International Conferences of ELSA
Definition
International Conferences of ELSA is a Flagship Project of ELSA. It is an international event comprising of academic and social programmess, organised by one or more Local and National Groups of ELSA, which has to follow the requirements regulated in the International Council Meeting Decision Book. International Conferences of ELSA can be defined by their international outlook, a focus on the academic aspects of the law and the intention of having an audience largely comprising international participants..
Requirements of International Conferences of ELSA
Conducted in English
These events are addressed to an international audience, therefore all lectures and activities shall be carried out in English.
Lasting for at least 2 days
An ICE shall have a minimum duration of 2 days excluding the date of arrival but including the day of departure. Thus, the event will technically last 3 days in total. However, there is no limit to the length of an ICE, meaning it could last as many as 5 days.
Comprised of an academic and social programme
An ICE is primarily an academic event, as a result, the quality of the academic programme is vital to its success. For this reason, an ICE shall consist of a minimum of 10 hours of academic programme. Where an ICE exceeds 2 days, the academic programme must be extended by 5 hours for every extra day.
The Social part of the programme aims to facilitate networking amongst the participants and speakers. Therefore, the planned activities shall remain professional and allow for meaningful discussion and connections.
Organised in close co-operation with an Academic or Institutional Partner
Each ICE needs to be organised under the supervision of an academic or institutional partner. An Academic/institutional partner is an entity/a person with whom the Organising Committee can discuss their ideas regarding the topic of the ICE in the initial stage of organisation. It shall be a law faculty, public institution, law firm or any other legal entity which is entitled to provide education, professional legal services or otherwise associated professionals in a particular field of law. They might advise on which topics are most pertinent and valuable for the ICE, help in searching for speakers and providing contact with them.
Responsibilities
ELSA International
According to the ICM Decision Book, ELSA International is responsible for the overall coordination and quality control of the project. It's based on collecting and compiling the information about ICEs in the Network, providing individual coaching, training and promotional materials as well as facilitating tools.
Moreover, in case of non-compliance with the rules and established standards, ELSA International may intervene and apply sanctions, including even the removal of a project from the portfolio.
National and Local Groups
In order to organise an International Conference of ELSA Organising Committees shall:
fill in the Event Specification Form with basic information at least three months before the planned date of the event,
provide ELSA International with a detailed description for the purpose of updating ICE portfolio at least one month before the event,
submit the Evaluation Form no later than one month after the event.
Quality standards
Taking into account the need to ensure the quality and uniformity of projects representing one international brand, quality standards were created. We distinguish groups of standards concerning:
general administration of the project,
academic programme,
social programme,
meals provided during the event,
promotion
For a complete list, see ICM Decision Book, Part 7, Chapter 5 International Conferences of ELSA.
More information
International Conferences of ELSA website: with portfolio of events available in the moment.
International Conferences of ELSA Handbook: with detailed information about organising process.