Future Host Guidelines

The MeCCSA Executive Committee welcomes a detailed proposal including a provisional budget for running the annual conference. The proposal should be based on the following general guidelines.

Guideline delegate numbers

200-250 delegates, including postgraduates. Given that it is difficult to predict with any accuracy the number of delegates, it is advisable that the provisional budget includes several different projections corresponding to different figures of attendance. You should assume that 15-20% of delegates would be postgraduates and concessionary rate attendees.

Plenary speakers

Plenary speakers must be approved in advance by the EC, and note that we do not pay speaker fees, but we do pay speaker expenses. Provision should be made for up to four invited speakers whose costs would be met by the conference. For international speakers, you could try to find external funding for their attendance but, in this case, you’d have to plan considerably ahead because of the time lag for funding decisions. We expect most plenary speakers to be based in the UK, although we will cover the costs of one plenary speaker from within Europe.

Administration

All arrangements on the ground, including registration of delegates are made by the host institution. We expect to see realistic administration costs in the budget which take account of costs for technical support (including web support if you intend to have an online registration facility, and including payment) and all conference administration. MeCCSA has a license for EasyChair which we expect to be used by the host institution for the programme administration. Guidance on using EasyChair is available to hosts. We do not expect to see costs for room/building hire; we expect the conference to be hosted on a University campus and any room hire costs must be absorbed by the host institution as part of their in-kind contribution. The budget must be approved by the EC before any spend is occurred. Changes to the budget also need to be approved.

Dates

Conferences are normally held in the first half of September, typically Weds to Fri, so we need an indication of the planned dates. Please indicate if your proposed dates are within or without the teaching term at the host institution.

Conference Format

The MeCCSA Annual Conference is a 3-day event commencing on the afternoon of day 1, with a full day 2 and a half or full day on day 3. The conference normally starts with a keynote speaker or speakers in the opening plenary session. We expect the conference to include at least two keynote sessions, including one comprising the opening plenary. The rest of the conference is organised in simultaneous parallel thematic panels in break-out rooms, and one dedicated slot (usually over a lunchtime) must be included to enable the Networks to hold their annual meeting. Sufficient time should be provided between sessions for breaks of at least 20 minutes as well as for lunch in order to facilitate contacts and exchange among participants. We welcome ideas for the screening etc. of examples of practice and for extra optional conference social events. Previous examples of schedules can be provided. There is normally a conference dinner or event on the second evening.

Conference Venue

The conference site will be a university or HE institution. It is possible for a university to host the conference at a cultural institution with sufficient capacity but this should be carefully costed into the budget. The venue should include a large capacity (circa 250) lecture theatre (for keynotes and plenaries), and the AGM, along with typically 6 to 10 breakout rooms with appropriate screening and AV facilities. A central area is required for lunch and other breaks. This area should also be used by or be close to the publishers’ stalls. There needs to be a space available for posters which is close to the other rooms being used for the conference, and social events such as the conference dinner and the pub quiz also need to be part of the conference planning. All conference sites and accommodation need to be accessible.

Location

The conference can be residential or non-residential. In both cases, we need an indication of what the in-house accommodation contains as well as suitable hotel accommodation nearby, together with a note of costs and any special offers. The conference venue should be close to a varied choice of accommodation (hotels, university rooms etc.) with sufficient capacity for all participants and within easy travelling distance from the conference site. The area should also be easy to reach by public transport. We expect hosts to work with local hotels to get discounted rates for our members, with a deadline for registration so they are not disadvantaged by block booking rooms which are not taken up.

Do list any particular attractions of your area including any cultural institutions associated with film, television or the media. Past conferences have featured receptions in film theatres, museums or other such venues.

Conference delegate prices

The registration rates need to be indicated with provision of reductions for postgraduates and concessionary rates. It is advisable that a day rate be kept relatively high to encourage full attendance. Conference dinner is separately charged. Pricing will be confirmed before advertising the event but needs to be planned in the provisional budget. You should include fee options for attendance on the full day only (day 2) as well as the conference as a whole. Previous rates can be provided.

Academic arrangements

There should be a designated conference leader and organising team. The MeCCSA Executive Committee includes an experienced conference organising team who will provide support to the conference host but will not be involved in day-to-day operations and decisions. However, as this is a MeCCSA badged event, we need to be involved in discussions about processes such as criteria for paper acceptance, potential keynote speakers, plenary topics and so on. Such decisions are therefore discussed regularly at the Executive Committee meetings and managed by the MeCCSA conference committee which includes representatives from the host institution as well as MeCCSA Executive members. The Executive Committee will regularly require a timetable of the entire project, a full budget plan, which should be kept up to date and accessible to the MeCCSA Executive Treasurer if required.

Finances

The conference should ideally make a surplus, so the initial budget should be based on at least a break-even position. MeCCSA policy is that all surpluses (and losses) are allocated 50%/50% between MeCCSA and the host institution. Finances and the budget need approval throughout planning from the MeCCSA Executive Committee.

Sponsorship

Please keep in mind costs when selecting keynote and plenary speakers, and consider external or alternative funding to support their contribution. Events usually generate modest income from publishers’ stalls. Some conference organisers have secured modest funding from local cultural bodies but all ideas for income-generation are welcome.

Publicity

MeCCSA has a website, social media accounts and mailing lists but we welcome other costed ideas for publicising the conference.

Conference theme

The annual conference must cater for the full range of subjects that MeCCSA represents. As such the conference should appeal to MeCCSA members across the fields of media, cultural and communication studies, so we would not agree to proposals which are too narrowly themed. However, we welcome input from the hosts about distinctive events within the conference which relate to their expertise and research interests e.g. guest speakers, screenings, identification of particular topics or strands. MeCCSA Networks can also provide a useful way of channelling specific themes or topics.

Year of event and planning

We like to identify hosts as far in advance as possible. Planning generally starts at least a year in advance of the conference. We invite proposals to host the annual conference two years ahead of the event, so you should indicate whether you are interested in a specific year or could be flexible.

Expressing interest in hosting the conference

To conclude, our annual conference is a major national event that attracts international delegates, providing a significant opportunity for scholars in our field to share research, debate, network and socialise. Any expression of interest should be framed in a proposal sent to Professor Einar Thorsen, Chair of MeCCSA, copied to Dr Caroline Ruddell Chair of MeCCSA Activities Sub-Committee. The Executive Committee will keep in touch with you about when your proposal will be discussed and advise you as soon as possible of our decision. Conference hosts are expected to be a member of MeCCSA so if your proposal is successful, we would expect you to join Meccsa if you are not already a member. It is also required that a member of the incoming conference host team attend the previous year’s conference. Thank you on behalf of the MeCCSA Executive Committee for your interest and we look forward to your proposal.