Dates:

The meeting should be held during the month of June. Although specific meeting dates are open, the conference should extend across four to five days to accommodate a full program of paper sessions, poster sessions, plenary speakers, business sessions, and social events. Typical schedules are Monday – Thursday or Tuesday – Friday, with the Student Forum occurring the day preceding the opening session. Pre- or post-meeting workshops or organized tours may also be included before or after the full program.

Facilities:

We require a conference facility with an auditorium for plenary sessions that will seat approximately 400-500 persons, 12-14 break-out rooms, several small conference rooms or classrooms, and space for at least 60 posters/exhibits. Plenary and breakout rooms should have audiovisual equipment and internet sufficient to allow for global remote two-way participation; there should also be on-site technical support. The host institution is responsible for facilitating accommodations for conference attendees. In the past, attendance has been variable, ranging from approximately 300-600 people, and has at times been lower in non-US venues. More information on past attendance is available upon request. The accommodations should include at least one inexpensive option (particularly for students) such as on-campus student housing. Cafeteria food service is acceptable; on-site beer and wine service is expected for social events.

Hybrid Participation:

At least one session room for each concurrent session and all plenary sessions must be planned for global remote two-way participation. Organizers should describe how they plan to organize and facilitate hybrid participation for both presenters who are in-person and presenters who are remote as well as attendees who are in-person and who are remote.

Local Partnerships:

Hosts are strongly encouraged to create opportunities for partnership and connection with local indigenous communities, diverse community organizations, and government agencies, when possible. Hosts can work with the IASNR Business Office to discuss options such as inviting keynote speakers, workshops, field trips, or other opportunities for collaboration. Hosts are also encouraged to consider reduced or waived fees for indigenous attendees and to work with their local indigenous community on an appropriate land acknowledgement.

Sustainability:

Hosts should pursue and describe strategies to improve the sustainability of the IASNR Conference such as paperless programs, composting and food waste reduction, water bottle refilling stations, etc.

Registration fees:

Hosts should work with the IASNR Conference Support committee and the IASNR Business Office to determine and allocate registration fees. Registration should include IASNR membership fee for non-members. A conference fee of $20 for Professionals, $15 for Emeritus/Retired, and $10 for Students should be included in the registration fee. IASNR membership and conference fee is kept by the association to cover operating costs, and should not be used to cover conference related costs. Additionally, hosts should account for a 3% credit card transaction fee (plus .30 cents) for each registration, along with any local taxes or VAT.

Registration fees must be commensurate with other professional societies’ registration costs. Fees will need to be set for the following groups of participants: 1) professionals,  2) early career, emeritus, and those with financial need, 3) students, 4) guests, and 5) one-day attendees. Early and late registration rates should be set for the above categories. Waivers are sometimes used for volunteers, keynote speakers, and special guests and should be arranged with the IASNR Business Office and IASNR Treasurer. Registration costs for remote presenters and remote participants should be estimated to cover the costs of technology and staff support needed for successful hybrid participation.

IASNR conference registration fees, IASNR membership dues paid during registration, student scholarship funds, and other donations are collected by the IASNR Business Office. The host institution will work with the Business Office to determine the most appropriate procedures for maintaining appropriate accounts for grants and contracts obtained at their institution in support of the annual meeting. The tradition of low student registration fees must be adhered to so that student participation in the conference will remain affordable. It is the responsibility of the host to solicit sponsorships to be used for student scholarships (i.e., registration subsidies). Hosts should also actively pursue grants and sponsorships to raise funds that will support other (e.g., food and beverage, technology) aspects of the annual meeting.

Accounting:

The IASNR and host institution will split any conference revenue on a 50%-50% basis. The IASNR will, if necessary, underwrite financial losses of a conference, but organizers are expected to exercise due diligence with respect to budget planning to avoid this outcome. In addition, the host institution will receive approval for any significant changes to the original approved budget from the IASNR Business Office and IASNR Treasurer prior to the change being made. The host institution is expected to complete all financial reporting to IASNR within six months after the last day of the meeting. Within three months of receipt of the report (and often earlier), IASNR will then pay for any overall loss or will facilitate the distribution of profits so that any revenue generated is split evenly between the host and association. All costs for the meeting should be budgeted and accommodated within the registration fees, grants, contracts, scholarships, and in-kind donations.

The host institution may seek advanced funds to support conference planning, on-site hospitality, and excursions. Due to currency exchange issues, the capability of charging registration fees, accommodations, and other fees to Visa and MasterCard is a requirement. Credit card transactions are processed through PayPal and the fee is 3% plus $.30 for each transaction. The host institution’s budget must account for the PayPal transaction fees.

In recent years IASNR has moved away from printed programs to a conference app. The cost for the app typically ranges from $2,500 – $3,500. This cost should be included in the conference budget.

When required or deemed necessary, hosts will need to work closely with the IASNR Treasurer to establish event liability insurance coverage, including for field trips. It is preferable if the host institution (i.e., university) can cover liability coverage, but when this is not possible, IASNR will work with the hosts to seek appropriate coverage. It is possible that compromises may need to be made, particularly regarding field trips if reasonably priced insurance cannot be purchased. The cost of event liability insurance is expected to be part of the IASNR Conference budget, subject to the 50/50 split of revenues or IASNR coverage of loss.

The IASNR Business Office will provide support and technical assistance to the host institution before, during, and after the IASNR conference. The IASNR Business Office will be the primary conference support staff and staff contract hours should be included in the IASNR Conference budget at a rate of $25/hour. We also require that the travel expenses of the IASNR contract staff (Jessica Hill and Paulus Mau) to attend the meeting be incorporated into the IASNR conference budget.

Expected conference events:

Hosts are expected to facilitate the logistics for various conference events in coordination with the IASNR Business Office.  Many of these events are organized in collaboration with IASNR and the IASNR Student Affairs Committee, and are aimed at enhancing professional skills and development of conference attendees. The costs of the opening reception and at least one group meal (e.g., a picnic, barbeque, or banquet), as well as daily refreshments during morning and afternoon breaks, are normally included in the registration fee. Other social activities, meals, and excursions may be billed separately as appropriate. The publisher of the journal Society & Natural Resources, Taylor & Francis Group, provides approximately $700 for some IASNR Conference events, particularly those that benefit student attendees. The following are the expected events to be included in the conference: