Author: IAFL Admin

The IAFL Executive Committee invites proposals from institutions with IAFL-affiliated members who wish to host the next biennial conference in 2021. We are also seeking preliminary proposals or inquiries about the 2023 meeting from members who may be keen to host but will not be ready for 2021. Proposals should be emailed by 15 December 2019 to Janet Ainsworth jan@seattleu.edu and Tammy Gales tammygales@gmail.com. Inquiries meanwhile are welcome. Please ensure that proposals address all of the points identified below:

1. Location Where will the meeting be held and at what kind of site? Ideally, the conference would take place on a university campus, but hotel-based proposals will also be considered. Attractiveness of the location (what to see and do in the area) is a bonus but not a key factor.

2. Accessibility How difficult is it for overseas delegates to obtain visas to visit the host country? How far is the location from a well-serviced international airport? How will members reach the meeting location? How far is the conference venue from the town centre? What provisions will be made for delegates with disabilities? Do all the key conference venues have wheelchair access?

3. Accommodation Where will members stay during the meeting and how much will it cost? How far from the conference venue are the accommodations and how will delegates travel conveniently from the accommodation to the venue? What is the local geography like for the conference facilities themselves? We are particularly keen to understand distances between accommodation and conference facilities and also whether plenary sessions will be held close to or in the same building as parallel sessions. IAFL would prefer a low-cost university accommodation to be available for the majority of delegates needing accommodation, but with an option of staying in a nearby hotel for those who prefer. If campus accommodation is not available, what facilities are conveniently located near the designated hotels?

4. Fees What do you anticipate that the fee will be for IAFL members and non-members? Please note that the gap between the member and non-member registration fees must be at least as much as one year’s membership (applying the student rate as appropriate)? Fee structures will typically include discount for members and for students and this needs to be budgeted. You should also make clear what will be covered and not covered? Will there be a combined fee plus university accommodation rate?

5. Organizing Team Who will be responsible for organizing the meeting? What previous experience does the local committee have in organizing conferences? If they lack experience in organizing large events, what other experience of theirs will make success likely? How much of the organization can be contracted out (e.g. to university accommodation and catering services)?

6. Financial Support Beyond the organizers, will there be additional support from an academic department, school, or faculty? Is there likely to be financial support from a university or government source? Will you be insured in one way or another against loss (e.g., by your department or university setting aside emergency funds for this purpose)? What do you intend to do with any profit made?

7. Facilities What kinds of facilities are available both in the conference rooms and more generally on site? At a minimum, IAFL would expect: a) sufficiently-sized and equipped rooms with adequate IT and AV equipment; b) an on-call IT team (including weekends) to sort out the inevitable computer and AV mishaps that occur; c) sufficient and adequate catering facilities; d) access to the Internet for delegates at the conference venue; translation facilities if papers will be accepted for presentation in languages other than English. What other facilities are available on campus, in the student residences or on site more generally? Are facilities fully accessible for any disabled member?

8. Dates The preferred conference dates would fall during the first half of July. If you propose different dates, please address the extent to which delegates from various parts of the world will be able to attend during those dates. You will need, for example, to check on teaching term dates in the US, Europe and Australasia.

We look forward to receiving well-conceived and exciting proposals within the next few months.