Tuesday – Welcome Reception
- Tuesday, February 8: 6:00 – 8:00pm (food served 6-7pm)
- Included in meeting registration at no extra cost
We will host two parallel welcome receptions for virtual and in-person attendees. Join us at either event to kick off the Annual Meeting and make connections with friends, colleagues and fellow participants.
In-Person Welcome Reception – Featuring the Student-Professional Mixer, Wildlife Photo Slideshow, and Wildlife T-Shirt Contest
- Appetizers will be served along with a no-host bar.
- Wear a Wildlife T-Shirt! Prizes awarded for the best shirts in several categories. Check back soon for more information.
- Tuesday evening will also once again launch our annual wildlife photo slideshow. Submit your photos and enter to win a $200 REI Gift Card!
Virtual Welcome Reception – Featuring Open Forum Zoom Rooms
Our virtual Welcome Reception will utilize Zoom rooms with discussion prompts and open forums — including “Ask a Professional”, “Tips & Tricks for Virtual Attendees”, rooms open for casual conversations, and more. This is a space where virtual attendees can connect with friends, old and new. We will feature a mix of Zoom rooms that are both structured and unstructured so you can pick the format that works best for you. Participants may move freely around the rooms at their own pace.
Wednesday – Poster Session and Reception
- Wednesday, February 9: 6:30-8:30pm (food served 6:30-7:30pm)
- Poster Session and Reception included with conference registration fee!
- Posters and questions to poster authors available virtually on the Whova Meeting App
An in-person poster session and reception will be held on the evening of Wednesday, February 9th. Authors will be available at the Peppermill Resort to answer questions about their posters. Hors d’oeuvres will be served and several no-host bars will be provided. Posters will be available for viewing starting Wednesday afternoon through Thursday end of day. For more information on poster presenter guidelines, click here.
Posters may also be viewed virtually before, during and after the meeting on the Whova meeting app. Virtual attendees may use the Whova app to ask poster authors any questions they have about their research.
Thursday – Trivia, Raffle, Games and More!
- Thursday, February 10: 8:30-10:30pm
- Answer form trivia
- Two Activities to Choose From:
- (1) Trivia Night & Raffle (Livestreamed)
- (2) Social Shuffle: Virtual and In-Person Games
- Included in meeting registration at no extra cost
- Snacks will be served along with a no-host bar from 8:30-9:30pm
TRIVIA: Join us Thursday night for some fun (and fierce!) competion – wildlife trivia with prizes! And the annual raffle drawing will also be held at this time. All 2022 raffle ticket sales will be donated to benefit Western Section programs for wildlife students and early career professionals. Raffle tickets will be sold starting at the Tuesday night Welcome Reception and up through the start of the raffle on Thursday evening. This banquet raffle is a lot of fun, and there will be some amazing prizes, including some new super surprises!
We encourage everyone to purchase raffle tickets, which are available at the Registration Desk or from Western Section Executive Board members and volunteers. (Sadly raffle tickets cannot legally be sold online so raffle tickets will only be available for sale in Reno.) Raffle and silent auction items will be displayed in the Exhibit Hall in the Exhibit Hall Marketplace throughout the meeting. Please contact Raffle and Silent Auction Chair Susanne Marczak if you have any questions or would like to donate an item to the raffle and/or auction. communication@tws-west.org
GAMES – Social Shuffle: Want to socialize in a smaller group? Want to meet up with your friends who are attending virtually? Head over to the Game Room in Tuscany 12 to join other in-person and virtual meeting attendees for some fun activities! There will be hybrid tables (with Zoom capability) to play charades, Pictionary, and Head’s Up. There will also be a table dedicated to sharing funny, interesting, or poiniant stories. There will also be other tables with games like Bananagrams, Code Names, Exploding Kittens, and more!
