Proposals for Hosting the ICLC: Guidelines
and Procedures
The ICLA welcomes proposals for hosting ICLC Meetings. To make ICLCs
successful and enjoyable experiences for its members, the following
guidelines for preparing proposals should be followed.
It is strongly suggested, when preparing a proposal, to look also at the
guidelines for planning and actually
running the conference, the ICLA
Guidelines and Requirements for ICLC Organization and Aftermath.
These give a good idea of what the conference will entail for its organizers.
Guidelines for Proposal Preparation
Timeline for Proposals
If you are interested in hosting an International Cognitive
Linguistics Conference, it is necessary to start preparations several
years in advance. A well-prepared proposal will
take some time to put together, and must be submitted well before the
target year. Presentation of a proposal must take place a bare minimum of
two years before the conference date, but since there may be other
proposals submitted for the same date, we suggest submission four
years in advance. The proposal for the 2005 ICLC, for
example, was presented at the ICLA Governing Board meeting at the
conference in 2001 and was accepted at that time. The conference
typically takes place in the second half of July and lasts one
week. The precise dates of the conference are to be discussed with and
approved by the Governing Board.
Information to be Included in the Proposal
The following are some important considerations to take into account
when preparing a proposal.
There is no prescribed format, but the proposal should look
professional and be as thorough as possible in addressing the issues
that the ICLA will take into consideration when deciding among
proposals. The more detail the proposal contains about local
facilities, costs, and local or other support, the better it can be
assessed.
Main concerns
The main concerns to be addressed in the proposal are the following:
What are the available local facilities? Can a conference of about
400-500 people be held comfortably and efficiently? Are there rooms of
the requisite sizes for plenary talks, regular and theme sessions,
poster sessions, book exhibits? Are rooms equipped for Powerpoint
presentations? Are there conference rooms available for meetings of
various types? Places for receptions and breaks with refreshments?
Sufficient restrooms, with janitorial service? Given that the
conference takes place in high summer, if the conference takes place
in a climate with hot summers, are the facilities air conditioned? How
far in advance must the facilities be reserved? Do the organizers know
they can secure them (and afford the cost)?
Is there enough support locally to run the conference? Or if not
locally, are there enough ICLA members in the vicinity who are willing
to form an organizing committee and be on site to make things run
smoothly? Who will be the main organizer(s) heading the committee? Is
there sufficient local assistance available such as student helpers
and/or secretarial assistants to run a complex abstract selection
process as well as on-site logistics? Is an experienced person
available to set up an efficient registration procedure that will run
smoothly with large numbers of people? Is there a server available to
organizers so that they can put up and maintain a website? Is there
technological help available to the organizers, such that they can run
an online abstracts submission process and/or have an online
preregistration process?
Is there a secure system available to the organizers for handling
preregistration fees remotely? Can cash be handled safely on-site? Can
the organizers accommodate preregistrants and on-site registrants from
countries with different banking and payment practices?
Will a conference service be used to handle some aspects of the
organization, and if so, which aspects? Conference services can save
the organizers time, but their greatest disadvantage is the cost. Such
services do not differentiate between groups based on different
subject areas, and tend to set their charges based on what 'rich'
groups with significant funding can pay, such as medical or science
organizations. The ICLA would like to discourage extensive reliance on
conference services, since this can double or triple the cost of
registration. Organizers should think carefully about the best use of
such services. For example, a conference service might be necessary
for registration, but not hotel bookings. Conference services are
often not cost effective for handling hotel registrations, as many
such services take a large commission for each room booked. The ICLA
is a nonprofit organization and we wish to discourage the use of
organizations that make a private profit from our members.
Is the site of general interest? Are there enough nearby tourist
attractions? What are some possibilities for organized excursions that
can be incorporated into the conference on the traditional 'excursion
day'? Members are more likely to be willing to bear the expense of a
conference trip if it is someplace they want to visit.
What are the suggested dates of the conference? Are there other
any major conferences scheduled at that time that ICLA members would
attend in significant numbers? (The final dates of the conference are
to be determined by agreement with the Governing Board.)
Considering the fact that travel cost is usually a major issue
when members are deciding whether to attend the conference, the
geographical location is important. This location should be
accessible to a great number of ICLA members.
Is there an airport near the locale of the the conference? How easy is
it to fly to this airport?
Are there other modes of transport to the
locale besides flight available, such as railways? Is there ground transport
from the local airport and/or railway station to the conference site?
Are shuttles, taxis etc. easily available?
Does the site have enough room for accommodation at the time of
year, and is such accommodation found at a reasonable price? Are there
any competing events to be taken account of during the proposed
conference dates that would affect room availability, e.g. major
sports events, tourist events, or large conventions? There should be a
range of accommodations available at various price levels, ideally
including dormitory accommodation. Are the available conference hotels
easily accessible to the conference site?
What is the proposed schedule of registration fees? Will ICLA
members, particularly student members, be able to afford the
conference, i.e., are the conference fees in line with what ICLA
members pay for other international conferences they attend? Similarly
for non-members, as in past years large numbers of non-members have
attended the conference as well. In recent years, the registration
fees have been going up faster than the ability of many participants
to pay them, and this hurts the organization. Organizers should pay
careful attention to setting the lowest price possible. The ICLA board
should be kept apprised of any changes in the fee schedule during the
progress of organization.
Approximately how large is the budget anticipated? A rough
outline budget with any available information on projected income or
expenses would be useful to the Board in considering a proposal.
Are there any potential sources of support that the prospective
organizers plan to apply to for funding? List all funding sources to
which application will be made. Keep in mind that not only should
university support be sought, but also support from other entities
such as government ministries, academies of science, granting
agencies, foundations, and, within reason, other private sponsors,
including business. The aim is to keep registration fees as affordable
as possible and also to provide as much support as can be obtained for
registration waivers for members needing them, sign language
interpreting, and even small travel stipends if enough funding can be
found.
Are the organizers willing to accommodate special populations
such as deaf ICLA members, who require sign language interpreting?
How?
Are there any other considerations that make the proposed
conference site desirable as a meeting place for the ICLC?
Are there any ideas or innovations that the organizers would like
to propose regarding the conference organization, program, or
conference activities?
Other Important Concerns
Other important concerns are the following. The ICLA tries to alternate among
continents, so that members from different continents have a chance to
participate. Also, the Board will be interested to know about the
state of interest and activity in Cognitive Linguistics in the
proposed host country. Areas of developing interest in Cognitive
Linguistics are good sites for conferences, if there is a strong basis
of researchers already present and active in promoting Cognitive
Linguistics, and a likelihood that the conference will stimulate a
great deal of interest among local linguists. Evidence of strong local
interest will be welcome, for example an active local ICLA affiliate.
[Update: At the 2007 Board Meeting the Board decided to take into
account whether proposals from
newly developing areas of Cognitive Linguistics research are supported
by a local ICLA affiliate organization. Support by a local affiliate
will be considered a strongly positive factor for a proposal.]
Conference organization experience is another factor, as the board
will like to see evidence of successful conferences, especially
international conferences, held by the organizers or organizing
group. The proposed organizing committee should also have some
experience to draw on from previous ICLC organizers, who know what
worked and what didn't, what to watch out for, what improvements they
would have made if they had known in time, etc. The organizing committee
should contain at least one advisory member who was an organizer of a
previous ICLC.
Procedure for Consideration of Proposals by the ICLA
Proposals received will be evaluated and decided on by the ICLA
Governing Board at the ICLC meeting. The procedure for submitting the
proposal is as follows. The prospective organizers should provide
advance notice via email to the ICLA President and the
Secretary/Treasurer that they plan to submit a conference site
proposal at the next ICLC meeting. The proposal itself should be
submitted to the Secretary/Treasurer and President at (or before) the
conference, before the Governing Board meeting. Ideally, the main
organizer should be present at the ICLC, and failing that, another
representative(s) from the proposed organizing committee, so that the
organizer or his/her representative can be invited to make their
presentation orally before the Board and to distribute copies of their
proposal to Board Members.
After presentations and discussion of the proposals received, the
Board will put forth all well-elaborated proposals with its own
recommendations at the ICLA Business Meeting, where motions regarding
conference site proposals will be voted on for approval by the
Assembly.
If a proposal is submitted between conferences, e.g. three years in
advance of a target date, it can be considered by the Governing Board
via email and then put to a formal vote by the Assembly at the next
conference or via an email ballot. Consult with the President regarding the
timing of your proposal and its approval process.
Document History
--Draft submitted by Marjolijn Verspoor, 2001
--Revised by President Suzanne Kemmer 2001, 2003
--Approved by the Governing Board in September 2003
--Minor correction made 2005
--Board update added re: support by a local affiliate (under 'Other
important concerns'), July 2007.