Greetings:

The following information will provide you with details to assist you in making your hotel reservation and travel arrangements for the 2025 Grand Lodge Convention in Kansas City. Please read this information in its entirety before clicking on any of the links.

The 2025 Grand Lodge Convention will be held in Kansas City, Missouri June 29 through July 2, 2025. The Florida delegation hotel is the Kansas City Marriott Downtown located at 200 W 12th St, Kansas City, MO 64105. All attendees are responsible for making their own travel arrangements (only endorsed DDGERs make theirs through Grand Lodge), and all hotel room reservations for the Marriott (this includes the Endorsed DDGERs) must be made through the “Make Your Hotel Reservation” link on the left. The room rate for 1 king bed or two doubles is $159.00 per night plus $32.94 tax & fees, making the room $191.94 per night inclusive of tax. The cutoff date for reservations is May 30, 2025.

The Kansas City Marriott Downtown is located 300ft from the Kansas City Convention Center where the convention will be held. It is about a 2-minute walk to the convention center. There will be four other states co-located with us in the Marriott, they are Alabama, Mississippi, New Jersey and New York. Westin Kansas City and Sheraton Kansas City at the Crown Center are the co-headquarter hotels.

The following convention links are available on the left:

• Link to Register & Pay the Required $75 pp Florida Hospitality Room Fee
  This registration is required for all Florida attendees (including guests/spouses) regardless of where you are staying.
• List of Florida Convention Attendees (those who have completed the above $75 pp registration process)
• Link to Make your Hotel Reservation
• Hospitality Room Hours
• Link to Purchase Tickets for the Florida Dinner - $65 pp
• List of Florida Dinner Attendees (those who have purchased a ticket)

You will want to plan to arrive in Kansas City by Saturday, June 28th as the Opening Ceremonies begin on Sunday at 4:00pm. Exalted Rulers and Alternate Delegates are required to attend all general sessions and the opening ceremonies. The final general session of the convention will end around 11:00am on Wednesday.

The check-in time for the Marriott is 3pm and check-out is 12pm. The Marriott does not offer an airport shuttle. The Kansas City (MCI) international airport is located about19 miles from the Marriott or about a 21-minute drive by car.

If you drive or rent a car, the Marriott has overnight self-parking at $32 daily. Valet parking is $45 per day.

Airline discounts are being offered through the Grand Lodge and are posted on the Grand Lodge website www.Elks.org. Once there click on Members Only, login to Elks.org, scroll down on the left and click National Convention, then scroll down on the left and click Discounts.

Most major car rental counters are in the airport, a short shuttle ride from the baggage claim area. The Marriott is about 21 minutes from the airport.

The information on wheelchair, power chair, or electric scooter rentals is located on the Grand Lodge website. See instructions on how to locate it on the GL Website above in Airline Discounts. If it is not there yet continue to check back as they will add it as they receive it.

You will want to do your Grand Lodge Registration for your official convention name badge and voting credentials online on the Grand Lodge Website at www.Elks.org. This registration is required by the Grand Lodge and is separate from and is in addition to the $75 pp Florida Elks Hospitality Room Fee/Registration done through our link on the left. The Grand Lodge has not yet placed on their website the link to do the online Grand Lodge registration. Once they place the link and open their registration, probably sometime in April, the fee will be $50.00. If you do not do the online registration and instead wait to register and pay on-site, the cost is $60.00. The Grand Lodge Registration fee is required to be paid by Elks members only. There is no fee for Non-Elks registering with an Elks member. Everyone must do this as your name badge is required to gain entry to all meetings & the exhibit hall, and your voting credentials are required to be in your possession to be able to vote during the legislative session. See instructions on how to locate the GL Website above Airline Discounts.

Upon your arrival in Kansas City, you will want to make your way to the Kansas City Convention Center to obtain your voting credentials and badge. The registration schedule will be posted shortly.

The official Grand Lodge Opening Ceremonies will be held at the Kansas City Convention Center on Sunday, June 29th from 4pm to 6pm. Members and accompanied guests are encouraged to attend. Florida attendees are encouraged to wear red, white & blue for the opening ceremonies on Sunday, and orange jackets or orange shirts for the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday Grand Lodge sessions. Please sit in the area designated for the Florida delegation starting Monday. There is no reserved seating for the opening ceremonies on Sunday, but I am sure someone will make sure to hold some seats for Florida. Also, be reminded that all Exalted Rulers or Alternate Delegates are required to check-in with their Endorsed District Deputy prior to the beginning of each official Grand Lodge session.

The Ritual Competition will take place in the Kansas City Convention Center. The District Deputies Designate Seminars will be held on Monday, June 30th and Tuesday, July 1st at 12:45pm in the Kansas City Convention Center.

The Florida Dinner will be held at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown on Tuesday, July 1st starting at 7pm. Dress for the event is business casual. Tickets for the Florida Dinner may be purchased through the link on the left.

A highlight of the Grand Lodge Convention each year is the Florida Hospitality Room. As we have done in the past, we will offer limited food and snacks with beer, wine, and liquor. Every Florida attendee, regardless of where you are staying or whether you drink or not is required to pay the $75 per person fee to assist in defraying the cost to operate the hospitality room.

There are three lodges local to Kansas City. This includes the Kansas City Northland Lodge #2376 (9.8 miles away), Kansas City Lodge #0026 (15.6 miles away) and the Overland Park Elks Lodge #2395 (12.7 miles away).

I am looking forward to seeing you in Kansas City this summer and as always, if I may be of any further assistance, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me!

Fraternally,