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I want the RSC to support an international peripatetic conference, what do I need to think about?

If you want to bring an international peripatetic conference to the UK and are thinking of requesting that the RSC hosts, organises and underwrites the event the following sections are for you.

Please contact us before you bid for an event. Most international peripatetic conferences have some level of bidding process. We can advise you on the bidding process, and we would expect to advise on whether RSC is able to support or host the conference before you bid. We need approximately six months before a bid deadline – see timelines section below.

Consider what makes a conference an RSC conference. When we host a conference we aim to provide the best value experience for delegates. Our conferences are known for: 

• High quality – science programme content, inclusive and diverse, customer service 
• Science – the relevance, timeliness and impact of the scientific area 
• Communities – engaging our existing communities and building new communities 
• Strategic – adding value by including content related to programmes across the RSC e.g. prizes, policy, publishing, membership, education 

Read the sections below on information we need, how we decide, and timelines.

How does the RSC decide which peripatetic conferences to host?

We are unable to host every peripatetic conference that we are approached to host and in order to help us decide which conferences are right for us (and vice-versa) we consider the following: 

Science is timely and impactful

We know that delegates will only come to a conference if the science is cutting edge and there are people with whom they want to network. We research the views of the communities to understand if the science is of value to them.  We consider whether the science has connections across the RSC.

Strong community support

We look at the support we would have from our own communities, and if there are opportunities to reach new communities.  We consider whether we can reach international audiences through our wider activities and if there are new opportunities to reach a wider international audience.

RSC strategy

We consider whether the conference provides opportunities to support multiple strands of RSC strategy e.g. recognition, policy, publishing, education and membership.

Risk management

Hosting a conference is a significant commitment and we will carry out a full risk analysis and consider whether we are confident we can mitigate identified risks.

What information will RSC want to know?

We will ask you for details on the conference series so that we can best understand the science, community, strategy and risks associated with hosting – as outlined in the How does the RSC decide which peripatetic conferences to host? section above. Please consider the following: 

Scientific area

Consider the scientific objectives of the conference. What is the importance, impact and timeliness of the conference. What will be the impact on and benefits of attending for delegates? Suggest relevant RSC subject communities and interest groups to be involved with organisation. Consider what would be the main objectives and benefits to RSC communities to RSC hosting this conference. What other societies or organisations are active in this area?

Target audience

Describe the audience e.g. career stage, geographical spread. What are their scientific fields, which RSC Interest Groups are relevant and which RSC journals do they publish in? What other conferences in this area do they attend? How many delegates do you expect?

Peripatetic series background

Which organisation oversees this series and what are their expectations for programme formats or speakers? Are there any financial expectations? Are you able to find information on the exact number of delegates at recent editions, particularly those held in Europe. What is the bidding process?

Committees

Who is proposing this conference comes to the UK and who might form the scientific committee. Committee Co-chairs are recommended.  RSC will suggest potential committee members linked to our subject communities and interest groups.

Programme formats

Is the conference single session or parallel session and how many? Describe any linked satellite events or social events. Is part of the programme aimed at ECRs, are there workshops or other activities expected? How many Invited speakers are typically present and at what level (Plenary or other)?

Inclusion and diversity

RSC conferences should be inclusive and accessible to all. We will be interested in how you will endeavour to create a diverse programme.

Location and dates

RSC will carry out a venue search and comparison, but let us know if there a specific region of the UK you are interested in. We will need to know the year you are aiming for, together with the month that the conference is normally held in. Indicate any set days, e.g. is the conference typically Mon-Thurs. Dates should not clash with other RSC conferences or potential competing conferences.

What are the processes and timeframes?

We encourage those thinking of requesting RSC act as host to contact us to discuss options 6-12 months before bidding for, or committing to bringing, a peripatetic conference to the UK. Please contact the RSC’s programme managers for conference development. They will work with you to find the right level of RSC support for your conference. Support levels discussed could be in a form other than hosting, see the types of support described above.

If support as host is initially considered to be an option, we will begin due diligence steps to consider the science, communities, strategy and risks associated with hosting – see 'How does the RSC decide which peripatetic conferences to host?' FAQ above. These steps are inter-dependent and carried out in parallel rather than consecutively, however some activities take longer than others, and an effective venue search and comparison can take several months.

Following due-diligence steps and if we agree to host the conference, we will work with you to prepare the bid including any bid documentation required. For some major peripatetic international conferences bidding can take place five to ten years in advance of the conference taking place.

If the bid is successful, we will actively start organising a conference, by securing venues and confirming organising committee membership, about two years in advance of the conference taking place.