AGU Registration Rates

We would like to address the increases in AGU23 registration fees.

Our AGU values inform how we make decisions that affect our members. In every facet of our activities, we champion diversity, equity and inclusion. When it comes to our meetings, we carry our values even further.

We address the long-standing inequities found in scientific convenings by enabling greater access to underrepresented groups. We establish and maintain sustainability practices within our operations. And we ensure safety for all attendees and staff, including operational partners and vendors. We are proud of this record and are committed to carrying it forward. But we also recognize that ever-increasing resources are needed to fund and support these initiatives.

Raising registration fees is something we do with great care and sensitivity. AGU’s annual meeting is back in person to a large extent, but the lessons of the pandemic remain. Members want options and flexibility. And we are committed to offering a full and robust hybrid option as “the new normal.”

This new normal can help curb our carbon footprint and meet the challenges posed by visa delays in many of the countries our members call home. To deliver on all of this, we need the proper tools and resources. Last year, these costs were subsidized by AGU reserve funds, but expenses are rising to levels that make it impossible for these funds to fully cover them in 2023.

We continue to negotiate the best possible rates and pricing. Working with our venue partners, we have been able to hold certain costs even. We repurpose and recycle displays and layouts and creatively design spaces to keep overhead low. But A/V and IT are stubborn areas. With hybrid arrangements, these costs continue to rise.

Convening a meeting of more than 25,000 people from over 110 countries is like constructing and supporting a city for five days. We plan for multiple contingencies surrounding attendees’ health and safety. We also rely on countless people in our host city to do everything from administering hotels’ front and back-of-house operations to managing convention center loading docks to maintaining kitchen staffs big and small. All this comes at a time when the labor market is extremely tight.

AGU seeks to produce the most sustainable meetings possible, and that comes at a cost, literally. We use only the most sustainable and ethically sourced products and materials available. These products have some of the fastest-rising prices in the industry. We rely on local partners to help us achieve zero waste targets, source from local suppliers, understand the emissions from our product supply chain, and measure our energy usage.

With all these inflationary factors, AGU is still laser focused and proactive in offering low-cost or even zero-cost registration fees —to allow a wider range of meeting participants who otherwise would not be able to attend. We are committed to providing the highest value at a reasonable cost, especially for those in need.

When we convene annually it has always been an incredible experience, allowing Earth and space scientists to engage and apply their expertise in innovative ways. AGU strives to provide a safe, welcoming and inclusive event for all. Our goal is to continue this tradition while also seeking to lessen the cost burden.

We appreciate and value your candor and feedback. We hope you will be able to join AGU23 and look forward to connecting soon.

Best Wishes,

Lisa J. Graumlich, PhD.,
AGU President

Brandon Jones, PhD.,
AGU President-Elect