Bids for ESA 16th Conference

The conferences of the ESA are biannual and take place in a different European country each time. Previous conference locations were: Vienna 1992, Budapest 1995, Essex 1997, Amsterdam 1999,

Helsinki 2001, Murcia 2003, Torun 2005, Glasgow 2007, Lisbon 2009, Geneva 2011, Turin 2013, Prague 2015, Athens 2017, Manchester 2019 and Barcelona 2021 (online). We are currently inviting bids from parties wishing to host the next conference. We are reopening the call as the number of bids received has been insufficient.

As recent ESA conferences have been attended by some 3000 delegates, the venue must have sufficient capacity in terms of meeting rooms and catering facilities. Rooms have to be provided by thehosting institution/university. Furthermore, the city should be well connected.

Eligibility:

• Hosting institutions should be academic/research institutes.
• The bid should be submitted by a member of the hosting institution(s). He or she should be ready to act as Chair of the Local Organising Committee (LOC).
• The bid can be submitted together with the City’s office for marketing / tourism, etc.
• Professional Conference Organisers are not eligible and are not to be considered for the conference organisation. The conference organisation is shared between the ESA Office and the LOC, while the ESA Conference Committee is responsible for the academic programme.
• Congress centres and hotels are not to be considered for the required seminar rooms.

Departments, institutes or associations who are interested in hosting the 16th ESA conference can send their proposals to esa[at] europeansociology.org ().

About the selection process:

• The ESA Executive Committee (ExeC) will select the conference venue after evaluating all bids.
• The ESA aims for geographic diversity when selecting the locations of its conference in order to reflect its European membership.
• After the deadline on 15th December 2021, the ExeC might come back to promising bidders with specific questions.
• The ExeC will decide about the winning bid at its meeting in late December, 2021 and communicate the decision to all bidders soon after the meeting. In order to facilitate the process, please include at least all the information asked for in this call and submit your bid as a PowerPoint or PDF presentation.

Bids should provide the following information:

• name and address of the hosting institution
• if several buildings will be required, please give details (if possible)
• names of the proposed Local Organising Committee (if possible; the LOC can be comprised of up to 15 members)
• why your city?
• capacity of the largest available lecture hall/auditorium (for the evening Plenaries which include the Opening and Closing Ceremony – minimum required 1800, preferably 2000+)
• size and number of available rooms for Semi-Plenaries (requirements: between 6 and 8 lecture rooms for 100-400)
• size and number of available rooms for Research Network and Stream sessions (requirements: between 70 and 95 seminar rooms for 20-60)
• note that all venues should be within short walking distance; all venues and rooms must be accessible; all rooms should be equipped with screens, projectors, PCs or laptops and wifi
• preliminary and provisional costs for venues and rooms as well as the catering (lunchboxes and coffee breaks)

Please also include information about:

• the coordination and training of the conference student volunteers/staff
• the potential registration area for at least 10 desks (A-Z) and the distribution of the conference bags to all delegates
• the potential exhibition area for 25-30 publishers
• the potential distribution points for lunchboxes (1000+ lunches per break)
• the potential family room/child care area
• possibilities of additional fund-raising and sponsorship, incl. non-monetary (city, public transportation, funding agencies etc.)
• the hosting institution’s sustainability policy and ideas for the further sustainability of the conference and its organisation
• number, range, quality and costs of accommodation in the city
• transportation connections (e.g. nearest major airport, railway network, underground, buses, tramways etc.)
• ideas for sociological walks, city tours and other tourist programme points and events
• other possible advantages/disadvantages of the conference location