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About
Socialism 2024 is a four-day conference bringing together thousands of socialists and radical activists from around the country to take part in discussions about social movements, abolition, Marxism, decolonization, working-class history, and the debates and strategies for organizing today.
Every year, the Socialism conference is a place where activists share lessons from their struggles—from Palestine solidarity campaigns to the fight for gender liberation, from strike organizing and support to the struggle to stop the destruction of the planet, the fight against racism, and more.
With talks and workshops throughout the weekend, the conference will feature left-wing authors and thinkers discussing the issues and debates on the left today, as well as meetings on the hidden history of working-class and socialist struggles.
So join us in Chicago Aug. 30 – Sept. 2, 2024!
Ticket Info
You can get your ticket to the conference by registering today. Register before June 28 for the special Early Bird discounted rate. Student and low-income tickets are also available.
Please note: Haymarket Books is committed to making the Socialism Conference as affordable as possible, and for that reason we are keeping our prices the same as last year. However, costs continue to rise, and the conference is funded almost entirely by registration revenue. If you can afford to purchase a higher tier ticket or make an additional donation, please do so! We depend on your solidarity to sustain the conference and provide scholarships to those who need them.
Hotel Information
This year the Socialism Conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place hotel, located at 2233 South Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, just a few short blocks from Chinatown on Chicago’s South Side. Housing is not included as part of conference registration but we do have discounted rooms available. To book a room, contact the hotel directly by using this link.
Conference Schedule
The Socialism 2024 conference will take place from Friday, August 30 to Monday, September 2. The conference will start on Friday afternoon and will finish in mid-afternoon on Monday.
Covid-19 Precautions
Policies and guidelines are subject to change and will be communicated to registered attendees as soon as changes are made.
Masks: Attendees are required to wear a mask (N95 or K95) over their mouth and nose while indoors at the conference. Masks will be provided for those who do not have a mask. Please note: this requirement applies only to formal conference spaces and sessions—attendees should be aware of the possibility that attendees will be unmasked elsewhere in the conference hotel (or beyond) where they may informally congregate.
Speakers: The sole exception to the masking policy above applies to session speakers, who may remove their masks only while they are delivering presentations from the front of their session room. We strongly encourage session speakers planning to un-mask during their presentations to pick up a free rapid test from the registration desk and test themselves 4-6 hours before their session.
Testing: Attendees are encouraged to test themselves for COVID prior to making their way to the conference. Free tests will also be available on site, and attendees should isolate themselves and reach out to conference organizers about securing a test if they experience any possible COVID symptoms while attending the conference.
Social Distancing and Outdoor Space: The conference schedule will have ample opportunities for attendees to go outdoors for breaks between sessions. We encourage attendees to hold group meet-ups and gatherings outdoors in order to minimize the risk of infection from COVID-19. Although not required, attendees are encouraged to wear masks outdoors as well, particularly in larger/denser groups, since these increase the risk of transmission even while outside.
Please stay tuned for further public health updates and precautions.
How to Get Here
The Hyatt Regency McCormick is located just a few blocks from the Cermak-Chinatown Red Line station as well as the Cermak-McCormick Green Line station. The hotel is on several major bus lines as well as Metra commuter rail.
You can find detailed options for airport transportation on the Hyatt’s website: http://mccormickplace.hyatt.com/en/hotel/our-hotel/transportation.html
Driving directions from O’Hare: https://goo.gl/maps/N9nsl
Driving Directions from Midway Airport: https://goo.gl/maps/zKiAG
Special Accommodations
If you have any special needs you would like the conference to be aware of in advance, please email us at [email protected].
The Hyatt hotel and all conference activities are wheelchair accessible.
Some ASL interpretation services will be available at the conference. More information about other translation services will be available soon. If you need any translation services, please email us at [email protected] in advance so we can accommodate to the best of our ability.
All-gender bathrooms will be available on the second floor of the conference center for the duration of the conference.
Scholarships
The Socialism Conference is committed to making participation as accessible as possible, and offers financial support for very low-income attendees. The scholarship funds for Socialism 2024 are directly proportional to the donations received through the conference registration process, so funds are limited and we cannot guarantee scholarships will be available for all who need them. If you would like to apply for financial support, please email [email protected].
Childcare
The annual Socialism Conference offers free, on-site childcare for children aged 6 months to 13 years to all conference attendees who purchase a conference ticket and inform us of their childcare needs by the childcare registration deadline, August 1st. We make this a priority so that all parents can attend and fully participate in the conference knowing their children are enjoying themselves as well. Childcare staff offer a range of engaging and fun activities for children of all ages.
You can register for childcare at the same time as you register for the conference. During registration you will be asked to note whether you will need childcare during the course of the conference and how many children you will need it for, their names and ages. We will follow up closer to the conference with more information. Please note the conference schedule above and monitor it for any updates. While we offer free childcare during the course of each day’s sessions, we do not offer childcare on all evenings after conference sessions have concluded.
Offering professional, on-site childcare for a four-day conference is an enormous undertaking for a project of our size. To support our operation, we ask all conference attendees who can to contribute a donation to help fund the operation. We also ask that anyone who uses post-session, evening childcare (on nights it is offered) to contribute extra to the fund.
The deadline for childcare this year is midnight (CST) on Thursday, August 1. Because we need adequate time to coordinate childcare and determine how many staff members we’ll need, we will not be able to accept any requests for childcare after this deadline. We will not consider any exceptions to this policy.
Childcare staff, like conference attendees, will be masked. Masks will be required for children 2 and up. If you have any questions about conference childcare, please write to us at [email protected].
Live Streaming
Some portion of the conference program will be live-streamed, sign up for our mailing list to stay tuned about details!
Parking
Conference attendees will receive discounted, on-site parking at a rate of $28 per day.
There is also a very limited amount of free and metered parking on neighborhood streets. Guests who choose this option should be aware of any posted parking restrictions and regulations set by the City of Chicago, as private companies hired by the city will ticket and boot aggressively.
Press & Recording
Press passes for the conference must be approved in advance by emailing: [email protected]. The deadline to apply for a press pass is Friday, August 16.
We do not allow videotaping or audio recording at the conference, unless with express permission from conference organizers. We will make audio and select video recordings of sessions freely available after the conference. Speakers and attendees should be aware, however, that their contributions in conference sessions are made in a relatively public environment.
Smoking
The Hyatt Regency McCormick Place is a non-smoking hotel. Conference attendees may not smoke in their rooms or within 15 feet of the buildings. There will be a large patio near meeting rooms and the bar/restaurant where smoking is permissible.
Where to eat
Attendees will be responsible for all their own meals. The Hyatt has three restaurants and a to-go cafe inside the hotel. The conference program will also include a list of recommended, relatively low cost food options nearby.
Hotel rooms include refrigerators, and we encourage attendees to bring food from home, make the short trip to Trader Joe’s, or order grocery delivery from Instacart to stock up for the weekend (you must include a room number on your order).
The hotel bar will be open all weekend. You are welcome to have your own alcohol in your guest room but please do not bring outside beverages into the public areas of the hotel.
If you have further questions, please email us at [email protected] for more information. See you in Chicago!