REGISTRATION AND ACCOMODATION

How can I register to attend AIDS 2008?
You may register to attend AIDS 2008 through the conference website using the online registration system. 

To begin the registration process, you will be asked to first create an online “profile”. The contact information you enter in your profile will be used for all subsequent online applications you submit to the conference (for example, applying for a scholarship or submitting an abstract or workshop proposal), thereby saving you time in the future. If you registered for IAS 2007 (Sydney) using the conference profile, you can log in to the profile using the same log-in details you provided for the Sydney conference. Click here for a list of registration fees.

What is the cost of registration?
AIDS 2008’s two-tiered fee structure is designed to strengthen the participation of delegates from low- and middle-income countries (as defined by the World Bank; see the registration page of the website for a list of high-income countries that are not eligible for reduced fees).

Under this structure, through 7 May 2008, the current fee for delegates from low-/middle-income countries is EUR 515. The current fee for delegates from high-income countries is EUR 750. The fees for students/post-docs and youth from low-/middle- and high-income countries are EUR 140 and EUR 210, respectively. Register by 8 May to avoid a last minute surcharge.

Is there a special price for Mexican people, considering that the conference will be held in Mexico?
The conference offers lower fees for delegates from Mexico and other low- and middle- income countries (as defined by the World Bank). Fees for delegates from these countries are about 33% lower than fees for delegates from high-income countries. In addition, the conference has a scholarship programme, and those who are not able to afford the registration fee can apply for a waiver of the fee through the scholarship programme. Please note that, at this time, applications to the scholarship programme are now closed.

May I pay the registration fee in US dollars, rather than Euros?
Registration fees can be paid online with a credit card (VISA, MasterCard, EuroCard and Amex) or by bank transfer. While we would prefer payment in Euros, if you are unable to do so and are paying by transfer, your bank will determine the equivalent amount to be paid in US Dollars.

How do I register as media to report on the conference?
Media accreditation and registration is available to all bona fide journalists through the Media Centre page of the conference website. Media registration also requires the creation of an online “profile” prior to registering. As space will be limited, accreditation will only be granted to journalists who submit completed applications, with all supporting documentation, including verification of media credentials. The online registration system will prompt you to upload the supporting documentation to support your request for accreditation.

Why must I submit supporting documentation with my media registration?
The supporting documents you submit with your application for media accreditation are used to prove that you are a journalist and therefore eligible to attend the conference free of charge. Unfortunately, this process is necessary, as we have received many fraudulent applications in the past.

May I submit supporting documentation in languages other than English?
Yes. While the registration form itself must be completed in English, the letter from your editor and the by-lined articles or three other examples of your professional work may be in languages other than English.

All the hotels are fully booked by Congrex. How can I find hotel accommodation?
To ensure all our delegates have accommodation for the duration of the conference, we have block-booked a lot of the available accommodation in Mexico City on behalf of our delegates. The fact that we have booked so many rooms has also allowed us to negotiate preferential rates with the hotels.

Conference delegates should contact Congrex via the conference website to arrange their accommodation. Congrex will then book the accommodation on their behalf at these preferential rates. No handling fee will be charged by Congrex for this service.

What are the prices of the hotels?
Hotels range in price from USD 41 per night for a room in a three star hotel to USD 300 per room per night in a five star hotel.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Is funding available to attend the conference?
A limited amount of funding is available through the AIDS 2008 scholarships programme, which is aimed at making AIDS 2008 accessible to people from resource-constrained environments and to young scientists globally. The application period for scholarships to attend AIDS 2008 closed on 26 February 2008. No further applications will be accepted at this time.

How many scholarships will be offered?
For AIDS 2006 in Toronto we were able to offer close to 1,000 international scholarships. For this conference we have allocated the same share of the total budget for international scholarships, and therefore aim to keep the same level as that for AIDS 2006, depending on the average cost of each scholarship. We are offering financial assistance to delegates from developing countries, community groups, marginalized communities, people living with HIV and AIDS, youth and students to help them attend. A very limited number of scholarships will also be available for media representatives from around the world.

The scholarship programme is open to everyone around the world (including individuals from Mexico). Priority will be given to those whose participation will help enhance their work in their own communities, to those who are able to assist in the transfer of skills and knowledge acquired at the conference and to those whose abstracts or skills building workshops have been selected or are involved in programme activities.

Although every attempt will be made to assist as many people as possible to attend, we regret that the number of scholarships that will be allocated is limited. Applicants are therefore strongly encouraged to seek other funding as well.

How do I apply for a scholarship, and what kind of funding will I receive?
The deadline to apply for a scholarship to attend AIDS 2008 was 26 February 2008. Organizers are no longer accepting applications at this time.

Who decides who is awarded a scholarship?
The criteria for scholarship selection are drawn up in consultation with the Conference Coordinating Committee and various programme committees of each conference. The criteria change from one conference to another, as the epidemic changes. The available budget is divided by region, and most times, those regions most affected by HIV are allocated the largest portion of the budget.

Fully completed applications are then scored according to these criteria established by the committees, and the highest scoring applicants are awarded a scholarship.

ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS

May I submit an abstract to the conference?
The deadline for submitting abstracts to AIDS 2008 was 19 February 2008. Over 10,500 submissions were received. With the exception of late breaker abstracts (see below) no further submissions will be accepted.

Who selects the abstracts and decides how they will be presented?
All abstracts submitted to the conference go through a blind, peer-review process carried out by an international review panel. “Blind” means that the reviewers see only the content of the abstract, not the submitters’ name; this ensures that all abstracts are evaluated fairly, without bias.

Each of the more than 10,500 abstracts submitted to the conference will be reviewed by no less than four reviewers, who each allocate a score to the abstract. The highest scoring abstracts are then sent to the Scientific Programme Committee – a committee made up of HIV specialists from all regions of the world – for final selection. This committee also decides which abstracts will be presented orally, as posters, or included on the CD-ROM.

What is a late breaker abstract?
The conference organizers required that abstracts be submitted by 19 February 2008. This means that any important research information which was not finalized before the abstract deadline could be left out of the conference programme. To avoid this, conference organizers allow the submission of “late breaking” abstracts to allow the presentation of any truly late breaking important research results.

Abstracts of late breaking research are submitted much closer to the start of the conference than regular abstracts. For AIDS 2008, late breaker abstracts will be accepted through the online submission form available on the conference website between 20 May and 16 June 2008. Please check the abstract page of the conference website after 20 May for submission details.

SATELLITES AND EXHIBITIONS

What is a satellite session?
Intended for conference delegates, satellite sessions take place in the conference centre. While they fall outside the official conference hours, they are part of the conference programme, and will be advertised as such. Satellite sessions are fully organized and coordinated by the organization hosting the satellite (private company, government agency, institution or NGO).

In order to ensure that satellite meetings meet the scientific and ethical standards of the conference, all satellites will:

• address issues directly or indirectly related to HIV/AIDS within the context of the conference programme; and
• be evaluated by the conference organizers on the basis of content, merit, overall quality and organizational plan.

Is there a cost to host a satellite session?
Yes. There is a fee to host a satellite. However, there are a limited number of fee waivers available for satellites that cover identified gaps in the conference programme.

Organizations wishing to apply for a waiver of the satellite fee should email satellites@aids2008.org with full details of the intended satellite, including topic, proposed speakers, expected attendance, organizer name and session description. The form for fee waiver satellite applications is available on the website.

How do I apply to host a satellite session?
Applications for a satellite session must be made through the Online Satellites and Exhibition Management (OSEM) tool on the website. Applications to host a satellite meeting will be accepted through 10 April 2008.

How do I apply to have an exhibition booth at AIDS 2008?
With over 7,000 square metres of prime exhibition space, AIDS 2008 will offer unparalleled opportunities for commercial and non-commercial organizations to showcase their products and services to the largest gathering of HIV/AIDS professionals in the world.

Requests for exhibition space may be made through the Online Satellites and Exhibition Management (OSEM) tool, available on the conference website. Exhibition space costs US$ 450 per square metre, for both commercial and non-commercial organizations. The deadline for exhibition applications is 31 May 2008. However, if capacity is reached, exhibitions will be closed earlier than the planned date.

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

What is the Skills Building programme?
The Skills Building Programme is a unique component of the conference, spanning the community, leadership and scientific programme. Its purpose is to offer workshops covering a diverse range of topics with the principle aim of providing a stage for teaching specific skills or strategies to specific audiences that can then be applied within their own work or life settings once they return home.

What is the Global Village?
The Global Village is a large area at the conference consisting of exhibitions, workshops, a networking area, a marketplace and so on. It is open to both conference delegates and non-delegates (without a fee). This includes community organizations from around the world, local or national groups and the general public. The Global Village enables greater civil society involvement and exchange.

Through this interactive and participatory space, the Global Village will highlight HIV-related issues, concerns and priorities facing various HIV-affected communities. The programme promotes dialogue, encourages networking, builds solidarity, and promotes inclusion in the global community. The submissions period for activities within the Global Village closed on 19 February 2008. A full schedule of events will be posted to the website mid-year.

What is the Cultural Programme?
The Cultural Programme demonstrates the importance of art in the response to the global AIDS epidemic by showcasing culture and arts in all forms including film and video, visual art, theatre, poetry, dance, music and other creative forms. It serves to highlight HIV/AIDS issues for delegates and the general public. It enhances the International AIDS Conference by helping to strengthen communities, foster new relationships, form coalitions, share ideas and information, communicate positive messages and influence the world to take their part in combating HIV/AIDS stigma.

Activities and events will take place at the convention centre and in various venues around Mexico City. The submissions period for additions to the Cultural Programme closed on 19 February 2008. A full schedule of events will be posted to the website mid-year.

What is the Youth Programme?
The aim of the AIDS 2008 Youth Programme is to strengthen the participation of youth and the profile of youth issues in the conference. This will be accomplished through such activities as a youth pavilion, an electronic youth bulletin, a youth media hub, youth presentation space, youth mentorship activities and a youth website.

OTHER INFORMATION

How will I find my way around Banamex Convention Centre?
Complete and detailed navigation maps will be available on our website in the near future to assist delegates with finding their way around the convention centre. In addition, comprehensive signage will be put in place in the convention centre to direct delegates to session halls and various activities.

Is it possible to link our website to the conference website?
We receive many thousands of requests to link to other organizations’ websites. If we were to accommodate all these requests, we would need an entire website to do this. Therefore, we link only to our partner organizations’ sites.

Who are the AIDS 2008 organizers and partnering institutions?
AIDS 2008 is convened by the International AIDS Society (IAS), the world’s leading independent association of HIV professionals. Local partners include the federal government of Mexico, the Government of Mexico City and local scientific and community leadership.

International institutional partners for AIDS 2008 include:

• Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), and its co-sponsors, the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Food Programme (WFP)
• International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO)
• Global Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GNP+)/International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ICW)
• World YWCA
• Asian Harm Reduction Network (AHRN)

What meetings are going to be held in preparation for the conference in the Latin American region?
Many of our committee meetings, where the conference programme and activities are planned, are held in Mexico City.

In addition to this, we will be holding a few general information meetings throughout Mexico to inform people about how they may participate in the conference.

If you work with an organization that is interested in promoting the conference through the use of posters or the distribution of brochures, please contact the AIDS 2008 Outreach staff for materials and assistance at outreach@aids2008.org.