As a first-time attendee, you may find the information below to be useful for understanding all of the sessions and activities that are available during the meeting. Also included are helpful tips for planning and navigating your way through the four-day event and first-hand accounts of the annual meeting experience from past attendees.
Frequently Asked Questions for First-Time Attendees
PROGRAM QUESTIONSWhich annual meeting sessions should I attend?
The four-day meeting is designed to provide a variety of sessions to suit the diverse interests of hematologists at every career level. To help you plan your annual meeting activities, descriptions of the types of sessions offered, as well as specific information about this year’s program, is provided online.
Where can I find the locations of the session rooms?
In early November, the Online Program and Abstracts website, which includes location information for all sessions, will become available. On site, you will be provided with a Program Book upon check-in at the registration desk, which also includes the location information for all sessions.
Where can I find the abstracts?
The Abstract Book and Abstracts on CD-ROM will be mailed to all North American early-bird and advance registrants in mid-November. Please bring your Abstract Book to the annual meeting. The abstracts will also be posted online in mid-November.
I’m attending the ASH meeting to give an oral presentation; where do I turn in my presentation slides?
All annual meeting speakers should visit the Speaker Ready Room in the convention center to provide their PowerPoint presentations to the staff via CD, DVD, or USB Flash Drive (i.e., memory stick). The Speaker Ready Room will be open beginning Friday morning, December 3.
I’m attending the ASH meeting to present a poster; do I need to check in?
Poster presenters do not need to check in; they can go directly to their designated poster board area at the date and time specified in their confirmation materials. If assistance is needed, however, a poster information counter will be available outside the poster hall.
How do I collect my CME credits for the meeting?
Attendees may claim their CME credits and print their CME certificates at the e-mail stations provided on site by selecting "CME program," or through the ASH Web site by clicking the CME link on the homepage. The process for claiming CME credits and printing a CME certificate for the meeting must be completed no later than March 31, 2011.
Can I get copies of the slide presentations?
ASH will offer several sessions from the annual meeting on DVD, which will provide audio recordings and color reproductions of PowerPoint® slides from presentations. On-demand webcasts of several sessions will also be available on the ASH website after the meeting.
Are there special sessions or events geared for trainees?
Yes, the ASH annual meeting provides hematology trainees with a variety of high-quality educational, career-development, and networking opportunities. A list of sessions of special interest to trainees is provided online. Please note that some trainee activities require pre-registration.
What are the Friday Satellite Symposia?
Friday Satellite Symposia (FSS) are industry-sponsored, CME-certified meetings that are offered the day preceding the ASH annual meeting. FSS are planned by the sponsoring organization and are not part of the official ASH annual meeting program. This year's FSS will take place on Friday, December 3, and brief symposia descriptions are provided on the ASH website. An ASH meeting badge is not needed to attend these events.
GENERAL QUESTIONSWhere do I pick up my meeting badge?
Meeting badges will be mailed to online early-bird and advance registrants beginning the week of November 8. If you do not receive your badge by the last week of November, please go to the registration area in the convention center, Hall C, to pick up your badge.
Do I need to check in when I arrive?
Yes, you should plan to check in at the registration area in Hall C of the convention center to pick up your on-site meeting materials, including the Program Book, which will contain the final schedule and session locations, and Hematology 2010, which provides a comprehensive review of topics based on this year’s Education Program.
When should I plan to arrive?
As the ASH annual meeting officially begins on Saturday morning, December , attendees may wish to arrive on Friday, December 3, to orient themselves with the convention center and pick up their meeting materials at the registration desk. However, those who wish to attend Friday’s trainee events or the Friday Satellite Symposia, may wish to arrive in Orlando a day earlier, on Thursday, December 2. The registration desk opens on Thursday at 3:00 p.m.
How long should I stay?
Annual meeting sessions take place throughout the four-day event, from Saturday morning, December 4, through Tuesday afternoon, December 7. The full meeting schedule and session descriptions can be found on the ASH website. In addition, in early November, the Online Program and Abstracts website will become available, which will allow you to search the program and generate your own personal annual meeting schedule.
Where should I stay?
Rooms in more than 50 hotels have been reserved throughout the city of Orlando for meeting attendees. A list of participating hotels and an area map featuring the hotel locations can be found online.
Are travel agents available to help me with my flights?
Yes, EWA Travel, Inc., has been selected as the official travel agency for the annual meeting, and the agency has secured special discounts with United Airlines and Lufthansa Airlines.
How will I get around?
ASH will provide a complimentary shuttle bus service between more than 50 hotels and the Orange County Convention Center. Additionally, public transportation is widely available or you can rent a car at the discounted rate provided through Hertz for annual meeting attendees. Convention center floor plans will also be included in each issue of ASH News Daily, available on site during the meeting, to help you find your way around the building.
What’s appropriate attire for the meeting?
Business or business casual attire is appropriate, but attendees should be sure to wear comfortable shoes as getting from session to session requires a bit of walking. Attendees should also bring a light jacket as temperatures in Orlando in December typically range from 50° to 70° F (10° to 21° C).
How can I contact other attendees during the meeting? How can my family or office contact me?
As cell phone reception may be difficult to obtain in the convention center, e-mail stations will be available on site to help attendees to connect with one another and to their families and offices. There will also be designated Wi-Fi areas provided in the convention center in which attendees can use their own laptops to connect to the Internet and e-mail.
Are food and refreshments provided during the meeting?
One or more coffee breaks are typically provided each day of the meeting in the exhibit hall and, in the evening, receptions will offer refreshments and hors d’oeuvres in the poster hall. Check the Schedule At-a-Glance for the dates and times of these events. Food and beverages will also be available for purchase at concession stands in the exhibit hall and other areas of the convention center. For those who wish to venture outside, ASH News Dailywill provide a list of surrounding restaurants.
When is the exhibit hall open?
The exhibit hall will be open on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday afternoon and is located in Hall B of the convention center. Meeting badges are required for entrance and children under 12 years of age will not be allowed in the exhibit hall. Attendees are encouraged to visit the exhibit hall during lunch time as snacks and refreshments will be available there for purchase.
Where can I buy ASH publications?
The ASH Store, located in the registration area, will offer a number of ASH publications and other professional development materials for sale. It will be open during the same hours as attendee registration, which are listed in the Schedule At-a-Glance.
If I lose something, where can I retrieve my lost item?
During the meeting, a Lost and Found will be available in the ASH Management Office in the convention center (exact location to be provided in the Program Book available on site). After the meeting, attendees should contact the security department of the convention center regarding any lost items.
I have some extra time to spend in Orlando – what can I do in the city?
A list of popular Orlando attractions is provided on the ASH Web site. ASH also encourages attendees to visit the website of the Orange County Convention Centerbefore leaving for the meeting. During the meeting, ASH News Dailywill also provide information on attractions.
My family will be attending the meeting with me; can they come to the sessions?
Spouses and guests are welcome to register for the meeting and will receive a badge that will allow them access to the exhibit hall and all ASH-sponsored social events. However, this registration rate does not allow entrance into any of the sessions. Children under the age of 12 are not permitted in the exhibit or poster halls, and ASH discourages children and infants in the session rooms as they may distract the speakers and other attendees. Child care will be available in the convention center.
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Types of Annual Meeting Sessions Offered
Education Program Sessions
Approximately 30 different topics, covering the breadth of hematology, are offered each year as part of the Education Program. These sessions occur throughout the day on Saturday and on Sunday morning. For scheduling flexibility, most are offered twice. The Education Program sessions are geared toward clinicians to provide them with updates on the latest treatments, technologies, and understanding of disease pathology to enhance patient care. Chapters based on these sessions are published annually in the Education Program Book provided to each attendee; the content is also posted online.
Scientific Program Sessions
Each Scientific Committee develops its own Scientific Program session for the annual meeting. These sessions occur throughout the day on Saturday and on Sunday morning, and all are offered twice. Invited abstracts of these sessions are published in the Program Book.
Plenary Scientific Session
The Plenary Scientific Session, occurring on Sunday afternoon, is a highlight of the meeting. It includes presentations of the abstracts identified by the Program Committee as being of the highest scientific significance. The plenary abstracts are published online and in the special abstract supplement to Blood in November.
Simultaneous Sessions
The Simultaneous Sessions feature the latest research in the field and take place on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. The abstracts selected for oral presentation in the Simultaneous Sessions are chosen through a blinded-scoring peer-review selection process as the most outstanding among the thousands submitted for the meeting. Experts in the field serve as moderators to place the findings into perspective. These abstracts are published online and in the special abstract supplement to Blood in November.
Poster Sessions
These sessions feature clinical and scientific research abstracts accepted for presentation in poster format. The posters are grouped by abstract category and are on display during specified times on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. In the evenings, the abstract authors will be available next to their posters to present the research findings and answer questions from attendees. The poster abstracts are published online and included in the special abstract supplement to Blood in November.
Late-Breaking Abstracts Session
This session, occurring Tuesday morning, features presentations of six ground-breaking abstracts selected in the fall through an extremely competitive process that is intended to capture novel data that could not otherwise be presented at the annual meeting. The late-breaking abstracts are only published online and are not published in the special abstract supplement to Blood.
General Sessions
General Sessions are those that will appeal to a broad audience. General Sessions are offered each day of the meeting and include the Presidential Symposium, Best of ASH, and special named lectures.
Special-Interest Sessions
Special-Interest Sessions are tailored to those with specific interests. This year’s Special-Interest Sessions include, among others, a workshop for training program directors, a forum for hematology practitioners, a special symposium for basic scientists with an interest in hemostasis and thrombosis, a grassroots breakfast for the politically minded, and a special event highlighting training and research opportunities for minorities underrepresented in hematology.
Trainee Sessions
To help trainees make the most of their annual meeting experience, these activities have been designed to meet the unique needs and interests of undergraduates, medical and graduate students, residents, and fellows. The trainee events, which are open only to Associate members and non-members in training wearing blue trainee meeting badges, include the Trainee Welcome Reception, Trainee Day, Trainee Simultaneous Didactic Sessions, and Career-Development Lunch Sessions.
Ticketed Sessions
There are two types of sessions that are not included in the cost of one’s annual meeting registration: Education Spotlight Sessions and Meet-the-Expert Sessions. Tickets to these sessions must be purchased separately. The Education Spotlight Sessions are each presented once on either Sunday or Monday, in a small-venue format for approximately 100 attendees. During these sessions, two speakers facilitate clinical discussions of the current state of knowledge and future directions for specific treatments, diseases, or patient populations in an environment where audience participation is encouraged. In each Meet-the-Expert Session, an expert facilitates an interactive discussion on a specific topic in a round-table format. Typically, more than 40 esteemed professors and investigators from all over the world participate in these sessions, which take place on Saturday and Sunday.
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Personal Annual Meeting Stories
In 2008, three ASH members shared reflections of their annual meeting experiences in ASH News Daily:
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