Propose an event

Organizer eligibility

• Organizers must be current ASBMB members in good standing. The primary organizer must be a regular or industry member. Co-organizers may be regular, industry, early-career or emeritus members.
• There must be at least two, and no more than three, organizers.
• The primary organizer is the main point of contact for the ASBMB office.
• Organizer CVs must be included with the completed proposal.
• Organizers of a previously run event must complete/submit a new proposal for each subsequent event.

Evaluation criteria

The ASBMB Meetings Committee reviews all applications. Below is a list of criteria to help guide your proposal preparation. Meeting the criteria listed below is not a guarantee of approval.

• Does the proposed conference provide a specific description of the aspects that the proposed topic will cover, including a clearly defined target audience?
• Does the proposed conference address a topic in an emerging area that is of interest to the ASBMB membership and larger BMB community?
• Are the sessions well balanced and logically planned to address critical topics in the area?
• Have the organizers provided a diversified list of potential invited speakers who can effectively address the proposed topic(s)?
• Will the speakers present new research?
• Does each session show a balance of invited speakers and slots reserved for talks selected from volunteered abstracts as well as junior and historically marginalized scientists?
• Has the proposal identified a target fundraising goal along with a list of grants for which to apply and sponsors?

Decision notification and event guidelines

• Organizers will be notified of a decision within four to six of submission.
• Upon approval of the proposal, organizers will receive an agreement letter to sign along with a comprehensive set of guidelines outlining the roles of the ASBMB and organizers throughout the planning process.
• The ASBMB will prepare a conference budget to cover the venue requirements, speaker travel expenses and other costs associated with the conference.
• The ASBMB will set the registration fees to recover all expenses associated with the conference.
• The ASBMB will guide the planning process and provide full management services, including accounting, site selection, logistics (pre-planning and onsite), conference website, registration and abstract portals, marketing and communications.

If you have any questions, please contact meetings@asbmb.org.

Below are a few common formats for ASBMB virtual events:

Conferences

Virtual conferences are usually four to six hours per day and can take place over one or several days and offer a mix of lectures, seminars, workshops, Q&A, panel discussions and poster sessions. Other features such as instant messaging, meetups, discussion boards and breakout rooms may be utilized to foster engagement and networking.

Workshops

Virtual workshops provide attendees with in-depth how-to guidance. They usually last a few hours and can take place over one or several days. Additional features are available to foster learning and discussion.

Webinars

Webinars are typically one to two hours long and feature presentations by experts and question-and-answer sessions. Depending on the length of each speaker’s talk, a panel discussion or other activity can be built in to foster further discussion.