Information for Programme Chairs

We are always looking for people to be Programme Chairs for our annual Conference for Research Software Engineering. If you are interested in chairing a future conference, please read the following information and get in touch with us using the form linked below.

The Role

Five Chairs will form the Conference Steering Group: a Steering Group Chair, a Programme Chair, a Logistics Chair, a Sponsorship Chair and a Treasurer. This steering group takes responsibility collectively for all decisions and can vote when unable to agree unanimously.

The Programme Chair is most likely to be an RSE with some years of experience, responsible for setting the venue, the programme content, structure and themes with direct reports from the Workshop Chair, Talks Chair, Poster Session Chair and RSE Worldwide Meeting Chair.

For more information:

Co-chairs

It is also possible to co-chair the conference and share this responsibility. It is recommended that you find someone who is willing to work with you and discuss your plans with them to make sure that you’re both on the same page about where how the conference should be run. We also prefer that the programme chair or the co-chair be based at the same institution as the venue you are proposing for the conference.

A Venue

When choosing a venue for the conference, there are a number of things the society needs to consider. Full details are included in The Venue Specification Document (PDF).

Location

Attendees will be travelling from all over the UK and around the world to the conference, so we have to consider things like:

  • Does the city/venue have good transport links?
  • Is there suitable accommodation near the venue?
  • Are there suitable venues for social activities and satellite events?

The Venue

The conference has traditionally been held in academic institutions, rather than in hotels/corporate venues. We would be willing to discuss alternatives, but the Society has a limited budget for the conference.

When choosing a venue for the conference itself, we have to consider:

  • Does it have enough capacity? (The plenary room should be able hold at least 500 people, we would likely have 425 in attendance)
  • Does it have enough rooms? (A lecture theatre, or similar, capable of seating all attendees for plenary sessions, as well as rooms for parallel talks/workshops.)
  • Accessibility – Is the venue accessible?

You will be required to provide information about all of these factors when applying, and they will be taken into account when the trustees make their decision. Please research the venue and/or get in touch with venue staff before applying, where possible.

More Information

What if I don’t have a venue?

If you don’t have access to a venue, then we would prefer that you find a co-chair who is able to provide one. At least one of the co-chairs should be based at the institution that is hosting the event. The trustees may be able to put you in touch with a co-chair, but ideally, this person should be someone you have already been in contact with and are happy to work with.

Please check with your Employer/Institute.

Please note that some organisations may not allow you to chair an event that is not at one of their own venues. Please check with the relevant people at your institution before applying.

Apply to be a future Programme Chair

If the call is currently open, it will be shown on our Open Calls page. Please follow us on our various social media channels or join our mailing list to be the first to hear when future calls are opened.

Questions?

If you have further questions, please contact the Trustees on the Conference and Events team: [email protected].