IRE Conference kicks off with record attendance

The 2014 IRE Conference is underway in San Francisco. We've got record turnout, with more than 1,500 journalists registered.

 Below are a few bits of information to help you prepare for this great conference! Check back regularly for the latest up-to-date information about panels, speakers and special events at the conference.

Hotel Information

The conference is taking place at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis, 780 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA.  

Registration

Conference registration opens Wednesday at 3 p.m. and will re-open Thursday morning at 7:30 a.m. Registration remains open Friday and Saturday on the lower B2 level of the hotel.

Weather

San Francisco weather will be in the mid 60s this week. See San Francisco’s full weather report thanks to weather.com. 

Complimentary wireless Internet during the conference

Complimentary wireless Internet will be offered in the meeting space for attendees during the IRE conference. Signs will be posted near the registration desk with the wireless access code. In addition, attendees staying at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis, The Palace or the San Francisco Courtyard Downtown in the IRE block will receive complimentary Internet in their guest rooms.

Have a question or need help in a session

Room monitors will be stationed in the hallways during sessions and will be happy to answer your questions.  Additionally, if you need something, email IREhelp@ire.org and IRE staff will respond as quickly as possible.

Recent updates and events you don’t want to miss:

IRE Board Meeting

2 p.m., Thursday, June 26 in Pacific C

This meeting is open to all IRE members. 

Brown bag: Uncovering fraud - Inside the mind of a hardcore criminal

12:45 p.m., Thursday, June 26 in Salon 1-3

Grab your lunch and join a convicted felon for lessons in business. Sam Antar, the Former Crazy Eddie CFO and former CPA will share his story and offer tips and techniques for spotting fraud. Beverages will be provided.

Welcome reception (Sponsored by Esri and KQED Public Radio)

6 p.m., Thursday, June 26 in Salon 8

Meet up with friends you have not seen since last year and welcome new attendees. Each attendee will receive one drink ticket for beer, wine, soda or bottled water. 

Media lawyers brown bag

12:30 p.m., Friday, June 27 in Salon 1-3

Does your investigation contain complex legal questions? Unsure of how to proceed? Bring your lunch and your questions for a personal discussion with some prominent media law experts that will be presenting throughout the 2014 IRE Conference. We'll provide drinks and dessert.

Closing Reception

7:30 p.m., Saturday, June 28 in Salon 8

Enjoy one last evening of catching up with friends, speakers, and colleagues.   Appetizers will be served and a cash bar will be available.

IRE Conference App

Don’t forget to download the conference app before you leave for the conference. Have the latest schedule at your fingertips throughout the conference, check speaker bios, plan your own schedule, and keep up-to-date with any panel changes that happen.  New this year, you can opt-in to network with other attendees and complete session/panel evaluations directly from the app. 

Internet is not required for the app to work once it’s downloaded, however, it is necessary to receive any updates that are sent out.  Complimentary Internet will be available in the meeting space throughout the conference. The app is available for iOS, Android, Blackberry and web-enabled devices.  Download today

Conference Addendums

Be sure to check the conference app (daily updates icon) or your email each day, where you will receive the conference addendum with any last minute changes. Paper copies will also be available at the registration desk each morning.

Conference Evaluations

New this year for attendees using the conference app – you can complete the session/class evaluation directly from the app.  Click on the session you are attending, you will see the description and speakers of that session, directly below that is a link to the panel/class feedback form.  A few short questions later and you are done. 

This feedback is valuable to IRE as we plan future conferences. Each day you complete a session evaluation you’ll be entered into the daily evaluation drawing for a $10 bar/restaurant credit.  The more evaluations you complete, the more times you are entered.  In addition, we’ll be sending out evaluations via email each day as we’ve done at previous conferences or complete the evaluations in the app via the Survey Monkey icon. You’ll be entered into the drawing as long as you provide your name and email address.  Drawings will take place at the end of each day and the winner will be notified. 

Broadcast Show & Tell and One-on-One sign-up

Show & Tell sessions allow you to share your investigations with colleagues from around the country. Veteran broadcasters will moderate each session. Each slot runs for 10 minutes and includes a 5-minute break. Friday sign-ups open at 7 a.m. Thursday, and Saturday sign-ups open at 7 a.m. Friday. For more information on the new online sign-up process, go here. All sessions will take place in Salon 14-15.

Also, sign up for one-on-one broadcast mentoring with Poynter’s Al Tompkins. Sessions will last 45 minutes and take place Thursday and Friday. You can sign up or put your name on the waiting list here.

IRE by Design sign up

Even with more than 150 sessions, we often hear from attendees who wish we'd had just one more session on a topic we missed. So this year, we saved some space in the program to try and rectify that. On Saturday afternoon, we've set aside five panel sessions and both hands-on rooms, and we're asking you to design the programming.

You can go online and propose a panel – topic and speakers. Your fellow attendees will vote for the sessions they want to see, and we'll hold the top vote-getters on Saturday afternoon. More information how proposing, voting on sessions is available here.

Twitter/Student blog

Be sure to use #IRE14 during the conference. Stop by the registration desk to see tweets live on the announcement monitor along with blog posts from the conference. The blog will be embedded on the main conference page and in the conference app.

Thank you to our regional committee, volunteer speakers and generous sponsors for your support.  We look forward to seeing you in San Francisco.