Four days across two buildings
The INFORMS Annual Meeting runs Sunday 1 November to Wednesday 4 November 2026 at Moscone Center South and the San Francisco Marriott Marquis. The organiser publishes a programme for more than 6,000 members, students, prospective employers and employees, and academic and industry experts. Moscone Center lists the meeting as in-person on its own event page.
Moscone South sits at 747 Howard Street. The Marriott Marquis sits at 780 Mission Street. Both addresses come from the organiser's hotel and travel page.
Sunday starts at 7am and runs to 9pm
Registration runs 7am to 7:30pm in the Moscone South Lobby. The first technical session block, labelled SA, runs 8am to 9:15am. A coffee break follows from 9:15am to 9:30am, and the Welcome Plenary runs 9:30am to 10:45am.
The SB block runs 11am to 12:15pm. Lunch is on your own from 12:15pm to 1:15pm. The SC block and the poster competition run 1:15pm to 2:30pm, a coffee break runs 2:30pm to 2:45pm, the SD block runs 2:45pm to 4pm, the SE block runs 4:15pm to 5:30pm, and the keynotes run 5:45pm to 6:35pm.
The exhibit hall opens at 11am on Sunday
Exhibits sit in Hall A on the Exhibit Level. The published hours are 11am to 4pm and 6:30pm to 8:30pm on Sunday, then 9am to 5pm on Monday and Tuesday. The INFORMS booth is number 209.
The Career Fair and Networking Day runs 11am to 5pm on Sunday in Golden Gate Ballroom C at the Marriott Marquis. Interviews run by appointment on Monday and Tuesday from 8am to 5pm.
Sunday evening carries three events at once
The Welcome Reception and the Communities Fair both run 6:30pm to 8:30pm in Hall A. The STEM SPARK K-12 Poster Session runs in the same window. The General Poster Session runs 7pm to 8pm in Hall A, and the Awards Ceremony runs 7:45pm to 9pm in Room 24. A badge is required for all attendees.
Monday and Tuesday run to 8:45pm
Registration runs 7am to 5pm on both days and the first session block starts at 8am. The Plenary runs 9:45am to 10:45am, the MB and TB blocks run 11am to 12:15pm, and lunch is on your own from 12:15pm to 1:15pm.
Monday afternoon pairs the Minority Issues Forum poster session with lunch, the Artificial Intelligence Poster Session with the MC block from 1:15pm to 2:30pm, and the Quality Statistics and Reliability poster session with the MD block from 2:45pm to 4pm. Tuesday runs two session blocks in the same windows.
Keynotes run 5:45pm to 6:35pm on both days, and community business meetings and receptions run 6:45pm to 8:45pm on both days. The Student Awards Ceremony runs 7:30pm to 8:15pm on Monday in Golden Gate Ballroom A. The Member Meeting runs 6:45pm to 7:15pm on Tuesday in the same room. The what-to-expect page gives the Student Awards Ceremony as 7:15pm to 8:30pm, while the agenda page and the special events page both give 7:30pm to 8:15pm.
Wednesday ends at noon
Registration runs 7am to 11am. The WA block runs 8am to 9:15am, the WB block runs 9:30am to 10:45am, a coffee break runs 10:45am to 11am, and the Closing Plenary runs 11am to noon. The organiser publishes no evening function on the Wednesday.
Which nights to book
Registration opens at 7am on Sunday, so the Saturday night is the arrival night for the main meeting. The Saturday pre-conference programme starts with self check-in at 7am and workshops from 7:30am, which moves the arrival night to the Friday for anyone attending it. The last published clock is the Wednesday closing plenary, which finishes at noon, so no Wednesday night is needed.
The room block holds the San Francisco Marriott Marquis at 780 Mission Street and the InterContinental San Francisco at 888 Howard Street. Rooms stay available until they sell out or the published cut-off date of 8 October 2026.
Flights and the airport run
United's meeting discount code is ZSFF643415, valid for travel starting 30 October 2026. Southwest's SWABIZ discount runs 29 October to 7 November 2026 into San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose.
The what-to-expect page puts San Francisco International about 12.7 miles from the hotels and the convention center. The hotel and travel page puts it at about 14 miles. Taxis and ride-share run $45 to $60 on the what-to-expect page. BART to Powell Street costs about $10 to $11 each way, followed by about a 10-minute walk to either hotel.
Posters, meals and water
The onsite FedEx Office in the Marriott Marquis prints posters with a discount through 23 October 2026. Pickup runs 8am to 7pm on Saturday 31 October and 9am to 5pm on Sunday 1 November, at the parcel management office on the B2 Level.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are on your own. The organiser provides coffee and snack breaks each day and the Sunday evening Welcome Reception. All official coffee and snack breaks and receptions carry vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free options. Moscone Center South holds more than 20 hydration stations, and the organiser asks attendees to bring a reusable water bottle.