April Connect 2025 Welcome Guide

Welcome to April Connect 2025! 

Connect will be held at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard from 1 to 4 April.

Richard N. Merkin Building
415 Main Street
Cambridge, MA
02142

We are sharing the following map and accompanying instructions to help guide you to each of our event and meeting locations. 

 

Arriving at the conference

Once you arrive at the conference address (listed above), please start at the registration desk (indicated on the map). Here, you will collect your name badge, which you are expected to wear through the entire duration of the event (to receive your meals and to ensure a secure event). If arriving on 1 April, the registration desk will be on the first (ground) floor. 

If you are arriving to the meeting from 2 to 4 April (and have not yet picked up your name badge), you will be expected to check in with the Broad Institute security desk, tell them you are participating in the GA4GH Connect meeting, and take the elevator up to the second floor where the registration desk will be located for the remainder of the event.

Download PDF of Map

Conference registration

You must check in with the registration desk on your first day at the conference to receive your name badge. Registration will begin on Tuesday, 1 April from 8:00 AM EDT on the first floor. Registration will also begin one hour before the start of each subsequent Connect day on the second floor. You must wear your name badge throughout the entire meeting. You will need to show your name badge to the catering team for breakfast and lunch. This is also how the Broad Institute security team will know that you are a part of the event, allowing access to meeting locations.

 

Event agenda

The Connect Agenda can be found on the event website. All breakout meeting locations are listed on the agenda. The GA4GH registration desk will also have an agenda posted for your perusal.

 

Meeting session locations

Opening plenary sessions will take place in the Auditorium.

Breakout sessions will be happening across four rooms. Olympus is on the first (ground) floor. The Board Room is on the Mezzanine Level (which can be reached by taking the stairs up from the first floor, or taking the elevator to Level M. Yellowstone and Monadnock are both located on the second floor. Please refer to the Agenda to determine where each breakout session is located.

 

Meals

Breakfast will be available from 8:00 to 9:00 AM EDT in the Broad Institute lobby (first floor). 

Morning breaks will occur from 10:45 to 11:15 AM EDT in the Broad Institute lobby and have coffee and tea available.

Lunch will be served each day in the Broad Institute lobby. You are welcome to stand at the high-top tables in the lobby or take your food up to the second floor to eat in the Second Floor Connector, Yellowstone, or Monadnock (the second floor breakout rooms).

  • 1 April: There will be a lunch session in Yellowstone — Expanding and evolving the Federated Variant Level Matching Platform for rare disease. Location to be confirmed.
  • 2 April: There will be a lunch session in Monadnock — GA4GH Data Model Best Practices

Afternoon breaks will have tea, coffee, and light snacks in the Broad Institute lobby.

 

Welcome Reception

The Connect Welcome Reception will take place at the MIT Museum on Wednesday, 2 April from 18:00 to 21:00 PM EDT. Drinks and appetisers will be served. You must have registered and collected your name badge to join the Connect Welcome Reception.

MIT Museum
314 Main Street
Building E-28
Cambridge, MA 02142

 

Connect with other attendees

Join the GA4GH Slack Workspace. Browse through the channels, and add any of interest. Keep an eye on the Connect social channel: #connect-socials. Attendees will be posting about social outings throughout the event week.

 

Additional Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Additional event FAQs can be found on our website. You may also reach out to the GA4GH Operations Team, at operations@ga4gh.org. 

 

Participation Guidelines

Participation in GA4GH virtual and in-person meetings, conferences, and events (including Connect) constitutes an agreement to adhere to the GA4GH Code of Ethics and Community Conduct.

To ensure a safe, welcoming environment for you and others, please review the expectations listed in the code, as well as in the associated “Guidelines for respectful community engagement.”

 

Health and Safety

GA4GH prioritises the health and safety of all attendees. Please review our guidelines below and note that these are subject to change.

Safety at GA4GH events

GA4GH proactively supports an engaged, welcoming, and safe community via the Code of Ethics and Community Conduct. By attending Connect and associated events, whether in person or virtually, you agree to adhere to this code. If you experience or witness harmful behaviour or a potential violation of the code, please report it. You may view our participation guidelines here.

Public health

By attending Connect and all associated events in person, you agree to follow these guidelines:

  • You are welcome, but not required, to wear masks during the conference. Masks are available at any security station at the Broad. There are hand sanitiser stations around the venue and sinks in the kitchens.
  • Do not attend GA4GH events if you develop cold- or flu-like symptoms, or test positive for COVID-19 or another communicable disease. If you fall sick during the conference, please do not attend the rest of the meeting in person.
  • You may switch to virtual participation at any time, for any reason, by contacting operations@ga4gh.org. 

Please respect others’ decisions, as attitudes, vulnerabilities, and healthcare access differ among cultures and individuals. Everyone should feel comfortable making choices that allow them to feel safe at GA4GH events.