Invitation To
2009 Highway Engineering Exchange Program (HEEP)
International Meeting

Judy B. Skeen, P.E., TxDOT ♦ 2009  President
Daniel J. Belcher, P.E. ♦ 2009  Vice President
Dan Buhler ♦ 2009  Secretary

Dear HEEP Members and friends,

It is my pleasure to invite you to the 51st annual International Highway Engineering Exchange Program (HEEP) Conference to be held in San Antonio, Texas, September 27 to October 1, 2009.  

The annual international conference is a great opportunity to share your knowledge and experiences in the transportation engineering technology field with colleagues from around the world.  As with previous meetings, the meeting format will include presentations and demonstrations on the latest technological advances of interest to departments of transportation and their business partners.  In addition, our vendor partners will demonstrate their software and hardware in a vendor display hall that will be adjacent to the meeting facilities.  I invite your organization to participate by sending one or more delegates to the conference.  If your organization consults, provides hardware / software, or are a technology solutions provider, I also invite you to consider sponsoring a booth in our vendor hall.

Since the goal of HEEP is to share and exchange information, ideas, and experiences, it is critical that we have attendance from the member organizations and partners.  One method to share information is through presentations.  We are seeking volunteers to provide presentations on topics of interest to the member organizations and our partners.  The primary areas that will be addressed during this year’s meeting are technologies that support design, plan preparation, visualization, construction, and engineering document management; however, we are open to any topic that complements these.

We invite you to join us in San Antonio, a city of epic battles, flowing rivers and a flourishing culture.  From the stones of the Alamo to the meandering paths of the Riverwalk, San Antonio takes you on a journey through a land as grand as its reputation. Walk the lines drawn for independence when you visit the Alamo, one of five Spanish colonial missions. Stroll the cobblestone sidewalks of the River Walk to uncover an outdoor theatre with flamenco dancers and mariachis, nationally acclaimed museums, sidewalk cafes and authentic Tex-Mex to worldly cuisines. 

The conference will be held at the Westin Riverwalk Hotel where guests are greeted with delicious dark chocolate imported from Venezuela. A beautiful, copper platter greets you at check-in, filled with El Rey Latin American specialty chocolates. You may also retreat to a Latin American escape: "La Merienda", Latin version of High Tea, is available Tuesday through Saturday. Cinnamon-tinged roasted Mexican coffees, hot cocoas, aguas frescas, and hojorascas (Mexican cookies) are served from 3:30pm to 5:30pm in the hotel lobby. A Spanish classical guitarist plays Latin American ballads every Friday and Saturday. Relaxing and convenient, the Alamo, La Villita, Market Square and River Center Mall are all just minutes away.

Visit the HEEP web site at http://www.heepweb.org for the most up to date information.

I invite you to attend the 2009 conference and join in collaboration, friendship, and sharing.  We also invite you to spend extra time in Texas and enjoy the many attractions, good music, good food, and plenty of Texas hospitality.