1. 25-july-2008 COPO08- SEATTLE 1 Lessons learned running non US/North American conferences By Patrick Le Dû France (CEA and IN2P3/CNRS) patrickledu@free.fr NPSS ADCOM member as Transnational Conference Liaison General Chair - RTC Beaune 1997 - NSS-MIC Lyon 2000

2. 25-july-2008 COPO08- SEATTLE 2 Goals of this presentation Show the NPSS conference experiences outside North America - Lessons from Europe - The Asian challenge Menu

3. 25-july-2008 COPO08- SEATTLE 3 NPSS conference survey Technical Committe SponsorSizeVenue Computer Applications in Nuclear and Plasma Science (CANPS) Real Time Conference (RTC) 200 Europe, North America Asia (next) Fusion Technology (FTC) (SOFE) Symposium on Fusion Engineering (SOFE)200 North America Particle Accelerator Science and Technology (PAST) Particle Accelerator Conference (PAC) >1000 North America Plasma Science and Applications (PSAC) (ICOPS) International Conference on Plasma Science (ICOPS)500 North America Europe in 2008 Pulsed Power Science and Technology (PPST) PPC) Pulsed Power Conference ( PPC)600 North America Radiation Effects (REC) NSREC) Nuclear and Space Radiation Effects Conference ( NSREC)500 North America Radiation Instrumentation (RITC) (NSS) Nuclear Science Symposium (NSS)>1000 North America Europe Nuclear Medical and Imaging Sciences (NMISC) Medical Imaging conference (MIC) >1000 North America Europe

4. 25-july-2008 COPO08- SEATTLE 4 Real Time Conference features NPSS strategy was starting with a moderate size conference (150-200) –Learning process ! Very specific community of fundamental research scientific Engineers & Physicists close to experimental facilities around particle accelerators (CERN,DESY,SLAC,FNAL) –Now attracting other fields (ITER, Medical Imaging..) Participants –Coming from High Energy Physics : 50 - 60% –Already large European > 60% –Regular attendance is high : 60-70%

5. 25-july-2008 COPO08- SEATTLE 5 RTC survey Beaune France Stockholm Sweeden 2009 Beijing China 2011 Lisbon/Porto Portugal Next

6. 25-july-2008 COPO08- SEATTLE 6 RTC experience Beaune 97 - the first experience –Congress center based + outside hotels –Full logistic support and sponsorship of the french Scientific research Institutions (CEA & CNRS/IN2P3) : Financial contribution from France Plus a lot of ‘in kind’ contribution Plus a lot of ‘in kind’ contribution First lesson –Great success ! –Difficult to justify a ‘surplus’ to our authorities –We were starting to build a « support team » Stockholm (2005) –Alba Nova University based and support –A full NPSS compliant organization

7. 25-july-2008 COPO08- SEATTLE 7 Feed back Evaluation from particpants Feed back Evaluation from particpants

8. 25-july-2008 COPO08- SEATTLE 8 Conclusion RTC & next challenge Very succesfull conferences –Some accidents rapidly corrected (Valencia 2001) Routine to go regularly (2/3) outside North america We have a stable ‘organization team’ and management structure –Not to ‘reinvent the wheel’ everytime –Discover young talents Next challenge ---> ASIA! –RT 2009 in China (Beijing IHEP)

9. 25-july-2008 COPO08- SEATTLE 9 RTC 2009 Beijing organization Conference Chairs Yifang Wang (General Chair) IHEP, China Yantai Shu (Co-Chair) Tianjin University, China Executive Committe Chair J.P. Martin Former and future Chairs Plus Asian Chairs including Japan (Masa Nomachi) Local Organizing Committee (11p) Chair Zhen’An Liu(IHEP) Scientific Program Advisory Committee ( CANPS +..) Chair: Stefan Ritt (Abstract evaluation, paper selection and session chairs) NPSS Advisory and Support Group TNS editor (Sacha Schmeling) Conference promotion (CIP) Asian-Pacific Contact, Promotion and Support Benjamin M.W. Tsui Ren-Yuan Zhu And many others ….

10. 25-july-2008 COPO08- SEATTLE 10 LYON 2000 NSS-MIC summary First ‘overseas’ NSS-MIC conference –Initiated by W. Moses, G. Knoll, E. Lampo,E. Heijne in 1997 –Fully supported by all RITC and ADCOM members A ‘challenge’  with some ’experimental ’new flavors –Another logistic : a Palais des Congres separated from hotels –New organization of the scientific program  convenors Overview talks (NSS + MIC) Technical seminar for exhibitors Satellite workshops (Technology Transfer) Public exhibition ( Hadrontherapy) –Extensive promotion : poster, centralized databases (email, web) Goals –Improve interdisciplinary relationship (NSS and MIC) –Attract new participants/students including ‘former east countries’ –Build a team of young motivated european ‘conference support team’  initiation of Conference Information Promotion (CIP)  initiation of Conference Information Promotion (CIP) Make NSS-MIC more ‘international’

11. 25-july-2008 COPO08- SEATTLE 11 NSS-MIC Lyon 2000 Total registered participants = 1250 (+ 65%) –Conference staff = 30, Exhibitor staff= 70 Conference participants = 1130 (NSS=52%,MIC=47%) Exhibitors: 55 (+83%) Short courses : 312 (+100%) Social programme –Receptions = 1000 (+100%) –NSS banquet = 450 (+80%) –MIC dinner = 450 (+80%)

12. 25-july-2008 COPO08- SEATTLE 12 Evaluation questionnaire results

13. 25-july-2008 COPO08- SEATTLE 13 Lyon 2000 Analysis and Lessons Lyon 2000 Analysis and Lessons A real breakthrough ! This is NOT a copy past of North American conferences (big hotels are very limited!) Some promized ‘european’ grants never came ! Conflict between ‘supported non profit’ conferences and others!… VAT issues --> unclear at that time Unforeseen expenses due to unexected attendance ! : logging problems : transportation, food and dinners, logging problems : transportation, food and dinners, To be adapted and improved  recurrent over many conferences! Hotel availability, long term booking and management! Service companies

14. 25-july-2008 COPO08- SEATTLE 14 Valencia 2011 Roma 2004 LYON 2000 Dresden 2008

15. 25-july-2008 COPO08- SEATTLE 15 Conclusion from Europe experience A ‘great’ and enthousiastic experience – –We have a BIG ‘international’ instrumentation conference  (> 2000) – –Europe is attractive & become a routine  2004 (Roma)  2008 Dresden ---> 2011 Valencia  Today it is a place where it can be really international!  new european countries …. but also others with US visa limitation However some points to be ‘noticed’! – –European conferences has their ‘own’ rules and features Need close link with local institutions & national labs – –( CEA/CNRS, INFN, DESY/FZD …..) Future: need better EU support & link – –  to be look at very seriously ! – –Look more complex to organize Congress centers & hotels are separated not a ‘copy past’ from year to year ! - -Taxes (VAT) is not simple to manage uniformly - -Currency exchange rate unstable! - - $ vs €  0.9 in 2000  1.60 now!

16. 25-july-2008 COPO08- SEATTLE 16 Next: The Asian Challenge & Strategy Next: The Asian Challenge & Strategy Asia is already our next ‘target’ after Europe … How to make it ‘smoothly’ ? New world, new culture: we have to learn Strategy: start to get a first experience with a ‘small conference ‘ like we did succefully for Europe: RTC Beaune 97 NSS-MIC 2000 in Lyon …..then …. ‘almost routine!’ RTC 2009 will be in Beijing -IHEP next May We visited IHEP,Tianjin University and IEEE Beijing office All administrative work as been done (Licence) Investigating NSS-MIC in Asia for 2013-14 China is not the only Asian/Pacific possiblity (Japan,India..…)

17. 25-july-2008 COPO08- SEATTLE 17 My first comments about China With RT organization and visit we already learn a lot –Mainland China is a great opportunity for us –Chinese culture is different from our! We have to be very carefull to avoid dramatic frustration –The centralized ‘administration’ is already there (for us the Chinese academy of Sciences ) which make all decisions (Conference licence …) Everything should be approved by them ! –We cannot organize a conference as ‘standard’ US or even European… –Experience of RT (organization,budget,hotels …) is a unique opportunity to learn and gain experience before to go ahead to a bigger one.

18. 25-july-2008 COPO08- SEATTLE 18 Conclusion & summary Europe is becoming a routine Asia is our next great opportunity Asia is our next great opportunity Cannot be a ‘copy -past’ of US conference The knowledge of the local country and administration is fundamental VAT cannot be uniformly apply Please bannish the term ‘surplus’ in the budget --> ‘administrative fees’ Thanks a lot for your attention and your invitation !