Welcome!
Welcome to this year’s American Association of Geographers' Annual Meeting. We have prepared this guide to support you as you navigate one of the world’s largest geography gatherings. Please also see our website for additional details.
First time attending, or need a refresher?
Make plans to attend the Welcome to the AAG Orientation session at 8:30 AM MT on Thursday, March 23 and the Welcome to the AAG Networking event immediately after at 10:20 AM. Both events are at the Centennial Ballroom D, Hyatt Regency, Third Floor.
AAG’s Event Policies
Meeting and Connecting
Engage with AAG’s 70+ Specialty and Affinity Groups
During AAG 2023, Specialty and Affinity Group business meetings offer the chance to learn more about the group’s activities and to meet others who share your research interests. Most groups also have student representatives on their boards of directors. Find an AAG 2023 specialty group business meeting here.
Field trips and workshops at AAG 2023
Learn about Denver and meet new friends-through field trips and workshops. See our in-person field trip offerings here, along with the virtual Arche/Living Fossil: Australia’s Wollemi Pine, After Finitude.
In-person Workshops
Virtual Workshops
Just Geographies Conversation Space
To expand conversations and ideas around this year’s theme, Toward More Just Geographies, AAG has created a conversation space near Registration and Meridian Space on the Concourse Level of the Plaza Building at the Sheraton. Step into this space to connect with colleagues informally and create visions for a more just discipline and world.
Modalities, Nodes and Watch Party Rooms
As part of our commitment to a less carbon-intensive annual meeting, AAG offers virtual and hybrid sessions throughout AAG 2023. Learn more.
AAG and the Climate Action Task Force are also experimenting with self-organized “nodes” through collaborative efforts with partnering institutions. One of these is in Montréal, with the Université de Montréal, the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) and Concordia University. Learn more.
Meridian Space
Join us on the Concourse Level, Plaza Building at the Sheraton, to meet AAG staff and colleagues at the Meridian Space booth.
Jobs and Careers Center
AAG’s Jobs & Careers Center, located at the Governor’s Square on the Concourse Level of the Sheraton Plaza Building, is a hub where you can learn more about careers and professional development for geographers. Stop by for a schedule of activities and information about careers and professional development activities that will occur throughout the meeting. AAG has also reserved space in the Jobs and Careers Center for job interviews onsite. Check out the Careers and Professional Development sessions here.
Health & Accessibility
AAG and its conference venues ensure mobility access within all session and conference rooms. If you have questions, contact us at accessibility@aag.org.
Motorized scooter and wheelchair needs: Mobility Plus is a service offering rental equipment to attendees to help them navigate the annual meeting venues and beyond. Prices vary by model and needs, and attendees can call Mobility Plus for an individual quote. The company will deliver the equipment to your hotel. Find out more about transportation support for your stay in Denver.
AAG has set aside a flexible Quiet Room, located at the Biltmore Room in the I.M. Pei Tower, Terrace Level at the Sheraton Downtown Denver, where you may take a break from all the stimulation to gather your thoughts and regroup.
Health Precautions. AAG will follow CDC public health recommendations, and federal, state, and local regulations applicable at the time of the AAG Annual Meeting. Read more about our COVID-19 policies.
Did you know...The AAG Disability Specialty Group is sponsoring eleven sessions on varied aspects of disability, from research areas to the experience of disability in the workplace. Find out more here.
Harassment-Free AAG
All AAG participants have agreed, at registration, with the Code of Conduct that specifically addresses and establish consequences for dishonorable, unethical, or unprofessional conduct by an Association member in relation to the Association or its activities, or to the professional role of the Association member beyond AAG-sponsored functions. If you have been harassed or witnessed harassment and need to correspond with the advocate during the Annual Meeting, email Advocate@aag.org.
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
AAG’s annual meeting is a place to gather, reflect, and act to make geography a more inclusive and equitable discipline. One out of three of AAG 2023 sessions this year are part of the meeting theme of Toward More Just Geographies. In addition, AAG 2023 is a vital site for programming, conversations, and gatherings that can break down the barriers and challenges to equity and inclusiveness within our community and the discipline itself. We seek to broaden and support a diverse community of geographers and GIS practitioners. AAG 2023 combines not only shared scholarship on these issues, but practical, hands-on workshops and discussions about the presence (or absence) of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our work and lives.
Among the 470 sessions directly relevant to the AAG 2023 theme of Toward More Just Geographies, the AAG JEDI Committee has prepared a selection of sessions that address issues of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in the discipline.
In addition, check out the sponsored sessions from these specialty groups whose work puts JEDI principles in the foreground:
Black Geographies
Latinx Geographies
Feminist Geographies
Indigenous Peoples Specialty Group
Disability Geographies
Queer and Trans Geographies
Affinity Group for Mental Health in the Academy
Numerous workshops and field trips also address JEDI themes.
Gender Equity and LGBT2QIA+ Inclusiveness
AAG has implemented expectations for attendees and presenters to recognize and support all members, inclusive of all gender and sexual identities. Specifically,
AAG supports full gender diversity at all of our events.
All attendees, AAG staff, leadership, presenters, and session organizers at the annual meeting are encouraged to identify our pronouns on badges and, when online, in our nameplate for meetings (e.g., on Zoom, go to Preferences and change your name to “Chris Cohen, they/them”).
Presenters and organizers should set the norm for this open acknowledgment of diversity, by incorporating correct gender pronouns into their introductions.
Attendees and presenters should carry their awareness of gender and sexual diversity into their participation in the annual meeting, from their prepared remarks to casual comments. If you are unsure how to begin, find out more from The Trans*Ally Workbook (available for a very small cost from Think Again).
Follow this link for a listing of sessions sponsored by the AAG Queer and Trans Specialty Group.
A Child-Friendly AAG 2023
Onsite childcare may be available to participants on a first-come, first-served basis. Camp AAG is located at the Majestic Ballroom, I.M. Pei Tower at the Sheraton.
On the Town: Diverse Experiences and Welcoming Places in Denver
We’ve compiled a short list of Denver places that are welcoming and inclusive. Visit Denver has also prepared a detailed overview brochure of many of the city’s highlights. See also their overview on diverse cultures in Denver.
LGBT2QIA+
Just about a 25-minute walk from our conference hotel is the Center on Colfax, one of Denver’s major resources for LGBT2QIA+ residents and visitors. In addition to producing the annual Pride festival in June, the Center has lively programming, support groups, and events all year long. Many groups are online in addition to being in person.
The Denver Post has compiled a guide to the city’s greatest gay entertainment spots.
Black Denver
The Denver Black Pages is your guide to Black community life and Black-owned businesses in the city. Check out the African American Visitor Brochure, too, for sightseeing and landmarks you won’t want to miss.
The historic neighborhoods of Five Points and Whittier have long been a hub of Black culture and commerce in Denver. Read our article all about it.
Asian and Asian American Colorado
This statewide guide highlights the cultural offerings that support Colorado’s more than 200,000 Asian and Asian American residents, including tourism sites, restaurants, performances, and lesser-known places of interest.
Latinx/Hispanic Heritage
Denver is rich in Latinx and Hispanic heritage and culture. Local station News 9 created a map of many Latinx-owned businesses and Latinx cultural sites in the Denver Metro area, including the Museo de las Americas, the Latino Cultural Arts Center, shops, services, and eateries like Dos Luces Brewery, which makes its own gluten-free beer based on traditional recipes thousands of years old.
Native American Denver
The History Colorado Center in Denver works collaboratively with representatives of the 48 sovereign Indigenous nations with ties to what is now Colorado, to develop and promote comprehensive understanding of Native history and continued presence in the state. Visit them online or in person at 1200 N. Broadway, Denver.
Visit Tocabe, Denver’s only Native-owned restaurant. You can dine in, get takeout, or order online from Tocabe’s marketplace of Native-grown foods and seasonings.
Sober Nightlife
For festive spaces that offer more than a boozy pour, check out this mocktail guide from local entertainment magazine 5280.
If you’re feeling the need to check in or get support, find a local or online AA or NA Meetup:
Denver AA https://daccaa.org/
Denver NA https://denverna.com/
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