Speaker Information
VISA INFORMATION
The INFORMS Annual Meeting has been posted on the U.S. Department
of State’s Intranet Listing for Conferences in the United
States. These sites provide helpful information on visas:
http://travel.state.gov
http://usembassy.state.gov
http://www.unitedstatesvisas.gov/
http://www.dhs.gov/us-visit
TRANSPORTATION TO HOTELS
REGISTRATION
- Registration
Click here to register.
Avoid waiting in line. If you pre-register before Oct. 30, you can pick up your registration materials on Saturday, Nov. 3, 3:00pm-7:00pm, Sunday-Wednesday 7:00am-5:00pm, at the registration counters (Convention Center, East Lobby, level 6). These are the hours for on-site registration also.
- Badge Required for Technical Sessions
Your Seattle 2007 registration badge must be worn to all meeting
events. Badges will be checked at the entrance to technical
session areas, as well as the exhibit hall. Attendees without
badges will be directed to the registration desk to pick
up their badges and register.
All attendees, including cluster chairs, session chairs and
speakers must register and pay the registration fee.
ROOM LOCATIONS
The printed program you receive in Seattle will list room locations
for all sessions and events, as well as provide floor plans.
Technical sessions, registration, exhibits, plenary presentations
and the Sunday evening reception will be held at the Washington
State Convention and Trade Center. Additional technical sessions
will be held at the Sheraton Seattle, with subdivision meetings
held at both the Convention Center and Sheraton.
AUDIO-VISUAL SERVICES
Every room will be equipped with an LCD (data) projector and an overhead. Please
follow these guidelines to ensure a successful presentation using the LCD projector:
- Bring your laptop PC to your session. We supply the projector,
but we DO NOT supply the computer.
- Bring your AC power adaptor with you. There will be convenient
AC power in every session room.
- Arrive at your session at least 30 minutes before it begins.
All presenters in a session should set up and test the connection
to the projector before the session begins.
- Do NOT attempt to run your presentation off the laptop battery,
no matter how trustworthy.
- Produce and bring overhead transparencies as a backup.
Speaker Ready Room:
There will be a special Speaker Ready Room
available near the INFORMS registration desk during the meeting.
You can stop by and practice connecting your laptop to the projector.
We will also have quick instructions at each session room and
technical assistance available for any problems.
PRESENTATION GUIDELINES
Online Program
The program will be posted online in August. The online program
is considered to be the final version of the preliminary program.
This means that once the program appears online, we are not able
to move either single presentations or full sessions to other
time slots. Speakers go to the online program for the date and
time of their presentations and then make travel and hotel arrangements
based on this information. We can add to existing sessions or
add new sessions as time and space permit. You can also make
changes to your abstract title, abstract or list of authors.
Making Your Presentation
Go to the registration area and pick up your Seattle Meeting Program,
name badge and other registration materials. The room and location
of your session will be listed in the Technical Sessions section
and in the Master Track Schedule.
- Arrive at your session at least ½ hour early for A/V
set-up.
- Limit your presentation to key issues with a brief summary.
- Time your presentation to fit within your designated time span,
leaving time for audience questions. Time per speaker is determined
by the number of papers in the session, with equal time given
to each paper.
- Bring copies of your paper or other handouts to distribute
to the audience.
LATE CANCELLATIONS (after September 15) & NO-SHOWS
Please don't be a "no-show." While we understand that
last-minute circumstances may prevent speakers from attending,
we urge you to inform us so we can alert attendees. Speakers who
fail to notify us that they are not attending are being unfair
to their colleagues and the Organizing Committee. In an effort
to improve the quality of the meeting, we maintain records of individuals
who are late cancellations (cancel after September 15) and “no-shows.” These
people may be required to register in advance for future meetings
in order for their papers to be scheduled.
- Send cancellation in writing to abstractcentral@informs.org with
the reason for canceling. Cancellations will be listed in the
Program Addendum and deleted from the online program.
- Invited and Sponsored speakers should also inform their session
chair if they are not able to attend the meeting to make their
presentation(s).
- If a paper is withdrawn from a session before the meeting,
the session chair may add a new speaker or extra time may be
allowed for the remaining speakers.
- Invited and Sponsored session chairs should find a substitute
to act as chair in their place.
- If a speaker is a "no-show," the original
time schedule should be adhered to rather than sliding every
talk forward. This allows for effective session jumping.
SESSION CHAIR GUIDELINES
The role of the Chair is to coordinate the smooth running of the
session. The Chair:
- Begins and ends each session on time. Each session lasts 90
minutes, with the time per presentation determined by the number
of papers in the session. Equal time should be given to each
paper.
- Introduces each presentation (just the title of the paper and
the name of the presenting author).
- Ensures that presentations are made in the order shown in the
program. This allows for "session jumping." If a speaker
cancels or does not attend, the original time schedule should
be adhered to rather than sliding every talk forward.
- Completes the session attendance forms (forms will be in
the room).
HOW TO NAVIGATE THE MEETING
Printed Program
The printed program provides four primary resources to help you
understand and navigate the INFORMS Technical Sessions:
- The technical session listing, which provides the most detailed
information. The listing is presented chronologically by day/time,
showing each session and the papers/abstracts/authors within
each session.
- The Author, Session Chair and Session indices provide cross-reference
assistance.
- Floor plans that show you where technical session tracks are
located.
- The Master Track Schedule - an overview of the tracks (general
topic areas) and when/where they are scheduled.
The Session Code
Each session is identified with a code - for example, MB25.
- The first letter is the day of the week.
- The second letter is the time block (A = 8:00-9:30am; B = 10:00-11:30am;
C = 1:30-3:00pm; D = 4:30-6:00pm). NOTE: Wed.
D = 3:30-5:00pm.
- The number is the track, which correlates with room location.
To Find Your Own Session
Use the Author Index at the back of the printed program - the session
code for your presentation(s) will be shown. Then refer to the
full session listing for the location of your session(s).
To Find Sessions of Interest
Before you arrive in Seattle, use the online Program Search to
identify sessions you want to attend. Search by CLUSTER to see
what's available in broad topic areas. Search by KEY WORD for
particular interests. Search by SESSION for a chronological look
at sessions available each day. Or search by AUTHOR. You can
also create your own itinerary.
Once you arrive in Seattle, the best
method for finding sessions of interest is to use the Master
Track Schedule. It provides an overview of the general topic
areas for all sessions during the week.
Program Information Booth
In Seattle, there will be Program Information booths located near
the INFORMS registration desk. If you have any questions or comments
about the program, we encourage you to stop by.
WEATHER: WHAT TO EXPECT
Average daytime temperature for November in Seattle is 52 degrees
Fahrenheit (11 Celsius). Be sure to bring a light jacket or raincoat.
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