A hotel strike has been ongoing in Los Angeles County since approximately July, and it is an issue that we have been closely monitoring. Unite Here Local 11, a labor union representing hospitality workers in Southern California and Arizona, represents roughly half of the hotel workers in and around Los Angeles County. Rest assured that we are in constant contact with the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau, the hotels impacted (not all hotels in SWE’s block are union hotels) and local law enforcement to ensure that there will be minimal disruption during our meeting, WE23.
The Society of Women Engineers supports the rights of workers and we urge all sides to negotiate in good faith to bring a quick end to the strike.
Ultimately, we believe in the importance of maintaining a safe and uninterrupted environment for our attendees and will take all necessary precautions to ensure their well-being. At this time, there are no changes to our meeting plans, and we will conduct business as usual. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and provide updates as necessary.
At WE23, SWE will ban firearms or weapons of any kind from entering the Los Angeles Convention Center for the duration of the event.
During this time, all doors to the Center will be locked, and entry will only be permitted through designated entrances. There will be four entrances for the WE23 Annual Conference. These four entrances will have metal detectors that attendees/exhibitors/groups must enter through.
The four main entrances will be the South Lobby, Figueroa Drive shuttle drop off, Kentia parking lot entrance to South Building, and West Lobby. Attendees will be able to exit the building from various places; however, to re-enter the building, attendees/exhibitors/groups must go back through the metal detectors at the four main entrances. When going through the metal detectors, laptops can remain in your bag and will be passed along to security personnel before proceeding through the metal detectors.
All those entering the Los Angeles Convention Center will be subject to metal detectors and bag checks. SWE reserves the right to refuse entry to those who do not cooperate with these safety protocols. As SWE has done in the past, a mix of armed and non-armed security professionals will help monitor doors and checkpoints.
For those attending WE23 virtually or onsite, you may upload your resume and tag that you are attending WE23 so that WE23 exhibitors (all of whom have access to our Career Center) can find your resume and set up virtual or in-person interviews. Download the steps to upload your resume and tag WE23 here.
For every five students who register at a university, SWE will provide one free registration for a university faculty or staff person to attend WE23. If a university faculty or staff person registers prior to confirming the attendance of the required number of students, SWE will refund their registration cost with no fee.
Email membership@swe.org to verify registrations and receive discount codes for faculty and staff.
WE23 will be held October 26-28, 2023, in person at the Los Angeles Convention Center and virtually during the same time period.
The Los Angeles Convention Center is located at 1201 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90015.
Yes, please download this PDF that includes information about transit around Los Angeles.
Virtual attendees will register directly on the virtual platform and will have full access to the events starting October 26, 2023.
All onsite attendees will be granted access to the WE23 virtual platform (which will contain live networking and meetups, speed networking and all prerecorded sessions) by October 23, 2023. For onsite attendees who register on or after October 23, 2023, full site access will be given by October 30, 2023.
All attendees will have access to the virtual platform for 90 days, through January 26, 2024.
The WE23 Career Fair will be in-person only. While there will not be a virtual career fair option, there will still be ways for WE23 attendees to engage with potential employers virtually.
All attendees are strongly encouraged to upload their resume to the SWE Career Center and flag it as “attending WE23”; all exhibitors will have access to this resume pool and will actively reach out to individuals with whom they wish to speak or interview.
We are unable to accommodate special meals at our sit-down collegiate luncheons; however, we will have options available that are gluten-free and vegetarian/vegan (no dairy). SWE does collect dietary restriction information for special event meals. No beef or seafood will be served.
All speakers are required to record their session prior to WE23 and present in person. There will be no invitations for virtual-only participation. Speakers will record their sessions on the vFairs platform with SWE staff support (this service is available on a first-come, first-served basis) or via a recording platform (such as Zoom) and sent to SWE HQ according to the deadlines and processes communicated to speakers.
Accepted speakers who confirm participation in a WE23 session will receive various WE23 speaker resources, including the WE Speaker Toolkit, a WE23 PPT template, and branded Zoom backgrounds to use while recording sessions.
The WE23 app will be available in early August 2023.
Due to low usage, SWE is not offering collegiate section president housing for WE23
FY24 collegiate presidents can receive free registration to WE23 by emailing membership@swe.org to get the coupon code. Collegiate presidents must be active collegiate members (paid through June 30, 2024 or beyond) and be listed as the sections president for FY24.
SWE works to ensure that we are responding to all special needs and disability support services requested to the best of our ability.
For in-person attendees at WE23, SWE will provide mobility scooters on-site, ensure the facility is accessible and can provide CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) service upon request. Requests must be submitted by September 15, 2023, to guarantee facilitation.
For the virtual WE23 conference, SWE will use a mobile-friendly platform with easy navigation, as well as provide closed captioning for all recorded and major sessions. Most sessions on the virtual platform will be prerecorded and available to engage with according to the viewer’s own schedule.
Each year, SWE works to ensure that the Annual Conference website is ADA compliant to the best of our ability.
All those attending are responsible for their own hotel accommodations and reservations. SWE is not responsible for booking or managing hotel reservations for WE23 attendees, exhibitors or guests. Requests for hotel rooms directly to SWE will be denied.
SWE strongly recommends using the onPeak hotel block and booking as early as possible to avoid higher fees or shortages of room nights. By late summer, hotel options are typically limited for our events and attendees should plan accordingly.
SWE will not prepay for hotel accommodations for those who do not meet the criteria set by individual hotels (with regard to age of guest or preferred credit card accepted).
SWE’s credit card processor for WE23 registration does not accept most credit cards from Nigeria. This is out of SWE’s control and is in the hands of the credit card processor.
For attendees from low- and middle-income countries, SWE is pleased to offer a flat registration rate of $100 per person. Existing discounts do not apply to this registration type.
To register for WE23, there are two options:
– Prior to WE23: A Nigerian resident may acquire on their own accord a domiciliary card linked to an account that holds USD, email membership@swe.org to request an invoice for registration, and pay SWE directly and receive a code to register for WE23. Attendees must pay in full by October 15, 2023, to receive a code to register in advance.
– At WE23 or after October 15, 2023: A Nigerian resident must request a registration balance (at the discounted rate of $100) be placed on their registration account to be paid onsite. Payment onsite must then be done via prepaid Visa or Mastercard gift card with the amount needed for registration. If you are from Nigeria and planning to attend WE23, please email SWE@xpressreg.net and ask for an early-bird registration to be created for you to pay onsite with a prepaid major credit card. You may also register by calling 774-247-4026.
– SWE will not accept cash payment for registration onsite at WE23.
SWE is pleased to provide safe, clean and private spaces at WE23 for mothers or parents to express breast milk or feed their infant. SWE will provide comfortable chairs next to electrical outlets, bottled water and snacks. Mini-fridges will also be provided. Parents should plan to bring their own pumps and accessories.
Parking at the LACC is in the South and West Garages. Parking in the South Hall Garage is $25, the West Hall Garage will range from $25-30. Additional parking information can be found here.
WE23 will offer a quiet place for students to take exams during conference. To reserve a seat, in the proctor space, click here. Onsite sign ups will be offered if space is available in Room 508 B.