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We are delighted to announce that Reef Conservation UK will return for our 26th Annual Meeting in December 2023!
But WHERE? ----- Call for bids to host Reef Conservation UK 2023 Reef Conservation UK (RCUK) is a networking group and annual meeting for reef scientists, conservationists and enthusiasts to discuss and collaborate on issues related to coral reef research and conservation. The annual conference, in particular, opens the lines of communication through a series of presentations, posters and networking opportunities. Historically, the event has been held at the Zoological Society of London meeting rooms, but in recent years we have expanded away from London - for example hosting meetings in Oxford in 2017 and Edinburgh in 2021. We now seek bids from groups interested in hosting the Reef Conservation UK 2023 symposium. Bids should include previous attendees of RCUK meetings willing to form a Local Organizing Committee (LOC) to work with the RCUK committee. Bid guidelines Bids should be submitted by: 3rd March 2023 to rcuk@zsl.org If you have any questions as you are preparing your bid please feel free to reach out to the RCUK committee to discuss. Please contact us via: rcuk@zsl.org Bids should be a written document and address all points outlined below: Date RCUK is normally a one day conference in early December, and we anticipate a similar format. The main conference day for RCUK 2023 should be Saturday 2 December 2023 or Saturday 9 December 2023. Other dates will be considered if the bid makes a strong justification. We will also consider bids for multiple days if a strong case is made for a different format. Location RCUK is attended by participants traveling from across the UK and western Europe. The city chosen should therefore have easy and reliable transport links to other UK cities (and international airports). A range of restaurants and bars should be present in the city and within easy access of the venue and accommodation. These should be suitable for all participants including attendees with limited financial resources. Venue The potential venue should be available on one of the proposed conference dates (02/12 or 09/12/2023). The venue should have the capacity to accommodate 150-200 people in the main plenary room with a suitable audio-visual system to run a scientific conference. The venue should have a breakout space for morning/afternoon breaks for tea and coffee and where lunch will be served. The venue must be able to provide catering for morning/afternoon tea and coffee breaks and lunch. There should also be space for approximately 30 scientific posters to be displayed in a location that will have high through traffic from conference attendees. A suitable venue for an evening drinks reception must be close by, with catering to serve drinks/light snacks for the reception available. All venues must be in safe areas and should be fully accessible for those with disabilities. While historically RCUK has been a 1 day single session conference, we are open to suggestions from the LOC of parallel sessions, workshop spaces, etc. Accommodation A good range of accommodation options should be available near the venue. These should include reasonably priced hotels, bed and breakfast accommodation, hostels etc. Budget Please provide an indicative budget breaking down costs based on 150 attendees. This budget should include: (i) venue hire including any staffing/security costs, (ii) catering costs for the venue based on tea and coffee being served morning and afternoon and a lunch being served, (iii) evening reception venue hire and catering and staffing costs, (iv) any other anticipated costs, and (v) the anticipated cost per person required to break even. Sponsorship Describe any potential sponsorship opportunities by your institutions or other institutions that would be interested in the mission of RCUK based in the city/region. Please include details of any in-kind contributions that may be made by institutions (e.g. reduced venue hire costs for academic conferences etc.). Pre- and Post-RCUK Workshops or Site Visits There is an option to facilitate additional workshops and/or site visits around the conference. Outline the potential for any suitable venues for hosting early career workshops the day before/after RCUK adjacent to the venue. Provide details of any relevant site visits or other excursions to see university facilities or guided tours of university/museum/aquarium etc collections that may be of interest to RCUK attendees and could be offered the day before/after the conference. Please provide a very brief summary if there would be costs associated with these. Local organizing committee Please provide names and contact details for 3-5 members of the local organizing committee. Provide a brief description of the positions that the local organizing committee members have at their respective institutions. The local organizing committee will take responsibility for coordinating all local logistics for the event - including booking the venue and any other venue logistics associated with the event. They may consolidate costs into a series of invoices to be submitted to ZSL for payment. Large costs (e.g. venue hire) can be paid by the venue directly invoicing ZSL. RCUK Committee commitment The main RCUK committee will take responsibility for the call for abstracts, reviewing abstracts, and setting the scientific program. The RCUK committee will maintain and update the RCUK website with details of the event, and handle ticket sales through the ZSL online payment system. On the day of the conference, RCUK committee members will be available to facilitate check-in, chairing of sessions etc. Local organizing committee members will be invited to fully participate in decisions around the scientific program, chairing sessions etc. if they wish. |
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