Valuable Resources, Services for International Attendees

More than half of all Annual Meeting attendees travel from outside the United States to participate in the premier educational event in oncology. ASCO continues to expand the comprehensive roster of educational and logistic services and programs it offers to meet the unique educational and professional needs of its valued international constituency.

International Assistance Desk
The International Assistance Desk, located in ASCO Concierge Services (North Building, Grand Concourse Lobby), is a valuable resource for ASCO Annual Meeting attendees. International Meeting attendees can ask questions and seek information about both the Annual Meeting and Chicago.

The desk is staffed with interpreters prepared to assist attendees in several languages, including French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, and Spanish. Located between the Air Travel Assistance and the Restaurant and Reservations desk within Concierge Services, the International Assistance Desk serves as an informational hub for international members and Meeting attendees. Staff from ASCO’s International Affairs department also are available to explain, discuss, and promote all of the international programs ASCO offers, including the Advanced Cancer Courses, Multidisciplinary Cancer Management Course, Best of ASCO^® International meetings, the International Development and Education Award (IDEA) program, Long-term International Fellowship (LIFe), and the International Cancer CorpsSM. (See the Expert Editorial on page 12C of the Monday edition, to see Vietnam through the eyes of volunteers for the International Cancer Corps).

For the fourth year, the Japanese-language translation of ASCO Daily News, the official newspaper of the ASCO Annual Meeting, will be located in two bins throughout McCormick Place and can be obtained at the International Assistance Desk. Foreign editions of the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) are available at the ASCO Journals Booth (#22105).

International Attendee Resource Center
Attendees are encouraged to visit the online International Attendees Resource Center, which provides international attendees with essential Meeting information, helpful travel tips, and answers to frequently asked questions. Visit chicago2012.asco.org and select “International Attendees” under the “Attendee Information” left-hand navigation tab.