Phases of Conference Preparation

Phase 0 – Planning, Website, Basic ConfTool Settings
Phase 1 – The Call for Papers
Phase 2 – Submission of Contributions
Phase 3 – Bidding Phase (Optional)
Phase 4 – Assignment of Contributions to Reviewers
Phase 5 – Evaluation of Contributions by Reviewers
Phase 6 – Discussion by the Program Committee
Phase 7 – Planning of Program and Final Decision
Phase 8 – Notification of Results
Phase 9 – Submission of the Final Version
Phase 10 – Participation Registration

The preparation of a conference can be divided into several sections, which we refer to as "phases". With the help of the following sample organizational plan, we would like to help you understand the capabilities and functionalities of ConfTool Standard and ConfTool Pro.

Below you will find a short guideline covering the possible phases during the preparation of a conference and the tasks that arise for the organizers. The phases are supported by ConfTool in a number of ways; the software also offers specific settings, user rights and access options, which are briefly introduced here.

Every conference is different. 
The phases below describe a typical sequence, not a fixed schedule. Some organizers start preparing two years in advance, others only six months before the event. Skip the phases that do not apply to your event and adjust the order to your own requirements.

Generally, the preparation of a conference should begin well before the event starts. Please also have a look at the Guide for Local Organizers, which covers the general points local organizers should consider during planning.

Today, for almost all conferences, the website is one of the most important sources of information for potential authors and participants. It should therefore be put online as early as possible, have an appealing design and present all relevant information in a clear and structured way.

ConfTool does not replace your conference website. 
ConfTool Pro manages submissions, reviewing and registration – but not the public website with the information about your conference. For that purpose, numerous excellent content management systems are available, for example Joomla!, Drupal and TYPO3, as well as hosted services such as Google Sites. You will find more details in our support forum: Does ConfTool GmbH provide the main conference website?

Tips for Your Conference Website

Your website should provide all relevant information about the conference, and we think it is a good idea to always keep it up to date. Your website promotes your event and at the same time helps you to avoid unnecessary inquiries and misunderstandings. To make a professional impression, we recommend consulting a designer who will set it up for you.

You should include at least the following information:

• General information about the conference: What is the event about, what is the special focus this year, who is hosting the conference, where will it take place, and why should people submit a contribution and participate?
• Information for authors: This includes the Call for Papers, details on where the contributions will be published (by which publishing house, in which series) and which deadlines apply. Also provide templates here (for example MS Word templates) for the submission. The more precisely the templates are defined, the less work you will have later when compiling the conference booklet. If prizes will be given out, such as a "Best Paper Award", it is worth indicating this.
• Location of the conference: List information not only about the actual conference venue but also about the city and the region in which the conference will take place. Write why the region is worth the journey and which sights it has to offer. Participants also appreciate details on how to get to and from the venue and how to find good and reasonably priced accommodation.
• Participant registration: List the registration options, the fees incurred (is VAT charged?) and what the fees include. The deadlines for registration and the early-bird rate belong here as well, together with the accepted methods of payment (see Receiving Credit Card Payments).
• Conference program: Although ConfTool Pro supports you in scheduling the program from the accepted contributions, it makes sense to list the most important program points on the conference website early and to present them in a tailored format. In addition, information on the keynote speakers, social events and the awards ceremony should be provided. It is advisable to create a conference flyer with an overview of the event and to offer it here as a downloadable PDF file. If you plan to use a conference mobile app for the agenda, include this information here.
• Contact and "about us": These pages are essential for every website.

Tips for the Installation of ConfTool

Setting up ConfTool requires a number of details. Of course, you do not need to configure all modules at the same time: if participant registration will be activated at a later date – which usually makes sense, as hardly anyone registers before the conference program has been fixed – you can set up that module later.

The following data is required for the installation:

• The address of the conference website and of your ConfTool installation (we will make a suggestion).
• Which logos and which colors should be used for the ConfTool pages?
• Which logos should appear on the invoices and letters of confirmation?
• What is the standard contact e-mail address? It allows users to get in touch with the organizers and is shown in the footer of the ConfTool system. It is a good idea to create a dedicated conference e-mail address so that several people can access the incoming mails, for example in case of absence.
   

For the configuration of ConfTool you will have to enter further information and specify the settings, among them:

• General data such as name, place and date of the conference.
• What are the deadlines for the different phases? These can of course be updated later.
• What is the sender e-mail address for the confirmation e-mails sent automatically by ConfTool?
• The types of submissions that are supported. What are the requirements for the submission types and review forms?
• Which payment options will be offered? Is an online payment system required? This usually requires an additional contract with an acquirer (see Receiving Credit Card Payments).
• If you want to support direct bank transfer: what are the details of your bank account, and which reason for payment should participants provide?
• What is the address and tax number of the issuer of invoices?
• Which options (events and items) do you want to offer on the registration form, and what are the rates for the different participant groups and registration periods (e.g. early-bird rate)?
• Who is responsible for which tasks in the organization of the conference – and, as a result, who needs which access rights to the ConfTool system?

The Call for Papers should be published at an early stage, preferably already at the previous year's conference. The general conditions and deadlines must be pointed out to the authors in time to leave them enough opportunity to write their contributions. A successful conference stems from the contributions of the authors, so you should give your Call for Papers the attention it deserves.

The Call for Papers should of course also be published on your conference website. The following information is important:

• When are the deadlines for submission, when will the authors be informed about the decisions, and by when must the final version be handed in (if applicable)?
• How long should – or may – the contributions be?
• Templates for the submission should be available, provided that contributions are submitted as PDF or DOC files.
• When and where (through which publisher, in which series) will the accepted contributions be published?
• Will a Best Paper Award be given?

To make sure that the submission form matches what you announce in the Call for Papers, please also see Submission Module Configuration.

In addition, previous participants should be contacted by e-mail, press information should be released, and the event should be announced on other websites, for instance those of your institution and of associated organizations and alliances.

Once users have registered, they can enter their contributions in ConfTool. Throughout the entire submission phase, authors are able to access, revise or withdraw their submissions.

In this phase, the reviewers are not yet active, but their accounts can already be set up. They can then select their preferred topics and, where applicable, use the same account to submit their own contributions.

You can point your authors to our Instructions for Submitting Authors, which guide them through the whole process from creating an account to uploading the final version.

During this phase, reviewers and members of the program committee can indicate which contributions they would like to review and which ones they are unable to review, for instance because of a conflict of interest. The chairs of the program committee try to take these preferences into account when allocating contributions to the reviewers.

Worth the extra days. 
This phase can be skipped if contributions are assigned based on topics or other criteria. However, the bidding phase normally increases the quality of the reviews, as it reduces the risk of reviewers having to assess contributions that are unsuitable or of little interest to them.

In this phase, the chairs decide which contributions will be assigned to which reviewers for assessment. A detailed description can be found in How to Assign Reviews in ConfTool.

After the assignment, a bulk e-mail should be sent to the reviewers to provide them with the details of the review process and the deadlines.

At this stage, Phase 2 is usually closed: authors can no longer update their contributions or enter new ones.

During this phase, the contributions are assessed by the assigned reviewers. The reviewers get access to the contributions through ConfTool and enter their evaluations online via a web form. You can point them to our Instructions for Reviewers and PC Members.

In this phase, the program committee discusses and decides on the acceptance or rejection of contributions. The online forum of ConfTool Pro can serve as a discussion platform – see How to Use the Program Committee Online Forum.

The planning of the program begins here: which contribution is suited to which topic area and to which session of the conference?

Based on the discussion of the program committee, the chairs decide which submissions will be accepted and which will be rejected. It is also possible to define different formats of acceptance, for example "Accepted as Oral Presentation", "Poster" or "Work-in-Progress Paper". See Review Results and Acceptance Status for details.

The planning of the program should now be carried out and contributions allocated to the sessions of the conference. The event is scheduled and structured, rooms are reserved, and sessions, workshops and events are planned – see Create the Conference Agenda.

After all decisions for or against acceptance have been made, authors are given access to the results. They receive a bulk e-mail with the decisions and the feedback of the reviewers (ConfTool Pro).

On the basis of the reviewers' comments, authors can now revise their contributions and subsequently submit the final version for the conference.

Administrators can export the revised contributions and use them for publication on the internet, for the printed conference booklet, for a conference mobile app or for a browsable copy of the session overview.

Participants can now register online for the event via ConfTool. Further information on the preparation and implementation of this phase can be found in Configuration of the Participant Registration Module.

Registration does not have to wait until Phase 10. 
The registration module is independent of the submission and review process. Many organizers open registration earlier – for example right after the program has been fixed in Phase 7 – so that participants can book while interest is highest.