If you haven't noticed, the registration site for the ICA 2009 annual conference, "Keywords in Communication," is now live and ready for your registration. Information on the conference, hotel and airline information, as well as the link to actually register are at http://www.icahdq.org/conferences/2009/. Visitors to the site will also see links to other information, like helpful hints for poster presenters; sponsorship, exhibitor, and advertising information; and descriptions of the various conference events. There are several changes in store for you this year.
Probably the biggest change is the option to receive either a printed program or a flash drive with the program in it. Make your selection while you are registering for the conference; the two options are at the top of the registration form. As an added incentive, the flash drive includes abstracts of all the papers presented at the conference. Creating this option is a first effort to make ICA "greener" in its ecological footprint. We invite you to consider selecting it and printing out only the pages you may need. The printed programs will be on recycled paper and recycling bins will be available towards the end of the conference for registrants who do not wish to keep their programs.
Our conference bags are also different this year and you will also have the option of receiving a bag or not at the conference. The bags are made of recycled material and are tote bags handy for use as grocery sacks after the conference. They are green (of course!) and each bag zips into itself--down to the size of a coin purse for easy storage! Again, bins will be available at the end of the conference for those who prefer not to keep the bags. You may also notice the absense of paper "stuffers" in the conference bags--that option has been eliminated also in an effort to conserve paper and eliminate waste.
If you are interested in finding out more about what the "greening" of ICA mean's there will be a roundtable session examining the implications for ICA and its efforts to make less of an impact on the environment. Quoting from the session description, the discussion will "...call out to ICA members across the globe, asking us to reflect on our institutional practices at the same time that we critically examine the various meanings of 'green' and 'sustainable.'"
A closing reception--also new for ICA--has been scheduled Sunday evening. Please make note that while the event is free, we do need you to register for the event while you are registering for the conference, so that we know how much food and beverage to order. Don't forget to include any guests you may want to invite.
On Monday, a full schedule of meeting rooms will run through 1:00 pm. There is a closing plenary scheduled for midmorning, at which well-known researcher Ulrich Beck will speak.
We hope that you will consider joining us May 21 in Chicago at the conference or on May 20th for one of the 12 preconference sessions. Don't forget to take a look at the various excursions that have been put together for you and your guests. Everything from walking and river tours to nights on the town have been scheduled, and all will be fun events!
Finally, note that the theme book from last year's conference in Montreal is available for purchase on your registration form. According to its description, "Communicating for Social Impact: Engaging Communication Theory, Research, and Pedagogy, edited by Lynn M. Harter, Mohan J. Dutta, and Courtney E. Cole, [is an] edited collection [that] provides a forum for communication scholars whose efforts are directed toward social change. Originating from theme sessions at the 2008 convention of the International Communication Association (ICA), this volume engages communication theory to enlarge communication practices." Consider ordering the book for yourself and perhaps some for your colleagues!
Contact us should you have any questions. We hope to see you in Chicago!
Sam Luna
Director of Member Services
sluna@icahdq.org