ASP Mexico Meeting 2024

The 46th Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists was held September 8-11, 2024

at the Iberostar Waves Paraíso Beach in Riviera Maya, Mexico

We hope you’ll join us in Mexico for what is sure to be an amazing 46th ASP conference. Committee meetings will be held the afternoon of Sunday, September 8, 2024. The ASP conference will officially kick off with a fantastic opening reception the evening of Sunday, September 8, 2024 that is being generously sponsored by the Akumal Monkey Sanctuary & Rescued Animals. The conference will end on Wednesday, September 11, 2024, wrapping up with the business meeting and the always fun closing banquet. Submission deadlines for symposium/workshop/roundtable proposals and abstracts are available on the Call for Abstracts page.

Our hybrid annual meetings allow primatologists from the United States and worldwide to meet and discuss their latest research. Each meeting includes a mix of invited addresses by eminent primatologists, themed symposia, and the presentation of contributed papers. The meetings also provide social events for those attending in person to network and build professional resources.

ASP is a RACE accredited organization, so veterinarians and veterinary technicians can earn continuing education credits at this meeting. Each year we are able to offer over nine credit hours. Once the specific number of hours for this meeting is determined, it will be posted here. For questions about RACE credits, please contact the Chair of the Program Committee (program@asp.org).

Meeting Program & Other Meeting Information

The Program for ASP 2024 is now live! The online program is the best way to keep up-to-date with any changes and is where you can find detailed information about various sessions and presentations, but there is also an abbreviated printable program available for download (last updated September 4).

Up to 12.25 RACE credits for veterinarians and veterinary technicians have been approved, see the RACE-credit specific printable program.

Check out the Spanish-English Quick Language Guide for common greetings and introductions as well as questions and answers for researchers. This guide was prepared by ASP’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Committee.

Please be aware that foreign visitors to the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, where the conference resort is located, are required to pay a VisiTAX. This tax can be paid at the hotel at the end of the stay. To the knowledge of the Board of Directors, this tax is less than $30 USD.

Opening Reception Details

Our kick-off celebration for in-person attendees, the Opening Reception, is scheduled for the evening of Sunday, September 8. The Opening Reception will be held off-site at the Akumal Monkey Sanctuary & Rescued Animals, which is one of our local hosts for the conference. Transportation to and from the sanctuary has been arranged for all attendees.

All buses to the Akumal Monkey Sanctuary will be departing from the Convention Center. Please ensure you have picked up your conference badge prior to boarding the bus. There will be one bus leaving the Convention Center at 16:00 (4:00pm), two buses leaving at 16:30 (4:30pm), and two buses leaving at 17:00 (5:00pm). These are the only buses taking attendees to the Opening Reception so please be sure you are on one of them if you wish to attend.

The venue is both indoor and outdoor (with a contingency in case of rain). It is recommended that attendees wear comfortable clothing, but there will not be a lot of walking. Vegetarian food items will be provided.

Hotel Information

Updated June 17, 2024: ASP 2024 will be held at the Iberostar Waves Paraíso Beach in Riviera Maya, Mexico (formerly Iberostar Paraíso Beach). As this is an all-inclusive hotel, rates are per person rather than per room (but all food and drinks are included!). The new ASP negotiated rate is $257-270 ($222-233 without VAT) per person for a single room and $147-154 ($127-133 without VAT) per person for a double room. Foreign visitors to Mexico do not have to pay VAT charges as long as they provide valid documentation (passport) upon check-in to the hotel. If you do not provide valid documentation at the hotel, you will be charged the VAT. A reservation link to secure a room in the ASP room block can be found in the “My Profile” section once you have registered for the meeting. Please be aware that credit cards will be charged upfront when the reservation is made.

You may be able to reserve rooms at a lower rate through the hotel’s website (select either the Waves Paraíso Beach or Waves Paraíso del Mar). Please note that the hotel can raise rates on their website at any time (although the ASP rate is locked in through August 9), so if you do not have a room yet, now is an excellent time to get one. PLEASE DO NOT BOOK THROUGH A THIRD PARTY! Booking through discount sites such as Expedia, Priceline and others could void your ability to use common amenities. Please contact our Meeting Coordinator, Dawn Abney, dawn.abney@crl.com if you have any questions or need assistance

If you are interested in arriving early or staying late, you can use the conference rate for three days pre- and post-conference. If you do not stay at the hotel, there is no fee to access conference area only. However, if you do not stay at the hotel and want to leave the conference area to use the resort facilities, you must purchase a day pass: Day Pass from 9am-6pm – $82/day; Full Day Pass from 9am-2am – $131/day; Night Pass from 6pm-2am – $62/day.

Transportation Between the Airport & Conference Venue

After arranging their airfare, in-person conference attendees are strongly encouraged to use the Amstar to arrange transportation between the airport and conference venue. While cheaper options are available, these are not always safe. Amstar is a guaranteed safe, reliable way of getting from the airport to the conference venue and then back again. Please see the information below based on whether you are flying through the Cancun International Airport (CUN) or Tulum Airport (TQO).

If arriving/departing into Cancun International Airport (CUN)

Please use this dedicated link by August 30, 2024 to book your one-way ($44) or round-trip ($88) transportation: Amstar 46th Annual Meeting Reservation Link

If you are traveling with children who need a car seat, please contact Elisa Hernandez (ehernand@amstardmc.com) so she can work out the details of your arrival/departure and what items you need.

If arriving/departing into Tulum Airport (TQO)

You will need to contact Elisa Hernandez (ehernand@amstardmc.com) to set up your transport. If you know of other conference attendees also arriving at Tulum, it will save you money to ride together, so it is recommended to coordinate schedules as much as possible. Pricing is as follows:

Registration

Registration for the conference is now open! To register, click here or login, go to My Profile, and click “Register for ASP 2024”.

Early bird registration was extended through Friday, May 31!

*All talks will be livestreamed on the virtual platform and most will be recorded for later viewing, but some aspects of the conference, such as social events, will not be livestreamed or recorded. To ensure complete meeting access, you must register and attend in-person in Mexico. Virtual components of conference will continue to be available for six months following the conference.

**Virtual components of the meeting are not available.

***On-site registrants must already be ASP members. It is not possible to become a member, for the purposes of registration, between September 8-11.

****To be eligible, attendee must be a resident of and currently working or enrolled in an institution in a primate range country and a member of ASP. Contact the ASP Treasurer (treasurer@asp.org) for information about complementary membership for individuals from primate range countries.

Refund Policy: ASP will offer refunds for in-person registration only. Please email refund requests to the ASP Treasurer (treasurer@asp.org) no later than July 31, 2024. No refunds will be given after July 31, 2024.

Primate Film Showcase

Submissions are now closed for the Primate Film Showcase at ASP 2024 in Mexico. Conservationists, filmmakers, and primatologists are invited to share their films on primate research, biology, and conservation in the Americas. Selected films will be presented at the conference in September. See the Call for Entries in English or Spanish for details. For more information, contact primatefilmshowcase@gmail.com. Click here to submit your entry! The deadline for submission was June 20, 2024.

Primate Care Committee Pre-Conference Workshop

The Primate Care Committee will be hosting a pre-conference workshop before the start of ASP 2024 titled “Managing Complex Social Housing Situations in Nonhuman Primates.” The workshop will be held on September 7 from 3pm-6pm and September 8 from 8am-12pm at the Iberostar Paraíso Beach in Riviera Maya, Mexico. This workshop features a wide variety of speakers and includes instruction and discussion concerning the management of complex and fluid social housing situations for nonhuman primates in a variety of captive settings, including zoos, sanctuaries, and research facilities. Check out the workshop flyer for more information! Scholarships are available to attend the pre-conference workshop, click here to apply. Scholarship applications are due June 21, 2024.

Meet Our Local Hosts

ASP conferences would not be possible without the work and dedication of our local hosts. ASP 2024 is being co-hosted by Dr. Juan Carlos Serio-Silva from the Instituto de Ecología, A.C. and the Akumal Monkey Sanctuary & Rescued Animals.