2019 INFORMS Annual Meeting set for scenic Seattle

The 2019 INFORMS Annual Meeting will be held at the Washington State Convention Center and the Sheraton Grand Hotel in the heart of downtown Seattle on Oct. 20-23.

The organizing committee has planned the conference around the broad themes of theory and practice of OR/MS, data science, analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning, within the context of applications such as education, energy, healthcare, humanitarian logistics, manufacturing, revenue management, supply chain management, sustainability and transportation.

The committee has lined up plenary and keynote speeches from thought leaders at well-known corporations, philanthropic institutions and universities. These will provide often philosophical overviews of high-impact work at the cutting edge of the theme of the conference. The committee has also confirmed several, more technical tutorials from leading experts on a range of modern topics. In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to explore new scientific ideas at more than 1,500 sessions.

The pre-conference combined colloquia on Oct. 19 will include the Teaching Effectiveness Colloquium, Doctoral Student Colloquium and New Faculty Colloquium. Colloquia organizers have planned panel discussions and presentations on topics such as proposal and paper writing, conducting interdisciplinary research and mentoring students. Other pre-conference events include the Conference on Information Systems & Technology (CIST 2019), the 3rd INFORMS Workshop on Data Science (DS 2019), 14th INFORMS Workshop on Data Mining & Decision Analytics and other technology workshops.

In partnership with Boeing, INFORMS has organized an expert-guided plant tour approximately 25 miles north of Seattle. This will offer a unique opportunity to view the 747, 767, 777 and 787 Dreamliner on the assembly line. The INFORMS Pro Bono Analytics program is collaborating with Seattle-based nonprofit organization FareStart to help alleviate the pain of homelessness, joblessness, poverty and hunger in the Seattle community. As a part of this project, volunteers will be able to prepare snack-packs and blankets for homeless students.

The Emerald City of Seattle is nestled among snow-capped mountains and evergreen trees near the Pacific Coast. Seattle has seen rapid growth over recent decades and become a thriving technological hub. The conference will be held in a bustling area near many restaurants and shops, not far from iconic landmarks such as the Space Needle and the Pike Place Market. Attendees who have some extra time may also visit scenic destinations such as the San Juan Islands, Olympic National Park, Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. Many of these are accessible via a one-day trip from Seattle.

More information is available at http://meetings.informs.org/seattle2019/.

The organizing committee is looking forward to welcoming more than 6,000 attendees to Seattle in October.