ISMAR - Call for Bids to Host ISMAR 2025

Important Dates:

• July 15, 2023 - Draft proposals due (submitting a draft proposal is not mandatory, but feedback on proposals will only be guaranteed for submissions received until then)

• August 21, 2023 - Feedback on draft proposals, suggestions for improvements and requests for further information

• October 9th - Final bids due

• At or around ISMAR 2023 - Decision of ISMAR Steering Committee on location

Bid Content:

The following questions should be answered for the official bid (both draft and final proposals). Please stick to the proposed structure as best as possible.

1. Proposed Chairs/Organizational Team

1.1. Who are the proposed General Conference Chairs (provide names and 200-word bios)?

1.2. What experience have the proposed General Conference Chairs with organizing previous ISMAR conferences, or other academic conferences (in particular IEEE sponsored conferences)?

1.3. What other local people will help them with the conference organization? Can you already designate specific people for specific tasks?

Note: The organizers (General Chairs) are responsible and may appoint Chairs for the various tasks at their discretion. They may also propose Program Chairs, but these ultimately will be appointed by the ISMAR Steering Committee.

2. Proposed Conference Location/Facilities

2.1. Which city is proposed for the conference location?

2.2. Describe key local attractions in the conference city.

2.3. Describe briefly the conference site (e.g., convention center, university rooms, etc.).

2.4. Which conference rooms are available? (two large rooms to allow for parallel sessions, further rooms/space for posters, demos, exhibition, workshops, tutorials, meetings, etc.).

2.5. What audio-visual and WiFi facilities are available?

2.6. What catering facilities are part of the conference facility? What is the availability of local restaurants?

3. Conference Dates and Schedule

3.1. What dates do you plan for the ISMAR conference?

3.2. How many days will the conference run?

3.3. What is the rough plan for the conference schedule for each of the days (sessions, workshops, tutorials, events, etc.)?

Note: In selecting the conference dates, you should take into account conflicts with related conferences (e.g., conference data for ACM UIST, ACM VRST, ACM SUI and submission deadlines for IEEE VR), national and religious holidays, and university teaching periods.

4. Conference Travel

4.1. Which is the nearest (international) airport?

4.2. Please give price quotes for the cheapest round-trip airfare to the conference location from Frankfurt, New York, San Francisco, Beijing and Tokyo.

4.3. What transportation is there from the airport to the hotels / conference site?

4.4. Which visa regulations apply for participants (in particular from Europe, North America, Asia, ANZ, etc.)?

5. Accommodation

5.1. What is the approximate room rate for local hotels? Is breakfast included? Provide a range of hotels, including budget student accommodation.

5.2. Where are hotels located relative to the conference site? How long does it typically take to reach the conference site?

5.3. Have you already made any arrangements for special room rates / secured a certain number of rooms?

5.4. What kind of transport is available between those hotels and the conference site?

6. Sponsorship and Local Support

6.1. What are your plans for government and industry sponsorship? To which associations / companies / institutions do you plan to apply for financial assistance? What do you realistically expect to receive from them?

6.2. What support can your university or industry department give for the organization of the conference (e.g., free secretarial assistance, facilities for on-line payment?

6.3. What support can your department give during the conference (e.g., free secretarial assistance, computers at the conference site)?

7. Safety

7.1. Are there any safety issues with respect to the country, city, region, conference site, etc. that might actually prevent people from participating?

7.2. Are there any vaccinations required / recommended for visitors from other countries?

8. Support for Students

8.1. What actions will you take to make the conference cheaper for students?

8.2. What budget accommodation is available for students?

8.3. What opportunities will students have to participate in the conference?

9. Publicity

9.1. What are your plans for publicizing the conference?

9.2. How do you plan to attract new conference attendees?

10. Hybrid Conference / Virtuality

10.1. What is your approach to allow for a shared experience in a hybrid conference?

10.2. How will you cope with a situation where the conference has to be purely virtual?

11. Other

11.1. What new activities would you like to include compared to previous ISMAR conferences?

11.2. Any other aspects that you may find relevant for the evaluation of your proposal.

11.3. Are there any foreseeable visa issues that should be taken into account?

12. Proposed Budget

Please provide two preliminary budgets, one, assuming 300 attendees, another assuming 500 (physical) attendees. Also provide budgets for a hybrid conference with 50% online participants and a purely virtual conference (100% online). You should plan for 5-days event, including 1-2 days for workshops and tutorials. Please note that ISMAR now has parallel sessions due to the recent increase in submissions.

Costs that will have to be covered include

• committee expenses

  • clerical costs

  • program committee meetings

  • dinner/lunch for ISMAR steering committee meeting

• rental costs

  • conference space (talks, demos, posters, etc.)

  • meeting rooms

  • AV equipment

• coffee breaks and possibly lunch

• registration desk/technical helpers (e.g., student volunteers)

• invited speakers (travel and accommodation)

• tutorials, workshops

• producing the proceedings (IEEExplore)

• conference poster and advertising

• social dinner

• welcome reception

• Make sure to add 18% to your total budget for IEEE contribution and contingency fund

Please make sure to provide an overview of the anticipated numbers of attendees and related conference fees as used for the budget calculation. Please note that the proposed registration fees must not depend on the number of participants.

• early / late registration

• IEEE member / no member

• student / regular attendee

• Online / physical participation

The ISMAR steering committee can provide a sample budget from previous years if needed, as an example.

We are looking forward to your applications.

On behalf of the ISMAR steering committee, Mark Billinghurst, Gregory Welch, and Jens Grubert