professional development for early-career researchers: how to organise a conference

scientific conferences help drive the process of science (and scientists’ careers) by giving researchers an opportunity to disseminate their research, get feedback and learn about new research tools and ideas. while the internet has improved the ways researchers can keep up to date with the latest findings and discuss these with fellow researchers, there is still great value in attending meetings because of the formal, and particularly informal, opportunities to interact face-to-face with other scientists. this is particularly true for the increasing numbers of conferences that are run by early-career researchers for early-career researchers. such meetings allow scientists at the start of their careers to interact with others in similar positions, take heart from learning that they are having the same problems, and meet their peers and collaborators of the future. taking on a role in the organisation of such an event affords the early-career researcher even greater networking opportunities with both speakers and delegates and allows them to develop their skills in areas such as leadership and communication and to learn the professionalism of managing events.

 

advanced planning is key to success. last minute changes are inevitable, but if you are well organised these are far easier to manage - susan wong sgm head of scientific conferences

top tips from the sgm head of scientific conferences

10 rules for organising a scientific conference for early-career researchers* rule 1 - opportunity for discussion is the most important thing (but the science helps attract attendees) rule 2 - allow for plenty of planning time rule 3 - study all potential financial issues affecting your event rule 4 - create a balanced agenda (that supports the achievement of rule 1 in different ways) rule 5 - carefully select your keynote speakers (not just for their interesting and topical research, but who are approachable and will interact positively with the conference delegates) rule 6 - make sure the members of the organising committee have delegated roles and communicate regularly rule 7 - identify your target audience and advertise rule 8 - exploit social media rule 9 - prepare for emergencies rule 10 - make the impact of your conference last *adapted from 10 rules for organising a scientific conference (http://bit.ly/uugsfq)

planning and attention to detail is extremely important when organising a conference. there are many elements to consider; for example, the theme of the conference, the target audience and a suitable venue. susan wong reflects on two aspects: budgeting and sponsorship.

budgeting

i find preparing the budget is one of the hardest aspects of conference planning because there are numerous variables which can be difficult to estimate. there are the obvious costs that are easy to identify, such as speaker travel, venue hire and food. however, to help me identify many of the hidden costs i do a walk through of the event from the delegate’s point of view. for example, the delegate will arrive at the registration desk to register (expense = signage, name badge, delegate pack). then they will make their way to the first session (expense = more signage) to listen to talks (expense = av support, water for speakers and chair) and so on.

attracting sponsorship and grants

once i have established my outgoing costs, i can then offset against any sponsorship secured. the remaining balance will give me some idea of how much delegates might need to pay.

attracting funding can be tricky. i recommend asking senior researchers for information on their contacts (e.g. who do they buy their laboratory consumables from?). with their permission, you can then contact the companies with ‘i was given your details by …’. this is more likely to receive a response than a ‘to whom it may concern’ request. i suggest thinking broadly about the sponsorship opportunities you offer. don’t just think about sponsors being provided with an exhibition stand on the day or having their logo featured on the webpage and opening slide for the speaker whose travel costs they contributed to. could you offer the opportunity to include marketing materials in the delegate pack, or provide delegates with a branded pen or notebook (that’s one less cost for your budget)? if you are having an exhibition area, it is extremely important that the sessions keep to time as you want to make sure that delegates arrive in the exhibition area when you said they would so your (paying!) exhibitors have ample opportunity to talk to them.

also check out organisations such as sgm who offer grants to support conferences.

some things (but not every thing) you will need to think about

• who will book the speakers’ travel and accommodation? specify in advance what expenses will be covered.
• even if there is no registration fee, have a pre-registration system to give an idea of the number of delegates so you have enough seats, food and drinks (but not too much).
• will you allow people who haven’t pre-registered to turn up on the day? how will the registration desk handle that?
• will all abstracts submitted be accepted or will there be a review process? give reviewers deadlines.
• will you supply session chairs with a clock to ensure good timekeeping?
• set clear deadlines for the programme book and print it as late as possible.
• how will you evaluate the event (on-the-day form, online survey)?

two weeks before the event

• send venue details to exhibitors with information on deliveries, parking permits, set-up and shut-down times and what’s included.
• send information to speakers with venue directions, phone number and a reminder of the time and location of their presentation + facilities available.

one week before the event

• meet with ‘on the day’ helpers so everyone knows what to do and when.

on the day

• have a plan.
• do a health and safety check of the venue.
• greet speakers and session chairs.
• include time for cleaning up.

after the event

• thank-you letters for exhibitors, speakers and session chairs.

sgm has example documents from its own events which we are happy to share with members organising their own event. contact  [email protected].

my experience - eleni karinou

organising committee member, 3rd annual picls symposium, university of dundee

the phd student’s association in the college of life sciences (picls) is a proactive team of students facilitating networking between phd students in different subject areas. picls organises an annual symposium where eminent researchers in biological sciences are invited to speak and network with students. i attended the symposium in 2011 and was intrigued by the idea of a symposium organised solely by students and decided to get involved.

the organising committee of the 2012 symposium consisted of 9 people, all phd students within the college and, like me, most of them were organising a conference for the first time. i was responsible for finding sponsors for the speakers’ travel expenses.

the 3rd annual picls symposium was a 1-day event held on 6 july 2012. there was a morning and afternoon session of talks, and a poster session over lunch. the event was attended by around 150 phd students, postdocs and group leaders, mostly from the college of life sciences. the invited speakers were proposed by students and staff from the college. delegates were able to submit abstracts for oral presentation or posters, with presenters selected by principal investigators of the college. on the day of the symposium, the invited speakers helped us choose prize winners from the presenters. the event received sponsorship from various scientific societies, journals and supplier companies who were offered trade stands or advertisements.

as an organiser, what i enjoyed most was the stimulating discussions with the rest of the committee during the preparation of the symposium and the team work. our biggest challenges were raising money and finding a day suitable for all our busy speakers. the experience was at times stressful and tiring, but it was a lot of fun. it required good organisation and communication skills (making sure there was lots of communication between members of the organising team was really important for the success for the event) and i feel it has helped me to be more efficient and conciliatory. my tip for others who get involved in organising a conference would be: don’t be afraid to ask other people for their opinion.

http://picls.lifesci.dundee.ac.uk/symposium2012/index.html

sgm supported this event by offering funds from the student society sponsored lectures scheme towards the travel and accommodation costs of professor pascale cossart, institut pasteur, and offering a prize for the best poster on a microbiological topic presented by a registered phd student.

my experience - robert ryan

co-chair, young microbiologists symposium on microbe signalling, organisation and pathogenesis 2012, university college cork

in 2008, i was invited to speak at the john innes centre young microbiologist symposium. it was a great event, but was only for researchers at norwich research park. it made me think that an open event for young microbiologists was missing in the microbiology landscape. for this reason i instigated the young microbiologists symposium (yms) at university college cork. the yms was intended to bring together young microbiologists and to provide an opportunity for these scientists to present their work and receive constructive feedback, to network with other students, postdocs, young pis and senior scientists in the field, and facilitate future collaborations.

i organised the inaugural event in 2009 and co-chaired the second event in 2012 (thanks to dr delphine caly my co-chair and to members of the research group who helped with the preparation and on the day). the experiences of 2009 did prepare me for the level of work expected in running a good event. however, the various issues and problems that arose in running the event the second time round were very different and highlighted that, in organising a conference, you can never predict the problems you will encounter, so you have to be prepared to adapt as need arises. organising these events has improved my ability to delegate and my fund-raising skills, and has taught me the importance of patience, trust and planning in conference organisation. i feel the experience of organising these events has helped both with my own research and in progressing my career.

the yms on microbe signalling, organisation and pathogenesis 2012 attracted over 120 participants from more than 15 countries, ranging from first-year phd students to starting principal investigators. the 2-day programme included three keynote talks, five plenary sessions (four on predefined topics, one featuring nine ‘hot-spot’ poster talks), and two lunchtime poster sessions. each delegate had to present a poster. thanks to the support of our sponsors, we were able to set the registration fee at only €25 and to offer a number of prizes for best poster and best
short talk.

from the event, i really enjoyed watching junior scientists ‘put it up’ to the gathered eminent scientists and seeing those eminent scientists dispensing sage advice during the event. i really think that having a platform for junior scientists to present their work to a broad audience is key for them to develop as scientists. for institutions, these types of events showcase the work going on in the department to a wide audience and can be an excellent recruitment tool to attract postdocs and students.

www.ucc.ie/yms2012/index.html

sgm sponsored the lectures of professor cynthia sharma, university of würzburg, and dr trevor lawley, wellcome trust sanger institute, from the regional meetings grants scheme (//www.banhxebo.com/education/grant-prizes.cfm).

if you have any other topics that you would like to see featured in microbiology today as a ‘how to’ article, please email [email protected]