Attendee Updates

Wrap Up Email, Sent Dec 21

We enjoyed connecting with so many of you in Monterey earlier this month. With more than 850 attendees, 500+ presentations, discussion groups, and special activities, it was really a memorable event and we are grateful for the role each of you played in bringing our theme of Igniting Connections to life. We also appreciate your patience and positive attitudes as we navigated crowded rooms and AV challenges. Many thanks! 

Recordings of the plenary sessions are now available on AFE’s YouTube Channel. For those who livestreamed the plenaries, the slides have been added to Tuesday’s plenary and the video, Indigenous Erasure in Fire Ecology, has been corrected for the Fire AFEx Talk. 

• Opening Plenary Session
• Fire AFEx Talks
• Closing Plenary Session

Attendees can also find several recordings of oral presentations on the Whova homepage. Remember you can access Whova for 3 months after the event if you’d like to reach out to other attendees and continue conversations.

Attendance Certificates

• Log in to the  AFE portal. Go to My Account. Click My Certificates, Click the Event Title, and then click View and Print. 

News Articles

• More California Towns Will Burn. We Should Plan for That 
• 800 Wildland Fire Professionals Gather for International Conference
• OES Recognized for Strategic Place-Based Approach to Wildfire Mitigation

As we move into the new year, let us know how we can keep the momentum moving forward—your suggestions for position papers, webinar topics, discussion groups, and other ways to engage in between events are welcome!

Lastly, please make sure to share your feedback on the congress. This survey is anonymous, and the information will be used to help evaluate the Fire Congress and better plan future events. 

Email, Sent December 2

Registration:

• We’ve had a ton of interest in the Fire Congress, and it is going to be a record event with about 850 people in attendance! We closed registration on Nov 30, as the hotel and meeting space is at capacity, and we cannot accommodate more people onsite.
• Registration will be open from 7am to 7pm on Monday; please come pick up your materials during this time if you have already arrived. We will be open again at 7am on Tuesday.
• If you have specific questions or needs related to your registration, we’ll have a separate table to help you with those. Look for the signs.

 Meeting Space:

• Look for the Monterey Ballroom near the hotel lobby for plenaries in the morning, and the Regency Conference Center for registration and concurrent sessions.
• These buildings are a short walk apart, so plan a few extra minutes if you are trying to come to registration in the morning prior to the plenary session.

 Plenary Sessions:  

• We have a great set of keynote speakers and recently announced this year’s Fire AFEx speakers. On Tuesday, we will have an Opening Ceremony with local tribal elders and leaders before our keynotes begin. Please plan to arrive to the plenaries early so we can get seated and started at 8:00am.
• When finding a seat, please move toward the front and center of the rows to open seats for others coming into the room.
• We will livestream the plenaries and share the recordings after the event. (link has been shared with registerants. 
• We will be showing the livestream of the plenaries on the 1^st floor of the conference center in the breakout rooms. This will provide another space for viewing in case the plenary room reaches capacity.
• Special thanks to Western Integrated Pest Management Center for supporting the plenary livestream!

 Lunch Tickets / RSVPs:

• We have some extra tickets at registration available on a first-come, first-serve basis for the events below. These are available at registration only (cash preferred!), as we closed the option to modify registrations online so that we can prepare and place catering orders.
• Student Lunch Meeting Wednesday: Requires RSVP if you want a free lunch
• Thursday Awards Luncheon: $30
• Thursday Closing Ceremony, 7pm at Asilomar: Free but requires RSVP
• Thursday Closing Ceremony with dinner, 6pm at Asilomar: $35

 Program Booklet:

• The program booklet is available online, and we’ll have a copy for you at registration. We won’t have extras, so write your name on it so hopefully lost programs can find their owners!
• Any schedule changes will be posted in the program addendum and updated in Whova.

 Whova:

• We’ve sent an invite to all attendees to join Whova, which is the mobile and web app that has a searchable schedule and networking features. There is already a lot of action in the discussions and meet ups being planned. We love that; keep it up!
• If you didn’t get an invitation, please go to https://whova.com/portal/webapp/ifeam_202312 and use the code FireCongress23 to join.

 Student Poster Presenters!

• All poster presenters who identified themselves as a student have been entered into our student poster contest! Judges will be visiting your poster during the poster session on Tuesday and will award a 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place poster. Winners will receive a $100, $50, $25 gift card respectively.

 Field Trips:

• Although snow is rare on the central coast, there is usually some chance of rain in the winter. Come with layers and rain gear and check the weather for field trip day December 8. For those on the whale watch tour, it is always colder on the water due to its low temp (about 55 degrees F, just under 13C). If we’re lucky, we’ll get some sun!
• Field trip departure and return times are listed on the congress website, and trips will depart from outside the Regency Conference Center.

 Food Notes:

• Our program committee and locals have pulled together a list of great restaurant options. These are posted in Whova, under Logistics, and on the congress website.
• Rooms at the Hyatt have a coffee maker and refrigerator.
• Central Coast Provisions in the lobby will be open at 6am, as well the Sea Root Restaurant at 7am.
• Our 1^st morning break at 10am will have coffee, fruit, bagels, and pastries.

 Volunteers:

• Thank you for helping make the event run smoothly! This is extra important this year with our big group. Please make sure you are signed up for hours.

 Moderators and Special Session Organizers:

• Thank you for signing up! We will be reaching out in next couple of days with additional information.

 Oral Presentation Uploads:

• See instructions here: https://afefirecongress.org/speaker-presentation-guidelines/

 Preventing Illness at the Congress:

• We encourage people to be smart and considerate when it comes to illness exposure. Please follow best practices for testing and staying away from others if you have covid or flu-like symptoms or have been recently exposed.
• We encourage you to wear a mask if you have any symptoms or if you are concerned about exposure. This will be important in the meeting rooms, as we will be at full capacity for most sessions.

 Parking:

• If you are staying offsite and coming to the venue for the day, parking is free. There is a parking garage if the lots are full.

Email Newsletter, Sent November 17

The 10th International Fire Ecology and Management Congress is just over 2 weeks away! We are ready for a great week in Monterey with more than 700 attendees from the wildland fire community. See below for details about the program, lunches, special events, and presenter information. Our congress app, Whova, will be ready next week and we will send each attendee log-in information. Looking foward to seeing you all soon!   

Reservations at the Hyatt 

The lodging at Hyatt is full for some nights of the Fire Congress, and the group rate is no longer available as of November 3. The hotel will offer the rate $269 with the resort fee waived if they have rooms available. You will need to call their reservations to check availability. The closest hotel nearby is the Hilton Garden Inn, which is 0.5 miles away. They have rooms under $200/night which can be reserved online.

Registration Add-ons and RSVPs: Complete by November 27

If you’d like to purchase a lunch ticket or participate in one of the special events the program committee is planning, please do so by November 27 to help us plan properly.

We will not sell meal tickets onsite, so make sure to order in advance!  All the add-ons and RSVPs can be added to your registration using the AFE portal. See directions here (1st question on FAQ page).

Lunch Tickets RSVP

• Monday: We are offering $15 boxed lunches on Monday for full day workshop participants.
• Tuesday: At the Poster session and Exhibitor Networking, we will have lunch provided for all; please RSVP so we can have a good estimate for planning purposes.
• Wednesday: $15 boxed lunch available for all congress attendees. During the lunch hour, we will have a special AFE Member and Community Lunch where you can get to know other members and talk with committee leaders–purchase a boxed lunch or bring your own and join us in the exhibit hall!
• Thursday: We are excited to celebrate or 2022 and 2023 award winners at the awards luncheon on Thursday! Luncheon tickets are $30. 

NEW! Special Events RSVP

• Student Lunch, RSVP: The Student Association for Fire Ecology and FireGeneration Collaborative are hosting a student lunch in Monterey Ballroom on Wednesday at 11:45am. Come hear from the leadership of both groups, and students get free boxed lunch if they RSVP by November 27.
• Celebration of Life for Jan van Wagtendonk: Friends and colleagues will gather to celebrate Jan at 6pm on Wednesday on the 1st floor of the conference center. There is no fee associated with this, but we’d love to know if you plan to attend so we can prepare accordingly.
• Closing Ceremony and Bonfire at Asilomar: The Esselen Tribe of Monterey County is planning a special closing ceremony on Thursday evening at Asilomar Conference Grounds, which is about 5 miles from the Hyatt. We will help coordinate carpools to and from the location. The ceremony will begin at 7pm. It is free to attend but an RSVP is required as space is limited. If you would like to eat dinner at Asilomar, you can buy a $35 dinner ticket for the dining hall from 6pm to 7pm.

Open workshops and field trips

• We still have several open workshops and field trips if you would like to add one to your registration!
• In addition, we have a new workshop opportunity for Monday: CAL FIRE, Berkeley Forests, and the California Fire Science Consortium are sponsoring an afternoon workshop on Monday to highlight ongoing fire-related research programs in California. This workshop is free; RSVP is required through the California Fire Science Consortium. Click here to register

Presenter Information

We are looking forward to your presentation in Monterey. Thank you for being part of the program, and please email us if you have questions as you prepare.

• Oral Presentations: Review the Presenter Guidelines and please note that presentation files must be uploaded online by 12pm the day before your talk. We will not have an onsite presentation loading station as we have had in the past. The list of presentation numbers and the presentation upload link have been added to the website and will be emailed to all presenters early next week.
• Poster Presentations: Guidelines for poster size, set up and break down times, and poster tips are included on the Poster Guidelines webpage.