Sponsored By |
If your question isn't answered here, please contact info@oceans2005.org. What is the OCEANS Conference? What is the OCEANS Conference? The OCEANS Conference is an annual technical and professional conference, sponsored by the Marine Technology Society (MTS) and the IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society (OES). It typically includes participants from government, industry, academia, educators, and many others who have interests across the entire spectrum of ocean science, technology, engineering, policy, education, and all related disciplines. We believe that this conference is successful each year because of the opportunities to interact with those who have broad and diverse interests in ocean work. Why are you having the conference at this hotel and where is it? The Marriott Wardman Park Hotel is the premiere location in Washington, D.C. for a conference of the typical size of OCEANS 2005 MTS/IEEE. As a result, we will be able to have all day and evening events onsite (except for a few special events), and that makes logistics much easier for both conference planners and participants. The Marriott Company considers Wardman Park to be their top property, and our interaction with their staff has been a wonderful experience. The hotel is located in the Northwest section of Washington, very close to the National Zoo in the Woodley Park region, which is one of Washington's most beautiful neighborhoods. Please see Hotel Accommodations for more information. What does the conference theme - "One Ocean" - really mean? We have been developing this conference theme for several years in our preliminary planning, and we believe that it provides an opportunity to discuss the way ahead for the future of our global ocean and interactions throughout our global society. When you pause for a moment and reflect, just because we have given regions of our ocean different geographical identities, it doesn't change the reality that it is a continuous body of water that affects all coastal nations directly and influences all others in one way or another. The future of our "One Ocean" is vitally important to all of our global society, and we want to identify all of the great work that is going on already in the context of the much greater need for additional work and interaction that is necessary for the future of our "One Ocean." You say that MTS and IEEE/OES are the sponsoring societies. What about other ocean societies? MTS and IEEE/OES are very proud to organize this conference for the participation and benefit from all throughout the ocean community. We will be delighted to welcome other ocean professional societies and organizations to join with us in planning and executing this conference. There is a valid need for conferences focused on very specific topics, but we also believe there is value from a conference such as OCEANS that includes some level of interaction across all ocean disciplines and interests. The conference will be much more valuable for all who attend if we have other societies participating. That synergy is vital for the future of our "One Ocean," and we will work hard to provide a program that incorporates all society interests. In speaking of societies, we want to build on the natural physical interaction of ocean, atmosphere, and space, and we invite societies from our entire global environment to participate in several possible ways. Please contact us at info@oceans2005.org to discuss these opportunities further. What is the weather like in Washington in September? Is that a good time for me to visit tourist attractions? There is no better time to visit Washington than in the fall when the weather has cooled just slightly and, just as importantly, most of the tourists have gone home. Okay, that was intended to be tongue-in-cheek, as you might have imagined. Washington is a great city to visit at any time, but September is special and is in high demand for conferences and conventions. Temperatures average highs of 79°F/26°C and lows of 61°F/16°C, which many of us consider close to perfection. For more information about the tourist activities available in Washington, please see Area Attractions. Do you expect a large turnout for technical papers? Yes. The OCEANS Conference has been growing rapidly in interest and participation, particularly in the last few years, and the number of submitted abstracts has been increasing along with that. We will include as many technical paper presentations as possible within a dynamic program that includes many unique opportunities for interaction with key leaders and organizations in Washington. So, if you plan to submit an abstract, please do so as soon as possible by going to Technical Papers, and if you desire to attend a broad variety of presentations, then our program will be well suited for you. How can the public participate in the conference? We want to use this conference as an opportunity to, quite frankly, educate the public about the critical issues facing the future of our global ocean. Having said that, there are certain logistical realities for a conference that makes it necessary to carefully plan what we are able to do. We have several plans in progress for possible events at the Marriott Wardman Park and are also considering concurrent offsite events. If you have ideas, please send them to us at info@oceans2005.org. Do you anticipate many participants from other countries? OCEANS 2005 MTS/IEEE will be a truly global ocean conference, and we will be working closely with embassies in Washington and their governments to maximize participation at all levels from government, industry, academia, and individuals. We believe that this conference will provide a unique opportunity for business between all who want to engage with representatives from around the world. Will an exhibit booth provide the opportunity for good contacts? For several months, we have been receiving requests from those who are ready to sign up for booths in the Exhibition Hall. The Marriott Wardman Park has long been recognized as the premiere venue for exhibits in D.C., and nearly all of the important Washington conferences for business and industry are at this hotel. We are working to provide maximum awareness and opportunities for participation by all of those whom we believe will be interested in seeing what you have to present in your booth. Please consider signing up now at Exhibition Information before all booths are reserved. My company wants to sponsor a particular event. Are there many possibilities? Yes, there are many opportunities for sponsorship during the conference. We recognize that these need to span a range that will allow all those who wish to sponsor an event to do so at whatever level is possible for their organization. This conference provides a special opportunity to maximize the value and experience of this event, but even with the registration and exhibits revenue, we cannot do what we desire to do without sponsorship support. Please see the information included on this site under Sponsor Opportunities. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss this personally with you. All levels of sponsorship will be greatly appreciated by our conference attendees. What are you going to include about education in the program? This is a vitally important aspect of the conference and will be a thread that runs through every element of the program. So, as you can see, we have set a challenging task before us, and our committee is hard at work with many plans in progress. This is such a broad reaching area, from education of our society members and attendees, working with other organizations to greatly improve ocean literacy, improving the knowledge upon which our global policies are determined, to reaching out to all of our global society about the critical state of our "One Ocean" and its future. With the limited time that we have in the conference, we want to highlight the great work that many are already doing and get some of our new ideas started. Please go to Education & Outreach for more information and share your recommendations with us at info@oceans2005.org.
|
