The Executive Committee of the Association of Internet Researchers is seeking expressions of interest (EOI) from prospective Conference Hosts for the annual meetings of the Association for October 2025 and 2026. With this call, AoIR will return to our regular rotation schedule: the 2025 conference will take place outside of North America and Europe, and the 2026 conference will take place in North America.
EOIs are due to the AoIR Executive Committee by July 18, 2023. EOIs will be reviewed by the AoIR Executive Committee, who will then gauge feasibility through a series of follow-up discussions with proposers. Proposers for the 2025 conference will be informed of decisions regarding conference hosting by September 2023. The AoIR membership will be informed of the 2025 conference location during the AGM at AoIR2023 in Philadelphia.
The AoIR conference draws an international group of 500-700 researchers and practitioners to present and discuss work at the cutting edge in understanding the individual, social, political, economic and cultural aspects of the internet and related technologies. The Conference Host Committee is a regional group of scholars that may be part of the same or different organisations. They are also invited to propose a Program Chair. The Program Chair oversees the submissions and review process of papers, panels, workshops, and preconferences, and schedules the conference sessions. The Program Chair may be a member of the organization that acts as Conference Host. Members of the Conference Host Committee should have a strong existing connection to the Association of Internet Researchers.
Serving on the Conference Hosting committee is a large commitment. The role of the Conference Host and committee is to make contributions to the conference theme and call for papers, identify keynote and plenary speakers, plan and provide crucial local knowledge and connections, and oversee region-specific fundraising (where possible, provide venue space at cost or in kind). AoIR will assist with the practical conference planning, including negotiating contracts with hotels, meeting venues, catering, and the like, and will partner with the host committee on many of the administrative details of the conference, such as reception and meal planning, AV and wifi provision, and exhibitor displays.
Organizations or consortia that may be interested in serving as Conference Host should contact President Tama Leaver at prez (at) aoir.org by 18 July 2023 with a brief expression of interest. The EOI should include the following and be no longer than 5 double spaced pages:
- the individuals and organization(s) involved, and their proposed roles;
- the connection of proposers to internet research and to AoIR;
- a description of any prior experiences proposers have had with organizing or hosting a conference, and the roles played in this;
- an argument to support the proposed conference location, especially with respect to ease of travel for AoIR’s multinational community of conference participants;
- initial thoughts on local venue options (AoIR has in the past held the annual conference at a variety of venue spaces including universities, conference centers, and hotels);
- prospective conference dates, keeping in mind any major local, national, and international holidays, semester schedules, or other aspects that might affect the timing of the conference;
- a firm indication of whether you will be attending AoIR2023 in Philadelphia and are available to meet for further discussions about hosting AoIR2025 or AoIR2026.
Please contact President Tama Leaver at prez (at) aoir.org or AoIR’s Association Coordinator ac (at) aoir.org if you have any questions.
