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SBL Annual Meeting Newsletter

Important Deadlines

Hotel Reservations
If you have already registered and now would like to add a hotel reservation, please contact us by October 21 at AnnualMeeting@sbl-site.org and let us know that you are interested.
If you have not yet registered, you can still make your hotel reservation if you register online by October 21.

Kiddie Corp is offering childcare service at the Annual Meeting. This is a wonderful benefit for families with small children. The sign up deadline is October 21. Please visit the Kiddie Corp website for more information.

Employment Center registration for candidates and employers is currently open. However, registration closes on October 24. Learn more about the Employment Center, here.


Hours of Operation

Registration and Tote Bag Pick, Moscone West
Friday, Nov. 18, 1 PM to 7 PM
Saturday , Nov. 19, 8AM to 6 PM
Sunday, Nov. 20, 8 AM to 5:50 PM
Monday, Nov. 21, 8 AM to 5:50 PM
Tuesday, Nov. 22, 8 AM to 10 AM

The Exhibit
Saturday-Monday 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM
Tuesday 8 AM to 12 PM

Employment Center
Friday, Nov. 18, 7PM to 9 PM
Saturday – Monday 8 AM to 7 PM


Transportation from San Francisco Airport
BART, Bay Area Rapid Transit, is a convenient and inexpensive way to get to and from the airport to downtown San Francisco for the Annual Meeting. For $18, you can get a round trip voucher for travel between the San Francisco airport and the Union Square area. Go to the website via the link below, pay the round trip fee, and print the voucher. You may exchange it at SFO for a BART ticket. It's that easy. To purchase your voucher transfer and learn more details click here.

Shuttle Service is also available at the San Francisco airport. Several shared-ride van services operate from the airport, but SuperShuttle has been recommended by the conference hotels. They drop off and pick up at our conference hotels on a regular basis. If you arrive at the airport between 5 AM and 4PM, you do not need advance reservations and can pay the driver by cash or credit card. If you arrive later or prefer to pay ahead of time, please make a reservation online. The cost is $17 per person one way. Learn more and make reservations via this website.

Taxi Service from San Francisco International Airport departs from the designated taxi zones located at the roadway center islands, on the Arrivals/Baggage Claim Level of all terminals. Fares between the airport and downtown are approximately $37. Metered rates apply to all destinations. From Oakland International Airport, taxis can be reached from the third curb of Terminal 1 and the second curb from Terminal 2. The average far is $65 to downtown San Francisco.

Join us for the SBL Annual Meeting in San Francisco—visit a beautiful city, enjoy time with friends and colleagues, learn something new, and network. This year, the meeting will be hosted by the Society of Biblical Literature and the American Academy of Religion, and we anticipate more than 10,000 attendees. Don't miss the opportunity to participate in this annual gathering.

Registration, tote bag distribution, and the Exhibit Hall will be in Moscone Center West. Sessions will be held at Moscone West, the Marriott Marquis on Fourth Street, and at several conference hotels in the Union Square area. The Employment Center is located at the Hilton Union Square. For more information on meeting deadlines, new technology at the meeting, giveaways in the Exhibit Hall, and transportation from the airport, read on! We hope this Newsletter is helpful, and we look forward to seeing you in San Francisco.

Accessing the Meeting

If you are registered as an SBL member, you can attend any session at the meeting (except private business meetings), whether SBL, AAR, or Affiliate. The SBL Program Book will be your primary guide to the meeting. This will be distributed at the Tote Bag window in Moscone Center West. The Program Book includes complete listings for all SBL program unit and special sessions, Affiliate programs, and Additional Meetings, as well as session and participant indices and maps of the convention center and hotels. Information on all sessions, including AAR events, can be found in the At-a-Glance in the Tote Bag—it is an abbreviated program guide that includes session number, title, theme, time, and location—or in the AAR Program Book, which will be distributed to those registered as AAR or dual members.

Technology at the Meeting

Our Mobile Meeting Guide will debut in November. You will be recieving an email with instructions. The mobile app will contain:

  • the entire event program, including both SBL and AAR program units and special sessions
  • exhibitor information, including an interactive Exhibit Hall map and
  • maps of conference hotels.
Attendees will have the ability to create and customize their own schedule, make notes about sessions, and share information and schedules with colleagues via built-in social networking. The solution features an intuitive offline program that is native to Android, Blackberry, iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices. This means there is no waiting for schedule downloads or web pages to load and no dealing with slow or non-existent Wi-Fi connections. Schedule changes are downloaded in the background, allowing attendees immediate access to event information. A similar web-based solution will be accessible via computer.

Exhibitor Locator Kiosks
  • Trying to find the publisher of a book you'd like to buy? Use the locator kiosks in the front of the Exhibit Hall to search by title, author, or subject matter.
  • If your search results include a book or product that is available through one of our exhibitors, the booth will be highlighted on the Exhibit Hall floor plan.
Free Wi-Fi and Cyber Café
  • Enjoy free Wi-Fi in the Exhibit Hall and lobby areas of Moscone Center West.
  • Check your email or use the Mobile Meeting Guide at the computers provided in the Cyber Café
Visit The Exhibit and Be a Winner!

Plan to visit The Exhibit, the world's largest collection of books and digital resources for biblical and religious studies, in Moscone West.
Also in the Exhibit Hall:
Daily drawings
  • Make a purchase in the Exhibit Hall and receive a ticket.
  • Place your ticket(s) in the drawing basket.
  • At the end of each day, there will be a drawing for a FREE registration for the 2012 conference and FREE one year SBL membership.
  • ALL tickets will be placed in the basket to be eligible to win one of three prizes, including a FREE Apple iPad and one of two $250 SBL book gift certificates, on Tuesday.
Food and Coffee
  • Visit the Exhibit Hall Food Court for breakfast and lunch items, coffee and a wide variety of snacks.
  • Relax between sessions or meet your colleagues for a chat in the Food Court seating area.

2011 Sponsors
Please support those who support the Society.

Diamond Sponsor:
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company

Platinum Sponsors:
Baker Academic and Brazos Press
HarperOne

Nida Institute for Biblical Scholarship

Gold Sponsors:
Abingdon Press/Common English Bible

Coexist Foundation
Gregorian and Biblical Press
Westminster John Knox Press

Silver Sponsors:
Eisenbrauns
Templeton Press
Wipf and Stock Publishers

Bronze Sponsors:
Fortress Press


Our mailing address is:
825 Houston Mill Road, Atlanta, Georgia, USA 30329

Our telephone:
404-727-3100

Copyright (C) 2011 / Society of Biblical Literature/ All rights reserved.