|
Questions about Neuroscience 2008?
|
|
 |
| Learn more about the 2008 annual meeting in Washington, DC by browsing a compilation of frequently asked questions. |
|
|
Browse through the following categories to view frequently asked questions and learn more about Neuroscience 2008:
Attendee Information
Q. Where will the 38th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience be held and what is the address?
A. The meeting will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place, N.W., Washington, DC 20001.
Q. As an international attendee, whom do I contact for an invitation letter to attend the 38th Annual Meeting?
A. To receive an invitation letter, submit a request.
Q. If I bring my children, are they permitted to attend educational and social events with me as well as visit the exhibits?
A. Individuals age 17 and under are not permitted to attend the annual meeting without adult supervision. Badges are not issued to these individuals.
Q. Does the Society provide a service where I can advertise a scientific meeting?
A. Yes. Submit your request to display materials in our literature displays located in the registration area to Stephanie Embrey, Meetings Coordinator at sembrey@sfn.org. For satellite event listings in SfN meeting publications, contact Sharon Kerley Bowles, Satellite Event Manager at sharon@sfn.org.
Q. Is there parking available at the convention center?
A. The convention center does not provide parking, but there are 2,000 parking spaces in a three-block radius. For more information, view the parking map (PDF).
Q. What is expected meeting attendance?
A. Approximately 32,000.
Q. Does the convention center offer assistance for visitors with disabilities and special needs and whom do I contact?
A. If you have a disability or special need that may impact your participation in the annual meeting, check the appropriate box on the online registration form and describe your disability-related needs. SfN staff will contact you before the annual meeting to discuss your requirements. The Society cannot ensure the availability of appropriate accommodations without prior notification of need.
Scooter and wheelchair rentals are available by contacting ScootAround, Inc. by phone at (888) 441-7575 or e-mail at sharon@sfn.org.
Q. Is there a message center available where I can contact other annual meeting attendees?
A. SfN provides computerized message centers for Neuroscience 2008 attendees. Message center stations remain open 24 hours a day during the annual meeting. After 5 p.m., the stations are unstaffed, so technical assistance is unavailable until 8 a.m. the next morning. Message center locations are announced as they become available.
Q. Is there a luggage check in the convention center?
A. Yes. Location and hours are posted closer to the meeting.
Q. Is a business center available for making copies, sending faxes, etc?
A. Yes, there is a business center located in the L Street Lobby under the stairs of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and in most hotels.
Q. When was the symposia proposal deadline?
A. The symposia proposal deadline was Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2008.
Q. When was the abstracts deadlines?
A. The abstract submission deadline was Thursday, May 15, 2008.
Q. What happened to the Downloadable / CD-ROM version of the Neuroscience Meeting Planner (NMP)?
A. It is not available this year. Given the march of technology, meeting planning tools across the field have almost uniformly moved to online systems and SfN is, too.
You should have easy access to the online tool: SfN offers free wireless to all attendees at the annual meeting, and the Internet is becoming more readily available on planes and trains as well as in airports and transit stations.
Fewer and fewer meeting attendees were using the downloadable and CD-ROM versions, so moving forward, we will focus on developing and improving the Web-based tool and want your feedback.
What exactly is the problem?
- Our members use a wide range of operating systems and those operating systems all began to require separately developed products. Plus, fewer vendors will create tools in multiple operating systems.
- Internet browsers and online tools perform much more consistently across these operating systems.
- Offering and supporting all the downloadable versions needed for different operating systems became highly resource intensive.
Q. Why do I have to login to use the NMP?
A. You do not need to login to search meeting abstracts. Simply click “Advanced Search” or “Browse” to begin looking through the presentations offered at the meeting.
Login is necessary to create and save your personalized schedule. Your selections are saved for when you return.
Back to top
Exhibits
Q. I am interested in exhibiting at Neuroscience 2008. Whom should I contact?
A.
Contact: Allison Burns, CEM
Society for Neuroscience
1121 14th Street, NW, Suite 1010
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 962-4000
Fax: (202) 962-4948
E-mail: exhibits@sfn.org
Q. What type of companies exhibit?
A. The general exhibit categories are biochemicals and reagents, computer related instruments, laboratory equipment and supplies, optical/imaging instruments, physiological instruments, publishers, and pharmaceutical companies.
Q. When are the exhibits open?
A. Sunday to Wednesday, November 16-19, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Q. Is there an exhibit hall only registration fee?
A. No. To visit the exhibit hall, you must register for the entire meeting.
Q. Are children allowed in the exhibit hall?
A. Individuals age 17 and under are not permitted to attend the annual meeting and exhibits without adult supervison. Badges are not issued to these individuals. Under no circumstances are children age 17 and under allowed in the exhibit hall during set up and dismantle times.
Back to top
Housing & Travel
Q. What are the co-headquarter hotels and their addresses?
A. Renaissance Washington Hotel, 999 Ninth Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20001; and the JW Marriott Hotel, 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20004 .
Q. When can we begin to reserve hotel rooms?
A. Before you make your hotel reservation, you must register for Neuroscience 2008. Once registered, you may make your hotel reservation online, by mail, fax, or phone. Priority is given to online reservations. Advance registration and housing opens for members only on Tuesday, July 15 at noon EDT, for nonmembers on Tuesday, July 22 at noon EDT, and for press on Wednesday, July 23. Housing for exhibitors opens at Noon EDT on Tuesday, July 29.
Q. Will SfN Housing charge my credit card to guarantee the reservation?
A. SfN Housing will not charge your credit card. However, your hotel may charge one night’s room and tax if you do not arrive at the hotel on the date shown on your confirmation. Also, hotels may charge an early departure fee.
Q. Will I receive a hotel confirmation?
A. Yes. A detailed confirmation is automatically e-mailed to you once your reservation has been made.
Q. What is the hotel cancellation policy?
A. You can cancel reservations online through SfN2008Housing@cmrus.com until Friday, October 17, at 9 p.m. EDT. One night’s room plus tax is charged by the hotel if you fail to arrive on your confirmed arrival date. The hotel may also charge your credit card an early departure fee.
Q. What do I do if I need more than one hotel room?
A. Attendees requiring more than one room need to call SfN Housing at (866) 999-3093. Additional room requests should only be made for family members of the registered attendee and are handled on a case-by-case basis.
Q. How do I make changes to my hotel reservations?
A. Attendees can make changes to hotel reservations online. They can also contact SfN Housing at (866) 999-3093. Attendees can change hotel reservations online until Friday, October 17 at 9 p.m. EDT.
Back to top
Registration
Q. How do I register for Neuroscience 2008?
A. General registration information is available online. Advance registration for members opens July 15 and for non-members on July 22.
Q. Do I have to be a member to attend?
A. No, but registration fees are reduced for members.
Q. How can I become a member of SfN and receive discounted registration rates and other member benefits?
A. To register as a member (dependent on acceptance), you must apply for SfN membership a minimum of two weeks prior to the date you intend to register for the annual meeting. Individuals who wish to become members before registering on-site at the meeting must submit membership applications prior to Friday, Sept. 12, 2008. Learn more about joining SfN.
Q. What does my registration fee include?
A. Your registration fee includes access to all SfN-sponsored sessions, lectures, exhibits, symposia, poster and slide presentations, and SfN-sponsored socials.
Q. Is there an exhibit hall only registration fee?
A. No. To visit the exhibit hall, you must register for the entire meeting.
Q. Do I have to register for Neuroscience 2008 to attend a satellite event?
A. No. Satellite and ancillary events are not sponsored by the Society.
Q. Do I have to register and pay the registration fee if I submitted an abstract?
A. Yes, the abstract handling fee does not include registration for Neuroscience 2008.
Q. Can someone else register another person?
A. Yes, as long as they can provide all of the necessary information and payment.
Q. Who can register as a guest?
A. A guest is a non-scientist family member or guest of a scientist. Guest registration fee includes a badge, admission to social events, and access to a scientific event for the sole purpose of observing the registered scientist's presentation. The following process and restrictions apply:
- A guest is only allowed to register once during the annual meeting.
- Include guest name(s) on the annual meeting registration form.
- A maximum of two guests per registrant are allowed.
- Include the day of the registered scientist's presentation on the registration form. The indicated day is printed on the guest's badge.
- Guests are admitted to scientific events (including poster and slide sessions and the exhibit area) only on the day printed on the guest badge. Only one full day is permitted for the week of the annual meeting.
Q. Can I pay by credit card?
A. Yes, you may pay for registration fees by credit card. The credit cards accepted are MasterCard, Visa, and American Express.
Q. Will I receive my badge prior to traveling to the 38th Annual Meeting?
A. You will receive your badge before the annual meeting if you registered online in advance by Friday, September 26. If registration was submitted by fax, phone, or mail, you will receive your badge by Friday, September 12.
Q. I have pre-registered but have not received my badge. Who should I contact?
A. SfN has contracted Convention Data Services (CDS) to process annual meeting registration. Contact CDS at (888) 736-6690 or (508) 743-0137.
Q. I have lost my badge? What do I do?
A. You can get a replacement badge on-site at the badge pick-up counter during registration hours.
Q. Where do I go for badge corrections?
A. A badge corrections booth is on-site in the registration area during registration hours.
Q. I have a question about my registration. Who should I contact?
A. Contact CDS at (888) 736-6690 or (508) 743-0137.
Q. I've registered for the 38th Annual Meeting but unexpectedly cannot attend. Can I send someone else in my place? If so, how would I go about making this substitution?
A. Contact Ramona Sawyer, Registration Manager, by e-mail at ramona@sfn.org or telephone at (202) 962-4000.
Q. What is the cancellation/refund policy?
A. A registration cancellation fee for processing is deducted from refunds: $15 for students and $30 for members and nonmembers. Guest registration fees are not refunded. The deadline for canceling and receiving a refund less the processing fee is Friday, Oct. 17, 2008. For processing, refund requests must meet the following criteria:
- Registrant's original badge is required for cancellation.
- The registrant's original badge must accompany written requests.
- If the cancellation was made by e-mail, SfN must receive the badge by Friday, Oct. 24, 2008. E-mailed cancellations are processed after the Society receives the registrant's original badge.
- After Friday, October 17, there are no refunds for cancellations of any type, including no-shows.
- Refunds are not issued for incorrect registration category. If you are unsure if you are a member or student member, contact membership@sfn.org.
- E-mail cancellation requests to SFN2008@xpressreg.net.
- Mail cancellations to:
Society for Neuroscience
Attn: Annual Meeting Registration
1121 14th Street, NW, Suite 1010
Washington, DC 20005
Back to top
Shuttle
Q. Which Washington, DC hotels will have complimentary shuttle service to the convention center?
A. SfN provides complimentary shuttle service between the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and most hotels the Society has contracted with for Neuroscience 2008 during the annual meeting dates of Friday, November 14 to Wednesday, November 19. View shuttle routes and schedules.
Q. Will the Society provide an airport shuttle?
A. Production Transport, the Society's shuttle provider, will offer transportation from the convention center to Washington Dulles International Airport for a fee of $25 per person. Transportation is not provided to Reagan National Airport or Baltimore/Washington International Airport - view other ground transportation options. Airport service is provided on Tuesday, November 18 and Wednesday, November 19. Reservations are required. Visit the shuttle information desk before your departure date to reserve your seat or purchase tickets online.
Q. Do I have to pay to ride the SfN Annual Meeting shuttle?
A. No. The SfN conference shuttle is a complimentary service provided for attendees staying at most Neuroscience 2008 contracted hotels.
Q. How often does the shuttle run?
A. Schedules vary - view the shuttle schedule. Shuttle schedules are posted in hotel lobbies of hotels with shuttle service as well as outside the convention center.
Q. Will the shuttle take me to other places besides the convention center?
A. No. However, you can access information on other forms of ground transportation.
Q. Is transportation provided between hotels and the convention center? Is there a fee?
A. The Society provides complimentary shuttle service between most SfN contracted hotels and the convention center during the annual meeting dates of Friday, November 14 to Wednesday, November 19.
Back to top
|
