The BioCommunications Association’s 85th Annual Meeting opens next week in Santa Fe.

Professionals in the biological communications field are headed to New Mexico next week to learn new skills from fellow life sciences and medical photographers, explore creative ideas, and develop new visual communications strategies.

Association: BioCommunications Association

Conference: BIOCOMM 2015

Venue: Drury Plaza Hotel

Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico

BIOCOMM 2015 will kick off with keynoter Joe McNally, an internationally acclaimed photographer whose career has spanned 30 years and included assignments in more than 50 countries. Not only has he shot cover stories for Time, Newsweek, and Fortune, but he’s also a 23-year contributor to the National Geographic Society. Three other items to note:

Quick take. InfoShare has been a staple session of BIOCOMM for years. During InfoShare, presenters have five minutes to demonstrate a tip, trick, or gadget that makes their life as image makers better. It could be anything, from a device used to take a photo remotely to a type of paper used for specialized printing.

Friendly competition. Winners of BCA’s annual visual media competition—BioImages—will be announced at the meeting.  It showcases the finest still, graphics, and motion-media work in the life sciences and medicine. Best of Show takes home $500 and a one-year BCA membership. (In the meantime, you can check out last year’s winners.)

Bargain hunting. Attendees are getting lots of knowledge at a discounted rate. In honor of BCA’s 85th anniversary, the registration fee is only $85 and includes all lectures and workshops, as well as a ticket to the Honors Banquet. Plus, as an added incentive to attend, BCA will pay for the first night of attendees’ hotel stays if they book for the entire conference—saving them $169.

To get a snapshot of the conference from the outside, check the usual spots: Twitter (#BIOCOMM2015) and Facebook.

(iStock/Thinkstock)