[agents] Call for Bids to Host FAS* 2018

[Jan-Philipp Steghöfer]

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Call for Bids to Host FAS* 2018
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The steering committees of SASO and ICCAC solicit bids to host the next edition of Foundations and Applications of Self* Systems (FAS*), the overarching umbrella for two closely related but independent conferences, the International Conference on Self-Adaptive and Self-Organizing Systems (SASO) and the International Conference on Cloud and Autonomic Computing (ICCAC). The website of the current edition of the conference can be found at <http://fas-star.org/>.

For the 2018 edition, we particularly encourage bids from Europe.

Bids are eligible if they are made by individuals or small groups from the research community. On request, the main organisers must be able to supply evidence of support from their employer (e.g., a university), in particular, if that employer will also act as the hosting institution. Bids from meeting professionals will not be considered.

Please direct all correspondence regarding the bids to the Joint Conference Committee of SASO and ICCAC, reachable at <fas-star-bids at rdi2.rutgers.edu>. We encourage all potential organisers to contact the committee ahead of time and let us know about your intentions and allow us to discuss all important issues well in advance.

The deadline for submitting a bid is 30 April 2017.

Both SASO and ICCAC look back at a decade-long history in their respective specializations. Starting in 2014, the two conferences joined forces and created FAS* as a joint event of the two communities with the goal of leveraging topical synergies. Joint workshops, tutorials, plenary sessions, and a doctoral symposium, as well as a common social programme have strengthened these synergies in recent years and have created a lively and engaging event. Past editions of FAS* have been held in London (UK), Cambridge (USA), and Augsburg (Germany) and have drawn between 120 and 140 attendees.

FAS* encompasses a 5-day programme and usually takes place in September. Monday and Friday are reserved for workshops and tutorials. At least 4 parallel sessions need to be accommodated on these days. No plenary sessions are typically held on these days. Tuesday to Thursday are the main conference days. There are at most two sessions in parallel along with one or more plenary sessions per day that include attendees from both conferences. A poster and demo session is also held on one of these with typically around 15 posters and 8 demo stands. Additional facilities might be required as exhibition spaces for sponsors.
With regard to social events, it is traditional to have a Welcome Reception on Monday and a banquet on Wednesday. The organisers of past events have always succeeded in giving these events a local flair.

We encourage proposals to be brief but include at least the following in formation:
* Local organisation committee along with a primary contact person that will be available for clarifications of the bid and past experience of conference organisation
* Venues for the conference, including the estimated cost of hosting the conference under the constraints described above
* Information about logistics such as flight and train connections (with prices from major transportation hubs), available accommodations (hotels, student housing, etc.) and their price points, expected weather at the time of the conference, other large events taking place in the area at the same time
* Potential for local sponsorship from both the public and the private sector
* Rough budget estimates including break-even points in number of registrants as well as an estimated registration fee

Please state all budget items consistently in either US Dollars or Euros.

The steering committees of SASO and ICCAC will jointly evaluate the bids with a particular focus on the following criteria:
* Experience of the organisers and prominence in the community
* Support of the event by public and private local organisations and the host institution
* Expected affordability of the event for researchers from around the world
* Adequacy of the facilities for the conference itself as well as adequacy of accommodations in close proximity of the conference
* Attractiveness (including travel convenience) of the host city and the surrounding area
* Adequacy of the estimated budget
* Distance to previous conference locations

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Jan-Philipp Steghöfer
Assistant Professor

Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Software Engineering Division
Chalmers | University of Gothenburg
41296 Göteborg, Sweden

Phone: +46(0) 31-772 10 43
Email: jan-philipp.steghofer at gu.se