Please download the final program listing of this year's conference here. You need Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to view this program which you can download here.

Update July 18, 2018: Friends, please note that the cancelations for the 2018 Conference ended July 15, 2018. No more cancelations will be processed at this time.

Only a handful of months are left until the Twenty Eighth Annual Conference of the Association of the Friends of Persian Culture.  The conference will commence in the evening of Thursday, August 30^th and will continue till late evening on Sunday, September 2^nd 2018.  As always the main theme of the conference is “Glimpses of Persian Culture” with a sub-theme of “Order, Justice and Ethics: Pillars of a New Society”.

The names of distinguished speakers presenting at this year’s conference are: Dr Shapour Rassekh, Dr Behrouz Afagh, Dr Payam Akhavan, Dr Abbas Amanat, Mrs. Shohreh Assemi, Dr Roya Boroumand, Dr Jane Lewisohn, Dr May Khadem, Dr Arash Naraghi, Dr Behrouz Sabet, Dr Saghar Sadeghian and Dr Nader Saeidi. The list of renowned artists performing in the evening programs will soon be posted on our website as well as in our next announcement in the American Bahá'í.

Simultaneous translation:

Please note that the association offers simultaneous translation of the main conference programs from Persian into English language. Attendees who are not familiar with Persian language, especially youth and young professionals, can benefit from this service by using their cell phone and downloading the Beonair app.  English sessions for young adults, youth and junior youth as well as classes for children ages 3-5, 6-8 and 9-10 are all in English language.

How to register for the conference:

1. Register on line by going to www.fopca.com, fill out the participants’ information and complete the registration process by all major credit cards. (Please note: American Express is not accepted).
2. Call the office of the association between the hours of 9 AM and 5 PM, Central Time, at: (847)853-7896 or (847)853-7895.

Hotel reservations:

To secure the best rates for the conference participants, the Association has contracts with Renaissance Hotel as well as a number of nearby hotels, names of which are listed below and on the website of the Association.  These listed hotels are the only ones that will offer special rates to the conference participants.  Furthermore, when making your reservation, you must mention that you are attending the Friends of Persian Culture Conference.  All hotels require a one-night deposit with a credit card.  If you decide to cancel a confirmed reservation, you must do it three days / 72 hours in advance of your arrival day, otherwise all hotels will charge one-night rate plus taxes for late cancellation.

The list of these hotels and their telephone numbers are:

Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center, Schaumburg – (847)303-4100, Rate: $146 per night plus tax.

Hyatt Place, Schaumburg – (877) 574-7260, Rate: $129 per night plus tax. Included: Breakfast and Shuttle service. Rate valid until August 17^th, 2018.

Holiday Inn Express – (847) 259-6600, Rate: $107 per night plus tax.  Included: Breakfast and Shuttle service. Rate valid until August 17^th, 2018.

Residence Inn by Marriott-(847) 517-9200, Rate: $139 per night plus tax. Included: Breakfast. Rate valid until August 15^th, 2018.

Springhill Suites by Marriott-(847) 995-1500, Rate: $139 per night plus tax. Included: Breakfast. Rate valid until August 15^th, 2018.

Wyndham Garden Schaumburg-(847) 397-1500, Rate: $99 for 1 King, $119 for 2 Double per night plus tax. 10 minute Walking distance to the Renaissance. Included: Breakfast, Shuttle service. Rate valid until August 17^th, 2018.

For more information, please visit the Associations website at:  www.fopca.com, or call us at: (847)853-7896 or (847)853-7895, or follow us on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/associationofthefriendsofpersianculture

We look forward to welcoming you all at this year’s conference!

Dear Friends,

Plans for the 28th annual conference of the Association of the Friends of Persian Culture are well underway. The 2018 conference will be held on Labor Day Weekend, Thursday, August 30 through the evening of Sunday September 2, 2018 at the Schaumburg Renaissance Hotel, in the vicinity of Chicago. We extend a very warm invitation to all interested individuals to attend this exciting conference. Based on the ever-increasing support of the friends for this cultural celebration and in response to suggestions received and experiences gained, the Board of Directors of the Association is pleased to provide the following detailed information regarding conference registration and hotel reservation for this event.

Conference Registration

Conference registration opens on Monday, March 26th, 2018. Individuals planning to attend this year’s conference are encouraged to register as early as possible, here on this web site or by calling the office of the Association during business hours, Monday through Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Central Time at 847-853-7896.

In addition to the main conference programs, classes for children between the ages of 3-10 years, and programs for junior youth will be provided. Children under 3 years of age are the responsibility of parents. For the benefit of the friends not familiar with the Persian language, simultaneous English translation of the main conference program will be provided through a special smartphone app which volunteers will help you download to your phone on site.

Room Reservation at the Renaissance Hotel (Conference Venue) and Other Conference Hotels

Building upon the success of the reservation process for the Renaissance Hotel in the past couple of years, based on priority groups, the reservation process for this hotel will remain the same for 2018.

Three groups will be given priority in the hotel reservation process for Renaissance.

1. Individuals 80 years or older: Such individuals must submit a copy or their driver’s license, passport or other identification card.

2. Individuals with disabilities: A valid certificate of disability or a note from the individual’s personal physician affirming his / her disability must be submitted.

3. Families with children younger than 6 years of age: A copy of the birth certificate or other identification document for the children is required.

These three groups must complete their registration and submit the required documentation to the Association’s Office either by mail or fax (847) 440-9044 or email friendsofpersianculture@gmail.com beginning Monday, March 26th through Monday, April 27, 2018. The names of individuals from whom proper documentation is received will then be passed on to the Renaissance Hotel for reservation of one room. The rooms reserved using the above procedures are non-transferable. Any cancellation is subject to $10.00 per person processing fee.

General reservations at the Renaissance Hotel will begin at 9:00 a.m. Central Time on Tuesday, May 1, 2018. Please contact the Renaissance Hotel’s main reservation center at (866) 204-0549. Last year, the entire block of available rooms was reserved within less than 15 minutes of the opening of the reservation phone lines. The reason for this rapid process was that only 300 rooms were available following the priority registration process and a large number of hotel phone lines and personnel were dedicated to this process, resulting in reservation of the remaining blocks of rooms in a short period of time.

To give equal opportunity to callers for reserving rooms, reservations at the Renaissance Hotel are limited to one room per call. To reserve additional rooms, additional calls to the reservation line will be necessary.

There are no limits to the numbers of rooms that may be reserved at other hotels. Reduced room rates have been negotiated with the Renaissance and other hotels for the benefit of conference attendees. To take advantage of these discounts, attendees must use one of the hotels with which the Association has a contract and must identify themselves as a participant in the Association’s conference. Hotel reservations commonly require a deposit equal to one night’s rate. Attendees should be aware that some hotels charge one night’s rate for cancellations.

List of hotels with special Conference rates:

(Please note, that you must indicate that you will be attending the Persian conference, at the time of reservation to qualify for the special contracted rate.)

Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center

1551 North Thoreau Drive, Schaumburg, IL. 60173 (847) 303-4100 or (866) 204-0549

King and Double Beds $146.00 plus tax. Breakfast not included.

Hyatt Place Chicago

1851 Mc Connor Parkway, Schaumburg, IL. 60173 (877) 574-7260

King and Double Beds $129.00 plus tax. Continental breakfast included.

Holiday Inn Express

3477 Algonquin Road, Rolling Meadows, IL. 60008 (847) 259-2200

King and Double Beds $107.00 plus tax. Breakfast included.

We look forward to welcoming many of you at the 2018 conference.

Association of the Friends of Persian Culture
1233 Central Street
Evanston IL. 60201
Direct: (847) 853-7896
Fax: (847) 440-9044

Only a handful of months are left until the Twenty-Seventh Annual Conference of the Association of the Friends of Persian Culture.  The conference will commence in the evening of Thursday, August 31^st and will continue till late evening on Sunday, September 3^rd 2017.  As always the main theme of the conference is “Glimpses of Persian Culture” with a sub-theme of “The Culture of Unity”.

The names of distinguished speakers presenting at this year’s conference are Dr. Shapour Rassekh, Mr. Iradj Pezeshkzad, Dr. Mandana Zandian, Dr. Nader Saiedi, Dr. Farhad Sabetan, Mrs. Nayereh Tohidi, Mr. Hosein Ghazian, Dr. Behrouz Sabet, Ms. Masih Alinejad, and Ms. Shabnam Tolouei. The list of renowned artists performing in the evening programs will soon be posted on our website as well as in our next announcement in the American Bahá'í.

How to register for the conference:

1. Register online by going to the registration page, fill out the participants’ information and complete the registration process by all major credit cards. (Please note: American Express is not accepted).
2. Call the office of the association between the hours of 9 AM and 5 PM, Central Time, at (847)853-7896 or (847)853-7895.

Hotel reservations:

To secure the best rates for the conference participants, the Association has contracts with Renaissance Hotel as well as a number of nearby hotels, names of which are listed below and on the website of the Association.  These listed hotels are the only ones that will offer special rates to the conference participants.  Furthermore, when making your reservation, you must mention that you are attending the Friends of Persian Culture Conference.  All hotels require a one-night deposit with a credit card.  If you decide to cancel a confirmed reservation, you must do it three days / 72 hours in advance of your arrival day, otherwise, all hotels will charge one-night rate plus taxes for late cancellation.

The list of these hotels and their telephone numbers are:

Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center, Schaumburg – (847)303-4100, Rate: $144 per night plus tax (SOLD OUT)

Embassy Suites, Schaumburg – (800)362-2779, King bed Suite $125 per night plus tax.  Two double beds Suite $145 per night plus tax. Included: Hot breakfast and afternoon snack. Walking distance to the conference site. Shuttle service when needed.

Holiday Inn Express – (847) 259-6600, $107 per night plus tax.  Included: Breakfast and Shuttle service.

Holiday Inn Rolling Meadows – (847) 259-5000, $107 per night plus tax.  Included: Breakfast and Shuttle service.

Hyatt Place Chicago-Schaumburg - (847) 330-1060, Book by calling the number and mentioning the Association of Friends of Persian Culture Block or clicking here. Complimentary Shuttle to and from the Convention Center. Rate for both King and Double is $99.00 plus tax 

Residence Inn Marriott - (847) 517-9200, 1610 McConnor Parkway, Schaumburg, IL. 60173, Rate for both King and Double is $139.00 plus tax. Includes breakfast

SpringHill Suites Marriott - (847) 995-1500, 1550 McConnor Parkway,  Schaumburg, IL. 60173, Rate for both King and Double is $139.00 plus tax. Includes breakfast

For more information, please visit the Associations website frequently or call us at: (847)853-7896 or (847)853-7895, or follow us on Facebook by clicking here.

Looking forward to welcoming you all at this year’s conference.

Aram Hessami: Post-Modernity and Moral Relativism