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Attending

Aerial view of the GM Renaissance Center, the UIST 2026 venue, on the Detroit River waterfront

UIST 2026 will take place at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center in Detroit, MI, November 2–5, 2026. Workshops and the Doctoral Symposium will be held on Monday, November 2 and the main conference will be held on November 3–5. U.S. citizens should note that the U.S. midterm elections will take place on Tuesday, November 3, the first day of the main conference. Please plan ahead to ensure you can participate in the election.

Situated in the iconic GM Renaissance Center along the Detroit River waterfront, the venue offers sweeping views of the skyline and easy access to Detroit’s vibrant arts, food, and culture scene.

Building a trip around the conference? See Things to Do on Your Own for the sports fixtures, concerts, museums, and day trips that fall in the UIST week.

Registration

Registration is now open on the CVENT registration site .

Full Conference

Category Early bird
(by September 4)		 Regular
(by October 2)		 Late/On-site
(from November 2)
Student ACM/SIGCHI Member $500 $600 $700
Student Non-member $600 $700 $800
ACM/SIGCHI Member $900 $1050 $1150
Non-Member $1050 $1150 $1250

Full Conference + Workshop

Category Early bird
(by September 4)		 Regular
(by October 2)		 Late/On-site
(from November 2)
Student ACM/SIGCHI Member $650 $750 $850
Student Non-member $750 $850 $950
ACM/SIGCHI Member $1050 $1200 $1300
Non-Member $1200 $1300 $1400

Workshop Only & Guest Registration

Item Price Refund Policy
Workshop Only $150 Non-refundable
Guest Registration — Caregiver $50 Non-refundable
Guest Registration — Child $10 Non-refundable
Extra Demo Reception Ticket $100 Non-refundable
Extra Henry Ford Museum Reception Ticket $100 Non-refundable

Already registered? No problem — you can add a workshop to your existing registration afterward by modifying your registration on the CVENT registration site .

Registration Discounts for Economically Developing Countries

UIST is committed to global participation. Registrants whose institution is located in a country designated by ACM as economically developing receive a reduced rate:

These discounts apply to full conference registration at all rate periods and combine with student and ACM/SIGCHI member rates. Countries in neither list below are in Category C and pay the standard rates above.

Full list of Category H and Category I countries

Category H — 40% discount

  • Albania
  • Argentina
  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Belarus
  • Belize
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Botswana
  • Brazil
  • Bulgaria
  • China
  • Colombia
  • Costa Rica
  • Cuba
  • Dominica
  • Dominican Republic
  • Ecuador
  • El Salvador
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Fiji
  • Gabon
  • Georgia
  • Grenada
  • Guatemala
  • Indonesia
  • Iraq
  • Jamaica
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kosovo
  • Libya
  • Malaysia
  • Maldives
  • Marshall Islands
  • Mauritius
  • Mexico
  • Moldova
  • Montenegro
  • Namibia
  • North Macedonia
  • Palau
  • Palestine
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Russian Federation
  • Saint Lucia
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Serbia
  • South Africa
  • Suriname
  • Thailand
  • Tonga
  • Turkey
  • Turkmenistan
  • Tuvalu
  • Venezuela

Category I — 70% discount

  • Afghanistan
  • Algeria
  • Angola
  • Bangladesh
  • Benin
  • Bhutan
  • Bolivia
  • Burkina Faso
  • Burundi
  • Cambodia
  • Cameroon
  • Cape Verde
  • Central African Republic
  • Chad
  • Comoros
  • Congo
  • Congo, Democratic Republic of the
  • Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
  • Djibouti
  • Egypt
  • Eritrea
  • Eswatini
  • Ethiopia
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Haiti
  • Honduras
  • India
  • Iran
  • Jordan
  • Kenya
  • Kiribati
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos)
  • Lebanon
  • Lesotho
  • Liberia
  • Madagascar
  • Malawi
  • Mali
  • Mauritania
  • Micronesia (Federated States of)
  • Mongolia
  • Morocco
  • Mozambique
  • Myanmar
  • Nepal
  • Nicaragua
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • North Korea
  • Pakistan
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Philippines
  • Rwanda
  • Samoa
  • São Tomé and Príncipe
  • Senegal
  • Sierra Leone
  • Solomon Islands
  • Somalia
  • South Sudan
  • Sri Lanka
  • Sudan
  • Syria
  • Tajikistan
  • Tanzania
  • Timor-Leste
  • Togo
  • Tunisia
  • Uganda
  • Ukraine
  • Uzbekistan
  • Vanuatu
  • Vietnam
  • Yemen
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe

Travel Scholarships

UIST 2026 offers its own travel scholarship, and SIGCHI’s Gary Marsden Travel Awards are also open to UIST attendees. You are welcome to apply to both.

UIST 2026 Travel Scholarship

UIST 2026 will offer Travel Scholarships to support students and early-career researchers who would otherwise be unable to attend the conference in person due to financial constraints. We are especially committed to increasing participation from individuals who are:

This includes (but is not limited to) individuals who identify as:

The scholarship covers up to $1,000. Depending on the awardee’s needs and ACM conditions, this funding can be allocated towards:

Important conditions

How to apply

To verify your eligibility, we kindly ask that you provide a CV/résumé and a one-page document that includes the following:

The application deadline is September 15, 2026, and results will be announced on September 22, 2026.

We will only use these documents to verify your eligibility to receive travel funding. They will be reviewed in confidence and shared only with the corresponding chairs of UIST 2026 (Community and General Chairs). Once we have reviewed all eligible applicants, we will notify you if you have been selected to receive the funding and contact you with further instructions. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact the UIST Community Chairs at community2026@uist.org.

Disclaimer: the details above represent the current plans for the UIST 2026 Travel Scholarship. While we are committed to providing support, the terms, eligibility criteria, and reimbursement procedures may evolve as planning progresses. All final decisions will be made by the conference organizers and will comply with ACM regulations.

Gary Marsden Travel Award

In recognition of Dr. Gary Marsden’s contributions and inspiration, SIGCHI established the Gary Marsden Travel Awards (GMTA) to support its members in attending ACM SIGCHI conferences. Those eligible to apply include undergraduate and graduate students, early-career researchers (≀ 5 years post-graduation), and those experiencing financial hardship or lacking institutional support.

For full details and to apply, please see the SIGCHI call for applications .

Deadlines are on the 9th of January, February, March, May, July, September, and November at 11:59 PM AoE. You must apply to a deadline that occurs more than one month before the start of the conference.

Visa Support

The Association for Computing Machinery does not issue formal invitation letters for visas to attend ACM-sponsored conferences. However, you can request a Visa Support Letter from ACM at supportletters.acm.org .

ACM is able to provide visa support letters to registered attendees, authors and speakers with accepted papers/posters/talks, and conference committee members. Please allow up to 10 business days for your information to be reviewed and your support letter to be processed. All requests are handled in the order they are received.

If you cannot access that form, please email acmsupportletters@executivevents.com with the following:

Childcare and Caregivers

When you register yourself, you can also register children and/or a caregiver (for yourself or for the child).

Childcare and Parental Support Grants

UIST wil not provide on-site childcare, but we will provide grants for up to $700 USD to help cover the cost of childcare for attendees. The grant can be used as a contribution toward:

Apply for a childcare grant by filling out this form before October 23rd. We strongly encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible so that the organizers can plan appropriately. Note: you must be registered for the conference to be eligible for a childcare grant.

Bringing your family along? The Detroit Riverwalk starts at the hotel’s back door and is free, open every day 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM. The closest indoor option is the DNR Outdoor Adventure Center, a hands-on museum about a 15-minute walk east along that same path, with climbing, ride simulators, an aquarium, and a waterfall you can walk behind. It is open Wednesday–Saturday 9:30 AM–4:00 PM and Sunday noon–4:00 PM (closed Mondays); admission is $7 for adults, $5 for children ages 2–12, and free under 2. There is more on the things to do page, and Visit Detroit’s family fun guide covers plenty more kid-friendly options around the city.

Accommodation

All conference activities, including receptions and the demo session, will be held at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center — the conference hotel is in the same building as the main conference venue.

A block of rooms has been reserved for UIST 2026 attendees at a special pre-negotiated conference rate. Rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so we encourage you to book early.

Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center

400 Renaissance Center, Detroit, MI 48243

The conference hotel is connected directly to the main venue — no commute required. Book your stay at the UIST 2026 conference rate using the link below.

Aerial view of the whole Renaissance Center complex — the central tower ringed by four office towers — on the Detroit River waterfront
The Renaissance Center complex on the riverfront
Lobby seating at FUELL in the Detroit Marriott, with communal tables, banquettes, and a bar in front of floor-to-ceiling windows
Lobby seating at FUELL
The hotel fitness centre, with treadmills and an exercise bike facing floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Detroit River
The 40th-floor fitness center

At the hotel

For the full amenity list and room details, see the hotel’s own page .

Photos: Renaissance Center aerial by Robert Thompson (CC BY-SA 4.0) · lobby and fitness center courtesy of the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center.

Transportation

Most attendees will fly into Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), but flying is not the only way in. Amtrak runs a direct train from Chicago, Windsor, Ontario sits across the river from the venue with VIA Rail connections onward to Toronto, and much of the Midwest and southern Ontario is within a day’s drive. Once you arrive, the venue, the hotel, and a People Mover station are all in the same building, so you will not need a car.

Arriving by air

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) is about 20 miles (32 km) southwest of downtown Detroit. It is a Delta hub with nonstop transatlantic and transpacific service, so most international attendees can reach it with one connection or none. Flights use one of two terminals, McNamara or Evans; check which one your airline uses before you plan your ground transport.

From DTW to the venue is roughly 30 to 45 minutes, depending on traffic:

Detroit Air Xpress (DAX)

The Detroit Air Xpress (DAX) is a shuttle bus connecting DTW directly with downtown Detroit. It runs 16 trips daily from 3:30 AM to 11:00 PM, with fares of $6 in advance or $8 when boarding.

See the DAX website for schedules and fares.

Arriving by train

Amtrak’s Wolverine line connects Chicago Union Station with Detroit three times a day in each direction, taking about 6 hours 30 minutes. It stops at Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Jackson, Ann Arbor, and Dearborn on the way in, and continues past Detroit to Royal Oak, Troy, and Pontiac. Departures from Chicago are currently in the early morning, early afternoon, and early evening, with return trains leaving Detroit early morning, mid-morning, and early evening. Check amtrak.com for the schedule on your travel dates, and book ahead: fares rise as trains fill, and there are only three departures a day.

Detroit’s Amtrak station (station code DET) is at 11 West Baltimore Avenue in the New Center neighborhood, about 3 miles (5 km) north of the venue. To get from the platform to the hotel:

If you are coming from elsewhere in Michigan, note that the same trains serve Ann Arbor and Dearborn, and that the D2A2 express bus runs between Ann Arbor and Grand Circus Park in downtown Detroit.

Arriving from Canada

Windsor, Ontario sits directly across the river from the venue, which makes Detroit straightforward to reach from southern Ontario. There is no through train across the border, so the trip is in two parts: travel to Windsor, then cross into Detroit yourself.

Detroit People Mover

A Detroit People Mover train passing the GM Renaissance Center

The Detroit People Mover is a free elevated, automated light-rail system that loops around downtown — a 2.9-mile (4.7 km) route with 13 stations that can be ridden end-to-end in about 15 minutes. The Renaissance Center station is located in the conference venue (Tower 200, Level 2), making it an easy way to reach Greektown, Huntington Place, and other downtown destinations. See thepeoplemover.com for stations and hours.

QLINE Streetcar

A QLINE streetcar on Woodward Avenue in Detroit (photo credit: Bill Bowen)

The QLINE is a streetcar that runs 3.3 miles (5.3 km) along Woodward Avenue, connecting downtown Detroit with the Midtown, New Center, and North End neighborhoods, with 13 stops and trams roughly every 15 minutes. It is currently free to ride, and it is a convenient way to reach attractions such as the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Fox Theatre, Comerica Park, and Little Caesars Arena. Its Baltimore stop is beside Detroit’s Amtrak station, and it meets the People Mover at Grand Circus Park. See qlinedetroit.com for stops and schedules.

MoGo Bike Share

A row of MoGo bike share bicycles at a docking station in Detroit

MoGo is Detroit’s bike share system, with stations across downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods — including near the Renaissance Center. Classic and electric-assist bikes are available for single rides or day passes, and the Detroit Riverwalk and Dequindre Cut greenway offer scenic car-free routes right by the venue. See mogodetroit.org for stations, passes, and pricing.

Weather & What to Pack

It can get cold in Detroit in early November. Expect daytime highs in the low 50s °F (10–12 °C) and overnight lows in the upper 30s °F (3–4 °C), though the first days of November can swing from the 60s °F (high teens °C) to near freezing from one year to the next. Rain is common, and while measurable snow is unusual this early, it is not unheard of.

What that means for your suitcase:

You should expect to go outside to walk to lunch: lunch breaks are on your own at restaurants around downtown, so you will be heading out in the middle of the day. Otherwise the venue, the conference hotel, and the People Mover station are all inside the same complex, so you can get between conference activities without going outdoors.

Practical Information

Time zone

Detroit is on Eastern Time. Note that Daylight Saving Time ends at 2:00 AM on Sunday, November 1, 2026 — the day before workshops — so clocks go back one hour and Detroit is UTC−5 for the whole conference.

Money

The currency is the U.S. dollar (USD). Credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) and phone-based contactless payments are accepted almost everywhere, and a number of venues are card-only, so you can get by without cash. ATMs are easy to find downtown and at the airport.

Michigan’s 6% sales tax is added at the register, so the price on the shelf or menu is not the price you pay. Detroit also adds a restaurant tax in some areas, and hotel bills carry additional local taxes and fees.

Tipping

Tipping is customary in the United States and makes up a large share of service workers’ income. It is not included in the bill.

Language

English is the working language of the conference and of everyday life in Detroit.

Electricity

U.S. mains power is 120 V, 60 Hz, with Type A (two flat pins) and Type B (two flat pins plus a round ground) outlets. If you are coming from a 220–240 V country you will need a plug adapter. Most laptop and phone chargers are dual-voltage — check the fine print on the power brick for “100–240 V” — but single-voltage appliances such as hair dryers or kettles need a converter, not just an adapter.

Other useful things to know

Election Day: Tuesday, November 3 đŸ‡ș🇾

The 2026 U.S. midterm elections fall on Tuesday, November 3, 2026 — the first day of the main conference. Federal, state, and local races are on the ballot in Michigan and across the country.

If you are a U.S. voter

The conference program runs from 8:25 AM to the evening on Tuesday, so plan to vote before you travel rather than on the day itself. Options depend on your state:

If you are a Michigan voter, michigan.gov/vote has registration, early voting, and clerk information. Polls in Michigan are open from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM, and Michigan allows voter registration in person at your local clerk’s office through Election Day.

If you are visiting from outside the U.S.

Election Day is not a public holiday: shops, restaurants, transit, and the conference all run normally. You may notice polling places signposted at schools, libraries, and community centers, campaign advertising around the city, and wall-to-wall coverage on television and radio — results roll in through Tuesday evening and often well past midnight. Polling places themselves are for voters; please do not photograph or film inside them.

Political conversation may be more present than usual during the week. Please keep the conference itself welcoming to everyone, in line with the ACM Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment.