40th Conference on Broadcast Meteorology

22-24 August 2012, Park Plaza Hotel and Towers Boston, MA

Sponsorship/Organizers

The 40th Conference on Broadcast Meteorology is organized the AMS Board on Broadcast Meteorology and sponsored by the American Meteorological Society. The conference will be held at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel and Towers, Boston, Massachusetts, 22-24 August, 2012.

Important Deadlines

Hotel Reservation Deadline: 30 July, 2012
No Registration Refunds after: 10 August, 2012

Accommodations

All meeting sessions for the conferences will be held at the Park Plaza Hotel and Towers, 50 Park Plaza at Arlington Street Boston, MA 02116. A block of rooms has been reserved at the hotel for meeting attendees at a special rate of:

Guest Room Rates
Singles: $183.00
Doubles: $183.00
Triples: $208.00
Quads: $233.00

To book your room, please call 1-800-225-2008 and reference code AMMET or, to book online, click here and enter code AMMET.

Rates do not include applicable state and local taxes, currently 14.45%, and are subject to change. No automatic or mandatory charges are tips, gratuities, or service charges for employees, unless otherwise expressly stated. Rates will be available 3 days prior and 3 days after the Event Dates indicated in the Room Block, subject to availability of guest rooms at the time of reservation.

Attendees are responsible for making their own hotel reservations.

Reservations made after that date are on a space available basis. We urge you to make reservations early since space is limited.

Registration

1) On-line Registration: This option is available to AMS Members and nonmembers who are paying by credit card or purchase order. You can register on-line through the conference. Be sure to register by 2 July, 2012 for the lowest rates.
2) Download the registration form on the Broadcast Conference page. Return the completed registration form by fax: 617-249-0272 or mail to: AMS, 40Broadcast Conf. Reg, 45 Beacon St., Boston, MA 02108. REGISTRATION FORMS WILL ONLY BE ACCEPTED BY MAIL OR FAX THROUGH 13 July, 2012. AFTER THIS DATE YOU MUST REGISTER ON-LINE OR ON- SITE.
3) On-site registration: The AMS registration desk at the Park Plaza will be open for registration on Wednesday, 22 August from 10:00am-6:00pm, and Thursday-Saturday during the hours of the conference.
We urge you to pre-register. If you do not have Web access, please contact the AMS Meetings Department 617-226-3970 for a registration form. Completed forms must be faxed or mailed to AMS. We do not accept registration over the phone.

Conference Registration Rates:

FULL-WEEK PACKAGE includes: Admittance to the conference and exhibits, all conference materials, certain food functions and all coffee breaks.
ONE-DAY PACKAGE includes: Admittance to the conference and exhibits, all conference materials and all coffee breaks for one calendar day.

Opening of Exhibits:

An opening reception is being sponsored by the Exhibitors. It will be held Wednesday, August 22, 2012 between 5:15 –7:00 p.m. in the Exhibit Hall.

Exhibitor List

Exhibit Times:

Move-In
Wed, 22 August 10:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
(Installation must be complete by Wednesday, 22 August at 4:30 p.m.)

Exhibit Hours
Wed, 22 August 6:00 –7:30 p.m.
(Opening Reception, Cash Bar)
Thurs, 23 August 9:00 a.m.—1:30 p.m. & 2:15- 5:30 p.m.
(Vendor Session before the Lunch Break 11a.m.-12 noon)
(Red Sox Game at 7:30.p.m.)
Friday 24 August 9:00 a.m-12:30 p.m.

Move Out
Friday 24 June 12:30–6:00 p.m.
(Dismantle must be complete by Friday, 25 August at 6:00 p.m.)

All hours above are tentative. Final Hours will be determined once the Conference Program is finalized.

Suitcasing
Exhibitors at the 40th Conference on Broadcast Meteorology have invested and committed their support to this industry. They have planned for several months or more to bring the Attendees the experience they seek and deserve.

Suitcasing Policy: Only contracted Exhibitors are permitted to promote their products, services or company at the Meeting. All company promotion and product sampling must occur within the a contracted booth space. This includes, but is not limited to handing out flyers, approaching Exhibitor booths to sell products, and leaving and/ or distributing product information in public spaces and show floor aisles. Exhibitors found doing so will be sent back to their booth space and materials left will be confiscated and disposed of properly. Attendees will be asked to leave the show and forfeit their badge. Additional penalties may apply. Any “suit-casers” observed by both attendees and exhibitors should be reported to the Show Management mmediately.

Red Sox Night (23 August, 2012):

The Red Sox are playing the Losa Angeles Angels on August 23. Tickets had to be purchased by 15 February to get the group rate and sit in the group section. All tickets are in section 4, box B90. Game time is 7:10pm.

From 5:30-6:30pm, WSI is hosting a reception in the exhibit hall (Imperial Ballroom). Baron Services is providing transportation to Fenway from 6:00-7:00pm. Public Transportation is also available.

Baron Services Sponsored Luncheon

Wednesday, 22 August from 11am-1pm in Statler Room

With the ongoing dual-polarization upgrade of both National Weather Service and broadcast television radars, on-air meteorologists need to have a keen understanding of all the new data products to effectively communicate information to the viewing audience. This session will focus on explaining each of the new dual-polarization data products and their application in an easy-to-understand format. In addition, numerous interactive case studies of various weather scenarios will be presented to provide participants with first-hand use of these new and informative radar data products.

If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to Judith at jziemnik@ametsoc.org no later than August 1.

AMS Short Course: From Climate to Space: Hot Topics for the Station Scientist

24 August 2012, Brookline, Massachusetts
Short Course Program (PDF) | Short Course Online Registration | Short Course Paper Registration (PDF)

Registration for this course will close on 22 August 2012. There will be NO ON-SITE REGISTRATION.

The paradigm of broadcast meteorology has changed. Newsrooms are increasingly relying upon weathercasters to inform the public about and add proper perspective to a number of related science and environmental issues. Broadcast meteorologists are now becoming "station scientists," with responsibilities far beyond "just" presenting the weather. This short course (as well as the station scientist session earlier that day during the conference) will provide weathercasters with a depth of knowledge about two of the most popular and important topics the public wants to stay informed about: climate change and astronomy.
Additional Information

Getting There:

Enterprise is the official rental car agency for this meeting and special rates are available. Advance reservations may be made on-line at Enterprise.com. Select “Corporate Account” then “Make a reservation”. Then you simply enter this account # 10AT034 and the first three letters of the account name (AME) or by calling Enterprise at 1-800-593-0505. When making a reservation, please mention the AMS Corporate account number.

The following are directions to Boston Park Plaza Hotel:

TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION
From Logan Airport - You have 3 options when arriving at Logan International Airport:
Airport Cab Service (meter rate)
Boston ‘s Subway: The “T”- The Boston Park Plaza Hotel is located on Arlington
Stop (Green Line) and Back Bay Stop (Orange Line)
Ultimate Shuttle
Taxi Service:
24-hour Taxi Service available at the Hotel’s Main Entrance.

T Service - Subway:
The Hotel is 1 block from the Arlington T Stop off of the Green Line and 3 blocks from the Back Bay T Stop off of the Orange line. From the Airport, take the SL1 Silver Line to South Station. Then take the Red Line INBOUND (to Alewife) to Park Street. Transfer to the Green line OUTBOUND to Arlington.

From the West:
Take the Massachusetts Turnpike (Rte. 90 East) into the city. Exit at Copley Square (22) and follow straight onto Stuart St. Follow to the 5th set of lights and turn left for the Boston Park Plaza Hotel.

From the North:
Take Route I-93 South into Boston. Take the Storrow Drive - Exit 26 off of I-93. Follow Storrow Drive and exit left at the Back Bay/Copley Exit. At lights, take left onto Beacon St, and then take an immediate right onto Arlington St. The Boston Park Plaza Hotel is the 2nd building on the left after the park.

From the South:
Follow I-93 North towards Boston. Take the Storrow Drive - Exit 26 off of I-93. Follow Storrow Drive and exit left at the Back Bay/Copley Exit. At lights, take left onto Beacon St., and then take an immediate right onto Arlington St. The Boston Park Plaza Hotel is the 2nd building on the left after the park.

From Logan Airport:
Follow signs to Sumner Tunnel/Boston. Take the ramp onto RT-1A S/William F McClellan Hwy. Merge north onto Interstate 93 and take the Storrow Drive - Exit 26. Follow Storrow Drive and exit left at Back Bay/Copley Exit. At lights, take left onto Beacon St, and then take an immediate right onto Arlington St. The Boston Park Plaza Hotel is the 2nd building on the left after the park.

Valet Parking:
The Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers offers Valet Parking for $26.00 for up to 8
hours and $44.00 per night. Valet Parking is located at the Columbus Avenue Entrance
of our Boston Hotel.

Self Parking - Motor Mart Garage:
The Motor Mart Garage is located directly across the street from The Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers. Offering 24-hour access, visible security and a clean friendly environment.

The Boston Park Plaza Hotel is a short distance to Boston Shopping, Boston Events, Boston Restaurants, and Boston Attractions - here are just a few recommendations for you to consider for your visit to Boston:

The Public Garden - Swan Boats - 1 block
Hynes Convention Center - 1.0 miles/1.6 km
Boston Freedom Trail - 2 blocks
Museum of Science - 1.3 miles/2.0 km
Newbury Street - 2 blocks
Boston Children’s Museum - 1.33 miles/2.14 km
Frog Pond - 3 blocks
New England Aquarium - 1.6 miles/2.57 km
Cheers Bar - 0.1 miles/0.16 km
BCEC - 1.64 miles/2.64 km
Boston Duck Tours - 0.5 miles/0.8 km
TD Garden - 1.65 miles/2.6 km
State House - 0.5 miles/0.8 km
Museum of Fine Arts - 1.78 miles/2.8 km
Prudential Tower Skywalk - 0.5 miles/0.8 km
North End (Paul Revere House) - 1.78 miles/2.8 km
Boston Harbor Cruises - 0.5 miles/.8 km
Fenway Park - 2.0 miles/3.2 km
Downtown Crossing - 0.5 miles/0.8 km
USS Constitution (Old Iron Sides) - 2.5 miles/4.0 km
Charles River - 0.78 miles/1.25 km
Bunker Hill Monument - 2.6 miles/4.2 km
Faneuil Hall - Quincy Market - 1.0 miles/1.6 km
Beaches - 4.6 miles/7.5 km

Attendee Etiquette

AMS is committed to safe and productive meetings for all attendees. Harassment, intimidation, or discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated at any meeting or event associated with the meeting. All communication should be appropriate for a professional audience including people of many different backgrounds. Those who violate the standards of professional and respectful conduct will be asked to leave
the meeting immediately and without refund, will not be considered for service on AMS boards and committees, and may be subject to additional legal action.

Special Needs:

It is our sincere desire to comply fully with both the letter and the spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Attendees with special needs should call the AMS Meetings Department at (617) 226-3970, 4–6 weeks prior to the meeting to request special arrangements. Special housing needs should be requested when making hotel reservations.

Updated:
 Headquarters: 45 Beacon Street Boston, MA 02108-3693
  DC Office: 1200 New York Ave NW, Suites 450 & 500, Washington, DC 20005-3928
 amsinfo@ametsoc.org Phone: 617-227-2425 Fax: 617-742-8718
© 2012 American Meteorological Society Privacy Policy and Disclaimer