123rd Annual LBA Convention & Exposition

April 25-27, 2023
The Omni Grove Park Inn

Asheville, North Carolina

For the first time in five years, LBA takes the convention “on the road” to the historic Omni Grove Park Inn, located on the western-facing slope of Sunset Mountain within the Blue Ridge Mountains in Asheville, North Carolina. We can't wait to see you in the mountains! 

LOCATION AND ACCOMMODATIONS

The Omni Grove Park Inn
290 Macon Avenue
Asheville, NC 28804-3799

The LBA has contracted for a set number of sleeping rooms at The Omni Grove Park Inn. We have been closely monitoring the room pickups and have added rooms to our block several times. If you plan to stay at the Omni Grove Park Inn, we encourage you to make your reservations soon to ensure availability and to receive LBA's discounted rate of $309+ tax/night. For room reservations, please call 1-800-438-5800 and identify that you are booking with the Louisiana Bankers Association Annual Convention Room Block. Click here to book your reservation online.

Sleeping room reservations must be made by March 27, 2023 at 5:00pm or until the block of rooms for LBA is filled, whichever is sooner. After March 27, 2023, reservations will be made based on availability and the hotel may not be able to honor the discounted rate. We have contracted rooms for Sunday April 23, Monday April 24, Tuesday April 25, Wednesday April 26, Thursday April 27 and Friday April 28. If you wish to stay additional nights, the hotel may be able to extend the group rate. Please call the reservations desk at 1-800-438-5800. 

Room Rates:

  • Deluxe King Bed Accommodations - $309+tax/night
  • Club Level King Bed Accommodations - $779+tax/night - Club rooms are located on the exclusive, adults only (21+) Club Floor. These rooms overlook the gardens and wooded areas with indirect views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Includes continental breakfast and evening cocktails with hors d'oeuvres in the Club Floor Lounge.

Room Block Update as of 2/27/23 - We have no available regular rate rooms ($309) in the block for Tuesday April 25 and Wednesday April 26.  Limited number of rooms remain on the other nights. If you would like to stay at the Omni Grove Park Inn and would like to be on a waiting list in case there are cancellations, please reach out to Marcy @ LBA at manuel@lba.org

For guests with existing reservations at The Omni Grove Park Inn - Please let Marcy at LBA (manuel@lba.org) know if you no longer need your Omni Grove Park Inn hotel room so that we can arrange for the room to go to a colleague on the wait list. LBA will change the name and arrange for the hotel to refund the deposit.

Overflow Room Block Information at the Doubletree by Hilton Asheville Downtown  (located less than 3 miles from The Omni Grove Park Inn):
Click here to book your reservation online or call 1-800-445-8667 and ask for the Group Rate (SRP CODE-LBA) for the Louisiana Bankers Association (LBA) OVERFLOW.  Sleeping room reservations must be made by March 27 at 5:00pm or until the block of rooms are filled, whichever is sooner.  Rooms are available Monday April 24, Tuesday April 25 and Wednesday April 26.

  • Deluxe King Bed Accommodations - $189+tax/night

 

ADDITIONAL CONVENTION ACTIVITIES

Golf Scramble at The Omni Grove Park Inn

Tuesday April 25, 2023
7:30am-1:30pm
$275 per person*

*Cost includes continental breakfast, refreshments and box lunch. Registered golfers should arrive at the hotel main lobby entrance at 7am for hotel shuttle to the clubhouse. Walking to the clubhouse is an option but it is about a quarter of a mile. Tee time is 8am.

 


Swing into a round of golf on the legendary 18-hole course at The Omni Grove Park Inn. The 6,055-yard championship course has been played by PGA stars Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, and Jack Nicklaus. Feel a sense of pride and accomplishment after navigating the tree-lined fairways and bent greens with amazing views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Donald Ross originally designed this historic course in 1926, and it was overhauled in 2001 to keep the same feel and spirit. It has since earned nods from Conde Nast Traveler (Top 20 Southern U.S. Golf Resorts in 2011) and North Carolina Golf Panel (Top 100 Golf Courses in the State). This historic course has consistently been acknowledged as one of the Top Resort Golf Courses in North Carolina by Golfweek Magazine.

Please note: Club Rentals are the responsibility of the golfer. Please contact the Golf Shop at (828) 252-2711 ext. 1049 to rent clubs.

Biltmore Estate Tour - 4 Tour Options Available for Tuesday April 25, 2023
Please note:  As of 2/22/23, all Biltmore Tours have sold out. Please contact the LBA office at 225-387-3282 if you would like to be on a waiting list. 

Tuesday April 25, 2023 9:15am Tour (SOLD OUT)
9:15am-2:30pm with lunch at 12:00pm
$250 per person*


Tuesday April 25, 2023 10:00am Tour (SOLD OUT)
10:00am-3:30pm with lunch at 1:00pm
$250 per person*


Tuesday April 25, 2023 11:30am Tour - (SOLD OUT)
11:30am-4:45pm with lunch at 2:00pm
$250 per person*


Tuesday April 25, 2023 11:45am Tour (SOLD OUT)
11:45am-4:30pm with lunch at 12:30pm
$250 per person*

*Cost includes transportation to and from The Omni Grove Park Inn to the Biltmore Estate, lunch at Stable Café Loft at Biltmore Estate and self-guided audio tour. Each tour will depart from the Vanderbilt Wing Atrium (7th level) of the hotel. Registered tour guests should plan to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to tour time at the Vanderbilt Wing Atrium (7th level) for tour check-in. Refreshments and snacks will be provided. 

America’s largest private home is the centerpiece of Biltmore Estate. George Vanderbilt, the youngest son of an American family famous for its wealth, opened his country retreat in 1895. His guests marveled at the magnificent residence containing 34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces covering four acres of floor space. Vanderbilt traveled the world to furnish his home: art by Renoir, Whistler, and Sargent; exquisite 16th-century tapestries; and 24,000 books in seven languages. Originally 125,000 acres, the estate encompasses 8000 acres today. Your tour includes, Biltmore Admission, Self-Guided Audio Tour through Biltmore House, self-guided visit to Biltmore Gardens. It also includes lunch at Stable Café Loft along with free time to shop.


Spouse/Guest Tour Options for Wednesday April 26, 2023: 

Tour Option 1:  Chocolate, Art & Beverage Tour - (SOLD OUT)
Wednesday April 26, 202
3

9:30am-3:00pm
$250 per person*

*Cost includes roundtrip bus transportation, lunch and admission to chocolate factory and beverage producer.

You’ll be wowed in this taste sensation tour! Included is a 45 minute guided tour of one of Asheville’s local chocolatiers while they sort, roast, crack, winnow, grind, conche and temper chocolate in small batches at the factory. You’ll have backstage access to the facility, and an in depth tasting of their chocolate. Then we are off to watch amazing artists as they create beautiful works of art. You’ll meet the artists, watch the processes and have plenty of time for questions and answers. Also included is a winery tour and tasting of 3 wines. 




Tour Option 2:  Blue Ridge History & Shopping Tour - (SOLD OUT)
Wednesday April 26, 2023

10:00am-3:30pm
$250 per person*

*Cost includes roundtrip bus transportation, lunch and admission to Folk Art Center. 

This tour will highlight Asheville’s most noted histories, shopping, arts & crafts, architecture and historic venues. Tour will visit The Folk Art Center, which features the Southern Highland Craft Guild Artists’ works which represents the finest in traditional mountain and contemporary American crafts. The upper level features a revolving exhibit of local and regional collections. This tour will also visit Biltmore Village, which is a community of unique architecture designed by Richard Sharp Smith, the onsite Architect for Biltmore House. The homes were commissioned by George Vanderbilt and built to provide a community for his estate workers. It is now a collection of shops, restaurants & galleries offering a diverse selection of merchandise from one-of-a-kind decorative and functional craft items, to original artwork, limited edition prints, art glass, custom designed jewelry, clothing, home accessories and more.  The tour will also stop in downtown Asheville at The Grove Arcade, a beautiful Neo-Gothic architectural masterpiece, planned by E.W. Grove, designed by Charles N. Parker, and completed in 1929. The 269,000 square foot building housed one of the country’s first indoor public markets. There are dozens of unique shops for you to peruse in Asheville’s most beautiful building.

Tour Option 3: Along the Blue Ridge Parkway Tour  *New Tour Added as of February 12
Wednesday April 26, 2023

9:45am-3:00pm 
$250 per person*

*Cost includes roundtrip bus transportation, lunch and admission to Visitor's Center and North Carolina Arboretum

Tour includes trip to the Visitor’s Center which is Located on the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway.  See exhibits that focus on the entire 469 miles and 73-year history of the Parkway-from the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Western North Carolina. Ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway to the next stop, The North Carolina Arboretum. The NC Arboretum is a 434-acre public garden located within the Bent Creek Experimental Forest of the Pisgah National Forest. Surrounded by the dense folds of the botanically diverse Southern Appalachian Mountains, the Arboretum is nestled in one of the most beautiful natural garden settings in America. Your group will enjoy a self-guided tour of the Arboretum’s core garden areas. Features include native plants, new cultivars that grow well in mountain gardens, streamside plants, a profusion of flowering container gardens and the Quilt Garden, featuring a variable star quilt pattern in blooming flowers. One of the most significant of the core garden areas is the Bonsai Exhibition Garden, which features a selection of the Arboretum’s extensive bonsai collection. Lunch will be served at the Bent Creek Bistro which is located inside the Arboretum.

 

CONVENTION AGENDA
Please see convention brochure for detailed agenda (under registration tab)

Monday April 24, 2023

  • 1:00pm - Registration Open


Tuesday April 25, 2023

  • 7:00am - Registration Open
  • 7:30am - 1:30pm - Golf at The Omni Grove Park Inn (Registration Required) 
  • 9:15am - 2:30pm - Biltmore Estate Tour (Registration Required) 
  • 10:00am-3:30pm - Biltmore Estate Tour  (Registration Required) 
  • 11:30am-4:45pm - Biltmore Estate Tour (Registration Required)
  • 11:45am-4:30pm - Biltmore Estate Tour  (Registration Required)
  • 1:00pm - 4:00pm - Exhibitor Move-In
  • 6:00pm - 8:00pm Exhibit Hall Grand Opening Reception (Exhibits Open)

    Wednesday April 26, 2023
  • 7:00am - 8:30am - Exhibit Hall Breakfast (Exhibits Open)
  • 8:00am - 9:15am - General Session
  • 9:15am - 9:30am - Exhibit Hall Break (Exhibits Open)
  • 9:30am - 3:00pm - Spouse/Guest Program: Chocolate Art & Beverage Tour (Registration Required)  
  • 9:30am - 10:30am - General Session
  • 9:45am - 3:00pm - Spouse/Guest Program: Along the Blue Ridge Parkway (Registration Required)
  • 10:00am - 3:30pm - Spouse/Guest Program: Blue Ridge History & Shopping Tour (Registration Required)
  • 10:30am - 10:45am - Exhibit Hall Break (Exhibits Open)
  • 10:45am - 11:45am - Concurrent Sessions
  • 11:45am - 1:00pm - Exhibit Hall Lunch and Grand Prize Drawing (Exhibits Open)
  • 1:00pm - 2:30pm - Dismantle Exhibits
  • 1:00pm - 2:00pm - Concurrent Sessions
  • 5:00pm-6:30pm - FNBB Reception 
  • 6:30pm - 9:00pm - Bankers, Boots & Bluegrass Banquet (indoor/outside venue on the hotel property)

    Thursday April 27, 2023
  • 7:30am - 8:30am - Breakfast
  • 8:00am  -  8:30am  LBA Business Session
  • 8:30am - 9:15am - ABA update & GSB Update
  • 9:15am-9:30am - Break
  • 9:30am-10:30am - General Session 
  • 10:30am - 10:45am - Break
  • 10:45am - 11:45am - General Session
  • 11:45am - Convention Adjourns

REGISTRATION FEES
  • Banker/Non-Banker Fees: $699 per person
  • Spouse/Guest Fee: $399 per person
  • Golf Registration Fee - $275 per person
  • Biltmore Tour Registration Fee (4 Tour Options) - $250 per person
  • Spouse/Guest Program: Chocolate, Art & Beverage Tour - $250 per person
  • Spouse/Guest Program: Blue Ridge History & Shopping Tour - $250 per person
  • Spouse/Guest Program: Along the Blue Ridge Parkway Tour - $250 per person

SPA ACCOMODATIONS AT THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

The Spa at The Omni Grove Park is one of the most popular attractions at the hotel. We encourage guests planning to attend the conference to book spa appointments early to guarantee availability. For spa appointments, please call 1-800-438-5800.

DINING AT THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

The Omni Grove Park Inn has several restaurants on property. Click here for a list with menus.  For group dining reservations on the hotel property during our conference, please contact Caroline Farr and Nancy Barnhart, Group Dining Coordinators at the hotel at gpi.group.dining@omnihotels.com

 

AIRPORT INFORMATION

The Omni Grove Park Inn Resort is located near the following airports:

  • About 17 miles from Asheville Regional Airport (AVL)
  •  About 65 miles from Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP)
  • About 125 miles from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)

AIRPORT GROUND TRANSPORTATION & GETTING AROUND ASHEVILLE

If you are flying into Asheville Regional Airport and are looking to reserve transportation for your group or large party, Accents on Asheville can assist with your needs. Please click here for pricing information. Email Lynn Grabey lynng@accentsonasheville.com to schedule.

Uber and Lyft are available in Asheville; however, wait times could be long at busy times. If you know a specific time for pickup, you should be able to schedule pickups in advance on some of the ride share apps.
  Additionally, the following are local taxi companies: