Embedded Files
starting 13 months before conference
PLanning meetings for organizers
PLanning meetings for organizers
Hold a series of planning meetings with the symposium organizers
Scroll down for suggested action points and agendas for several meetings
Events on a dark background like this panel are time sensitive actions and communications
Meeting 1 held 13 months before the symposium
Meeting 1 held 13 months before the symposium
Recommended agenda
Recommended agenda
To do
To do
Speaker line-up
Speaker line-up
review tentative speaker list and schedule: who confirmed, who needs to be replaced? More tips at the Speaker Line-Up page
identify and recruit additional speakers and presenters for complementary sessions
begin finalizing the speaker line up, due to the SICB program officer, the deadline will be announced at the SICB symposium organizer meeting held at the annual SICB conference; more details about the symposium organizer meeting below (dark box)
Budget plan
Budget plan
check your budget: how much funding did SICB commit?
explore options for external funding (such as NSF, Company of Biologists, HHMI)
develop a budget plan, due to SICB program officer in spring, deadline will be announced at the SICB symposium organizer meeting
Recommended
Recommended
Build a community to facilitate collaborations
Build a community to facilitate collaborations
develop plans for cross-speaker collaborations and symposium cohesion
organize a series of planning meetings for speakers
create an online repository for information exchange, such as meeting minutes and draft manuscripts, to be shared with confirmed speakers (such as Google drive, Box, Microsoft Teams)
Optional
Optional
develop a survey to share with speakers to inventory ideas [use template letter to speakers and a survey template]
symposium organizer meeting at the annual SICB meeting held in early January
symposium organizer meeting at the annual SICB meeting held in early January
don't miss!
don't miss!
The SICB program officer and ICB editor offer an 1 to 1.5 hour workshop for symposium organizers. Make sure that at least one member of your organizing team can attend. SICB will offer this workshop also online at a date soon after the annual meeting. SICB will reach out to confirm date, location, and your attendance.
Please attend the annual SICB meeting in the year prior to your symposium to attend the symposium organizer meeting, and to experience symposia plus associated events, such as complementary sessions
The face-to-face event is typically scheduled as a breakfast or lunch; food is provided. Please check the program of the SICB annual meeting for date, time, and location.
share with and learn about what other symposium organizers are doing to build their program and organize additional events
share with and learn about opportunities to gain additional funding
ask questions and share concerns with SICB program officer, ICB editor, and other symposium organizers
Meeting 2 held 11-12 months before the symposium
Meeting 2 held 11-12 months before the symposium
Recommended agenda
Recommended agenda
identify sources for external funding, assign writing proposals for funding
set agenda for planning meetings with presenters to foster collaborations and cross-fertilization
develop ideas for events associated with your symposium at the annual SICB meeting (such as workshop, lunch brown bag, panel discussion, ask-an-expert booth, outreach event, social)
develop publicity and social media strategies for your symposium
assign tasks (such as writing proposals for funding, developing and sharing a survey, organizing virtual meetings with authors, organizing additional events at SICB)
Meeting 3 held 10-11 months before the symposium
Meeting 3 held 10-11 months before the symposium
Recommended agenda
Recommended agenda
write and submit proposals for additional funding
NSF IOS: soft deadline in March
Company of Biologists: 4 deadlines across the year
finalize ideas for events associated with your symposium at the annual SICB meeting (such as workshop, lunch brown bag, panel discussion, ask-an-expert booth, outreach event, social)
start executing publicity and social media strategy for your symposium
check in on tasks (such as writing proposals for funding, developing and sharing a survey, organizing virtual meetings with presenters)
Meeting 4 held 6-10 months before the symposium
Meeting 4 held 6-10 months before the symposium
Recommended agenda
Recommended agenda
submit proposals for external funding
designate tasks among symposium organizers
who will introduce the symposium? (scheduled from 7:45 to 8 am before the first morning session; see meeting schedule)
To schedule a time slot for an Introduction to your symposium, please submit an abstract to SICB via the abstract submission portal
who will chair symposium and complementary talk sessions? see meeting schedule
facilitate author meetings to develop collaborative manuscripts
plan additional events, such as recruiting facilitators for workshops
if applicable: submit workshop proposals to SICB program officer (usually due in late summer or early fall before your symposium); SICB program officer will email invitation to propose workshop
develop a manuscript that will be the General Introduction to your symposium (typically co-authored by all or a sub-set of the symposium organizers, can have additional co-authors; see separate guidelines for ‘how to write your symposium introduction’ on the ICB editor's author support webpage)
Meeting 5 held 1-2 months before the symposium
Meeting 5 held 1-2 months before the symposium
Recommended agenda
Recommended agenda
check final line-up of speakers
if applicable: submit to SICB management your needs for any complementary activities (food orders for lunch meetings, audiovisual infrastructure etc.)
if applicable: develop a brief presentation for the Introduction of your symposium, scheduled typically from 7:45 to 8 am before the first morning session of your symposium
if applicable: check in with local collaborators
advertise your symposium, such as through social media
continue developing a manuscript that will be the General Introduction to your symposium (typically co-authored by all or a sub-set of the symposium organizers, can have additional co-authors; see separate guidelines for ‘how to write your symposium introduction’ on the ICB editor's author support webpage)
Check-in held 1-2 Weeks before the symposium
Check-in held 1-2 Weeks before the symposium
Recommended agenda
Recommended agenda
check final line-up of speakers
check-in among symposium organizers about who chairs which sessions of the symposium
first morning session: 8 am to 10 am (4 speakers)
second morning session: 10:30 am to noon (3 speakers)
afternoon session: 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm (4 speakers)
if applicable: check-in among symposium organizers about who chairs which sessions of the complementary oral sessions
first morning session: 8 am to 10 am (maximum of 8 speakers)
second morning session: 10:30 am to noon (maximum of 6 speakers)
afternoon session: 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm (maximum of 8 speakers)
if applicable: check in with local collaborators
advertise your symposium, such as through social media
continue developing a manuscript that will be the General Introduction to your symposium (typically co-authored by all or a sub-set of the symposium organizers, can have additional co-authors; see separate guidelines for ‘how to write your symposium introduction’ on the ICB editor's author support webpage)
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