Submission System FAQs

For information about deadlines and policies, visit our submissions home page. Learn more about participant roles and submission formats.

What fees do I need to pay in order to participate on the Annual Meeting program?

To participate on the program, all presenters, chairs, moderators, and discussants are required to pay two separate fees:

  1. the registration fee for the annual meeting before the submissions deadline; and
  2. SAA membership dues for the meeting year (memberships run from January 1 to December 31). 

The SAA begins accepting membership dues for the following membership year on August 1. Individuals who are not current SAA members must join the Society by November 15, and current members have until January 30 to renew their membership. For further details about registration and membership requirements, as well as other policies, please visit the Submissions Guidelines page.

Refund information

The SAA Board has the established meeting registration policy.

The following current refund policies will continue to apply for all SAA annual meetings that go forward:

  • The SAA has always refunded (in full) anyone unable to attend the annual meeting (documentation of cancellation required).
  • Registration fees for presenters who elect to withdraw from the program will be refunded by the SAA office—minus a $25 processing fee—upon receipt of an emailed or written request (no verbal requests, please) timestamped/postmarked by December 1 immediately prior to the meeting. Program participants are not eligible for any refunds after December 1 for any given meeting, without documentation.
  • Registration fees for those not on the program who elect to not attend will be refunded by the SAA office—minus a $25 processing fee—upon receipt of e-mailed or written request (no verbal requests, please) postmarked by the advance registration date deadline.
  • No refunds are available after the advance registration deadline except in the case of registrants who provide documentation that shows they cannot attend, such as a visa denial, governmental travel advisory or prohibition, employer travel prohibition, or medical reason. Refunds cannot be given after the event begins.
  • In the event an SAA annual meeting is canceled, meeting registrations will automatically be applied to the next year's annual meeting unless a full refund is specifically requested.
  • Hotel: Members must notify the headquarters hotel of a cancellation no later than three (3) working days before date of arrival to receive a refund from the hotel.
  • Travel: We strongly encourage meeting participants to familiarize themselves in advance with refund and cancellation policies for airlines, car rentals, trains, or other travel providers, as there is likely to be a great deal of variation in what is allowed.
  • Excursion and Workshops: If you need to cancel your excursion or workshop registration, please email [email protected]. Please note that refunds will not be processed until after advance registration closes. The SAA will email you to confirm that your refund has been processed.

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Guidelines for On-Site Participation

First time attending the SAA Annual Meeting? Visit SAA's YouTube Channel to catch excerpts from April Kamp-Whittaker's online seminar Conference 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Participating in the SAA Annual Meeting

How do I get press credentials to cover the SAA meeting?

The SAA vets all media who request press credentials. Our credentialing process has changed as the media landscape has changed. All media representatives must be representing an established, reputable media outlet, either as staff or freelance, when they request credentials. In the case of freelancers, we ask for recent relevant clips (within two years). Relevant clips are science-based stories, not opinion pieces, that went through the publication’s editing and fact-checking process. Please send clips and affiliation to [email protected] at least two weeks prior to the first day of the conference. Not all press credential requests are granted. The SAA rarely grants registration waivers, including press credentials, to archaeologists. 

Are sessions that may show human remains listed anywhere?

During the call for submissions, some organizers and presenters checked a box indicating that their presentation(s) might include images of human remains. These sessions are listed on this web page: 

https://www.saa.org/annual-meeting/presentations-remains.

I would like to record a session presentation/interview a presenter at the meeting. Is this allowed?

The SAA does not allow independent video or audio recording at the annual meeting in session rooms by external parties. In the exhibit hall and special events, attendees may record with consent of subjects for non-monetary, non-commercial personal use. Any attendee or media organization seeking to record a session or interview an attendee at the SAA annual meeting for commercial use must be approved by the SAA prior to the beginning of the annual meeting. Approval to record in dedicated meeting spaces during meeting times will not be granted after the start of the annual meeting. Commercial use includes monetized YouTube channels and podcasts.

I’m new to the SAA annual meeting. Where do I begin?

Come to our virtual First-Time Attendee and New Member Meeting Orientation and/or our in-person First-Time Attendee and New Member Meeting Orientation, where you can get information about how to get the most from the meeting and ask any questions you have.

How do I find meeting information, such as when my session will be held?

The final program and the final meeting app are terrific resources that list all sessions, presentations, and the dates/times/rooms where they are scheduled.

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Electronic symposia and debates are no longer available session formats as of October 21, 2023, because of low usage: Motion 152-70B. The Board sunsets Electronic Symposia and Debate as existing formats for the annual meeting. (10-21-23)

ATTENTION! BEWARE OF HOUSING POACHERS!

The Society for American Archaeology (SAA) has learned of a company that is attempting to do business with SAA exhibitors and attendees by soliciting them for sleeping rooms in regard to the SAA Annual Meeting. The SAA does not endorse booking hotel reservations via another company or source. The only authorized sources for making hotel room reservations for the annual meeting is the SAA website and with the hotel directly.

If you receive any solicitations either via email or telephone from other third parties/vendors incorrectly identifying themselves as an official SAA housing representative or member of exhibition services, we ask that you please delete the message immediately, ignore any further requests, and contact the SAA’s executive director immediately at +1 (202) 559-4580.