SIGIR ’09 Registration Details

You can now register for SIGIR 2009! Here are the details from the registration page:

Registration fees for ACM members are as follows:

• $695 for the main three-day conference, including the conference banquet; $395 for students
• $175 for half-day tutorials
• $295 for full-day tutorials or two half-day tutorials
• $150 for workshops
• $250 for Wednesday’s Industry Track

• Attendees who are not members of the ACM are charged higher registration fees.
• Students have special discount conference/tutorial/workshop package options.
• These early registration rates will end at midnight on May 24, at which point rates will rise, generally by $50. Normal registration rates will end at midnight on July 12, at which point rates will rise again, generally by $50.

I know that some have complained about the increase in price relative to previous years. Unfortunately, I suspect that one of the consequences of our current economic climate is that it’s much harder to subsidize conferences through sponsorship.

What I can say, however, is that the $250 for the one-day Industry Track is a steal–compare that to the fees for other industry conferences, and look at the speaker line-up!. I strongly recommend it for practitioners. Of course, if you can afford to attend the whole conference, even better. This year’s papers and posters particularly emphasize work from industry, and I’m already excited about learning what everyone has been up to!