AGU Fall Meeting in New Orleans: Press registration open; book hotel now

28 August 2017

WASHINGTON, DC — Discover the latest Earth and space science news at the 50th 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 from Monday through Friday, Dec. 11-15, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, 900 Convention Center Blvd, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70130.

Saint Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square is a symbol of New Orleans.
Credit: Nowhereman86, CC BY 3.0.

Included in this advisory:

About the Fall Meeting
Press registration information
Hotel information
Press field trip: Living with Water in New Orleans
U.S. visa regulations for international attendees

1. About the Fall Meeting

Journalists attending the Fall Meeting can learn about the latest research in fields as diverse as planetary evolution, natural hazards, changing climate, Earth observation, seafloor mapping and more. The preliminary program includes nearly 2,000 proposed sessions and more than 22,000 submitted abstracts.

Note: The preliminary program is subject to change. The final scientific program, along with the schedule of press conferences highlighting news being presented at the meeting, will be included in future advisories.

To help journalists report on newsworthy scientific findings presented at the Fall Meeting, AGU provides a press room where reporters, press officers, bloggers and others can work and mingle. In the press room — and in an online Virtual Press Room to be launched in November — AGU will make available copies of press releases about developments in Earth and space science and other news presented at the meeting. During the meeting, registered members of the press will also be able to reserve quiet rooms to conduct interviews. AGU will also provide online tools where reporters can connect with scientific experts at the meeting. More information about these tools, and how PIOs can participate, will be included in a future advisory.

AGU will also offer a series of press conferences about newsworthy scientific advances, announced in a schedule about a week before the meeting’s scientific sessions begin. Reporters can remotely participate in Fall Meeting press conferences via webstreaming. Information about how to sign up and access this feature will be included in a future advisory.

Public information officers of universities, government agencies, and research institutions can use the Fall Meeting as an opportunity to present research to more than 200 on-site reporters through press releases, press conferences, press workshops, media availabilities, a virtual press room, and one-on-one contact with the press. Please use the AGU Press Event Proposal Form to submit press conference, press workshop and media availability proposals. The deadline to propose a press event is Friday, September 29.

Information for the press will be posted to the Fall Meeting Media Center.

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

2. 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 for press credentials 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.

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

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. Hotels sell out quickly and AGU encourages members of the media to book hotel rooms as soon as possible to take advantage of preferential rates. Please see #3 below for more information about hotel reservations.

The AGU press office will also be hosting a field trip for members of the media 1-5 p.m. on Sunday, December 10, followed by a networking happy hour. Please see #4 below for more information.

3. Hotel information – book now for the best selection!

Members of the press can make hotel reservations through the online press registration site. You will need to submit your press registration before booking a hotel room. However, it is not required to wait for press registration approval before booking a hotel room.

Once you have submitted your press registration, you will see a link to add/modify your hotel reservation on the press registration site. An additional link to the housing website is provided in the registration acknowledgement email you will receive after submitting your registration. You can also log back into the press registration site using your email and registration ID to add/modify your hotel reservation. The deadline to book a hotel room in order to receive the special AGU room rate is Wednesday, November 15.

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 now to take advantage of the preferential rates. There are more than 50 hotel choices included in the registration form and rates start as low as $129.00 per day, plus tax. The special AGU room rates are subject to availability after the Nov. 15 deadline.

Please visit the Fall Meeting housing page to see a list of hotels offering the special AGU room rate, as well as their rates and locations. However, press must register and book housing via the press registration site, and not from the Fall Meeting housing page. Please use this page as a reference only.

4. Press field trip: Living with Water in New Orleans

On Sunday, December 10, AGU, ISEECHANGE and local scientists and experts will lead members of the media on a field trip around New Orleans focusing on the city’s relationship to water. Decisions around water infrastructure have influenced the most prominent aspects of New Orleans history and culture for the last 300 years. Now, as evident in recent flooding events in July and August, the city’s future depends on changing its relationship to water: “Living with Water” rather than treating it as an existential threat.

During this field trip, journalists will learn about cutting-edge approaches to combine citizen science, remote sensing data, and community engagement projects to influence the design of the city’s infrastructure. Through a comprehensive approach to building resilience, these projects aim to reduce flooding and subsidence, improve water quality, reduce the burden on existing drainage infrastructure, create inclusive workforce and economic development opportunities, and improve health and quality of life.

Participants will visit the Gentilly Resilience District and other New Orleans neighborhoods affected by flooding. The tour will include a history of the city’s relationship with water, exploration of green infrastructure demonstration projects implemented by various public agencies and nonprofits, and information about large-scale innovative urban water management projects breaking ground in 2018.

The field trip will conclude with a media networking happy hour alongside AGU scientists and local experts. Further details on the trip and happy hour will be provided closer to the meeting.

DETAILS
When: Sunday, December 10, 2017. Field trip: 1 – 5 pm; happy hour immediately afterward.

Where: The field trip will depart from the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, 2 Poydras St, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70130 and drop participants off at the happy hour location, which will be within walking distance of the New Orleans Convention Center. Further details on the trip and happy hour will be provided closer to the meeting.

Cost: Free!

Eligibility: Space for the tour is limited. Staff journalists representing media organizations, freelance journalists, photographers, videographers, bloggers, authors and filmmakers will have first priority for registration. If space is still available on the tour one week before the meeting, AGU will open the tour to public information officers and institutional science communicators. PIOs and institutional science communicators interested in attending can fill out the form on this page to be notified if space becomes available. The happy hour following the field trip is open to all AGU Fall Meeting press registrants.

If you are unsure what media category you fit into, read AGU’s press eligibility guidelines here.

Register: Reporters can register for the field trip here. All reporters planning to attend the field trip MUST pre-register; no on-site registrations will be accepted. Field trip attendees MUST be registered as press for the 2017 AGU Fall Meeting to attend. However, it is not necessary to wait for your press credentials to be approved to register for the field trip.

Note: If you register for the field trip and are unable to attend, please cancel your registration as soon as possible so that AGU can make your spot available to another person.

5. U.S. visa regulations for international reporters

All journalists who are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States need a visa to cover scientific meetings in the U.S. This also applies to journalists from “Visa Waiver Program” countries (e.g., Western Europe) who do not normally need visas to enter the U.S. as tourists.

The required visa is a “Media (I) Visa” issued by an American Embassy or Consulate in your home country. Journalists traveling internationally to attend the Fall Meeting should apply as soon as possible for a “Media (I) Visa.”

The U.S. Department of State has a “Media (I) Visa” fact sheet for journalists available on its website.

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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 Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and our other social media channels.