AGU Fall Meeting: Press Registration Open, Book Hotel Now

25 August 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 from Monday through Friday, Dec. 12 – 16, at the Moscone Center, 747 Howard St., San Francisco, California.

Included in this advisory:

  1. About the Fall Meeting
  2. Press registration information
  3. Hotel information
  4. 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 exploration of dwarf planets, geophysical responses to natural hazards, changing climate and vegetation, advances in Earth observation, coral bleaching and more. The preliminary program includes more than 1,700 proposed sessions and nearly 23,000 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 either of two quiet rooms to conduct interviews.

AGU also plans to provide a new online tool where reporters can find and request interviews with scientific experts at the meeting. More information about this tool, and how PIOs can participate, will be included in a future advisory.

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

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.

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

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, a virtual press room, and one-on-one contact with the press. If you have an idea for a press conference, please email [email protected] for a copy of the press conference proposal form. The deadline to propose a press conference is Friday, September 30.

  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. However, 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.

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.

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

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

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 in order receive the special AGU room rate 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 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 $155.00 per day, plus tax. The special AGU room rates are subject to availability after the Nov. 16 deadline.

Please visit the Fall Meeting housing page to see a list of hotels offering the special AGU room rate, as well as their locations.

  1. 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 FacebookTwitterYouTube, and our other social media channels.


AGU Contact:

Nanci Bompey
+1 (202) 777-7524
[email protected]

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