Guidelines for Media Representatives

As the largest conference in North America focusing on obesity research and treatment, the 2006 Annual Scientific Meeting of NAASO, The Obesity Society, provides editors, reporters, and health and medical writers with access to the latest basic, clinical, and epidemiological research.

Information regarding media registrants is proprietary. The Society does not give, rent, or sell current, past, or on-site media registration lists.

Download the Advance Media Registration Form

Download the Hotel Reservation Request Form

Download the Advance Program

Eligibility
NAASO, The Obesity Society, is pleased to offer complimentary media credentials to journalists employed by accredited news organizations attending the meeting for the purpose of editorial coverage.  To register for the meeting, please complete the Advance Media Registration Form and submit at least one of the following:

• A letter of assignment on the letterhead of the news organization being represented
• Media identification (such as an international press pass)
• A business card issued by a recognized news organization

Freelance journalists must submit copies of three bylined obesity-related articles in addition to a letter of assignment.  Newsletter media must submit three issues of their newsletter containing at least one bylined article.

The Obesity Society does NOT provide complimentary access to its Media Room to any media or organizations that gather information from the Annual Scientific Meeting and Exhibit Hall for use in the development of continuing medical education materials or programs.

The Obesity Society does NOT provide complimentary access to its Media Room to any media or organizations that attend on behalf of for-profit organizations (for example, a freelance reporter/writer hired by a pharmaceutical company, a writer for a media outlet that is developed or supported exclusively by a for-profit company, a writer representing the interests of an advertiser, etc.).

Companies or organizations producing publications, videos, and/or other electronic media intended for marketing, advertising, financial analysis, or public relations purposes may NOT register as media. Financial analysts and public relations personnel may not register as media.

On-Site Guidelines
NAASO, The Obesity Society, is pleased to provide registered media with a staffed Media Room featuring basic amenities, including phone/fax/modem lines, computers with Internet access, and other related services.  Registered media are required to wear the Society’s badges at all times while on site at the Annual Scientific Meeting.  Media credentials are required for entry to the Media Room.

No filming or photography is allowed, under any circumstances, during any of the program sessions, including general sessions, symposia, oral presentations, or workshops.  Interviews with speakers must be filmed outside the meeting room or, pending approval, in the Media Room.  No filming or photography is permitted in the Exhibit Hall, including in the area for poster presentations, unless approved and accompanied by Obesity Society staff.

Embargo Policy
There is a strict embargo on the science being presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting (this applies to all information included in the abstract book).  Oral presentations are embargoed until the start time of presentation (Eastern Time).  The embargo on poster presentations lifts when the poster session containing the poster opens for viewing.

Corporate/Institutional Media Materials
For the convenience of registered media, companies and institutions are invited to bring media materials to be displayed in the Media Room after review by the Society's media relations staff.  Information contained within the press materials must specifically pertain to research being presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting.  Absolutely no unsolicited materials of any kind may be handed out anywhere in the convention center.

To meet the criteria for display in the Media Room, all media materials MUST:

• Be clearly labeled with the abstract number(s) of the research being highlighted.
• Prominently display the proper embargo time of the abstract(s) highlighted.
• Include a citation that properly states the name of the Society. An example of recommended text: "This information was presented at the 2006 Annual Scientific Meeting of NAASO, The Obesity Society."  Use of The Obesity Society’s logo without explicit written permission is prohibited.
  

Institutional or corporate materials, as well as any materials of a promotional nature, are not permitted in the Media Room. Examples of prohibited materials include:

• Branded folders (only plain or clear folders are allowed; company letterhead is permissible)
• Corporate backgrounders or press kits
• Press releases on the availability of experts, or lists of experts
• Product backgrounders, such as a fact sheet on a particular drug

Press materials must be dropped off for review on site at the Annual Scientific Meeting. Press materials cannot be reviewed prior to the meeting.

Violation of Policies
The Society reserves the right to bar, from this and future Annual Scientific Meetings, any registered media who attempt to obtain advertising or subscriptions from any exhibitor or registrant, who deliberately promote the marketing objectives of a single company or institution, or who misuse media privileges to engage in activities other than journalistic pursuits.