How to propose a BES Symposium Meeting

The British Ecological Society organises at least one Symposium Meeting a year. The Annual Symposia aim to set high international standards in ecological sciences and to this end, speakers of international repute, chosen both for their standing in research and for known high standards in presentation, are invited. Occasionally, a second, Special Symposium of the same standard is held during the year. The topics chosen for Symposia should be timely and represent a state-of-the-art review of a general topic in ecology. The presentations should form a coherent synthesis rather than simply a collection of papers around a general theme. The Society in its Strategic Review is anxious to raise the profile of the Symposia and any associated publication. Proposals for Symposia should be forwarded to Richard English, Communications Manager.

Information required

Symposium title, Co-ordinator and Organising Committee: The roles of these individuals should be identified briefly.  It must be clear who will be responsible for organising the Symposium, and choosing and inviting the speakers.  It is essential for the Organising Committee to include a person from the place where the Symposium is to be held to ensure efficient liaison. The BES Office at Blades Court will handle all aspects relating to delegate registration and will work with the Organising Committee in ensuring publicity. The Executive Director is also able to advise on choosing Symposium venues and all other details related to managing a conference.
Dates and Venue of Symposium: It is essential to have made contact with the Conference Office of the proposed venue when drawing up your proposal. A lead-in time of at least two years (often longer) is required when making a proposal.
Detailed Scientific Case for the Symposium: This should include justification for the importance and timeliness of the meeting, a list of the subject areas and potential speakers. Speakers should not be approached at this stage. The Meetings Committee places great emphasis on this information and the scientific case should be well developed and clearly argued. Symposium Organisers are strongly encouraged to include some opportunity for offered presentations (both oral and poster). It is expected that this part of the proposal will be between 1500 and 2000 words in length.
Preliminary Budget: This must be supported with a justification and include estimates for the cost of the Symposium, including travel and subsistence costs for the speakers and hire charges for the facilities required (e.g. lecture theatres, audio-visual equipment etc).
The proposal should indicate whether the Organising Committtee wish BES Publications Committtee to consider the Symposium as a potential volume for the Ecological Reviews series.

How proposals are considered

The Meetings Committee is responsible for considering symposium proposals. Review of proposals (by international peer-reviewers and Meetings Committee) can take up to six months  and amendments or clarification are often necessary before a final decision is taken by the Committee. Therefore it is essential to make proposals sufficiently early for this procedure to be completed and for the event to be organised. The advice of the Chair of BES Meeting Committee (Andrew Beckerman) and  the BES Executive Director (Hazel Norman) is available to those planning Symposia.

Please contact Richard English, Communications Manager, to propose a symposium.