Organize a Conference with the Computer Society
Let's work together to make your conference a success.
Overview
The Computer Society supports 189+ conferences every year with a range of services, including initial planning and budgeting, contract negotiations, proceedings, and certified meeting professionals on site.
Organizing a conference is no easy task; however, bringing together thought leaders to discuss and present their insights can be among the most rewarding volunteer opportunities anyone can perform.
If you’re considering launching a new conference, workshop, or symposium in your technical specialty, or just making sure your team is putting their best foot forward, the IEEE Computer Society has the resources and expertise to help you succeed.
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Your Quick Index to Jump to a Section Below or to a Page:
Virtual and Hybrid Event Organizer Resources: Virtual Conference Resource Guide | Hybrid Conference Option Recommendations | Communication Templates for Virtual Events
Conference Support Services: Conference & Event Services | Conference Publishing Services | Conference Registration Services | Sponsorship Collective | Enhanced Marketing Services | Exhibit Sales and Sponsorships | Design Services
Conference Marketing Resources: Conference Marketing Support | Conference Marketing Tool Kit | IEEE Computer Society Brand Guide | Certificates | SEO Tips for Conference Websites
Conference Organizer Policies and Best Practices: Policies | Sales Tax Resources | Conference Organizer Roles and Responsibilities | Sustainable Conferences Best Practices Checklist | Diversity & Inclusion Best Practices | IEEE Computer Society Code of Conduct Violation Reporting Process for Conferences | Industry Engagement | Safety Considerations for Conference Locations | CS Assist | FAQs for Covid-19 and Event Interruptions
More Quick Links: Find Your Planner | Success Stories | Conference Calendar | Conference Highlights| Conference Organizer FAQs | Meeting Rooms Available
Host a Conference
The IEEE Computer Society offers three (3) hosting options: Financial Sponsorship, Financial Cosponsorship, and Technical Cosponsorship.
All forms of sponsorship require endorsement through one or more of the IEEE Computer Society Technical Community (TCs), which broadly represent the range of technical topic areas.
Financial Sponsorship
When the IEEE Computer Society is the full financial sponsor, it accepts all financial and legal liability and owns all assets. General and finance chairs should complete the application 12 months ahead of the meeting to allow time to obtain Technical Community approvals and endorsements, negotiate and approve contracts, and promote the event.
Learn more about Financial Sponsorship
Financial Co-sponsorship
Financial co-sponsorship is where the IEEE Computer Society shares in the financial and legal liabilities and assets with another nonprofit organization or IEEE Society as outlined in an MOU or steering committee charter. The IEEE Computer Society share shall be at least 50 percent for new meetings. Advance loans and surpluses or losses are shared in proportion to the commitment.
Technical Co-sponsorship
Technical Co-sponsorship (TCS) is where IEEE Computer Society volunteers and members actively participate in the meeting’s technical program community, but the Computer Society accepts no financial or legal liability for the meeting.
You can use the IEEE and IEEE Computer Society logos to indicate technical sponsorship, and your conference will be listed in the IEEE Computer Society conference calendar, but you may not use ‘IEEE’ in the conference name.
In addition, the conference dates must not overlap IEEE conferences in the same subject area. You will also need a Statement of Benefits from the appropriate Technical Community. Contact tcsrequest@computer.org for more information on Technical Co-sponsorships.
IEEE CS Conference Organizer Timeline
The IEEE Conference Organizer Timeline outlines the major milestones and activities along with suggested schedules for preparing for your conference or event. The timeline is divided into easy-access sections that list specific action items and responsibilities for the following conference committee roles: General Chair, Finance Chair/Treasurer, Technical Program Chair, Publications Chair, Publicity/Publications Chair, Local Arrangements Chair, Registration Chair, and Sponsorship Chair.
Download the IEEE CS Conference Organizer Timeline today to create your customized timeline!
Planning Services
IEEE Computer Society technically and/or financially sponsored Conferences & Event Services can request professional meeting planning services from start to finish. We partner with your organizing committee to bring your conference goals to life. Let us apply our expertise and strategic guidance to help ensure the success of your conference.
Quantum Week 2023, an event supported by our services, recently won the IEEE ICON Award! This accolade showcases the power of collaboration between volunteers and IEEE Computer Society staff in driving innovation, curating impactful content, and fostering community growth. With 1,350+ attendees from 44 countries and standout sessions like “Meet the Customer,” Quantum Week 2023 set the bar high. Let’s work together to create an award-winning event for you too!
Contact your assigned meeting planner for more information on any and all services listed below.
Professional Planning Services are available for:
- Dedicated Conference Planner
- Pre-Planning Conference Logistics
- Timeline Creation and Development
- Site Selection Services
- Hotel, Venue, and Vendor Contracting
- Event Registration Services (Contact registration@computer.org for a quote!)
- Food and Beverage Planning
- Audiovisual and Production Planning
- Hotel Room Block Management
- Conference Financial Support and Contracting
- Budget Creation, Assistance, and Management
- Skilled Negotiation and Contracting (Leverage IEEE’s buying power!)
- Invoicing and Bill Payment Assistance
- On-site Event Logistical Management
- Liaison with hotel and vendors
- Meeting Space Logistics (Including room set-up and audiovisual details!)
- On-site Conference Registration Management
- Assistance with student volunteer management
- Special Event Venue Lead (off-site conference banquet)
- Transportation Needs Management, if applicable (Including group transportation)
- Conference Marketing Support
Not sure where to start or what your event needs? We’ve compiled this Virtual Conference Resource Guide to help organizers.
Concierge Publishing Services
Put your conference on the map and on a mobile app and ebook when you partner with the IEEE Computer Society’s Conference Publishing Services. Your conference papers deserve the widest possible exposure and recognition. We offer capabilities that no other publishing service can match.
CPS is the world’s foremost production and publishing operation for STEM conferences. With 24/7 availability, CPS puts the customer first. We specialize in conference content from production to publication in the prestigious IEEE Xplore® Digital Library.
A professional CPS editor can assist you with paper collection and validation, copyright collection, and graphic design for your conference publication. We also offer services for your collateral and conference apps. We excel at custom solutions. Let us ease the demands of your publishing requirements.
Note: We also offer sponsored conferences the opportunity to promote their call for papers on our website. Submit your marketing support request here for assistance. Please allow up to 10 to 14 business days to complete your request.
General and Enhanced Marketing
The Computer Society would like to help in promoting your sponsored conference. We can help promote events through our various social media channels, magazines, and digital advertisements.
For those who just need a little help with designing any item for the conference, learn about our Design Services.
Marketing Tool Kit
Want to promote your conference on your own, but not sure how to? Access our Conference Promo Kit, which includes marketing ideas, tools, resources, and templates to help you start promoting your conference today.
The Conference Marketing Tool Kit is another great resource to help your team promote your conference. It covers important considerations like connecting with your audience, website best practices, marketing collateral, and other resources like post-event surveys.
Note: We also offer sponsored conferences the opportunity to promote their call for papers on our website. Submit your marketing support request here for assistance. Please allow up to 10 to 14 business days to complete your request.
Make Your Conference More Environmentally Sustainable
The IEEE Computer Society wants to help event organizers make a difference in fighting climate change. No matter the size of your event, there is always more that can be done to minimize the event’s carbon footprint and contribute to making a difference.
Our team has put together a checklist of suggestions for sustainable practices that can be used at your conference. We offer this to organizers as a reference and a way to evaluate what can be done to be more sustainable in your event. Download the checklist today to learn what can be done at your event. Suggestions range from what you can do at event venues, make signage modifications, evaluate registration operations, and more. Contact your Meeting Planner or TC Chair if you have any questions or would like guidance and suggestions.
Brand Guide
The IEEE Computer Society Brand Guide (PDF) provides basic usage guidelines for IEEE Computer Society branding and how to utilize them to create consistent communications.
Guidelines and logos for download are available only for IEEE Computer Society sponsored conferences.
Technical Community Logos
- Business Informatics and Systems (TCBIS) DOWNLOAD
- Computer Architecture (TCCA) DOWNLOAD
- Computer Communications (TCCC) DOWNLOAD
- Cloud Computing (TCCLD) DOWNLOAD
- Computational Life Sciences (TCCLS) DOWNLOAD
- Data Engineering (TCDE) DOWNLOAD
- Distributed Processing (TCDP) DOWNLOAD
- Dependable Computing and Fault Tolerance (TCFT) DOWNLOAD
- High Performance Computing (TCHPC) DOWNLOAD
- Internet (TCI) DOWNLOAD
- Intelligent Informatics (TCII) DOWNLOAD
- Learning Technology (TCLT) DOWNLOAD
- Multimedia Computing (TCMC) DOWNLOAD
- Mathematical Foundations of Computing (TCMF) DOWNLOAD
- Microprocessors and Microcomputers (TCMM) DOWNLOAD
- Multiple-valued Logic (TCMVL) DOWNLOAD
- Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence (TCPAMI) DOWNLOAD
- Parallel Processing (TCPP) DOWNLOAD
- Quantum (QTC) DOWNLOAD
- Real-Time Systems (TCRTS) DOWNLOAD
- Scalable Computing (TCSC) DOWNLOAD
- Software Engineering (TCSE) DOWNLOAD
- Semantic Computing (TCSEM) DOWNLOAD
- Security and Privacy (TCSP) DOWNLOAD
- Services Computing (TCSVC) DOWNLOAD
- Microprogramming & Microarchitecture (TCuARCH) DOWNLOAD
- Very Large Scale Integration (TCVLSI) DOWNLOAD
- Rebooting Computing (TFRC) DOWNLOAD
- Test Technology (TTTC) DOWNLOAD
- Visualization and Graphics (VGTC) DOWNLOAD
Policies
These policies guide our sponsored conferences. We encourage all conference organizers to familiarize themselves with these policies.
- Technical Meeting Handbook
- Technical Community Chair Resources
- IEEE Governance Policies and Documents
Sales Tax
Sales Tax Exemption and VAT
The Computer Society is sales tax exempt in the 18 States listed below. Please consider the benefits of sales tax exemption in these states when beginning site selection.
More information is available on US Sales Tax Exemptions (IEEE) and you can review exemption certificates.
- Colorado
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Kentucky
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Missouri
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- Ohio
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Wisconsin
For international conferences, some countries require VAT or GST payments.
- Tax Information for IEEE Conferences (from IEEE)
- Canadian Tax Information for IEEE Conferences (IEEE)
Industry Engagement
Organizer Roles and Responsibilities
- General Chair: Responsible for overseeing and coordinating the conference as well as selecting the conference location and appointing the chairs of the other committees.
Ultimately responsible for the success of the all aspects of the conference, program/content, finances, etc. - Finance Chair and Treasurer: Responsible for the financial validity of the conference. Creates and manages the conference budget as well as responsible to issuing payments,
creating financial reports and closing a conference within the allotted timetable. Also responsible for the final audit, if required. - Program Chair: Ensures that a well-balanced, high-quality program is organized and presented at the conference. Handles the Call for Papers through the selection and review of
every paper. Assists in the scheduling of session rooms at the conference venue. - Publications Chair: Responsible for the coordination of production of conference content (e.g., papers from special tutorial sessions or colloquia, summaries of conference papers,
programs, etc.) and serves as the point of contact for all IEEE Xplore submission-related inquiries before and after the conference. - Publicity Chair: Promotes the conference through placements in various publication calendars and advertisements in IEEE and non-IEEE publications and news media. May also
develop and manage the website and any social-media applications. - Registration Committee: Plans and runs conference registration (both advance and onsite) procedures and logistics, including handling of credit card fees, cancellation policy, and
creation of name badges; or, it manages a registration-management company. - Exhibits Committee: Ensures proper handling of contracts, floor space, exhibitor registration, security, and other logistics; or, it manages an exhibits-management company.
Code of Conduct Violation Reporting
The IEEE Computer Society takes allegations of misconduct at conferences seriously and does not tolerate unprofessional behavior including, but not limited to, harassment, discrimination, and bullying. Principles of expected conference conduct can be found in the IEEE Computer Society Open Conference Statement, the IEEE Event Conduct and Safety Statement, and the IEEE Code of Ethics.
Conduct violations at IEEE Computer Society conferences that require onsite action should be reported to the conference chair, onsite Computer Society staff or assist@computer.org. Computer Society staff will coordinate if needed with the IEEE Event Emergency Response Team.
In the event of an emergency, onsite security and local law enforcement authorities should be contacted immediately.
The IEEE Ethics Reporting Line is available for reporting conduct issues confidentially for further investigation. Reports can be submitted anonymously and are administered through an Independent Third Party. The Ethics Reporting Line is available at +1 888 359 6323 or by submitting an online report*. To learn more about the IEEE Ethics Reporting Line, please see the FAQ.
*Note: when completing the form for an incident at a conference, “management” refers to the conference volunteer leadership and if you do not know the name of the person you are reporting, you may refer to the conference organizers who may be able to provide additional details.
If you are running an IEEE Computer Society conference and become aware of unacceptable behavior at the event, you may need to ask the individual involved to leave the conference while the investigation is pending. If you are unsure about what steps are appropriate, you may contact assist@computer.org for guidance. If the conference is co-sponsored with another organization, please also make sure that the proper authorities at that institution are also alerted.
Learn how the CS Assist Program can help.
Safety Considerations for Conference Locations
Keeping the intersectionality and diversity of your attendees in mind is an important consideration when selecting the site of your conference. While it is not always feasible to select a conference location that is guaranteed to align with all diversity, equity, and inclusion goals, it is important to support those who are historically excluded from the technology ecosystem. These recommendations will assist you with the site selection process.
Choose a conference location that is inclusive and welcoming to your attendees and community.
- Be aware of city and state policies, including laws that could be discriminatory, and select locations accordingly.
- The conference location should align with the principles outlined in the IEEE Code of Ethics.
Many resources exist that provide insight into the safety of various countries and territories for various groups. A sampling of resources is listed below:
- Most Dangerous and Safest Countries Index
- Countries and Territories Global Freedom Scores
- The 50 Worst (& Safest) Countries for Solo Female Travel
- The 203 Worst (& Safest) Countries for LGBTQ+ Travel in 2022
Consider partnering with an organization that provides an opportunity to balance your purchases in a location that doesn’t align with your personal values by making a donation to a non-profit that “offsets” the money you are spending.
- Social Offset helps individuals offset spending that does not align with their core values, by making it easy to donate to local charities and organizations that do.
Adding a virtual component to your conference expands accessibility for those who are not able to participate in person. Learn more about IEEE Computer Society hybrid event options.
Best Practices for Diversity and Inclusion
Our commitment to the IEEE Computer Society community is to foster an environment in which all individuals are entitled to participate in any IEEE Computer Society activity free of discrimination. Conferences and events serve as an important space to ensure we’re fulfilling our commitment.
The Standing Committee on Diversity and Inclusion has put together resources of best practices for conference organizers to review. These resources touch on important considerations during the planning process, including safety considerations when selecting a location for your event, support for first-time attendees, and ways you can ensure your event is accessable to all.
Conference Calendar
IEEE Computer Society hosts many of the computing world’s premier technical conferences. Our nearly 200 conferences, workshops, and symposia provide venues for keeping abreast of new tech and building professional relationships.
Search the calendar for conferences in your field.
Certificates
A blank certificate template (.pptx) is available only for IEEE Computer Society sponsored conferences.
Conference Ranking Systems
Even though the IEEE Computer Society does not have a position on conference ranking systems, we were interested in understanding how these are perceived by the community. To this effect, members of the T&C ExCom conducted a small scale study via a survey with our Technical Communities and received responses from the Chairs of 17 of our Technical Communities (TCs) and Task Forces (TFs). We summarize the results of this survey.
What are Conference Ranking Systems?
Conference Ranking Systems assess and rank conferences based on a mix of factors, such as a conference’s paper acceptance rates, the published citation rates (most use the H5-index), as well as key participants and research credentials of the steering and organization committees. Conferences are then assigned a score that can be used in advertising their conference and attracting authors and participants.
How Well Known are Conference Ranking Systems?
The survey was distributed to the active TC and TF Chairs in 2022, who were asked to socialize the questions with their communities. We received responses from 17 of the 30 TCs/TFs (58.62%), with members spanning from 515 to 9,702. Among the 17 TCs/TFs, only 17.65% (3) had not heard of Conference Ranking Systems.
Do People Find Conference Ranking Systems Valuable?
The answers to this question varied greatly. The survey asked for their perception on whether conference rankings are considered important (on a scale from 0 to 100) in their areas; the median response was 50. Conference rankings are considered more important in areas such as Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, Visualization and Graphics, Computational Life Sciences, Learning Technology, Computer Communications, Multiple-Valued Logic, and Distributed Processing.
h5-index is the largest number h such that h articles published in the last five editions of a conference have at least h citations each [1].
What Conference Ranking Systems are Used by Our Conferences?
The conference ranking systems used by our conferences include:
- Google Scholar Metrics: Uses mainly h5-index and h5-median (https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=top_venues)
- Computing Research & Education (CORE): Ranking decisions are made by groups of academics [2] (http://portal.core.edu.au/conf-ranks/)
- Conference Ranks: Uses Excellence in Research in Australia (ERA) 2010, Brazilian ministry of education’s Qualis 2012, and Microsoft Academic (MSAR) 2014 (http://www.conferenceranks.com/)
- Resurchify Conference Ranking: Uses CORE ranking 2020 (https://www.resurchify.com/conference-ranking)
- AMiner (formerly ArnetMiner): Based on h5-index, h5-median, author geographical regions, and other factors (https://cn.aminer.org/ranks/conf)
- Research.com: Based on a proposed Impact Score [3] (https://research.com/conference-rankings/computer-science)
What are Factors Used to Determine Whether to Attend a Conference?
When asked to rank the importance of factors that participants in their areas consider to choose conferences to attend, 7 out of 17 (41.18%) ranked the conference’s reputation as the most important factor. It is worth noting that a conference’s reputation is built through its published papers and presentation quality, event components, organization, as well as reviews. Some of these factors are also considered by conference ranking systems to assess and rank conferences.
The second most important factor is which research groups usually attend the conference, followed by which organization is sponsoring the conference (e.g., IEEE). The next factor is who is in the organizing committee (e.g., general chairs, conference chairs, program chairs). Conference ranking systems such as CORE include these key participants in their rubric.
Microsoft Academic was shut down at the end of 2021 [4]
What are Other Interesting Findings from the Survey?
- Countries such as Brazil take conference ranking for papers published by students and professors into account when granting scholarships, applications, and other benefits.
- Small conferences consider that they can boost their visibility through the use of conference ranking systems.
- Some TCs/TFs monitor the ranking of the conferences in their portfolio as a measure of quality and impact of their sponsored conferences.
- Some conferences presenting new areas, emerging topics, and interdisciplinary domains are not being considered necessary and/or properly by most conference ranking systems.
- Researchers in some TCs/TFs give preference to journal publications, and therefore consider ranking systems less important.
- Last but not least, especially established conferences and their participants, do not believe there is added value in applying to be ranked by a conference ranking system; they consider that their conferences are not about high impact factor and citations but more on venues to exchange ideas and make connections.
[1] https://medium.com/@csindexbr/normalized-h5-index-of-computer-science-conferences-bde2385fcbce
[2] https://docs.google.com/document/d/11lyr_N7rnyhpvTnGJRVvrFIp73REt3lwTCmy0k8geJo/edit
[3] https://research.com/our-methodology
[4] https://librarylearningspace.com/microsoft-to-shut-down-microsoft-academic-services
FAQs
How can I find my assigned meeting planner?
Find the technical community sponsoring your conference on this list and refer to the assigned conference planner.
Does IEEE Computer Society provide support for contracting and site selection?
We will be happy to work with you to accommodate your preferences for location, facilities, and vendors. However, IEEE will not honor contracts entered into by individuals who are not legally authorized to do so by IEEE. Please contact your assigned conference planner or email conferences@computer.org.
Where can I access the most recent Technical Meeting Handbook?
You can access the most recent Technical Meeting Handbook here.
Where can I find more information on conference closings?
Please email conferences@computer.org.
Can I submit an application for financial sponsorship three years in advance?
If a conference has previously been approved for Computer Society financial sponsorship and, in prior consecutive instances, has not closed in a deficit, organizers can now submit conference information up to three years in advance. For more information, contact your assigned conference planner or email conferences@computer.org.
Is there a listing of all IEEE Computer Society conferences?
Yes, you can browse the upcoming conferences schedule in our conference calendar.
