AGU Fall Meeting: Housing deadline 16 November; Online resources, new expert tools

7 November 2016


WASHINGTON, DC — Discover the latest Earth and space science news at the 49th annual AGU Fall Meeting this December, when about 24,000 attendees from around the globe are expected to assemble for the largest worldwide conference in the Earth and space sciences. This year, the meeting runs Monday through Friday, Dec. 12-16, 2016 at the Moscone Center, 747 Howard St., San Francisco, California.

Included in this advisory:

  1. Hotel reservation deadline
  2. Online resources – now live!
  3. New expert tools – now live!
  4. Abstracts and sessions online and searchable
  5. Press events and preliminary press conference topics
  6. Press registration information

Please visit the 2016 Fall Meeting Media Center to view previous media advisories that include important information about visas for international reporters and searching the scientific program. For any questions about the Fall Meeting or information included in this advisory, email [email protected].

  1. Hotel reservation deadline – Nov. 16

Hotel reservations are accessible via the online Fall Meeting housing page. It is not required to wait for press registration approval before booking a hotel room, nor is it required to book a hotel room when registering to attend the meeting. The deadline to book a hotel room through the Fall Meeting housing site is Wednesday, November 16. 

About 24,000 scientists, journalists, educators, and students are expected to attend this year’s meeting and hotels sell out quickly. Please consider booking a hotel room before the deadline to take advantage of the preferential rates. Please visit the Fall Meeting housing page to see a list of hotels offering the special AGU room rate, as well as their locations.

NOTE: AGU will not be offering shuttle service to/from the Moscone Center.

  1. Online resources – now live!

During the Fall Meeting, journalists can find many resources online in the Virtual Press Room in the Media Center on the Fall Meeting website. Public information officers (PIOs) can now post releases and other materials on the site.

For journalists: In the Virtual Press Room, journalists can find press releases, press conference materials (including PowerPoint presentations, images, videos, scientific papers, and more, as available) and other information. Videos of press conferences will be added to the Virtual Press Room during the meeting for easy online access.

For public information officers: PIOs are now able to share press releases and other materials in the Virtual Press Room by directly uploading them via the Press Item Uploader. PIOs can upload press releases, tip sheets and press conference materials to the Virtual Press Room at any time before or during the meeting, including uploading items in advance and scheduling them to post during the meeting.

Please note: PIOs do not need to register to upload press materials to the Virtual Press Room. However, only public information and press officers of recognized scientific societies, educational institutions, government agencies and non-profit Earth and space science research organizations are eligible to upload press releases. The AGU press office may remove any press releases posted by press officers who do not meet these criteria.

  1. New expert tools – now live!

The AGU press office is offering two new online tools to connect reporters with scientific experts at the 2016 Fall Meeting.

The Find an Expert tool allows public information officers to list scientific experts who are available to be interviewed by reporters at the meeting. The Request an Expert tool allows reporters to send requests for experts directly to PIOs. These new tools are now available online in the Fall Meeting Media Center.

For journalists: With the Find an Expert tool, reporters can search a list of scientific experts in various topic areas who are at the meeting and available for interviews. These experts have been listed by PIOs from recognized scientific societies, educational institutions, government agencies and non-profit Earth and space science research organizations. With the Request an Expert tool, reporters can send a request for an expert directly to PIOs via email. When a reporter fills out the “Request an Expert” form, participating PIOs will receive a private email with the reporter’s name and affiliation as well as information about the kind of expert he or she is seeking. PIOs can then contact reporters directly if they have an expert available.

For public information officers: With the Find an Expert tool, PIOs can list up to 10 scientific experts who are at the meeting and available for interviews with reporters. Reporters can then search the list of available experts for scientists who meet their needs. PIOs do not need to register to list an expert; they simply need to fill out the “List an Expert” form on the Find an Expert page.

The Request an Expert tool allows reporters to send a request for an expert directly to PIOs via email. When a reporter fills out the “Request an Expert” form, participating PIOs will receive a private email with the reporter’s name and affiliation as well as information about the kind of expert he or she is seeking. PIOs can then contact reporters directly.

PIOs who wish to receive emails from reporters as part of the Request an Expert tool should fill out the “Expert requests notification sign up” form.

Please note: PIOs do not need to register to list an expert on the Find an Expert page. However, only public information and press officers of recognized scientific societies, educational institutions, government agencies and non-profit Earth and space science research organizations are eligible to list experts. The AGU press office may remove any experts posted by press officers who do not meet these criteria.

More information about these tools can be found in the Fall Meeting Media Center.

  1. Abstracts and sessions online and searchable

The full scientific program for the 2016 Fall Meeting is now searchable online. This includes more than 1,700 sessions and nearly 23,000 abstracts. For more information about the program, visit the Scientific Program page on the AGU Fall Meeting website.

AGU On-Demand provides online access to live streaming and recorded content from the meeting, including lectures and oral presentations. Click here for a full list of AGU On-Demand sessions. E-posters (electronic versions of Fall Meeting posters) will also be available online.

Registration for access to AGU On-Demand is required, but free. For more information, email [email protected].

NOTE: Audio recording, photography and video recording are not allowed in scientific sessions or in poster halls.

  1. Press events and preliminary press conference topics

AGU’s Public Information office will be hosting three kinds of press events at the Fall Meeting:

  1. Press Conference – A small panel of speakers will share newsworthy findings being presented at the meeting.
  2. Workshop – Experts will provide comprehensive information and answer reporters’ questions about an upcoming project or mission, or an ongoing area of research, rather than present breaking news.
  3. Media Availability – A prominent person(s) in the Earth and space sciences will be available to reporters.

So far, we expect briefings on the changing Arctic, Mars, Jupiter, melting ice sheets, the ionosphere and more. This list will grow and is subject to change.

The full list of press events, including dates, times, summaries and lists of participants, will appear in a future advisory. All press events will take place in the Press Conference Room: Moscone West, Room 3000. Information about press conference web streaming will be included in a future advisory.

In addition to press conferences, AGU is also offering other events and activities of interest to the press, including beginner and advanced Blogging and Social Media Forums, a Fall Meeting Tweetup and more. Search all Fall Meeting events in the Events Calendar.

NOTE: Some events and activities, including but not limited to invitation-only events and communications workshops, are not open to press badge holders.

  1. Press registration information

Online press registration for the Fall Meeting is now open. Please pre-register to expedite the on-site badge pick-up process.

The AGU Press Office provides complimentary press registration to members of the media for the express purpose of gathering news and information to produce media coverage of AGU meetings. Press registrants receive, at no charge, a badge that provides access to all scientific sessions, the press room and the press conference room. For eligibility requirements, please visit the Press Registration Eligibility Requirements page.

Registrations are approved at the discretion of the AGU press office and approval may take up to 5 business days. Eligible members of the press may also register on-site at the meeting. The on-site registration location, badge pick-up location, and Press Room, Press Conference Room, and Quiet Rooms locations will be included in a future advisory.

Check the online Who’s Coming list of journalists and press officers who have registered for the meeting. This list is updated regularly.

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The American Geophysical Union is dedicated to advancing the Earth and space sciences for the benefit of humanity through its scholarly publications, conferences, and outreach programs. AGU is a not-for-profit, professional, scientific organization representing more than 60,000 members in 139 countries. Join the conversation on FacebookTwitterYouTube, and our other social media channels.


AGU Contact:

Lauren Lipuma
+1 (202) 777-7396
[email protected]