• Click here to register for the conference

International Association for Relationship Research Conference:

IARR hosts its biennial conference, the International Association for Relationship Research Conference (IARRC; formerly the International Conference on Personal Relationships; ICPR), during the summer in even-numbered years.

• The 2008 IARRC will be held July 17-20, 2008, in Providence RI, USA. See below for more details.
  • NEW! To register for the conference, click here.
  • NEW! To make hotel reservations at the conference hotel, click here.
  • NEW! To see the preliminary conference program, click here.
  • For information about Providence, click here.
  • More information provided by the Providence Convention Bureau (.PDF files): About Providence | About Rhode Island

IARRC: Get ready for a fabulous conference!

The biennial meeting of IARR will be held July 17-20 in beautiful Providence, Rhode Island. We had a record number of submissions this year and the program is brimming with cutting-edge relationship research from scholars around the globe. The program also features invited addresses from a diverse group of leading researchers: Sandra Petronio, Beverly Fehr, Stephen Marks, Ruthellen Josselson, Andrew Collins, Denise Solomon, and Rand Conger. The schedule also includes opportunities for graduate students to socialize with one another, a chance to meet and greet with JSPR and PR editors, special sessions geared toward international scholars, and several practical workshops.

The conference will be held at the Westin Hotel, an elegant hotel located in the heart of downtown Providence, within walking distance of many gourmet restaurants and historic attractions. You can make your hotel reservations now by clicking here or by calling (401) 598-8000. Make sure to mention IARR to get the special conference rate of $179.00 per night. Rollaway beds, dog beds, and cribs are available, and babysitting services can be arranged. The Westin also features a fitness center and a heated indoor pool.

>>> Click here for on-line registration <<< Registration will be $295.00 for members, $260.00 for student members, $390.00 for nonmembers, and $345 for student nonmembers (the nonmember rate includes an automatic one-year membership in IARR). The registration fee includes continental breakfast and coffee breaks each day of the conference, lunch on Friday and Sunday, and sit-down dinners on Thursday and Friday.

On Saturday, July 19th, conference programming will end at 3:30 so that you can participate in our optional excursion to historic Newport, Rhode Island. Newport is famous for its natural seaside beauty and for the magnificent mansions and gardens built by the industrial barons of America’s Gilded Age. Newport was the playground of the wealthy (think Vanderbilts and Astors) from the 1880s to the early 20th century. Participants will have the option of a longer or shorter trip to Newport. The longer trip will depart from the Westin at 1pm, and includes a driving tour of Newport featuring historic sites, panoramic views, stunning historic homes along Ocean Drive and the spectacular mansions of Bellevue Avenue. The tour includes a visit to The Breakers, an opulent 70-room estate built for Cornelius Vanderbilt in 1895, modeled after a northern Italian Renaissance palace. After touring the mansion, visitors will be dropped off in the heart of downtown Newport where they will have several hours of free time to explore the city, eat dinner at one of the many restaurants, or even take a cruise on a former America’s Cup boat. Participants opting for a shorter, less structured visit to Newport will depart the Westin at 4pm. They will have ample time to walk around the tightly packed, Colonial-period houses of Newport’s downtown, sample the offerings of its many charming shops and restaurants, and perhaps make their way to the Cliff Walk, a three-mile path with rocky beaches on one side and stately mansions on the other. The price of the Newport excursion is $46.00 per person.

On Sunday, July 20th you will have the option of taking a Dinner Cruise on the Vista Jubilee. Buses for this three-hour cruise will depart the Westin at 6:30 p.m., leaving plenty of time to catch the picturesque sunset views on board the ship, to indulge in a lavish buffet dinner, and to toss off your shoes and dance under the stars. The Annual Awards Ceremony will be held on board the ship. Price per person is $79.95.

Finally, you’ll have the option of taking a Post-Conference Trip to Martha’s Vineyard on Monday, July 21st. Located just seven miles off the Massachusetts coastline, Martha’s Vineyard is a picturesque New England island with captains’ houses and lighthouses, white picket fences and ice-cream shops, an authentic fishing village, a Native American community, miles of pristine beaches, and rolling farmland. Visitors often rent bikes to meander down the shaded paths hugging the coastline and admire the regal sea captains’ houses in Edgartown. You can also stroll down Circuit Avenue in Oak Bluffs and ride the Flying Horses Carousel, said to be the oldest working carousel in the country. You can visit quaint “gingerbread” cottages, marvel at the red-clay cliffs of Gay Head, a National Historic Landmark, travel the country roads of West Tisbury and Chilmark, shop at Allen Farm for sweaters made from local flocks of sheep, and snack on artisan bread and the famous New England specialty: the lobster roll! This tour will depart the Westin at 7:00 a.m. Monday morning and travel to Woods Hole on Cape Cod. Here, visitors will board the 9:30 a.m. ferry for the 45-minute trip to Oak Bluffs. Your time in Oak Bluffs will include a three-and-a-half hour narrated island tour, after which you will have plenty of free time before catching the 6:15 p.m. ferry back to Woods Hole. Buses will return to the Westin by 9:00 p.m. The price per person for this excursion is $80.00.

When you register for the conference, you will have the option of selecting these optional excursions. Undoubtedly, the 2008 IARRC promises to be one of our best yet. We look forward to seeing you there!