. If you are bringing family, friends or partners but they will not be attending the hosted events, then no guest ticket is needed. If, however, your spouse, partner, children or friends are accompanying you on the trip and they wish to also attend the hosted events, then you will need to purchase a guest ticket.
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How Many Events Are There?
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There are five main hosted events: a Wednesday Welcome Reception, Friday Lunch, Friday Pool Party, Saturday Dinner and Sunday Farewell Brunch. A Saturday Night Karaoke After Party may be added but are pending sponsorships. A continental breakfast will be provided to attendees on Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings. Brunch will be served at 11 am on Sunday. In most cases, the afternoons have been left intentionally free to encourage conference attendees to relax, do activities or explore beautiful Punta Mita.
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What Can I expect at the events?
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The Wednesday Welcome Reception will offer passed appetizers, two hours of an open bar and mariachi music for entertainment. This event will be beachside, so high heels are not recommended. The lunch on Friday will be a three course plated meal. Saturday's dinner will be outdoors and will offer a plated three course meal as well. There will be live music and a photo booth. On Sunday, we'll all get together for a Farewell Brunch, which will be held in an open air ocean-side dining room. A continental breakfast will be provided to attendees in the Exhibitor Hall before the speaker sessions on Saturday and Sunday mornings. In most cases, the afternoons have been left intentionally free to encourage conference attendees to relax, do activities or explore beautiful Punta Mita.
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Is Childcare offered?
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While the event does not offer childcare, the Conrad Punta de Mita does have a place to keep your little ones entertained at their game room and kids’ club. They offer a series of fun activities to capture their imaginations. The Conrad also offers 24-hour babysitting services.
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Why do I need to provide a copy of my passport?
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Section VII of Article 29 of the Value Added Tax Law became effective on January 1, 2004. Said Law states that a 0% value added tax rate (opposed to 16%) can be applied to services lent by taxpayers who render hotel and related services to foreign tourists who enter into Mexico exclusively to attend congresses, conventions, expositions or fairs, which offers a competitive advantage to attract this type of tourism to Mexico.
In order to apply this benefit, attendees of WITTS must comply with a series of requirements established by the Article 29 and rules 5.6.6, 5.6.7, and 5.6.8 of the 2003 Miscellaneous Tax Resolution, which was published in the Official Gazette on November 21, 2003.
The language of the law is as follows:
1. This benefit applies only to foreign tourists who enter the country to participate in congresses, conventions, expositions and fairs and excludes incentive travel, which is given to people as a prize for good work performance or for any other reason the name given to such incentive notwithstanding. A brief description of the aforesaid circumstances is as follows:
• Congress: Any professional reunion with the objective to have a discussion
and professional, cultural, sports-related, religious, social, academic or
government exchange on a topic of interest
• Convention: Any trade or business reunion whose objective is commercial
business among the participants of the market, products, or brands
• Exposition: Commercial, or cultural event which gathers members of a
business, professional or social sector, and is organized for the purpose of
presenting products or services
• Fair: Exhibition of products or services that concur in a specific area with
the objective to commercialize and promote businesses
In order to comply with the VAT tax exemption, all attendees must agree to provide a photocopy of their passport to WITTS organizers within thirty (30) days prior to the event. This helps keep the cost of the event reasonable for attendees.
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What should I bring?
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Yourself of course! Attire for the hosted events is entirely up to you, but since the parties are beachside and sometimes even in the sand, guests are encouraged to dress on the casual side. Some items you might not want to forget are: sunscreen, bug spray, a mask for indoor events, proof of Covid-19 vaccination or negative test within 72 hours and your passport!
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What Covid-19 precautions are being taken?
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The hotel is committed to helping guests feel safer in the current environment. Hilton has developed EventReady, a global meeting and events program designed to create event experiences that are clean, flexible, safe and socially responsible. Hilton provides curated solutions with creative food and beverage, thoughtful technology resources, elevated standards and practices with redesigned spaces for physical distancing, and reimagined ways to meet and gather. The goal is to create a safe and comfortable environment for events and their attendees.
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Hilton CleanStay Standards:
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Hilton CleanStay Standards provide elevated cleanliness and sanitation across the entire attendee journey. A cleaning protocol checklist is completed to verify an event space is sanitized and disinfected thirty minutes prior to meeting start. Top 10 high touch areas including tables, chairs, door handles, podium, AV equipment, etc. will have additional sanitization and disinfection protocols.
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Sanitizing stations will have prominence in primary entryways as well as key high traffic areas including inside and outside event space(s), meal and beverage service areas, public restrooms and congregating areas.
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Hilton CleanStay with Lysol protection: The global Hilton CleanStay program is setting the new standard of hotel cleanliness and disinfection in Hilton properties around the world. Hilton has partnered with RB, maker of Lysol & Dettol to develop Hilton CleanStay so guests can enjoy a worry-free stay.
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How many MCLE credits will I get?
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It is anticipated that the conference will be able to offer approximately 10-12 hours of MCLE credit at the event. The exact MCLE amounts will be finalized approximately thirty (30) days before the event.
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