Just as 2020 will be a year for the history books, this year’s ASOR Annual Meeting will be unlike any other. Not only will attendees be able to participate live from the comfort of their homes, they will be be able to log in as often as they wish through June 2021 to view 450+ presenters and play-back the live discussions of the 2020 meeting. In contrast to an in-person meeting, you won’t have to make difficult decisions about which papers and sessions to attend – view them all! Here is a break-down of ASOR’s Virtual Annual Meeting offerings and what to expect during the online meeting dates of November 12-15 & November 19-22:

PLENARY ADDRESS & MEMBERS’ MEETING: Thursday, November 12, 11am-1:30pm EST. This 2.5-hour segment will be played LIVE. Watch Dr. Monica Hanna’s plenary address on “Does the Future of the Past Lie in the Hands of the Living?” about the different stakeholders of heritage with a focus on the Middle East and Africa and the relationship with the West. Then participate in a live virtual Members’ Meeting to receive updates on ASOR’s finances, membership initiatives, and new Trustees, as well as to hear the 2020 ASOR Honors & Awards announcements.

WORKSHOPS: Primarily scheduled on Thursday, November 12 (2pm-4pm EST) & Friday, November 13 (11am-1pm EST), with two on Sunday afternoon, November 22.  These 2-hour online workshops are LIVE. Enjoy presentations, panels, and discussions featuring a number of different topics, ranging from “Ethics in Archaeological Practice” to “Archaeology and Climate Change.”

Example of a Workshop on ASOR’s Online Schedule. You can also view the abstracts of all the live presenters from this page. Attendees will click on the green button to join the online workshop.

POSTERS: Friday, November 13 (2pm-3pm EST) & Saturday, November 14 (11am-12pm EST). Explore the Poster Gallery before the online meeting dates to view digital versions of the posters. Posters have been grouped thematically and assigned to 1-hour LIVE sessions. Poster presenters will be available during this time to discuss their projects and answer questions. There will be 40+ posters available focusing on broad topics such as “Digital Archaeology” and “Tombs and Burial.”

PAPERS: So far more than 300 paper presentations have been uploaded to the Online Schedule of ASOR’s Virtual Annual Meeting, and they will continue to be added as they are received. VIEW THE PAPER PRESENTATIONS BEFORE attending the online meetings in order to fully participate in the live discussions. Paper presentations will not be given live or played-back during the online sessions scheduled for:

These 1-hour long sessions are designed for LIVE DISCUSSION and Q&A with presenters and will not include paper presentations.

If already registered, you can start viewing presentations today by logging into ASOR’s Virtual Annual Meeting Platform  and opening the Online Schedule.

Example of a paper presentation recording on the ASOR Virtual Annual Meeting Platform hosted by OpenWater.

ENGAGE:  The Networking & Chat lounge is already open!  ASOR Virtual Annual Meeting participants can connect via 1-to-1 messaging and group chat. Open the Networking & Chat link from the main menu and set up a basic profile (Name, Photo, Affiliation, and Interests) to start connecting with attendees from around the world. Visit the Networking & Chat lounge frequently to see who has joined and read group conversations started by Session and Workshop organizers.