Frequently asked questions

What should I do when I arrive at the Conference?
Begin by checking in at the Registration Desk located on the Concourse level near the escalators.

May I register or make purchases on site?
You may register for the conference, or add to your existing conference registration, on site at the conference Registration Desk. You may enroll in any open professional development session, but many will have filled before the conference. Tickets for the Thursday evening at the Steam Whistle Brewery will be available until 3:00 pm on Wednesday. Tickets for Friday's Joint CES/AEA Luncheon will be available until 5:00 pm on Thursday. T-shirts will be sold at the CES Local Arrangements Table located in the registration area for the duration of the conference.

What about simultaneous interpretation?
Receivers for English and French simultaneous interpretation are available in the registration area. You will be asked to leave your driver's licence or credit card as a deposit that will be given back to you when your headset is returned. All of the plenary sessions and the CES Annual General Meeting will have simultaneous interpretation services. In addition, most French-language sessions will have simultaneous translation available into English.

What is included in my registration?
Standard conference registration includes admission to all of the sessions held after 3:15 pm on Wednesday, October 26 through to 5:00 pm on Saturday, October 29, with the exception of the Thursday evening Steam Whistle Brewery social and the Friday joint CES/AEA Luncheon that require separate tickets. Registration also includes receptions on Wednesday and Friday evenings with beverages available through a cash bar. To keep registration fees low, meals are not included as part of registration. Beverages are available each morning before and after the plenary and each afternoon before the penultimate session.

Do I need to sign up for sessions in advance?
The professional development workshops that precede and follow the conference require a separate registration and are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. All other sessions held during the conference are open to all attendees. You may attend any session by arriving at the appropriate room before the session begins. We make every effort to ensure that the room size is adequate for the attendance; however, occasionally, a session's seating will fill. If there is a session that you especially wish to see, it is a good idea to arrive at the beginning of the break rather than at the end.

What is the Thematic Strand?
The Thematic Strand is a set of sessions highlighting the conference theme of Crossing Borders, Crossing Boundaries. In additional to the plenary sessions – one opening the conference on Wednesday at 3:15 pm, and one each on Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings at 8:00 am – the conference theme will also be incorporated into the content of many sessions spread throughout the conference.

What is the Canadian Strand?
The conference theme provides an excellent backdrop for discussion, dialogue and deliberation about issues and questions of particular interest to evaluation in the Canadian context. To that end, one Canadian Strand session will be scheduled in each of the conference concurrent session time slots. These high-profile sessions are reserved for theme-based exchanges of relevance to evaluation in the Canadian context.

What is the French-Language Strand?
Evaluation 2005 is a dual-language English and French conference. The French-language sessions selected for the program have been combined to form a French-language strand woven throughout the conference or have been incorporated into the Canadian Strand. Most French-language sessions will have simultaneous translation available into English.

How can I meet people?
It can be difficult to connect with others your first time at a conference. One great way to meet colleagues is to attend Wednesday's reception featuring an Information Fair, Posters and Meet the Authors. Purchase a ticket to Thursday evening's Steam Whistle Brewery and Friday's Joint CES/AEA Awards Luncheon. Friday evening is topped off by a Reception and Silent Auction. Meet colleagues from around the world and bid on a range of items from texts to talismans. Proceeds are used to assist deserving students and international delegates travel to future conferences. If you are a student, don't miss the exclusive Student Reception with the CES Council and AEA Board held Wednesday evening at 8:00 pm. Meet the winning teams from the CES Student Evaluation Case Competition. Is this your first CES or AEA conference? If so, be sure to attend the first time attendee's orientation session held from 6:10 to 6:40 pm on Wednesday evening to learn more about CES, AEA and the Joint Conference. And finally, attending a TIG business meeting will help you to connect with people who share your disciplinary interests.

What if I have questions during the conference?
Please feel free to come to the registration Desk at any time. We're happy to answer your questions, give a little advice, or point you in the right direction. The CES Local Arrangements Committee will have a table in the registration area and will be pleased to provide information on local sights of interest, entertainment and activities in the Toronto area. When out and about at the conference, look for attendees with "Toronto" or "Ambassador" ribbons attached to their nametags. These Association leaders serve you and will be happy to help.

What is a TIG and what do they do?
AEA has 35 Topical Interest Groups, or TIGs. One of the major activities of each TIG is to review conference proposals and sponsor conference sessions. Under each session in the program you will see the sponsoring group and the program is indexed by TIG. Checking the TIG sponsor will give you an idea as to the topical bent of the overall session. Each TIG also holds a business meeting during the conference and attending one is a great way to connect with others who share your interests and to learn of the TIG's plans for the coming year. You need not be a member of a TIG to participate in its sessions or attend its business meeting.

What are those ribbons everyone is wearing?
The Topical Interest Groups (TIGs) sponsor ribbons that may be attached to your nametag to indicate your Topical Interests. You need not belong to a particular TIG to select its ribbon to show your interest in its topical area – conversely, you need not wear ribbons from each of the TIGs to which you belong. It is up to you. The ribbons are a great networking tool. They offer a way to ‘break the ice' and locate others with a common affinity. A few people also have other ribbons to indicate that they are Board members, staff, or volunteer leaders.

To register for the Conference, access the Registration page.
You may also download the complete registration pamphlet in PDF format.

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