Call for Meeting Hosts for the International Biogeography Society - Biennial and Off-year meetings

The IBS is seeking for proposals from potential local groups interested in hosting one of the two upcoming conferences.

1) Ninth International Conference of the IBS. The biennial meeting is the main event for the society. This should be held within the second week of January 2019.  As the main event for the society, a key consideration will be that the meeting be accessible to the majority of IBS members who are located in Europe and the Americas.  Traditionally the meeting has alternated across the Atlantic: Mexico (2009), Greece (2011), United States (2013), Germany (2015) and the upcoming meeting will be in Tucson, USA (2017).  We are open to the possibility of exploring parts of the world where the society has not yet held a major meeting.  Meeting attendance is anticipated to be 600-700 people.  Minimum requirements of the venue are 1) one auditorium with a capacity of 600-700 people, 2) five smaller rooms with a capacity of 100-150 people, 3) one large room (or two adjacent rooms) suitable for displaying about 350 posters, and 4) various smaller meeting rooms (small storage facility, IBS board meeting).

2) A special meeting of the IBS held on the “off-year” between the biennial meetings.  The aim of this meeting is to provide either one or more of the following (i) growth of the society into geographic and/or disciplinary areas that are currently under-represented in the society; or (ii) to provide opportunities for early career biogeographers.  This meeting may occur between October 2017 and May 2018 (excepting early January 2018).

Proposals should be submitted by potential hosts who are interested in chairing the local organizing committee for any of these meetings. The duties of the local hosts involve conducting contract negotiations with the venue and the hotel(s), all local logistics including field trip organization, production of the abstract book, and involvement with all financial matters.  The IBS has a strong experience in providing support to meetings, including useful documentation regarding how to plan and structure an IBS meeting, and direct support during the organization process and meeting.  Please note that we welcome dialogue with potentially interested parties prior to submitting a proposal.

Please use the following format:

Hosting committee (names and affiliations):

Venue location (university, hotel, or a mix of both):

Proposed dates (particularly for special meetings as the Biennial Conference takes place in the second week of January in 2019):

Transportation information (to city, airport to venue; type of transportation available, distance to venue and estimated costs):

Airfares examples, from: Frankfurt, London, New York/Newark, Sao Paulo, Mexico city (others as you see fit).  

Hotel price estimates (per night in local currency):

Estimated cost for the venue (total in local currency; rentals for conference rooms, audio/video, etc):

Catering costs (lunch, coffee breaks):

Suggestions for social activities and estimated costs (types, e.g., open bar in poster sessions, opening reception, etc)

Attractions of the host location for IBS members:

Factors that could reduce the total cost of the meeting:

Potential for funding from local institutions:

Potential for enhancing IBS membership:

Potential field trips and other activities:

Deadline: September 5, 2016

Submission and questions: Please send host proposals by email to Pedro Peres-Neto (peres-neto.pedro@uqam.ca), IBS VP for Conferences.  Also, do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions regarding the details in the proposal.  Examples of past conferences can be found at http://www.biogeography.org/html/Meetings/index.html.

Meetings are a central activity within IBS and the IBS board thanks you in advance for your interest in serving as hosts.