Getting Ready: SIGCSE TS 2022 In-Person Participation

The Usual

  • Register for TS 2022. It is important to do this early for all the usual reasons. More importantly:
    • You will not be able to access the TS 2022 Pathable site until you are registered.
    • Registering begins your COVID-19 vaccination verification process (see below). Your COVID-19 vaccination must be verified in advance and then confirmed onsite before you may participate in-person in TS 2022.

  • Reserve your hotel room. Although the deadline for the Symposium rate has passed, at last check rooms were still available in our block at The Graduate. You can also use the SIGCSE TS 2022 Roommate Finder.

  • Arrange your planes, trains, and automobiles.

The New Normal

Please make sure you visit our Health and Safety Information page.

Also, consider participating in our carbon offset program.

COVID-19 Vaccination Verification

ACM and SIGCSE have partnered with Immunaband to verify COVID-19 vaccination status of in-person participants in TS 2022. SIGCSE accepts any of the following as proof of vaccination:

  • CDC vaccination cards,
  • appropriate records of receiving a WHO-approved vaccine regimen, or
  • appropriate records of receiving a vaccine regimen authorized or approved by the national health authority of the country where it was administered.

The Process

We highly encourage you to register for TS 2022 as early as possible, and no later than Saturday, February 26.

  1. After you register for the Symposium, one of the organizers will add you to the Immunaband system. Note that this step requires human intervention, so please be patient.
  2. Once you are added to the system, you will receive two emails from Immunaband. The first will welcome you to their system and the second will inform you that you have been added to the ACM/SIGCSE 2022 TECHNICAL SYMPOSIUM COVID Management portal. The first email contains a link inviting you to set up your account, which expires after 24 hours. The second email contains two links, the first of which invites you to upload your vaccination record. You should ignore the other link in the second email, which would allow you to upload a COVID test. For SIGCSE 2022 conferences, negative COVID test results are not acceptable in lieu of proof of vaccination. Also, please do not be put off by the language in the emails referring to your employer.

    Immunaband Welcome Email Immunaband You've Been Added Email

  3. Using the link in the first email (within 24 hours) will allow you to establish your Immunaband password, which will generate a third email confirming that your password was “changed.”

    Immunaband Password Changed Email

  4. You will then be able to log in to Immunaband, accept the Terms and Conditions, click on “manage your vaccine info,” and complete the information on your “Manage Vaccination Information” page. Specifically, you need to (a) edit your name to match your proof of vaccination; (b) enter your date of birth; (c) enter the type (manufacturer), lot number, and date for each of your shots (jabs); and (d) upload an image (not PDF) of your proof of vaccination. There is no “Save” button — information is saved as it is entered and uploaded. We highly encourage you to submit your proof of vaccination as early as possible, and no later than Monday, February 28.
  5. Once you have uploaded your proof of vaccination, Immunaband’s experts will examine and verify it. We hope this step will take no more than two business days. If they need more information, a clearer image, etc., they will email you (we don’t include any such emails in our counting). Once Immunaband has verified your vaccination status, you will receive a fourth email from them, with the subject line “Immunaband Vaccination Card Approved.” It is for your information only, informing you that the verification is complete (or requesting additional information). If you log in to your Immunaband account at this point (which is not necessary), your “Dashboard” page will show a “badge” near the lower left corner (a white check mark in a green box).

    Immunaband You've Been Added Email

  6. Finally, you will receive a fifth email from Immunaband, which should arrive within the week before TS 2022, stating that it is the receipt that you need to bring to the Symposium. This is your proof of vaccination. Bring it with you to Providence.

What to Pack

We are in a new era for in-person conferences. In addition to your usual smart phone, charger, laptop, power supply, changes of clothes, toiletries, etc., you should also pack the following.

  1. Your Immunaband receipt email (the third email described above).
  2. Your proof of vaccination, as a backup measure.
  3. A supply of well-fitting facemasks.

Picture of disposable face masks

Every Day Before You Go to TS 2022 Events

Please monitor and report your health daily!

If you feel well, then put on a mask and head to the RICC to pick up a “Safety Checked” sticker near the registration desk. Please do this even if your first events are in the Omni.

If you do not feel well, we hope you will feel well enough to participate in the conference using Pathable.

When You Arrive at the RICC the First Time

Symposium check-in will be a tad different this year since all in-person attendees are required to have their COVID-19 vaccination status verified. As such, we recommend that you arrive at the RICC well in advance of your first session, having checked yourself for COVID-19 symptoms using the SIGCSE TS 2022 Daily Health Check form.

After picking up your “Safety Checked” sticker (see above), you should promptly visit the Vaccination Verification desk. Please go directly there, not to your session, the registration desk, the Exhibit Hall, the group of old friends hanging out in the lobby, etc.

After examining your Immunaband receipt email to confirm your vaccination verification, the contractors working the Vaccination Verification desk will provide you with an “I’m vaxed” wristband. You can use your wristband to enter sessions, the Exhibit Hall, etc. You can also use it to pick up your TS 2022 badge and other registration materials whenever the registration desk is open. After doing so, you may use your TS 2022 badge to enter sessions, the Exhibit Hall, etc.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

I am registered and my vaccination is verified, but I forgot my receipt email

The Vaccination Verification desk will have a list of all in-person participants who had verified proofs of vaccination as of the beginning of the day. You may have to bear the disapprobation of those in line behind you as you delay the process for them, but you will not be turned away!

I am registered, but my vaccination verification is not complete

If you brought your vaccination card and can access your email, then all is not lost. Somewhere other than the RICC and the Omni meeting rooms, pick up where you left off in the vaccination verification process described above and wait for it to complete. This will not be immediate, so you may want to check into your room, grab a snack, or check email. Once you receive the receipt email from Immunaband, return to the RICC and show it to the folks at the Vaccination Verification desk.

I forgot to register, but at least I remembered my proof of vaccination

The registration system will close for in-person participation at 9:00 PM EST on Wednesday, March 2. Also, due to the time required for the vaccination verification process, there is a risk that you may be unable to participate in person in some or all sessions.

If you arrive in Providence before that time, then somewhere other than the RICC, register yourself. You won’t be able to pick up your badge or registration materials yet, but one of the symposium organizers will begin the vaccination verification process for you. Wait for the emails from Immunaband and follow the process described above. Then find something to do while you wait for it to be verified. When you get your receipt email from Immunaband, return to the RICC and show it to the folks at the Vaccination Verification desk.

If you arrive in Providence after registration for in-person participation closes, we invite you to register for virtual participation.

I forgot to register, and I can’t access my proof of vaccination

Maybe somebody can help you access your proof of vaccination? If not, then fortunately, TS 2022 is a hybrid event. We’re very sorry that you won’t be able to participate in person, but you can still register for virtual participation.