Annual Conference Proposal Guidelines
If you are interested in hosting our annual conference then please email a detailed proposal to The Angela Carter Society Executive Committee, including a provisional budget. The proposal should be based on the following general guidelines.
Guideline delegate numbers
50-100 delegates, including postgraduates. Given that it is difficult to predict with any accuracy the number of delegates; it is advisable that the provisional budget includes several different projections corresponding to different figures of attendance. You should assume that 10-15% of delegates would be postgraduates.
Plenary speakers
Provision should be made for up to two or three invited speakers whose costs would be met by the conference. For international speakers, you could try to find external funding for their attendance but, in this case, you’d have to plan considerably ahead because of the time lag for funding decisions.
Administration
All arrangements on the ground, including registration of delegates are made by host institution. We expect to see realistic administration costs in the budget which take account of costs for technical support (including web support if you intend to have an online registration facility, including payment) and all conference administration.
Dates
Conferences are normally held in third/fourth week of June so we need an indication of the planned dates.
Conference Format
We are open to suggestions about the format that the Angela Carter Society Annual Conference can take, from a 1-day Symposium to a conference spanning 1-2 days with parallel sessions. Sufficient time should be provided between sessions for proper breaks as well as for lunch in order to facilitate contacts and exchange among participants. We welcome ideas for screenings, exhibitions, performances and other examples of practice and for extra optional conference social events. Papers should be invited for 3 x 20 minute papers in 1.5 hr, sessions and we also welcome research posters.
Conference Venue
The conference site will be a university or HE institution. It is possible for a university to host the conference at a cultural institution with sufficient capacity but this should be carefully costed into the budget. The venue should include a large room (for keynotes and plenaries) along with up to a suitable number of breakout rooms with appropriate AV facilities. A central area is required for lunch and other breaks. This area should also be used by or be very accessible to publishers’ stalls. Appropriate areas for social events such as venue for the conference dinner and for the exhibition of conference poster submissions should be considered. While the panels and keynotes should take place at the conference site, a limited number of sessions and events can be organised in another site or location if absolutely necessary.
Location
The conference can be residential or non-residential. In both cases, we need an indication of what the in-house accommodation contains as well as suitable hotel accommodation nearby, together with a note of costs and any special offers. The conference venue should be close to a varied choice of accommodation (hotels, university rooms etc.) with sufficient capacity for all participants and within easy travelling distance from the conference site. The area should also be easy to reach by public transport.
Contingency
How will the conference go ahead in the event we can’t meet in person due to unforeseen circumstances (e.g. COVID pandemic)?
Conference delegate prices
The registration rates need to be indicated with provision of reductions for postgraduates. If the conference is planned over more than one day, it is advisable that a day rate be kept relatively high to encourage full attendance. Conference dinner is often separately charged. Pricing will be confirmed before advertising the event but needs to be planned in the provisional budget.
Academic arrangements
There should be a designated conference leader and organising team. The Angela Carter Society Executive Committee will provide support to the conference host but will not be involved in day-to-day operations and decisions. However, as this is an Angela Carter Society badged event, we need to be involved in discussions about processes such as criteria for paper acceptance, potential keynote speakers, plenary topics and so on. Such decisions are therefore discussed regularly between the Angela Carter Society Executive Committee and the conference organizing committee. The Executive Committee will regularly require a timetable of the entire project, a full budget plan, which should be kept up to date and accessible to the Executive Committee if required.
Finances
The conference should ideally make a profit so that the initial budget should be based on at least a breakeven position. The Angela Carter Society can contribute a modest amount towards conference costs (between £250-£500 depending on the size of the event – to be negotiated).
Publicity
The Angela Carter Society must be mentioned as co-host on all publicity and correspondence to delegates. We will advertise the event via The Angela Carter Society website, newsletter and mailing list but we also welcome other costed ideas for publicising the conference through your own networks and social media.
Conference theme
The conference should offer space for the full range of academic interests around Angela Carter’s life and work, but we also welcome conferences which hone in on under-represented aspects of Angela Carter scholarship.
Locale
Do list any particular attractions of your area including any locations or cultural institutions associated with Angela Carter.
Year of event and planning
We like to identify hosts as far in advance as possible. Planning generally starts at least a year in advance of the conference. Ideally we invite proposals to host the annual conference two years ahead of the event, so you should indicate whether you are interested in a specific year or could be flexible.
Sponsorship
Please keep in mind costs when selecting keynote and plenary speakers. If you are planning international speakers, please bear in mind applying for external research funding and plan this into your schedule, Events usually generate modest income from publishers’ stalls. Some conference organisers have secured modest funding from local cultural bodies but all ideas for income-generation are welcome.
Expressing interest in hosting the conference
Our aim is that the annual conference becomes a major international event that attracts international delegates, providing a significant opportunity for scholars in the field of Angela Carter studies to share research, debate, network and socialise. Any expression of interest should be framed in a proposal sent to Professor Marie Mulvey-Roberts (marie.mulvey-roberts@uwe.ac.uk), Dr Charlotte Crofts (charlotte.crofts@uwe.ac.uk) and Dr Caleb Ferrari (caleb.ferrari@uwe.ac.uk).
The Executive Committee will keep in touch with you about when your proposal will be discussed and advise you as soon as possible of our decision. Thank you on behalf of the Angela Carter Society Executive Committee for your interest and we look forward to your proposal.