Contents of This Page:

Conferences Program Mission
Conference Management Services
Submitting a Proposal
Timeline
Conference Questionnaire
Conferences Committee

How to Propose a Conference

Conferences Program Mission

• To identify topics of scientific significance which encourage interactive exchange in meetings of 100 to 500 people.
• To encourage student and postdoctoral participation in these focused arenas.
• To recruit individuals in disciplines not already involved in ASM to ASM membership.
• To budget this program to break even with an emphasis on meeting ASM member needs.

Conference Management Services

• Budget Development and Monitoring
• Site Selection
• Contract Negotiation
• Speaker Communication
• Promotion Design and Implementation
• Grant and Fund Raising Assistance
• Printing
• Financial Services
• Abstract Processing
• Registration and Confirmations
• On-site Management
• Participant Surveys
• Final Statistical Reports

Submitting a Proposal

If you are interested in submitting a proposal for review by the ASM Conferences Committee, please structure your proposal based on the questions listed in the questionnaire below. Type each question and answer and any other relevant information, and submit it with your Curriculum Vitae to ASM Conferences at ASM Headquarters.

Your proposal will be forwarded to the Committee for review at its next scheduled meeting. Acknowledgement of receipt of your proposal, including the anticipated date of review will be mailed to you by ASM.

Timeline

The Conferences Committee meets to review proposals two times a year, usually in Spring and Fall. The time from proposal approval to the time of the conference is typically 12-24 months.

Once a proposal is approved, the budget is developed with the ASM Conferences Manager. Grant application deadlines are discussed at this time, and an action plan is developed for all elements of the conference. The budget must be approved by ASM before registration fees can be advertised and commitments made for reimbursement of speakers' expenses.

Conference Questionnaire

1. What is the proposed conference title?
2. What topics would be covered? Provide a brief description of the conference goals.
3. Are you willing/planning to be the principal organizer?
4. Who else would be involved in organizing this conference?
5. Are there other conferences on the same subject? If so, when are/were they scheduled and who were the sponsors?
6. Who would be interested in knowing about this conferece (i.e. other membership organizations, study sections, etc.)? Provide a brief description of who should attend.
7. Of those potentially interested, what would be the best way to get the information about the meeting to those people? Are you willing/able to obtain a mailing list? Include recommendations on journals that would reach the interested audience.
8. What potential sources exist for raising funds for this conference (i.e. government grants, industry support, etc.)?
9. How may people would you expect to attend? (Include expected number of abstract submissions.)
10. When would the conference take place?
11. Are there any site preferences for the conference?

Conferences Committee

Magdalene Y. H. So, Chair
Oregon Health Sciences University
(503) 494-6737
somaggie@ohsu.edu

Bonnie L. Bassler
Princeton University
(609) 258-2857
bbassler@molbio.princeton.edu

Jeffrey M. Becker
University of Tennessee
(423) 974-3006
jbecker@utk.edu

Richard J. Courtney
Pennsylvania State University
(717) 531-6521
rcourtney@psu.edu

Robert A. LaRossa
Dupont Corporation
(302) 695-9264
robert.a.larossa@usa.dupont.com

Virginia Miller
Washington University School of Medicine
(314) 747-2132
virginia@borcim.wustl.edu

Noel R. Rose
Johns Hopkins University
(410) 955-0330
nrrose@jhsph.edu

Gary Sayler
University of Tennessee
(423) 974-8080
sayler@utk.edu

Lawrence Shimkets
University of Georgia
(706) 542-2681
shimkets@arches.uga.edu

Fred C. Tenover
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(404) 639-3375
fnt1@cdc.gov