The following is a guide for those interested in submitting applications to host the 31st International Liquid Crystal Conference (Summer, 2028). The deadline for submissions is February 28, 2025. However, I strongly urge potential applicants to contact me well in advance. I will do my best to ensure that applications are in the proper format before they are sent to the ILCS Board for a vote.
There is no specific form for the application, but it should include the following information:
1. Conference Location: Name of the city and venue (address); short description of the city and conference location.
2. Organizing Committee: Names and affiliations of the prospective Conference Chairman, Conference Secretary, and other members of the Organizing Committee; contact details (name, address, telephone number, and email address) of a person from whom further information can be requested; experience in organizing conferences.
3. Conference Facilities: Description of the facilities, including available lecture rooms and their capacities, space for posters, copying facilities, internet connections, dining facilities, connection to public transport, and parking.
4. Accommodation: Description of the types of accommodation available, including quality, price range, location, connection by public transport with the conference site, railway, and airport.
5. Social Facilities and Program: Description of social facilities and the planned program.
6. Provisional Budget: Expected expenses and receipts, planned registration fee, external sponsorship. Note that a modest loan from the ILCS is possible to help with the expenses of planning the conference.
7. Additional Information: Any further information that you think will support your application, such as relevance for all members and constituents, diversity, openness, inclusion, and logistical and financial support for young scientists and students.
To expedite the application process and ensure fairness, I request that all submitted materials be electronic and compiled as a single PDF document suitable for sending as an attachment. In the past, some applications have included general brochures about the host city. Since Board members will not be able to consult these during the decision-making process, I do not believe they are particularly useful. Instead, a URL containing information about the host city and/or conference facilities could be provided for Board members to consult.
Finally, while it is both appropriate and desirable for local convention centers to assist in preparing a conference application, it is essential that there be full support from local and/or national scientific bodies. In the past, the actual application has always been submitted through such bodies.
The recipients of this email should feel free to distribute this information among colleagues who might be interested in organizing the conference.
Wei LEE
Vice President, International Liquid Crystal Society
Wei.Lee@nycu.edu.tw
