Lessons learned running non US/North American conferences

1. Lessons learned running non US/North American conferences By Patrick Le Dû France (CEA and IN2P3/CNRS) patrickledu@free.fr NPSS ADCOM member as Transnational Conference Liaison General Chair - RTC Beaune 1997 - NSS-MIC Lyon 2000 COPO08- SEATTLE

2. Menu Goals of this presentation • Show the NPSS conference experiences • outside North America • Lessons from Europe • The Asian challenge COPO08- SEATTLE

3. NPSS conference survey COPO08- SEATTLE

4. Real Time Conference features • NPSS strategy was starting with a moderate size conference (150-200) • Learning process ! • Very specific community of fundamental research scientific Engineers & Physicists close to experimental facilities around particle accelerators (CERN,DESY,SLAC,FNAL) • Now attracting other fields (ITER, Medical Imaging..) • Participants • Coming from High Energy Physics : 50 - 60% • Already large European > 60% • Regular attendance is high : 60-70% COPO08- SEATTLE

5. RTC survey Next 2009 Beijing China 2011 Lisbon/Porto Portugal Beaune France Stockholm Sweeden COPO08- SEATTLE

6. RTC experience • Beaune 97 - the first experience • Congress center based + outside hotels • Full logistic support and sponsorship of the french Scientific research Institutions (CEA & CNRS/IN2P3) : • Financial contribution from France • Plus a lot of ‘in kind’ contribution • First lesson • Great success ! • Difficult to justify a ‘surplus’ to our authorities • We were starting to build a « support team » • Stockholm (2005) • Alba Nova University based and support • A full NPSS compliant organization COPO08- SEATTLE

7. Feed back Evaluation from particpants COPO08- SEATTLE

8. Conclusion RTC & next challenge • Very succesfull conferences • Some accidents rapidly corrected (Valencia 2001) • Routine to go regularly (2/3) outside North america • We have a stable ‘organization team’ and management structure • Not to ‘reinvent the wheel’ everytime • Discover young talents • Next challenge ---> ASIA! • RT 2009 in China (Beijing IHEP) COPO08- SEATTLE

9. RTC 2009 Beijing organization Conference Chairs Yifang Wang (General Chair) IHEP, China Yantai Shu (Co-Chair) Tianjin University, China Executive Committe Chair J.P. Martin Former and future Chairs Plus Asian Chairs including Japan (Masa Nomachi) Local Organizing Committee (11p) Chair Zhen’An Liu(IHEP) Scientific Program Advisory Committee ( CANPS + ..) Chair: Stefan Ritt (Abstract evaluation , paper selection and session chairs) Asian-Pacific Contact, Promotion and Support Benjamin M.W. Tsui Ren-Yuan Zhu And many others …. NPSS Advisory and Support Group TNS editor (Sacha Schmeling) Conference promotion (CIP) COPO08- SEATTLE

10. First ‘overseas’ NSS-MIC conference Initiated by W. Moses, G. Knoll, E. Lampo,E. Heijne in 1997 Fully supported by all RITC and ADCOM members A ‘challenge’  with some ’experimental ’new flavors Another logistic : a Palais des Congres separated from hotels New organization of the scientific program  convenors Overview talks (NSS + MIC) Technical seminar for exhibitors Satellite workshops (Technology Transfer) Public exhibition ( Hadrontherapy) Extensive promotion : poster, centralized databases (email, web) Goals Improve interdisciplinary relationship (NSS and MIC) Attract new participants/students including ‘former east countries’ Build a team of young motivated european ‘conference support team’  initiation of Conference Information Promotion (CIP) LYON 2000 NSS-MIC summary Make NSS-MIC more ‘international’ COPO08- SEATTLE

11. NSS-MIC Lyon 2000 P a r t i c i p a n t s N o r h A m e r i c a E u r o p e T o r o n t o A s i e , A u s t r a l i e L y o n R u s s i e e t a l . D i v e r s 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 3 0 0 4 0 0 5 0 0 6 0 0 7 0 0 8 0 0 6 0 0 4 0 0 M e m b e r s 2 0 0 N o n 0 m e m b e r s 1 9 9 8 1 9 9 9 2 0 0 0 • Total registered participants = 1250 (+ 65%) • Conference staff = 30, Exhibitor staff= 70 • Conference participants = 1130 (NSS=52%,MIC=47%) • Exhibitors: 55(+83%) • Short courses : 312(+100%) • Social programme • Receptions = 1000(+100%) • NSS banquet = 450(+80%) • MIC dinner = 450 (+80%) COPO08- SEATTLE

12. Evaluation questionnaire results Excellent Very good Good Satisfact.. Poor Overall 15 36 31 14* 4* >GOOD= 82% Site 32 33 19 9* 7* *Hotel too far Registration 30 24 21 15 10 Secretariat 26 26 32 9 9 Plenary sessions 23 33 37 5 2 Overview sessions 22 40 31 6 1 Parallel sessions 7 42 29 16* 6 *Too many Small rooms Poster sessions 10 30 24 18* 18* Not enough space Industrial exhibit 20 39 32 7 2 Coffee breaks 28 37 22 9 4 NSS banquet 35 33 19 9 4 MIC Dinner 52 32 16 0 0 Social program 33 23 17 16 11 Travel connections 10 20 38 20* 12* Accomodation 10 18 35 12* 25* *Hotel far from site COPO08- SEATTLE

13. Lyon 2000 Analysis and Lessons • A real breakthrough ! • This is NOT a copy past of North American conferences (big hotels are very limited!) • Some promized ‘european’ grants never came ! • Conflict between ‘supported non profit’ conferences and others!… • VAT issues --> unclear at that time • Unforeseen expenses due to unexected attendance ! : • logging problems : transportation, food and dinners, • To be adapted and improved  recurrent over many conferences! • Hotel availability, long term booking and management! • Service companies COPO08- SEATTLE

14. Dresden 2008 Valencia 2011 LYON 2000 Roma 2004 COPO08- SEATTLE

15. Conclusion from Europe experience • A ‘great’ and enthousiastic experience • We have a BIG ‘international’ instrumentation conference (> 2000) • Europe is attractive & become a routine  2004 (Roma)  2008 Dresden ---> 2011 Valencia Today it is a place where it can be really international!  new european countries …. but also others with US visa limitation • However some points to be ‘noticed’! • European conferences has their ‘own’ rules and features • Need close link with local institutions & national labs • ( CEA/CNRS, INFN, DESY/FZD …..) • Future: need better EU support & link •  to be look at very seriously ! • Look more complex to organize • Congress centers & hotels are separated • not a ‘copy past’ from year to year ! • Taxes (VAT) is not simple to manage uniformly • Currency exchange rate unstable! • $ vs €  0.9 in 2000  1.60 now! COPO08- SEATTLE

16. Next: The Asian Challenge & Strategy • Asia is already our next ‘target’ after Europe … • How to make it ‘smoothly’ ? • New world, new culture: we have to learn • Strategy: start to get a first experience with a ‘small conference ‘ like we did succefully for Europe: • RTC Beaune 97 • NSS-MIC 2000 in Lyon …..then …. ‘almost routine!’ • RTC 2009 will be in Beijing -IHEP next May • We visited IHEP,Tianjin University and IEEE Beijing office • All administrative work as been done (Licence) • Investigating NSS-MIC in Asia for 2013-14 • China is not the only Asian/Pacific possiblity (Japan ,India ..…) COPO08- SEATTLE

17. My first comments about China • With RT organization and visit we already learn a lot • Mainland China is a great opportunity for us • Chinese culture is different from our! • We have to be very carefull to avoid dramatic frustration • The centralized ‘administration’ is already there (for us the Chinese academy of Sciences ) which make all decisions (Conference licence …) • Everything should be approved by them ! • We cannot organize a conference as ‘standard’ US or even European… • Experience of RT (organization,budget,hotels …) is a unique opportunity to learn and gain experience before to go ahead to a bigger one. COPO08- SEATTLE

18. Conclusion & summary • Europe is becoming a routine • Asia is our next great opportunity • Cannot be a ‘copy -past’ of US conference • The knowledge of the local country and administration is fundamental • VAT cannot be uniformly apply • Please bannish the term ‘surplus’ in the budget --> ‘administrative fees’ Thanks a lot for your attention and your invitation ! COPO08- SEATTLE