ISPP Annual Scientific Meeting

Frequently Asked Questions:

What do I do if I want to  present at the ISPP annual meeting?

• The Call for Papers and instructions on how to submit a proposal to present at the meeting are posted on our web site http://ispp.org/meet.html in the Fall, 9-10 months prior to each meeting. When you submit, you will be asked to select a section that best fits your presentation, provide contact information for all persons involved, and include a title and abstract for the presentation. The deadline for submitting is set by program chairs and is usually mid-January or early February.

Are meetings multi-lingual?

• English is the official language of all annual meetings and all participants are asked to make their presentations in English. This is because English is the language that most of our participants from around the world have in common, and we want to share information across regions. As an international society we do, however, highly value diversity. Therefore, we encourage bi- and multi-lingual visual aids, handouts, and abstracts, and are always working toward more bi-lingual signage and written materials. From time-to-time ISPP is also able to provide real-time translation services for some of our special events. The high cost of these services, however, makes using them throughout our conferences impossible.

Why are the meetings always scheduled for July?

• We choose dates for the meetings based on the availability of reasonable rates for using the conference site, hotels, etc. We also try to schedule our meetings for a period of time when most academics around the world are available. This is usually mid-July for European sites and early July for North American sites.

• We set fees based on costs to ISPP for holding meetings in the venue chosen each year. Costs vary greatly per site. We try to keep registration fees as low as possible while still covering our costs. We usually do not make money on meetings, but need not to lose money or the Society would not be able to function.

Are meetings open to non-members?

• Absolutely. Annual Scientific Meetings are open to everyone. However, current ISPP members always pay less for registration. So consider becoming a member/renewing your membership prior to registering for the conference.

• Membership and meeting registration are two separate processes. To join/renew membership, see: http://ispp.org/join.html. We do check membership status of registrants, so if you accidentally select and pay the member rate for the meeting and your membership is not current, we will contact you prior to the meeting.

• We pay for any special events and food and need to pass those costs on to participants who attend them. We work to set all fees as low as possible to allow the most people to participate, but we must be sure to cover our costs. If we raised basic registration fees for everyone enough to cover our costs for special events and receptions, many people, especially students and young scholars, may not be able to afford to come at all.

• AV available varies per site and presenters will be informed about what's available. We usually need to pay for rental of AV equipment and technical support staff. We work to negotiate the best possible AV situation, but often, we simply cannot afford to rent enough AV equipment to fully equip up to 10 rooms for 10 hours a day for four days. We highly recommend that presenters on the same panel contact each other months before the conference to facilitate sharing equipment. [Note: in Paris, 2008, all rooms will be equipped with LCD projectors/beamers and overhead projectors. Presenters must provide their own laptops.]

• Internet access will vary per site. When we hold the meeting at a hotel, we will try to select a hotel with internet connection available in rooms, but you will need to bring your own laptop. Some hotels--as well as some university facilities--may also have public internet stations available to all guests and/or students and faculty. This amenity is one of many we consider when choosing the best location and site.

• Accommodations are not included with registration, and individuals must make their own reservations. We do our best to provide offers and information. When the meeting is held at a hotel, that hotel holds a number of rooms aside at a discounted rate, and in exchange, we promise the hotel that a certain number of participants will book those rooms. If our participants do not fill those rooms, we pay a penalty fee. So in those cases, we can only provide information on the host hotel. When the meeting is not held at a hotel, we have no commitments--or guaranteed lowest rates. We will make suggestions, but you may find other/better options on your own.

Are less expensive accommodations available?

• When we meet at a hotel, there is a discount available. However, if this rate is still cost prohibitive, you can always explore other options on your own. When we hold a conference at a university facility or other non-hotel site, we have no agreement with any hotel and cannot provide any special rates or guarantees. However, we will try to provide some information about options in the area. Again, we invite you to explore options on your own to meet your individual needs and will always give participants information about the area in which the meeting is taking place.

Will entire-text copies of presentations be available at or after the meeting?

• We will have an online archive of abstracts and all available papers through our meeting website prior to and after the meeting. Some presenters may also distribute papers to attendees.