Record Numbers Register Early for Conference
Already, over 1300 people have registered for the ICA conference in London. Registration has only been open 6 weeks, making this yet another record in ICA history! By comparison, Boston, our largest conference to date, was at 522 registrants on the same date in 2011. We suspect that the high number of registrations is due to people ensuring they reserved a room at the conference hotel. This year, only ICA members that had registered for the conference could access the hotel reservation site. The restriction has now been removed; however, those who have waited until this point will find that the Hilton Metropole has reached capacity for most days of the conference. There are several other hotels in the immediate vicinity with which we have negotiated reduced pricing. Still, we advise all those who have not yet booked a hotel to not wait until the last minute, as these overflow hotels are likely to fill to capacity, as well. Follow this link for more information on hotels, including a map of the area. Life and Sustaining ICA Members are once again reminded that, while their conference registration fee has been pre-paid, registration is still required if they plan to attend. Visit the conference site for more information.
A popular item this year is London’s Oyster Card transit pass, which can be selected during conference registration. A deal at $20, the card provides access to the metro system in London, and comes pre-loaded with £10 (to which additional funds can later be added). The Oyster Card heavily discounts the cost to travel on various metro systems within the city. We recommend that you consider that option if you plan to explore the city.
This year, no virtual conference is planned, as costs when compared to site visits have proved to be unsustainable. The unfortunate truth about the venture is that very few people visited the site. Of those who did, 80 percent did so while at the main conference! The cost of obtaining recording and streaming equipment and of providing internet access with the necessary bandwidth to handle live streaming in one room alone cost $20,000 in Phoenix.
While the Virtual Conference will not be repeated this year, many familiar ICA events will continue in London. Combining two events from last year, the ICA Annual Member Meeting and New Member and Graduate Student Orientation will serve two functions. First, it will facilitate conversation between the ICA Executive Committee and ICA members. All members are welcome to attend should they have questions on ICA policies, procedures, or decisions. Second, the meeting will orient new members and registrants participating in the conference for the first time. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, 18 June at 10:30, and more information will be sent by email prior to the conference.
Speaking of new members, our membership is quickly returning to its usual hovering point in terms of numbers. Many of our members do not renew until conference registration. Of our 3600 members, the regions with the highest representation after the United States are Europe, East Asia, and West Asia with 855, 201, and 206 respectively. Non-US Americas follows with 151 members and Africa/Oceania following closely at 124. Members from each region are invited to receptions hosted by their At-Large board member representatives during the London conference. The intent of these events is to foster conversations about hosting future regional ICA conferences and thereby increase interest in ICA within each region. The receptions will all be held from 18:30 -19:30 on Wednesday, 19 June.
ICA student members should also watch their email for our Call for Volunteers in early March. Each year, 20-25 students are selected to help our small staff register guests on-site and answer attendee’s questions. Selection is based on financial need. Volunteers will receive a conference fee waiver, a free membership for next year’s term and a small stipend for their assistance. Volunteering at an ICA conference is a great way to become familiar with the conference structure, not to mention gain exposure to hundreds of fellow scholars!
Finally, the online program is now available at the All Academic paper management site. Create your own personalized program by logging in and clicking the My Program link on the upper-right corner. You can add the sessions you wish to attend and then print your schedule for later. Additional dates to keep in mind include 1-30 April, when paper presenters will be able to upload revised versions of their papers, and 10 May, when conference preregistration closes.
We are thrilled by the record level of interest and enthusiasm surrounding our 63rd Annual Conference and look forward to seeing everyone in London!