[agents] Call for Bids to Host AAMAS-2017

[Ulle Endriss]

Dear members of the AAMAS community,

This is a reminder that we are still looking for a host for AAMAS-2017. 
As mentioned in the Call, we are particularly interested in bids from 
the Americas (meaning: North America, South America, and everything in 
between). I encourage all active research groups in that part of the 
world to consider putting together a bid. Please feel free to get in 
touch if you have any questions.

All the best,
Ulle Endriss
(on behalf of IFAAMAS)


On 12/12/2014 12:23 PM, Ulle Endriss wrote:
> ************************************************************************
> CALL FOR BIDS TO HOST AAMAS-2017
> ************************************************************************
>
> This is a call for bids to host the 16th International Conference on
> Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems (AAMAS) in 2017. We will
> consider bids from all geographical regions; however, for 2017 we
> particularly encourage bids from the Americas.
>
> Bids should be made by individuals or small groups, with the backing
> of a host institution (typically a university or research center).
> Please note we seek bids from volunteers from the scientific community,
> though they may be supported by paid meeting professionals.
>
> All correspondence regarding bids should be directed by to the chair of
> the IFAAMAS Conference Committee, Ulle Endriss (ulle.endriss at uva.nl).
> You are strongly encouraged to get in touch well before the deadline
> and before drafting a full proposal, to let us know of your intention
> to submit a bid and to discuss any questions you may have.
>
> The deadline for submitting a bid is *28 February 2015*.
>
> For information on IFAAMAS, please refer to http://www.ifaamas.org/.
>
> ************************************************************************
> BACKGROUND
> ************************************************************************
>
> The initial AAMAS conference was held in July 2002 in Bologna, Italy,
> as a joint event comprising the 6th International Conference on
> Autonomous Agents (AA), the 5th International Conference on Multiagent
> Systems (ICMAS), and the 9th International Workshop on Agent Theories,
> Architectures, and Languages (ATAL).
>
> Subsequent AAMAS conferences have been held in Melbourne, Australia
> (July 2003), New York City, NY, USA (July 2004), Utrecht, The
> Netherlands (July 2005), Hakodate, Japan (May 2006), Honolulu, Hawaii,
> USA (May 2007), Estoril, Portugal (May 2008), Budapest, Hungary
> (May2009), Toronto, Canada (May 2010), Taipei, Taiwan (May 2011),
> Valencia, Spain (June 2012), Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA (May 2013),
> and Paris, France (May 2014). AAMAS-2015 will be held in Istanbul,
> Turkey, in May 2015, and AAMAS-2016 in Singapore, in May 2016.
>
> AAMAS is firmly established as the largest and most influential
> conference in the area of autonomous agents and multiagent systems,
> routinely attracting several hundred participants. The conferences
> include a variety of activities, such as plenary keynote talks,
> parallel sessions with contributed talks, poster sessions, associated
> workshops, tutorials, and social events.
>
> AAMAS is the flagship conference of the non-profit International
> Foundation for Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems (IFAAMAS);
> the Foundation's website provides links to each of the conferences.
> The Foundation's Board of Directors is elected by the AAMAS research
> community, membership in which is defined on the basis of attendance
> at AAMAS conferences.
>
> IFAAMAS underwrites the conference. The IFAAMAS Board can provide
> advance payments as might be necessary for booking venues. The Board
> seeks neither to obtain a surplus nor a deficit, but wishes to
> shepherd the community's funds with the best care.
>
> The Board has well-defined processes not only for selecting conference
> hosting bids, but also for nominating and selecting general and
> program chairs. The general chairs fill out the remaining organizing
> committee positions. Those wishing to participate in an AAMAS
> conference in any capacity should contact a Board member for advice.
>
> ************************************************************************
> CONSTRAINTS ON TIMING AND SIZE
> ************************************************************************
>
> Regarding timing, the Board has a strong preference for May 2017. Based
> on past experience and trends, we expect the attendance of AAMAS-2017 to
> be between 600 and 800 people. Plenary sessions need to be scheduled in
> a sufficiently large hall.
>
> In recent years, AAMAS has included the following components:
>
> * a main conference program of 2.5-3 days (Wednesday to Friday), incl.:
>    o 6 parallel presentation sessions
>    o poster sessions with up to 180 posters at a time
>    o an opening reception with an entertainment program
>    o a banquet including an entertainment program and awards ceremonies
> * a pre-conference program of two days (Monday and Tuesday) consisting
>    of several workshops and requiring around 20 rooms.
>
> Hosts can sometimes lower expenses by using university facilities for
> the pre-conference programs, even when this is not possible for the
> main conference. This is strongly encouraged whenever possible.
>
> ************************************************************************
> BID CONTENT AND PURPOSE
> ************************************************************************
>
> Bids are geared towards determination of responsibility for local
> arrangements and designation of a Local Arrangements Chair. Bids will
> be reviewed by the IFAAMAS Conference Committee and Board.
>
> A bid should consist of a short statement that explains why you meet
> the criteria listed below. A bid should include estimates of the
> following expenses:
>
> * charges for the conference venue
> * charges for food and drinks (coffee, lunches, reception, banquet)
>    for 700 attendees
> * typical hotel and student housing costs
> * airfares from a few cities (Beijing, Frankfurt, Los Angeles, Moscow,
>    New Delhi, New York, Sao Paulo, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Tokyo, Toronto)
>
> To ease the work of the Conference Committee, please express all
> prices mentioned in the bid in US dollars. Please also state the exchange
> rate used to translate from prices in the local currency to dollars.
>
> Each bid should identify the proposed team of organizers, and include
> full contact details. The bid should be led by a member of the
> scientific community (i.e., an active researcher in the field served
> by AAMAS), who should remain available to respond to clarification
> requests, which often come up during review.
>
> The bid document submitted should not exceed 20 pages.
>
> ************************************************************************
> CRITERIA FOR ASSESSING AAMAS BIDS
> ************************************************************************
>
> The following criteria will be used for evaluation:
>
> * Site Location: attractiveness to conference attendees, as well as
>    those accompanying the attendees (i.e., nearby attractions, tours,
>    restaurants, and night clubs). Will people *want* to attend?
>
> * Accessibility: location with respect to major air routes and local
>    transportation (trains, buses, automobiles). Since AAMAS attracts
>    world-wide participation, it is important that the venue be
>    conveniently reachable for international attendees. Please include
>    information on visa requirements and procedures.
>
> * Affordability: will it be possible to contain the costs associated
>    with the organization of the conference so as to be able to offer
>    affordable registration fees to participants? Fees will be determined
>    together with the IFAAMAS Board, but bidders may wish to indicate
>    possible measures for containing costs already at the proposal stage.
>    Please include an estimate of regular and student registration fees.
>
> * Dates: relation to possibly conflicting special or local holidays;
>    to conflicting or synergistic conventions or special events at the
>    same time or immediately before or after the conference.
>
> * Climate and Season: particularly as these factors affect (1) the
>    availability of rooms and rate structure (and provide some
>    negotiating edge with the hotels); and (2) attendance by the local
>    community.
>
> * Facilities: quantity, quality, flexibility, availability of meeting
>    rooms, meeting support services, and exhibition hall. This factor is
>    linked to the choice of accommodation, as it may be desirable to
>    co-locate meeting facilities and accommodation. Please include
>    preliminary information regarding any space and equipment rental fees
>    that may be incurred by the conference.
>
> * Accommodation: ability to accommodate the anticipated numbers of
>    conference attendees, with a range of income levels. In other words,
>    accommodation options should range from business or luxury hotels to
>    student housing. Please include ballpark figures for hotel room rates.
>
> * Experience: ability of the local organizers in organizing and
>    handling projects of comparable size and complexity. The use of a
>    professional conference organization company may be included as part
>    of the bid, with associated estimated costs, benefits and suitability.
>
> * Supporting Scientific Community: the presence of regional and
>    local research communities to support the conference and which will
>    benefit from its occurrence. Interest of the community in hosting
>    or supporting synergistic co-located conferences. Since the AAMAS
>    area touches upon several other areas, it may be worth exploiting
>    synergies by co-locating with related events.
>
> * Backing of Host Institution: does the organizers' institution
>    support the conference? Host institutions sometimes can provide
>    free or low-cost facilities for the entire conference or for the
>    pre-conference program. They can loan equipment such as projectors
>    and wireless routers. They can provide access to their housing
>    facilities. The use of institutional facilities or equipment might
>    constrain the schedule, but that might be a worthwhile trade-off.
>
> * Supporting Local Industry: is there local or national industry that
>    may be willing to support the conference in some way? Please estimate
>    how many participants the conference would attract from the local
>    industry.
>
> * Supporting Local Government: is there a government agency, such as
>    a Ministry of Science or a Ministry of Tourism, that may be willing
>    to support the conference in some way?
>
> * Volunteer Labor: availability of an active local group willing to
>    help out before, during, and after the conference.
>
> * Special Needs Arrangements: ability to accommodate various special
>    needs of participants, including dietary restrictions (e.g., Kosher,
>    Halal, vegetarian, vegan) and physical disabilities (e.g., wheelchair
>    access, facilities for individuals with hearing/visual impairments).
>
> ************************************************************************
>
>

-- 
Ulle Endriss         http://www.illc.uva.nl/~ulle/
Institute for Logic, Language & Computation (ILLC)
University of Amsterdam    Tel: +31 (0)20 525 6511
Postbus 94242              Fax: +31 (0)20 525 5206
1090 GE Amsterdam (NL)     Email: u.endriss at uva.nl