CoNEXT Planning: Site Proposal Instructions

                                                                                        CoNEXT Planning: Site Proposal Instructions
                           
ACM CoNEXT is always soliciting site proposals.
Please provide information as per the preliminary outline below. For each conference year and depending on the number and quality of proposals, the selection process may proceed in several (two) “rounds,” with each round narrowing the set of candidates and asking for additional information. This document focuses on what is normally expected in an initial proposal.
Site proposals should be less than 2 pages, in pdf format. Send proposals to the current Chair of the CoNEXT Steering Committee (Contact details here) with the header: "CoNEXT site proposal - YEAR" (with the appropriate year in 4-digit format). In case you do not get an acknowledgment within one week of submitting your proposal, you should email the CoNEXT Steering Committee Chair and other members to inquire on its status.
Site proposals should at a minimum provide the following information:

• Site city Locations rotate on a three years cycle between North America, Europe, and a “wildcard” that can be a location in North America or Europe or outside of those two regions. Please look at past venues to see the location of next year conference.

• Conference General Chair & committee A proposal is generally made by the proposed conference general chair(s). CoNEXT conferences typically rely on a team of two general chairs, one of which must be local to the site where the conference will be held. A proposal should include an initial list of key members of the organizing committee, including the general chairs, the local arrangement’s chair(s), the sponsorship chair(s), the financial chair(s). Note that the PC chairs are not part of a proposal, as they are selected separately by the CoNEXT Steering Committee.

• Potential dates CoNEXT is generally held during one of the two first weeks of December. It seeks to avoid interfering with the Thanksgiving holiday in the US and the end-of-year break. The exact dates will be negotiated  by the CoNEXT SC in consultation with the general chairs, and program chairs. 

On the site city:

1. Close to a major international airport: The city should be located near a major international airport, within 1-2 hours of regular train service and/or 45 minutes of cab/shuttle service. A major international airport should have at least two airlines with regular international service to the 4 major continents of CoNEXT attendees: Asia, Europe, North and South America.

2. Venue for ~250 attendees: The city should have one or more venues for ~250 attendees, including side-venues for 3 concurrent workshops of less than 100 (CoNEXT has traditionally had three workshops, including its Student Workshop, the day before or after the main conference, i.e., these events are not on the same days as the main conference). Each venue should support at least a single center screen, with unobstructed views. Auditorium room layout is preferred. The venues should also include ample space outside the conference room, to facilitate interactions among attendees. This space should be able to accommodate food and beverages for coffee breaks. In addition, it should ideally be able to hold 40-50 student poster displays (either hanging on the walls or supported on easels) that would remain for the entire duration of the conference. The goal is to give students several opportunities to attract an audience for their work.

3. Lunch for 200+ attendees each day: Facilities capable of serving lunch to the 200+ attendees should also be available in reasonable proximity to the conference room(s). 

4. One or more hotels for 300~ people: The city should have hotels supporting ~300 people (attendees and their guests) within easy access to the possible venue (less than 15 minutes time, preferably within walking distance or at most 1 bus/subway/tram line).

5. Banquet and social dinner: The city should have potential venues for a reception and banquet dinner. A sample list of possible venues with a 1-line description addressing logistics (time to get there, need for transportation) would be useful. Transportation to these events should be less than 30 minutes each way.

NOTE1: It is one of CoNEXT goals to offer a high-quality conference experience while ensuring a balanced budget maintaining registration costs as low as possible. There is no a-priori preference for a university location, even if they often offer more affordable solutions. Convention center or hotel venues, when they provide an economical solution, are perfectly valid options.
NOTE2: For items 2-4, what is required is general information and not a detailed financial proposal with specific venues already identified. In particular, you should NOT contact possible venues regarding availability or cost, as the ACM handles contract negotiations on behalf of the conference.

Conference General Chair & Exec. Committee
As mentioned above, CoNEXT conferences traditionally involve two general co-chairs, one of which must be local. Both should be widely-recognized members of the broader data networking community. One of them must be based in or close to the proposed site city. For the “local” general chair, a statement of support from the chair's institution and possibly administrative support, may eventually be required.
The names and affiliations of a few other committee members which the chair can enlist to help with the conference organization should also be provided. The positions of treasurer and local arrangement chairs are particularly important.

Date conflicts
The dates of CoNEXT will be negotiated with the CoNEXT Steering Committee. As mentioned above, for planning purposes proposals can assume that the conference will be held during the first two weeks of December. Proposals should indicate dates that may have major local conflicts, e.g., important local events, school holidays, etc., that would interfere with either the proposed site, hotel availability, travel costs, or the general chairs' participation.