FAQs for Neuroscience 2021

General Attendee
Abstract Presenters
Exhibitors

General Attendee

I was planning to attend in Chicago. Can I get my registration refunded?
Any registrant of Neuroscience 2021 who wishes to cancel their registration can do so on or before October 25, 2021 by emailing sfnregistration@xpressreg.net and providing your full name, the email address associated with the registration, and the confirmation number found on the emailed registration confirmation. SfN is reversing the previous 2021 refund policy that was communicated and this change in policy supersedes any prior communication. We apologize for the confusion and contradictory information.

Please note, anyone who cancels their Neuroscience 2021 registration will not have access to virtual Neuroscience 2021 and, if an abstract was submitted, will not be able to present their poster. Echoing SfN President Barry Everitt, we hope Neuroscience 2021 registrants will elect to take part in the fully virtual Neuroscience 2021 meeting being held November 8-11.

What content and services will be available during the virtual experience?
The virtual experience will offer a full slate of scientific programming that is typical to SfN’s classic in-person meeting. This includes two dozen lectures, more than 50 symposia and minisymposia, and several timely panels, as well as over 9,000 abstracts. Plus, to mark 50 years of the SfN meeting, attendees can join specially curated sessions showcasing the evolution of the field and the promising future.

Attendees will also be able to engage with hundreds of exhibitors, as well as participate in the SfN Grad Fair featuring more than 50 university graduate and undergraduate programs seeking student applications. One can also watch videos honoring awardees who are being acknowledged for their contributions to the field and participate in networking sessions during the mornings and evenings.

As mandated by its bylaws, SfN will hold its annual Members’ Business Meeting in conjunction with Neuroscience 2021 with details to follow.

What content and services will not be available
To keep the focus on scientific exchange and to encourage interaction at the over 80 top-of-the-program sessions and thousands of abstracts, there will be no professional development workshops, meet-the-expert sessions, or advocacy or outreach-related panels during the meeting. Instead, these workshops and panels will be held virtually throughout the year. There will also be no career fair in November.

Look out for more information about “SfN’s Career Development Days” to be held over the winter. This will include a number of professional development workshops and a Job Fair with opportunities for attendee jobseekers to engage with potential employers.

I cannot attend the dates of the Neuroscience 2021 Virtual Experience but want access to the content. Will I be able to access the program content before or afterwards?
Beginning the Neuroscience 2021 experience, “Preview Days” take place November 3-7 with the release of all poster, symposia, and minisymposia presentations. During these five days, attendees can virtually explore the annual meeting’s scientific content and sessions at their own pace and leave questions for speakers and poster presenters to answer.

The full virtual experience will be available until November 30, 2021 and can be accessed at your convenience using your registration credentials.

Is there a new rate for the virtual experience?
Neuroscience 2021 registration provides access to a full scientific program and all virtual posters. Additionally, virtual Neuroscience 2021 includes a graduate school fair, networking, and other virtual opportunities for registrants. Neuroscience 2021 advance registration rates will be applicable to all Neuroscience 2021 registrations, regardless of registration date. There will be no price increase for anyone wishing to register for the fully virtual Neuroscience 2021. This policy will be retroactive, meaning anyone who paid a higher amount will be refunded the difference automatically.

See the chart on the registration fees page for specifics applicable to your specific member category. In addition, acknowledging the frustration and disappointment of not being able to convene in person, SfN is offering all Neuroscience 2021 registrants a 50% discount on 2022 SfN membership. Details on how to redeem this benefit will be forthcoming.

Was the elimination of the in-person experience a financial decision?
No, the SfN Council eliminated the in-person experience because of the withdrawal of a significant number of in-person speakers (nearly half) and low registration rates of the in-person portion of the meeting, meaning the scientific coherence of the in-person experience was at risk.

I reserved a hotel room with SfN's official housing provider, how do I cancel the reservation? Will I be charged?
If you made your reservation with SfN’s official housing provider, CMR, your reservation will be cancelled for you and no deposits will be charged.  No action is required to cancel your hotel reservation; cancellations will occur automatically. Please allow 2 weeks for all cancellations to be processed; an email will be sent confirming the hotel cancellation. There is no need for you to contact the hotel or CMR.

If you made your hotel reservation outside of SfN’s official housing provider, then you must cancel your reservation directly with the hotel.  For participants and exhibitors who booked through any entity other than SfN’s official housing provider, CMR, cancellations must be made directly with the hotel/entity and are subject to their policies. SfN is not responsible for cancellation fees through third-party bookings.

I’m an attendee and have already purchased my airfare and hotel through a third part, will SfN reimburse me?
SfN does not provide reimbursement for travel arrangements. You should consult airline and hotel policies for cancelations and refunds.

Abstract Presenters

What do I need to prepare and do to present an abstract virtually?
There are three things you need to do:

• Prepare a virtual poster, a PDF of 5-10 slides
• Record a 5-minute audio or video presentation
• You are asked to attend the virtual poster session discussion group that includes the other abstracts in your session, as well as attendees interested in the session topic. No advanced preparation is needed – just come ready to answer questions.

Learn more about how to prepare.

I’m presenting an abstract, can I get my abstract fee refunded if I don’t want to participate in the virtual meeting?
The abstract fee is a non-reimbursable handling fee. If you do not wish to present your abstract, you may withdraw it by contacting program@sfn.org. This means it will not show up in the program. Please do so by October 29 so that meeting attendees can plan their itineraries accordingly.

Exhibitors

What features will be offered to exhibitors in the virtual experience?
Exhibitors in the virtual experience will have the following features in their virtual booth:   
Exhibitor Name | Description  | Website  | Social Media  | Exhibitor Banner Image  | Exhibitor Logo Image | Exhibitor Giveaway Feature | Request Additional Information | Representative/Contact Information  | Exhibitor PDF Links  | Exhibitor Website Links | Exhibitor Video Upload | Exhibitor Products and Categories | Exhibitor Video Chat with Attendees | Two Attendee Meeting Access Badge | Lead Generation

My company already paid for a booth in Chicago, but we are undecided about exhibiting at the virtual experience. What are our options?
We encourage you to exhibit as the virtual meeting will have thousands of attendees interested in products and services.  However, if you choose not to exhibit there are high-visibility sponsorship opportunities available for fully virtual Neuroscience 2021. Contact sponsorship@sfn.org if you are interested in any of these opportunities.

Will exhibitors receive a refund?
Please contact exhibits@sfn.org with any questions or concerns. All companies that have already purchased in-person exhibit space will receive a full refund less the cost of a virtual booth in their category (commercial, nonprofit, or institute).  Please note that companies will not be able to apply any funds to future years.