If you’re in any kind of formal education program (including Discover Praxis, post-graduate programs, or hands-on training programs), then yes.

No. Each individual is responsible for getting him- or herself from the airport to the hotel. However, we will send out an email shortly before the conference with information about the public transportation in the area. Further, if you wish to share an Uber/Lyft with another attendee, you can use the Facebook group or WhatsApp to see who will be arriving around the same time.

You should arrive at the hotel between 2–6 pm on July 8 to get checked in with us and settled into your hotel room before the opening banquet (which is at 6:30 pm and is included for scholarship recipients). Hotel check-in begins at 4 pm, but they may have rooms available earlier. They also have luggage storage if you arrive earlier and want to explore the area. If it is absolutely impossible to arrive before 6 pm, or if you were scheduled to but there is a delay, don’t worry; simply drop by our check-in desk the next morning before talks begin to check in and pick up your name tag and swag.

We recommend Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) for those traveling from outside the US. (Note: If you are flying from within the US, you can also look into Chicago Midway, MDW).

Yes! OSI has secured a special discount on United Airlines flights to Chicago. Scholarship recipients will receive the discount code and booking link in their award email.

The conference will take place at the Westin Chicago River North (320 N Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60654); scholarship recipients will have rooms booked there.

Only the two banquet dinners are included in the scholarship.

Regarding attire, business casual is ideal for the talks, but cocktail attire is recommended for the banquets.

Scholarship recipients are responsible for getting their visas and paying their visa fees. However, we can provide a letter you can submit to the embassy/consulate in your country explaining the purpose of the conference and the terms of your scholarship.

Before or shortly after the conference, you will be asked to submit your travel receipts and reimbursement details. We can reimburse via ACH transfer (for US bank accounts, Nomad accounts, and Revolut USD accounts), PayPal, paper check (US only), Western Union cash pickup, or international wire. Please note we cannot reimburse in cash or Bitcoin. After the conference, if you have met the requirements (attending 13 of the 15 lectures, completing an exit interview or survey, submitting the required documentation, and, for previous attendees, producing something about your experience), we will process the reimbursement within 20 business days after the end of the conference.

Absolutely! If your friend or partner is also a scholarship recipient, please let us know before June 10, and we will arrange for you two to share a room. If he or she is not, then you two will need to book your room separately and submit a receipt, and we will reimburse you for your half of the room with your travel expenses.

Your flights to and from the US can be reimbursed, but not your flight between the additional location and the conference. For example, if you decide to visit New York City before the conference, we could reimburse you for the flight from your home country to New York City and the flight from Chicago back to your home city (up to $800), but not the flight between New York City and Chicago.

We can only cover your hotel room for the nights of July 8–11. If you wish to stay extra nights at the Westin, we recommend calling them at +1 (312) 744-1900 so they can book you into the same room you’ll be in for the conference.