Happy July 4th (to those of us in the US) but more importantly, Happy “Begin the Countdown to INANE 2014!” Yes, exactly one month from today we will be convening in Portland, Maine for our 33rd Annual Meeting. After three years of planning, I can hardly believe the conference is just 30 days away!

Registration is at an all-time high: as of today, 147 people are scheduled to attend the conference. We have a maximum of 150 so there are just a few slots left. If you have been thinking about attending the conference, I would suggest submitting your registration ASAP. Once we reach our maximum of 150, registration will be closed.

Due to a last minute cancellation, we have one space available for the Casco Bay Cruise and Lobster Bake on Tuesday evening, August 5. If you would like to snap up that one spot, contact me immediately and I will send information on how to register. Thanks!

We still have availability for the Closing Luncheon with Richard Blanco (12 spots) and Freeport Shopping (10 spots). If you have already registered for the conference, you may use the additional registration forms to add either (or both) of these events to your agenda. Just click here for the luncheon or here for shopping.

Guidebook: the mobile app that allows you to carry INANE 2014 in the palm of your hand! Our INANE 2014 Guidebook is completely customized to our conference with links to the schedule, speakers, conference evaluations, and more. You can download to your iPhone, iPad, Android phone or tablet, or Kindle Fire. There is also a web version of the guide. One great update made in the past month: your Guidebook will sync between your devices. So if you set up your schedule on your iPhone, it will now update on your iPad (or other device). I think this was the single most requested feature in Guidebook–which the developers insisted couldn’t be done–but somehow they made it happen! Note that our Guidebook is private; you must have a code to redeem the guide and make it live on your device. I have sent the code to every registrant, but if you have lost it, no problem! Just send me a message and I will get the code to you ASAP!

Sightseeing: Norm Forgey of Maine Day Trip stands ready to entertain INANE attendees. There is a trip to Boothbay Harbor and the Maine Botanical Gardens scheduled for Sunday, August 3rd. Norm is also working on a private tour of the Winslow Homer Studio on Prout’s Neck. For more information or to schedule a trip, contact Norm at norm@mainedaytrip.com or by phone: 207-838-5275.

Check-in: All the members of the Planning Committee will be arriving and be on-site at the Regency on Sunday, August 3rd. Registration check-in will be open on Sunday from 5 pm to 7 pm in the Main Lobby of the Regency. Three publishers (LWW, Elsevier, and Wiley) will be having meetings on Monday morning, so save yourself a few minutes and check-in on Sunday evening! The Check-in/Help Desk will also be open throughout the entire conference.

A quick recap of the schedule (check Guidebook or the Website for complete details):

Sunday, August 3rd

• Check-in for early arrivals

Monday, August 4th

• 9 am to 1 pm: Publisher and Editor Meetings
• 1:30 pm to 5:30 pm: Discover Portland Trolley Tours
• 5 pm to 8 pm: Gala Reception and Opening Speaker, Jessica Nicoll

Tuesday, August 5th

• 7 am to 8:30 am: Continental breakfast, opening welcome, presentation of awards
• 8:30 am to 11 am: Opening Keynote (break included at 9:30), Jeffrey Beall and Carolyn Yucha
• 11 am to 12 noon: Poster Viewing
• 12 noon to 2 pm: Lunch and Business Meeting
• 2 pm to 5 pm: Breakout Sessions and Poster Viewing
• 6 pm to 10 pm: Casco Bay Cruise and Lobster Bake (optional)

Wednesday, August 6th

• 7:30 am to 9 am: Breakfast and Wrap Up from the Business Meeting
• 9 am to 10:15: Keynote Session #2, Charles Graeber and Diana Mason
• 10:30 am to 11:20: Breakout Sessions
• 11:30 am to 12:30 pm: Closing Session with Richard Blanco
• 12:30 pm to 1:15 pm: Booking Signing with Charles Graeber and Richard Blanco
• 1:15 pm to 3 pm: Closing Luncheon (optional)
• 2 pm and 3:15 pm: Departures for Freeport Shopping (optional)

It’s going to be a great conference! I am so excited to welcome my colleagues to Portland for our 33rd Annual Meeting. If you have any questions or need more information, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I am here to help!

Leslie

for the Planning Committee: Peggy Chinn, Margaret Freda, Shawn Kennedy, Lisa Marshall, and Jean Proehl.