Thank you to everyone for your attendance at ICA23 (whether in person or online), and for the heartfelt and kind messages we’ve received since returning to the office thanking us for our work and letting us know how much you enjoyed the conference! We’re still basking in the glow, but it’s time to move on to ICA24 planning! Our President-Elect, Silvio Waisbord, has already shared with you the theme and

theme committee for the ICA24 conference, so I’m here to relay all the operational details you might need to know when considering attendance. 

ICA24 LOCATION & DATES

Broadbeach, Queensland, is the centerpiece of the “Gold Coast” of Australia: a beautiful, relaxed beach town surrounded by a ton of cultural heft and beautiful flora and fauna. If you attended the conference in San Diego, the “vibe” is similar to that except there’s an actual sand beach instead of just a concrete waterfront (no offense, San Diego!). This is a “do-over” of the ICA20 conference that was canceled due to the pandemic, and we are so excited to have the opportunity to go back! Conference dates are from Thursday, 20 June to Monday, 24 June 2024. Conference dates are in JUNE, but the submission deadlines will remain the same so that those who require visas for entry will have more time to apply. 

FORMAT

There will be both in-person and remote options. We have not yet decided how much of the conference will be hybrid, but it will likely be similar to Toronto and will definitely be supported by professional A/V technicians. 

VENUE/HOTEL

The Star Hotel (formerly Jupiters) will house half of our sessions and 90% of the sleeping rooms as well. The intimate, bright, and airy boutique Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre (it’s quite small for a convention center, not like the gigantic one in Paris) is only a five-minute walk away–connected by a pedestrian bridge over an inlet–from the Star. The Star has traditional sleeping rooms as well as numerous upgrade options and a collection of condo-like apartments that can be rented as part of our block (with no maid service, much like staying in an Airbnb…but without the fear that you’ll get your booking canceled at the last minute). We will also have an overflow block at the Sofitel, a few blocks toward the beach. Broadbeach is a compact town, so you can walk out the front door of the Star or the Convention Center, grab a flat white and an avocado toast along the way, and have your toes in the sand within 15 minutes. 

HOTEL BLOCK

The room block will be handled the same as in prior years. We will make the booking site link available in early March (exact date TBD) 2024:

• Day 1: to Tier B & C/Global South pre-registrants (those who registered before the cutoff date of 1 February) 

• Day 2: to Tier A pre-registrants before 1 Feb, and

• Day 3: open to all. 

I am also working on getting a separate “student block” just for student members, with rooms at a lower rate, that would be released to students on Day 1. More to come on that once I know more. 

Why should I book in the block? 

Hotels sign a “lowest rate” clause, meaning that they cannot legally offer rooms at a lower rate than what we have negotiated, even to discount sites like Expedia (EXAMPLE: the day our block expired in Paris, the same rooms we secured for ICA at 229 Euros immediately jumped to 478 Euros for tourists, and then later to over 2,000 Euros when the French Open entered the equation). Our headquarters hotel is large, but we always book a few overflow properties nearby to keep prices low, the primary one of which is the Sofitel. 

There are many rental options in Broadbeach and you are welcome to use those but you book at your own risk; ICA cannot help you cancel your reservation at an offsite property if the conference gets canceled for some reason (as happened in 2020). We receive messages every year from distraught attendees about their Airbnb being canceled by the host at the last minute,  to find the door was locked or someone else was already sleeping there, or (in one case) no water or electricity. I have no control over what happens at Airbnb, Vrbo, etc, so you stay at your own risk. Even if you stay within the block, but especially if you don’t, we highly recommend you procure travel insurance from Allianz or another reputable agency to cover your flights, lodging, etc in case of unforeseen complications. 

HOTEL RATES

The heavily discounted rates that I negotiate for ICA attendees apply for three days before and after the event dates. Before the block opens, we will publish all rates (not just the starting rates) on the website, in recognition that universities look at the rates published online when determining what they will reimburse. For now, you need only know that the rates at the Star begin at single/double occupancy of AUD$285 (currently this is equal to US$190 or €175, but obviously that fluctuates) and we benchmark other hotel blocks off of that rate, as closely as possible. 

FLIGHTS

Our local host chair, ICA Past President Terry Flew, will be giving advice in the newsletter in the coming months, but right from the start, I’ll share here that he recommends you fly to Sydney or Melbourne and then fly direct to the Gold Coast Airport (code OOL, due to its former name of Coolangatta Airport), rather than flying to Brisbane and doing what is not a particularly short train or bus ride to Gold Coast. I have negotiated discounts for attendees for both the bus and the train from Brisbane, but in terms of convenience, you may be better off with the direct flight from Sydney or Melbourne to Gold Coast. 

Once you arrive, there is a light rail system that whisks you easily, cleanly, and cheaply from one part of the Gold Coast to another. The light rail stops right in front of the convention center that houses half of our sessions, as well as right in front of the Sofitel (if you prefer to walk, though, it’s only a seven minute or so straight shot). 

VISAS

We are sensitive to the difficulties felt by our members who must apply for visas to attend the conference, and we strive to make things as easy as possible for you. As always, our conference website will have a visa Information page and we are working on other aids as well. In the meantime, however, it’s important to know the following information: 

There are two categories: Electronic Travel Authority (601) and Visitor Visa (600). There is a “visa finder” guide where you can look up what type you need here. The ETA category is for about 30 countries, and people applying for a 601 will have few issues. The Visitor Visa (600) is the one where issues could potentially arise. The processing times on the web site for the 600 stream are: 

•                         25% of applications: 5 Days

•                         50% of applications: 10 Days

•                         75% of applications: 18 Days

•                         90% of applications: 28 Days

TRAVEL GRANTS AND DEADLINES

In order to ease the “time crunch” for travel grant applicants who need visas, we are moving the Haley Travel Grant deadline earlier to ensure that one can find out about a travel award in time to apply for a visa. Previously a March awards announcement, the travel grant process will now be open in January for a 1 February deadline to apply, with decisions sent out in mid to late February rather than late March. 

SOCIAL EVENTS AND OTHER THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO

I had already gotten pretty far in the planning process when the pandemic canceled our conference in March of 2020, so I can say with confidence that we will have some AMAZING things in store for those who make the trip to Gold Coast to attend ICA24 in person. What’s more, the food in Gold Coast is amazing, and the weather in late June is typically temperate and calm; we all have our preferences but for me, it’s the ideal weather: a high of 70℉ by day and 52℉ at night (21℃ high and 11℃ low). 

We’ll be setting up our FAQ soon, so hang on for more information but rest assured, this will be one you won’t want to miss!