Connectionists: Request for Proposals — Bid on ACM IUI 2023

[Axel Soto]

Request for Proposals — Bid on ACM IUI 2023
---------------------------------------------------------------

Intelligent User Interfaces (IUI) is the premier conference series  
sponsored by ACM (SIGCHI and SIGAI) and has been held annually since 1993  
as the principal international forum for reporting outstanding research  
and development on intelligent user interfaces.

To involve the greater IUI community in conference organization and better  
plan for the conference, we request proposals for hosting and organizing  
IUI two years ahead of time. We regularly rotate the conference locations  
to engage with IUI research communities around the globe. Below shows the  
location and time of the three most recently scheduled IUI conferences:

IUI 2020 (cancelled)
Cagliari, Italy
March 17-20

IUI 2021
College Station, Texas
April 13-17

IUI 2022
Helsinki, Finland
March 22-26

Why host IUI?
There are several benefits of hosting and organizing an IUI conference.  
First, conference hosts/organizers have an opportunity to publicize their  
work, build relationships, and interact with the international IUI  
community. Second, this is a great opportunity for the organizers/hosts to  
introduce their students and colleagues to the IUI community and help grow  
the community as a whole. Third, hosts/organizers can use the opportunity  
to build local IUI communities, connecting representatives from both  
academia and industries.

Bid Requirements
All proposals must be written in English with a readable font not smaller  
than 12 point and margins not less than one inch on all sides. The  
proposal should address each aspect outlined below but not exceed 15000  
characters (approx. 5-6 pages). Based on the merits of the proposals and  
factors such as ensuring a diversity of conference locations, the board  
will choose the top candidates and then a finalist will be chosen and  
announced at IUI 2021.

Please note that the bid requirements have been modified from previous  
years. Please read the requirements below carefully before writing up your  
bid.
Hosts/Organizers
The conference hosts/organizers should have knowledge of the IUI  
community, such as having attended and published regularly at IUI, and  
have experience with conference organization. One of the main IUI goals is  
to bring together people from diverse backgrounds.

For that reason, the bid proposal must suggest ONLY the conference general  
chairs. The IUI steering committee will work with the selected bid  
proposers on building the conference organizing team.

We especially encourage that the key conference organizers consist of  
people from both industry and academia, representing both AI and HCI since  
the work presented at IUI is at the intersection of these disciplines.  
Please include short bios of the proposed conference general chair(s).

Location
Since IUI is an international forum, we expect that attendees will travel  
 from different parts of the world to the conference location. It is  
important that the proposed location is conveniently located for all  
attendees to reach by available means of transportation.

Time
IUI conferences have been held at various times during late winter through  
early spring, most typically in March though earlier times will be  
considered. Your bid should include a proposed time with key dates (e.g.,  
paper submission and notification). The choice of time should also take  
into account the weather conditions of the proposed location to avoid  
potential weather-caused travel delays and potential conflicts with other  
conferences and their submission deadlines.

Please note that HRI 2023 will take place the week of March 20, 2023, and  
thus this week is not available for IUI 2023 bids.

Virtual Attendance and the Impact of COVID-19
We hope that by the time of the 2023 conference that it will be possible  
to hold a physical conference similar to those held before 2020.  
Organizers should still prepare for decreased attendance and to offer  
virtual participation options for those who may not yet be comfortable  
traveling long distances.

Conference Venue
Please describe the proposed conference venue, including the following  
aspects:

* Capacity. In recent years, IUI has typically had around 250 attendees,  
though IUI 2018 had a record high of over 350 participants and IUI 2019  
had a similar number. No conference has been held since COVID, however  
current ACM recommendations are to anticipate a 30-40% decrease in  
attendance in the near term. IUI has typically taken place over four days,  
the first of which consists of workshops and tutorials hosted in parallel  
separate rooms (10-20 people). To encourage interaction among the  
attendees, during the main conference, it is also desirable to have  
additional space at the venue to put up IUI posters for the attendees to  
visit during coffee breaks.
* Facilities. The venue should provide basic conference facilities, such  
as high speed internet access that can support the participants in  
parallel effectively and LCD projectors.
* Location. The venue should be centrally located for attendees to reach  
quickly by ground transportation and have access to other amenities (e.g.,  
restaurants).
* Accessibility. The venue should be accessible to attendees with  
disabilities.
* Reception and poster session dinner. Traditionally, IUI opens with a  
welcome reception on the night before the 1st day of the conference. The  
first night of the conference features a dinner reception with the poster  
and demo session. The location(s) of the receptions are not required to be  
co-located with the venue, however the location criterion above should  
still be used to minimize the travel for the attendees.
* Social event. Traditionally, IUI has a social event + dinner on the  
second day of the main conference
* Special events. Traditionally, during the conference the “test of time”  
paper award is given to the most influential IUI paper, which is  
accompanied by a plenary talk session for its authors. TiiS papers  
published in the last year are also integrated into the technical program,  
there is a “town hall meeting” where IUI community issues are discussed,  
and there is IUI steering committee lunch with current and upcoming  
conference and program chairs. These events need to be considered while  
planning the conference

Accommodation
Most attendees will need accommodation during the conference period. One  
of the responsibilities of the conference hosts/organizers is to locate  
and reserve a bulk of affordable lodging for attendees. Please describe  
the proposed accommodation options, including the price range of the hotel  
rooms and the distance to the main venue.

Provisionary Budget Plan
The proposal should also include a provisional budget, outlining the cost  
of major items, including the rental of the conference venue, cost/per  
person for the reception and banquet, and the estimated conference  
registration fee. Please consider including meals for participants in the  
budget, especially if there are limited food options near the conference  
venue.

Important Dates
Jan 8, 2021: Bids are due. Please submit your bid to  
steering-chair at iui.acm.org
Feb 5, 2021: Notifications are sent to all submissions.
For further information, please contact: jeff at jeffreynichols.com