Hello AoIRers! We are few days away from the IR-12 conference in Seattle, and very excited to host IR-12 in Seattle. Here is some relevant information, just before you pack your suitcases and hop on a plane. If you have other questions, don't hesitate to contact me. REGISTRATION The registration will be open on a limited basis on Monday, October 10 from 12 pm to 5 pm to process folks who arrive early for the workshops. If you get into town during the day on Monday, drop in and pick up your bag. Registration is in the courtyard foyer (which is situated on the B level of the hotel). Tuesday, October 11, the registration desk will open at 7:00 am. Yes, Yes, you read it correctly!!! We will start at 9:00 sharp, so we would like to process everyone before the Conference Opening. KEY EVENTS AND FOOD We decided to have one location (The courtyard foyer) as the main location of gathering in the conference. All the social and key events are located there. This includes the book exhibits, the kissing booth, keynote talks, welcome event, ignite talks, food and beverages during the conference and the Tuesday reception (note that we don't have a reception on Wednesday). Note that the paper sessions, roundtables and panels are all located on the third and fourth floors of the hotel. All Lunch are on your own. MODERATORS AND PRESENTERS Moderators: there is a sheet with instructions that can be taken from the registration desk. Also, we will leave a copy in each one of the rooms. Presenters: All rooms have a projector, and we hope to have a laptop for each room. However, it is recommended that you bring your own laptop for your talk. RECEPTION There is an opening reception on Tuesday, October 11, starting at 6 pm. The reception is sponsored by the department of Communication at University of Illinois at Chicago and the department of Communication and University of Washington. INTERNET Yes, we will have (wired and wireless) internet connections available for those of you with your own laptops during the conference but also in your room in the hotel (free of charge). PROGRAM The most updated version of the program is located at https://www.conftool.net/aoir-ir12/index.php?page=browseSessions. We are also preparing a downloadable version with all abstracts - this will only be an online version. If you purchased a printed program, note, that it will not contain the abstracts (298 pages long!). WEATHER Seattle in the fall is cool (10-15 degrees celsius, or mid-50s for those in Farenheit) and a high probability of showers. Dress warmly, bring a waterproof jacket, and shoes that you can walk in the rain in and not have wet feet. You'll have more fun. WHAT TO DO OR EAT IN SEATTLE Seattle is known for its great restaurants. Our hotel is located in a great place which is nearby many dining and entertainment sites. Check here http://ir12.aoir.org/dining-in-seattle and http://ir12.aoir.org/fun-around-seattle. VOLUNTEERS This conference could not come to live without the help of the UW Master and PhD students from the Information School, Communication Department and HCDE department (Human Centered Design & Engineering). We owe them a big thanks. You will recognize them through the special badges they are wearing. Please feel free to use their help, if you think you are lost... This is all I can think of at the moment. So until my next email.... Karine ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Karine Nahon - http://eKarine.org<http://ekarine.org/> Associate Professor The Information School, The retroV (Virality of Information) Group - http://retroV.org<http://retrov.org/> University of Washington Twitter - http://twitter.com/karineb Office tel. - (206) 685-6668