Midwest Astro-Imaging Conference 2008
June 20-21, 2008 - Hoffman Estates, IL

Only left for the discounted registration of $150 ($50 off the full price)! See the registration link below for details.

Conference Overview

The 2008 Midwest Astro-Imaging Conference (MAIC), hosted by AstroPhoto Insight Magazine, will take place on June 20-21, 2008 at the NIU Hoffman Estates Meeting Center. The facility has an auditorium that seats 243 that will be used for general sessions, and classrooms which will be used for break-out sessions and vendor exhibits. Wireless Internet access is provided through the entire building. NIU Hoffman Estates is located only 20 minutes from O'Hare International Airport (see the interactive map below).

Conference Sponsors and Supports

The 2008 Conference will include:

• Expert speakers covering the latest is CCD, DSLR and image acquisition and processing
• Vendor exhibits where you can see and touch their products and get answers straight from the manufacturer
• Over $3,500 in door prizes and give aways
• Breakfast, lunch and coffee service on both days
• Free wireless Internet access through the facility
• Free shuttle service to and from the Marriott Hotel

This site will be updated as more information becomes available. In the meantime, we invite you to join the MWAIC Yahoo Group to get the latest news on the event and to share your thoughts on how to make the conference a success. We will be offering early bird discounts on attendance, which will only be announced on the Yahoo Group. Join the group so you don't miss out.

• R Jay GaBany, whose work is frequently seen on the Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) website, has signed on as a presenter to talk about DSO imaging.
• Ken Crawford, whose work was been published in numerous magazines and books. Ken is also a presenter and the treasurer of the Advanced Imaging Conference (AIC)
• Jim Burnell - Co-author of The Handbook of Astronomical Image Process and AIP4Win
• Mike Unsold - Developer of ImagesPlus
• Robert Nemiroff the co-editor of the Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) website will showcase some recent APOD images and give tips on what makes an image APOD-worthy.
• Doug George - President/CEO of Diffraction Limited, and the man behind Maxim DL and MaxDSLR.
• Robert Reeves - Author of numerous books on astrophotography.
• Neil Fleming - Narrowband and image processing expert was featured on Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) website (2007 May 24)
• Warren Keller - Photoshop expert and trainer from IP4AP - Image Processing for Astrophotography
• Bob Pilz - An accomplished lunar imager who will share the breakthrough methods of working with lunar images he personally developed.

Click here to see the tentative conference schedule (subject to change).

Note - While you may recognize some of the presenter as speakers at other conferences in 2008, they will not be repeating the same presentations at MAIC. We want to provide people a unique conference, not a repeat of other conferences.

The following sponsors and exhibitors will be at the conference showing off their latest products.

• Canon
• 20/20 Telescopes
• Tele Vue
• Quantum Scientific Imaging (QSI)
• DC3-Dreams
• Diffraction Limited

• Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended Edition (2 copies; $995 retail value, each)
• Orion StarShoot Monochrome Imager II and LRGB Filter Pkg ($899.95 retail value)
• ACP Observatory Control Sofware, Personal Internet Edition ($695 retail value)

Registration

Click here for the conference registration page. Registration Discount available for a limited time.

Contact

Contact us with questions about the conference.

Feedback from the 2007 conference

"Excellent venue and overall high quality of speakers."
"I enjoyed talking to the speakers and actually getting to know them a little."
"I liked the excellent mix of topics. Each speaker was an expert and provided great information. The speakers complemented each other very well. I also liked that the conference ran on schedule and was very well organized."
"It was a tremendous learning experience. I was stunned at the passion each and every speaker brought with them as well as their extensive credentials."
"Being an advanced beginner level imager, the level of the courses was just right."

Hotel Information

Chicago Marriott NW Hoffman Estates 4800 Columbine Boulevard Hoffman Estates, IL 60192 Reservations: 1-800-395-5921  MWAIC Group Rate Code: MID-WEST ASTRO IMAGING  * The hotel provides a free shuttle to and from the conference center Speakers will stay at this location. We are trying to organize a cocktail or dinner reception at the hotel.	Room types reserved	1 King Bed 40 rooms reserved
	Rate per night	$99

Red Roof Inn (#199) 2500 Hassell Rd. Hoffman Estates, IL 60195 (I-90 at the Barrington Rd exit) Reservations: 1-800-733-7663  MWAIC Group Rate Code: B199000457	Room types reserved	2 Full Beds 12 rooms reserved	1 King Bed 13 rooms reserved
	Rate per night 1 person	$59.40	$53.10
	Rate per night 2 person	$64.80	$59.40
	Rate per night 3 person	$70.09	n/a
	Rate per night 4 person	$75.60	n/a

Google Map illustrating the location of the conference

Click on the blue location marker to center the map on the conference center. You can then zoom in, pan around, view satellite imagery of the area and get driving directions.

Click here and here for pictures from the 2007 conference.