Introduction

Conference in a Glance

The Eurographics Annual Conference

The Annual Conference is the major event organised by the Eurographics Association each year. The conference is organised by a Local Organising Committee, chaired by the Conference Chairman. The event comprises:

Tutorials

Usually two days of tutorials on computer graphics and related themes. It usually takes place on the two days before the main conference; other arrangements are also possible. The tutorials form a major part of the event and are an important educational service which Eurographics offers to its membership. The tutorials are given by lecturers that are selected after a call for tutorials, however invited lecturers are also partially possible. A tutorial con be full day or half day (or sometimes even quarter day, but this should remain an exception). The programme and organisation of the tutorials is the responsibility of a Conference Tutorial Chairman.

Conference Technical Programme

This lasts for about three or four consecutive days (usually Tuesday/Wednesday to Friday) and comprises:

1. Refereed full papers. Presentation of the refereed papers normally takes place in parallel sessions. The selection of these papers is the responsibility of the International Programme Committee (IPC), which is headed by the Programme Chairs.
2. Refereed short papers. Presentation of the short papers normally takes place in parallel sessions. The selection of these papers is the responsibility of the Short Papers Chairs, with the help of some memers of the IPC.
3. Invited papers. These are presented on plenary sessions, without parallel sessions. Two of these normally three talks take place on the first day, after the official opening of the conference, and just before the closing session of the conference. The selection of the invited speakers is the task of the Programme Chairs, and has to be approved by the Conference Steering Committee (chair).
4. State of the art reports (STARs). These reports are presented in parallel sessions, i.e., in parallel with the refereed papers. There are about 5-8 STARs per conference. Their selection is the responsibility of the STAR Chairs.

• The basic scientific programme may be supplemented by other activities such as poster sessions, panel sessions, industrial panels, and a CEC related stream if approved by Eurographics. The Local Organising Committee may nominate separate Chairmen for these.

Social Programme

It is important that attendees get the opportunity to talk to each other in convivial surroundings. The two main events are a Welcome Reception before or on the day of the start of the technical programme, usually hosted by the city, and a social event on the second but last day in the evening. The intention is that the Reception should be sponsored by the city or local industry in return for bringing the Eurographics event to the location. Normally, the cost of the social event should be included in the Conference fee. It is possible for it to be staged in conjunction with an A/V extravaganza but this is an option open to the Local Organising Committee and is not mandatory.

Exhibition

A book exhibition should always be included, and this may take place even if there is no equipment exhibition. In some locations, it may be attractive to run an exhibition of manufacturer's products in parallel with the main conference programme. Its purpose is to provide a show case for the latest computer graphics hardware and software. Entry to the exhibition is normally included in the conference registration fee. Arrangements for the exhibition are the responsibility of the Exhibition Chairman. The main requirement of Eurographics is that the Exhibition should make, possibly, a profit, and, in any way, Eurographics is not responsible for any loss. Whether a manufacturers' exhibition is organised or not is the decision of the Local Organising Committee; it is not mandatory.

Co-located Events

Although not part of the event, it is useful to allow workshops or symposia either immediately before or after the event, as a way of attracting extra delegates. The Local Organising Committee should provide a contact person for co-located events organisers, to coordinate locations, infrastructure, etc. Eurographics does not require the Local Organising Committee to participate further in the organisation of co-located events, although, in some cases, this is preferable (e.g., to provide an optimal booking of rooms). Each of these co-located events should be taken on a case-by-case basis, and their organisation must be coordinated with the Workshops and Symposia Board of the Association.

Miscellaneous

Local cultures may dictate that other functions are provided with the event. Some examples are a programme for accompanying persons during the event, excursions before and after the event, visits to local institutions, industrial seminars paper sessions and workshops. Eurographics does not require such events to take place. However, the aim must be for them to be self-supporting with a conservative budget that ensures no loss.

Purpose

Eurographics sees the purpose of the annual event as follows:

1. Focal Point: it is the one event of the year when European computer graphics professionals should get together to exchange views. It should be a natural venue for vendor groups to have their own specialist meetings in association with the event.
2. Education: the tutorial programme should help in educating more people in the profession. Consequently, the programme needs to cater for current requirements and have a range of tutorials from elementary to specialised.
3. Income Generation: The Annual Conference should provide an income to the Association. The approach taken in budgeting the conference is that a fixed amount per delegate is paid directly to the Association as a revenue (more about this in the section on the budget). The purpose of this income is to contribute to the expenses of running Eurographics, which is a non-profit association.

Location

The preferred format for these activities is that they should take place at a single conference venue. The size of the event (350 or more participants) means that a purpose-built conference centre will normally be used, however lower-cost alternatives can be an alternative if the overall conference feeling is ensured. The choice of location is a major factor in the decision where the Eurographics event should take place. A large percentage of Eurographics Conference attendees come most years regularly. There is a need, therefore, for consistency in the quality of the product otherwise delegates may be lost from subsequent events as well as the current one. Recovering from a poor event is expensive and can take many years. The basic rules for a good location for a major international conference are:

• It should be no more than 120 minutes from a major airport.
• There should be sufficient, reasonably priced accommodation in the vicinity of the venue, preferably within walking distance.
• There should be facilities capable of supporting the conference, exhibition and tutorials.
• There should be no onerous visa requirements or other political considerations which might limit attendees or exhibitors.
• If possible the selected location should be near to an industrial centre so that local companies can support and attend the event.

Conference Language

The conference language will be English. Translation to other languages will not normally be provided.