The business meetings are another means to network. Within these subdivisions, members develop strong professional relationships. The subdivision business meetings are held Sunday, Monday and Tuesday after the regular sessions and are a combination of business and socializing. The exhibit hall offers the chance to see recent publications and software. Vendors are eager to provide promotional copies and support to academics who are thinking about using their materials in their courses.
Most meetings have a professional theme that many of the sessions are aligned with.
Invited sessions are planned by the local programming committee and can be geared towards the theme of the meeting. All papers are accepted for these sessions. Invited sessions are organized into groups of sessions known as clusters. The clusters are generally related topics and are the basis from which the meeting planners develop the professional program. These clusters are in turn related to the theme.