Location of main events: AHA and affiliated societies sessions will be held in the Hilton Chicago and Palmer House Hilton. The AHA headquarters office will be in the Hilton's Private Dining Room 7. The Local Arrangements Committee office will be in the Hilton's Private Dining Room 5 and the Press Office in Private Dining Room 6. These three offices are on the hotel's third floor.

Registration: The registration desks will be located in the Hilton's Northeast Exhibit Hall on the exhibit hall level and will be open Thursday, January 2, 12:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.; Friday, January 3, 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.; and Saturday, January 4, 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Member registration will be $90, nonmembers $110, students members and unemployed $50, student nonmembers $60, and precollegiate teachers $25. The registration area will be divided alphabetically into several workstations. Meeting participants can also pay AHA membership dues and purchase AHA publications at the "Membership" and "Publications" desks. Publications can be examined at the Association's booth 93, located in the Hilton's Northwest Exhibit Hall. Individuals who have preregistered should go to registration booths in the Northwest Exhibit Hall to collect badge holders and other meeting material. Book exhibitors should go to desks marked "Exhibitors" to collect badge holders.

Refund Policy: Advance registrants who are unable to attend the annual meeting may request a full refund of their registration fee if a written request accompanied by the receipt and badge is postmarked by or on December 20, 2002. No refunds will be issued for requests postmarked after December 20, 2002.

Book Exhibit: The exhibits will be located in the Hilton's Northwest and Northeast Exhibit Halls on the exhibit hall level and will be open Thursday, January 2, 3:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.; Friday, January 3, 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.; Saturday, January 4, 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.; and Sunday, January 5, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Job Register: The Job Register, located in the Hilton's Southwest Exhibit Hall with administrative area in the Southeast Exhibit Hall, will be open Thursday, January 2, 12:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m.; Friday, January 3, 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.; Saturday, January 4, 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.; and Sunday, January 5, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Admission to AHA sessions, exhibits, and the Job Register requires registration and display of the meeting badge.

Messaging System and Internet Access

Once again the AHA will employ an electronic two-way messaging system to allow everyone registered for the annual meeting to communicate electronically with each other. The system will utilize easy-to-use terminals located in the Hilton Chicago's Southeast Exhibit Hall. The system replaces the traditional locator file and the various inconspicuous hard-to-use message boards. The system will be the designated form of communication for those using the Job Register. Interviewers and interviewees can schedule and confirm interviews through this system. AHA staff answering the phones at the meeting will be able to take messages for attendees and post them directly into the system.

The system will use large monitors to display the names of persons with messages waiting for them. Persons with messages waiting will be able to use any available terminal to log in using a password that will be printed on their badges. Each terminal will have all the simple instructions necessary to receive or send messages to other registered conference attendees.

There will also be a few Internet terminals available for checking regular e-mail accounts. Persons who use the "Telnet" protocol to reach their university's servers are advised that some universities employ firewalls that prevent access from outside the university system. If you wish to be able to check your e-mail and avoid this problem, you may consider having your e-mail forwarded to one of the commonly available free e-mail services (such as Yahoo or Excite) that are accessible via a web browser.

Meal Ticket Cashier

Tickets for meal events—except those sponsored by organizations that sell their own tickets—will be available from the cashiers at the "Meal Ticket Cashier" desk in the Hilton's Northeast Exhibit Hall. All payments must be made in U.S. currency, by cash or traveler's check. Meal ticket cashiers will have a list of all luncheons and will know if other sponsoring organizations will have tickets available for sale at the annual meeting.

A limited number of tickets for the annual breakfast meeting of the AHA Committee on Women Historians will be available through the cashiers on a first come, first served basis. These tickets will be $26. Breakfast tickets prepaid through the meeting preregistration form should also be picked up at the meal ticket cashier's window prior to the event Saturday morning.

Ten luncheons will be held during the annual meeting, four on Friday, January 3, and six on Saturday, January 4.

Schedule of Luncheon Meetings

Friday, January 3

American Society of Church History

Conference on Asian History

Conference on Latin American History

Organization of History Teachers

Saturday, January 4

Advanced Placement History

AHA Modern European History Section

American Catholic Historical Association

Coordinating Council for Women in History

Immigration and Ethnic History Society

Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations

Please see the Program for locations and details on luncheon speakers and topics.

Affiliated Society Display

An area in the Hilton's Southeast Exhibit Hall on the exhibit hall level has been reserved from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Friday, January 3, for affiliated societies to display materials and to meet with members of the profession.

—Sharon K. Tune is AHA's convention director.