REEF FUTURES 2018 IS ONE WEEK AWAY!!!
Reef Futures 2018 Attendees! We are just one week away!
The conference is coming together wonderfully and we have a great program planned. However, to make sure you get the most out of your experience its very important that you closely read this message and follow up on the message we sent two weeks ago.
CHECK IN WITH YOUR COLLEAGUES: Did they get the last email or this one? If not, it might’ve been sent to their Junk folder. Even worse, Reef Futures 2018 may not have their information correct. Ensuring we have your correct contact information will make sure you have a no hassle arrival at the conference. Due to the nature of the private club that’s hosting us, only those registered guests (including your family members) with the Ocean Reef Club hotel can enter the property. Feel free to contact the Reservations line at #305-367-5923 if you need to confirm your roommates, family members, or other non-conference attendees are listed on your reservation so they may enter the property.
IF YOU ARE STAYING OFF-SITE (Holiday Inn, Airbnb, a friend’s home, etc.) and are a registered conference attendee, your name will be on list to grant you property access beginning Sunday 12/9. Upon arrival, please proceed to Carysfort Hall for conference registration and then the hotel lobby to receive your “day pass” which is good for the week and will allow you to fully enjoy the Ocean Reef Club amenities. Offsite attendees with non-conference guests may purchase a guest pass at the front desk for the super reasonable rate of $10 to allow them full access to the property. Just a reminder, dinner reservations (for meals not provided by the conference) and activities can be arranged through the Ocean Reef Concierge (305-367-5931).
DRYFTA APP: We are striving to make Reef Futures as sustainable and paperless as possible, and as such the only way to see the detailed program will be using the website or our mobile app (Dryfta). 
WORKSHOPS AND FIELD TRIPS: Monday’s workshops are sold out, many with long waitlists. Friday’s field trips are nearly all booked too, with the exception of the Friday PM Carysfort Reef trip – both the diving and snorkeling option are available and you can BOOK NOW.
CLOSING RECEPTION DEADLINE: Ticket sales end TOMORROW (Tuesday, December 4) at 10pm EST! Please be sure to purchase your $25 ticket soon, as Chef Drew’s Food Truck needs to know the number of mouths he is feeding. You’ll regret not going to see Key Largo’s historic Caribbean Club. :o)
AIRPORT SHUTTLE INFO: Please purchase your shuttle tickets this week, as we’ve scheduled the shuttles based on your flights and filling the bus. Upon arrival, airport Greeters will be stationed at the following locations at Miami Airport with a REEF FUTURES sign and Coral Restoration Consortium logo:
- American Airlines: D Terminal, Baggage Claim 25
- United, Delta, Air Canada: J Terminal, Baggage Claim 4
The Greeters will direct you to the bus for your trip to the Ocean Reef Club. If you are lost or confused, feel free to contact Mark directly at 801.455.8608. Good people: Don’t make Mark regret sharing his personal cell phone number with you!
HASHTAGS: Be sure to include #REEFFUTURES2018 when you post on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and texting your dad (it’ll either confuse him or he’ll think you’re cool). We’ve also created Facebook events for the conference as well as the closing reception.
GET READY TO MINGLE: On the back of your name badge there will be a number – find the people at the conference with the matching number and prizes at the closing reception will be yours! This is really just incentive to network and get to know your fellow restoration community. Take advantage of this in-person opportunity to make new friends and colleagues.
ATTENTION PRESENTERS: Don’t forget you can find the information on the date, time, and location of your talk in the Reef Futures 2018 Detailed Program or DRYFTA app. Presentation materials (slides and videos) must be submitted our DropBox no later than 5pm on Sunday December 9th!!! Please use the dropbox link that was specifically sent you last week by Alex Neufeld. If you did not get the link, please contact alex@coralrestoration.org right away.
FIELD WORK FAIL INFORMATION: We are preparing for a fun Science Social on Wednesday December 12, 2018, at 5:30 PM. During the #FieldworkFail event, we will share failures and learn from each other in an informal environment. We are looking for ~20 volunteers to share their experience of things that didn’t work as planned and what they learned from it! Please, contact the event organizer [SarahF@Vulcan.com] by Thursday December 6, 2018, with the following:
1) a Title,
2) a one or two sentence explanation of your #FieldworkFail, (this is a 5 minute speed talk)
3) Presence or absence of photos or video during your presentation,
4) Accept or Reject Twitter posting of your experience during the conference.
For an overview, read “FieldworkFail-Scientists blunders on the field"
If you have any questions, please reachout to coral.restoration@noaa.gov.
See you soon!
The CRC