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Bringing the Family to IMCC4

The 4th International Marine Conservation Congress, Making Marine Science Matter, will be held in beautiful St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada (YYT). St. John's is a great spot for a family trip. History, culture, nature, the ocean—what more could you ask for? We're striving to make IMCC4 as family-friendly as possible. Have more suggestions? Contact IMCC4 Meeting Manager Lori Strong and IMCC4 Chair Samantha Oester.

Location

The official hotel of IMCC4 and the venue for sessions are in the same building, the Delta Hotel and Conference Centre, making it easier for families, especially those traveling with children. If you book accommodations at the Delta, your family's hotel room will be right upstairs. If you need to check in on the family, attend to an issue, or want to have lunch with family members, your room is just an elevator ride away. The venue is a short walk to many restaurants and shops of downtown St. John's.

Program

We tried to make the hours for sessions as family-friendly as possible, giving delegates time to socialize, experience St. John's, and spend time with the family in the evenings. While we have many awesome special events planned in the evening, we understand that family time is also important. See the Program page for a general outline of session and event hours. The schedule of presentations is also available in the IMCC4 Online Program.

Nursing and Baby Changing

IMCC4 will be a breastfeeding-friendly conference, and women should feel welcome to feed their babies anywhere in the venue. For those who prefer a quiet, private space and are staying offsite or don't have time to pop upstairs, one of the conference rooms allocated to IMCC4 will be assigned solely for lactation and changing diapers. We hope to make this a relaxed, quiet, calm space. Parents of any gender will be allowed to use this room, however nursing or pumping moms will have the option to place a sign on the door asking dads to knock or requesting privacy.

Childcare

We are working with local childcare organizations to provide parents with a list of resources for childcare, day camps, and activity programs during the conference. Once the list is ready, we will post it here. If your child requires special support or assistance, email inclusion@stjohns.ca for specialized childcare options for come-from-aways (out-of-towners). If a caregiver is traveling with you, who is not an IMCC4 delegate, free caregiver badges will be available onsite at the conference registration desk. People with caregiver badges may not enter session rooms, but can enter common areas of the conference centre to speak with you in person, hand off items, and receive or bring your kiddies if needed.

Conference Receptions

Children are allowed to enter for free at the following IMCC4 Receptions. For more information on these events, please visit the Special Events page.

Opening Reception @ The Rooms on 30 July 2016
Children are welcome at the opening reception. Children 12 and under may enter the reception free with a children's ticket parents can pick up at the registration desk. Parents will need to purchase a guest ticket for children 13 and older. Children must be accompanied by an IMCC4 delegate. 

Poster Reception @ St. John's Convention Centre on 31 July 2016
Children are welcome at the poster reception. Children 17 and under may enter the poster reception free with a children's ticket parents can pick up at the registration desk. Children must be accompanied by an IMCC4 delegate. 


IMCC4 Key Dates

Call for proposals opened: 30 September 2015
Call for proposals closed: 21 November 2015
Decisions on proposals: mid-December 2015

Call for abstracts opens: 5 January 2016
Call for abstracts closes: 14 March 2016
Decisions on abstracts: 11 April 2016

Early bird registration starts: 2 April 2016
Deadline for early bird registration: 8 May 2016
Deadline to register for delegates with an accepted abstract or proposal prior to the Call for Late-Breaking Abstracts: 8 May 2016
Start of regular registration: 9 May 2016
Deadline to register for delegates with an accepted abstract during the Call for Late-Breaking Abstracts: 30 June 2016
Deadline for regular registration: 6 July 2016
Start of late registration: 7 July 2016

Call for late-breaking news and abstracts: 1-22 May 2016

Pre-Congress workshops and activities: 28-29 July 2016

4th International Marine Conservation Congress: 30 July - 3 August 2016
IMCC4 presents OceansOnline: 4 August 2016

Post-Congress workshops and activities: 4-6 August 2016

*Dates are approximate and subject to change