“Why is the Air Law Symposium always in Dallas?”

For 40 years, Dallas has played host to the SMU Air Law Symposium.  The Board of Advisors continues to be committed to Dallas.  Dallas is the home of the Dedman School of Law, which so ably supports the Symposium.  The law school’s students organize and conduct the Symposium.  Further, the school’s Journal of Air Law and Commerce lends its name and crucial support to the program, and many of the papers presented at the Symposium are chosen for publication in the journal.  For all these reasons, there simply is no better permanent home for the SMU Air Law Symposium than Dallas.

“Why do we always stay at the Intercontinental Hotel Dallas?”

Some people have asked whether the Symposium should rotate among Dallas hotels, rather than being held at the Hotel Intercontinental Dallas each year.  There are several factors involved in the selection of a venue that are critical to the continued success of the SMU Air Law Symposium.  First, the hotel must be large enough to accommodate the meeting.  Second, the hotel must be located in an area that is easily accessible to the attendees, and that provides adequate parking.  Third, the location should be convenient to restaurants and shopping areas, not isolated.  Fourth, the hotel should offer high quality accommodations and food, but should also be budget-friendly to all attendees.

The Board of Advisors expends considerable effort each year reviewing and critiquing the Symposium’s current facilities and considering alternative venues.  The Hotel Intercontinental Dallas is large enough to provide adequate meeting and hotel rooms, is easily accessible, provides convenient parking, and is located in an area near Dallas’s fine restaurants and shopping areas.  We continue to work with the hotel to ensure that their meeting areas and rooms are clean and up-to-date, and that their food service is of a high quality.  We have examined other alternatives, including the Hyatt Reunion, the Anatole Hotel (now a Hilton), the Gaylord Texan, the Fairmont Hotel Dallas, and the Westin Galleria.  Although all are good facilities, and some have hosted the Symposium in past years, their location, size, or relative accommodations quality is viewed by the Board of Advisors as less desirable than our current location. 

"Why is the SMU Symposium always held on the last Thursday and Friday of
February?”

The Symposium has been held on the last Thursday and Friday of February for many years. The selection of dates for the Symposium is largely constrained by the Dedman School of Law calendar.  Further, fixed dates allow attendees the opportunity to plan their schedules in advance to maximize the ability to attend the Symposium.  The Board has been exploring whether to change the Symposium dates from a Thursday-Friday format to another two-day period at the end of February (Wednesday-Thursday), or splitting days, such as Wednesday noon to Friday noon.

“What is the refund policy for the Symposium?”
Every year the Board receives requests for refunds from registrants who are unable to attend the Symposium.  To address this issue as fairly as possible, our refund policy has been amended as follows:
1)  Registrants who cancel their registration and do not attend the Symposium will receive the Symposium materials via US mail following the Symposium;
(2)  Registrants who cancel their registration and do not attend the Symposium will also receive a letter entitling them to a credit to be used when registering for a future Symposium.  The amount of the credit will be the amount of the registration fee paid, less $150 for the cost of materials and administrative expenses.  It is the registrant's responsibility to present the letter in order to redeem the credit in the future.  The Symposium assumes no responsibility for maintaining records of cancellations or credited sums.