the official daily publication of the AORN Congress

Navigating the Congress Microsite

AORN has developed a Congress-specific microsite, which houses all of the information you need to make the most of your Congress experience, including how to register, the daily schedule of events, travel and transportation details, special events, hotels and housing, and access to Congress News Online and the Congress Voices blog. At Congress, there will be several ways to access this vital information. As always, computer stations will be set up to allow you to check the Congress pages, as well as register continuing education (CE) contact hours, check e-mail for the latest Congress News Online updates, and read the Congress Voices blog. You can also use your cell phone or personal laptop to access all of the same information. This article provides you with the tools necessary to navigate the Congress microsite so that you always have the information you need.

Navigating the Congress Microsite
The Congress microsite is your one-stop shop for all Congress information. It is updated regularly to provide you with the most current information available. The Congress microsite homepage (pictured below) is set up with a navigation bar at the top, which will take you to the many informative pages on the site. Below the navigation bar on the left side, you will find important information, announcements, and Congress News information. To the right, you will see the Congress Spotlight, which is updated frequently and highlights some of the “don’t miss” events and topics.

Navigating_1
AORN Congress Microsite homepage

Navigating_2 If you decide that you would like to return to the Congress homepage at any time, simply select the “AORN 57th Congress” logo (pictured to the right) at the top, right-hand side of your screen on any page. This logo is an active link that will redirect you to the homepage.

The navigation bar (pictured below) is divided into seven categories for your convenience. When you place your cursor over a specific heading, a drop-down menu will appear in grey with various subheadings.

Following is a breakdown of the headings and subheadings, as well as what type of information you will be able to find in each.

Registration. Selecting this link will take you to a page detailing the various ways to register for Congress, including a link to register online and hours for on-site registration. You will also be able to find information on special requirements for intensive sessions; publication and marketing materials; registration categories (eg, member, nonmember, exhibits-only, press/media, student, faculty, international attendee); group discounts; and more. On the left side of the screen, you will be able to view announcements (eg, the early bird registration deadline); related links (eg, Congress attendee registration); and a link to the subcategory “registration fees.”

Registration Fees. Selecting this link will take you to a page with an easy-to-read table that lists all of the registration fees categorized by the timing of registration (ie, earlybird or regular) as well as weekly and daily registration rates and other designations.

General Information. Find general information about Congress including what’s new in 2010, how to arrange for a meeting room, volunteer opportunities, the Congress bookstore, how to obtain session recordings, poster sessions, and more.

New in 2010. Check out what’s new for Congress 2010, such as the International Summit, combined Opening Session and awards recognition on Sunday, and the Internet Café.

Delegate Information. Find out the latest information for the 2010 delegates. This page includes a link to the Delegates web page.

Travel & Transportation. Getting to and around Congress is easy with the help of this comprehensive page with information about airlines, taxis, driving directions, parking, shuttle service, special needs access, and electric scooters.

Win Win Win. Try your luck—find out how you can win a prize at Congress or before.

Future Congress Dates. Congress dates and locations through 2016 are listed on this page.

Special Events. Find out about special events being offered at Congress such as the new Exhibit Hall reception, the Specialty Assembly reception, online education demonstration terminals, and more.

Foundation Events. The AORN Foundation is a charitable and philanthropic extension of AORN, which is committed to supporting the perioperative nurse and advancing safe patient care. This page lists events organized by the Foundation including the 12th annual 5K Race for Patient Safety and the silent auction.

Sightseeing Tour Programs. For those interested in exploring the Denver area, this is the page to get you there. Featured tours will allow you to explore the city of Boulder, Red Rocks, Cherokee Ranch and castle in the Rocky Mountains, Mountain Magic ski resort in Vail, the “Mile High City” of Denver, and many other venues.

Daily Education Schedule. Make the most of your time at Congress by gaining valuable information and CE contact hours through the many education sessions. The schedule for each day is listed on its own page and can be accessed either by selecting the day from the drop-down menu while hovering over the category title or by selecting the day on the left side of the category home screen.

The daily schedule details everything that is going on for that day such as educational sessions, General Sessions, poster display sessions, business sessions, Exhibit Hall hours, and optional evening tours and networking opportunities. Details also include the times, speaker or presenter, number of contact hours, educational tracks, and a brief description of the session or event.

Exhibit Hall. Check out this comprehensive guide to the Exhibit Hall. This page contains everything you need to know to make the most of your Exhibit Hall experience, from dates and times to career development opportunities to exclusive manager and VIP hours to prize stations.

Hotel & Housing. For questions about where to stay in Denver during the week of Congress or how to get to and from the convention center, this is the best page to visit. Not only does this page include a step-by-step guide for making a reservation and a complete shuttle bus schedule, it also includes supporting documents, located on the left-hand side of the screen, which include a Denver hotel map, so you can see where your hotel is in relation to Congress events, and a 2010 hotel room rates and amenities list to help you choose the hotel that best suits your needs.

MyAORNCongress. This new interactive Congress planning tool allows you to search education sessions, products, exhibitors, and events by keyword, topic, or company name. After registration, a personal event plan will be created using your session preferences, and you can further customize your Congress experience using this tool. You can add sessions, events, and exhibitor booths to visit to your personal event plan, request additional information from exhibitors that interest you most, and print your schedule as well as a map of the convention center to take with you. Through this feature, you will also receive recommendations for sessions and booths that may be of interest to you based on your specific background and preferences. Best of all, because MyAORNCongress is a web-based tool, you will be able to access your event plan and maps from anywhere—work, home, hotel room, and on-site at Congress.

Congress News Online
Congress News Online is a companion to the print edition of Congress News. During the week of Congress, this online version will feature some original, online-only content, as well as pictures, videos, and podcasts.

The Congress News Online site is updated regularly to provide the most current Congress news information available. To access the Congress News Online homepage, you can select the “Congress News 2010” link at the bottom of the Congress microsite homepage. You will also notice in this section that there are article titles with active links. Selecting one of these will take you to the complete article.

Another option is to go directly to the Congress News Online homepage by visiting http://www.aorncongress.org/congressnews2010. If you are an AORN member, you will receive a daily e-mail during Congress week. The links in the e-mail will take you to the Congress News Online homepage and daily stories. Be sure also to check out the pre-Congress coverage in the weeks leading up to Congress.

Some of the key features of the Congress News Online homepage include:

daily Congress News print edition PDFs, which will be located on the left-hand side of the screen under supporting documents. Please note that there will not be a Thursday print edition of Congress News; however, you will still be able to view a pdf of Thursday’s Congress News on this page.
Congress highlights, which is similar to the Congress Spotlight section on the microsite homepage. During Congress you will find event highlights and photos. Prior to Congress, this section will highlight some Congress-related fun facts.
a link to the Congress Voices blog, located in the green box at the top, left-hand side of the page. Select this link to see what fellow Congress attendees have to share about their Congress experience, or become a blogger yourself. There are several important features to notice about the blog. First, on the right-hand side of the screen, you will see a list of helpful links. These links will bring you to such places as the AORN Congress microsite, Congress News Online, the AORN homepage, Denver visitor information, and AORN privacy information. The right side of the screen will also feature AORN twitter updates, “blog stats,” tags for common themes in blog posts, and more.
a running slideshow with pictures from Congress. Additional pictures are available by selecting the slideshow.
archived Congress News stories, which can be found under “related links” on the left-hand side of the homepage.
podcasts and videos linked to feature stories.
contact information for the Congress News staff.
Congress News polls.

The 57th annual AORN Congress is packed with education, new technology, and wonderful opportunities for networking and career growth. With so much to do, it is important to stay on top of the latest events and information. The AORN Congress pages are a window into everything there is to see and do during the week of Congress—and even before! Take some time to explore the Congress pages and customize your experience with the interactive MyAORNCongress tool. We hope you find these pages useful in getting the most out of Congress this year.