The 15th ESA conference will be held ONLINE

Dear ESA members, dear Conference delegates,

We hope this e-mail finds you well and in good health.

The ESA Executive Committee, the Conference, the Finance and the Local Organizing Committees have done a very demanding work, preparing for all possible scenarios for the next ESA conference under the current pandemic situation. We designed a contingency plan including four possible scenarios which were viable high-quality alternatives. The Executive Committee decided, back in January, to hold the conference on a hybrid format, after consulting the ESA Research Networks’ Coordinators and also inserting a question in Conftool to the potential delegates.

Now that we are approaching the Conference dates, we re-evaluated the present conditions while we have been observing the situation in Barcelona where the availability of many venues has actually been withdrawn and we are also learning about the situation in different countries from the delegates.

In re-evaluating the current context, we considered:

1. pandemic indicators (less promising than what experts had foreseen by the end of the year);
2. vaccination rates (under the previous expectations);
3. availability and conditions for space use in different locations in Barcelona (limitations of venues occupation and requests to assume civil responsibility in front of possible cases of contagion);
4. eligibility of travel expenses for onsite participation (some universities are not covering these expenses).

After evaluating the available information, we decided to finally hold the Conference in an online-only format. We are sorry for any possible inconvenience related with this decision. The early-bird registration will be extended for one week (until May 22nd), so that those of you who had considered attending onsite have more time to take a final decision.

We already contracted CVENT, an online platform provider with more than 20 years of experience, including the organization of both hybrid and online Conferences. This platform allows increased participant engagement, including the possibility to have access, from a single site, to the programme, exhibitors, sessions and other participants. These multiple possibilities are available from the browser or through an app. The platform also allows for networking and the scheduling of 1 to 1 meetings, so that you can meet any conference delegate at the most convenient time. 

The Local Organizing Committee will prepare exciting online social activities as well!

We would like to thank you for your support over the past months. Unfortunately, we cannot meet in presence, but we do hope and believe that we will build together sociological knowledges for alternative futures at the online conference!

We hope to meet you online soon!

If you have any questions, please, do not hesitate to contact us at esa2021[at] europeansociology.org 

Best wishes,

ESA Executive Committee