Along with our conference organisers, Copernicus, we aim to improve the experience of General Assembly attendees year on year. Following feedback from participants in 2017, we’ll introduce some changes we hope will make the 2018 edition of our meeting even better! This post highlights a few of the changes that returning participants will notice at next year’s conference.
An ever-growing number of participants means making way for more presentations, posters and PICOs, so in 2017 we created an extended Yellow Level. Not only were you able to register there, it also accommodated extra space for posters and two PICO spots. As we expect 2018 to be another bumper year in terms of participation, the extra space at the front of the conference center is set to return.
We also wanted to make the experience of presenting a poster a more comfortable one; at the 2018 conference we will introduce all new poster boards. They’ll be made of a robust wooden frame, which will be filled with more padding, making them a lot more stable and able to absorb more noise from the busy poster halls. And with more presenters wanting to use their laptops or tablets to expand on their presentations, the new boards will also incorporate a larger table to facilitate discussion. Plus, they will be fitted with handy storage for poster tubes and backpacks.
The scheduling of the conference programme will also see some changes at the upcoming General Assembly. Oral blocks will be limited to 90 minutes, meaning there will be no 7th presentations anymore. In addition, while in the past solicited talks could be up to 30 minutes long, from 2018 onward they will be no longer than 15 minutes and limited to one per session. And finally, so that those presenting posters in the afternoon are not in competition with short courses, no workshops will take place during time block 5, but instead some will be scheduled from 19:00 onward.
And, in 2018 there is more reason than ever to become an EGU member. If you register to attend the conference before 1 March 2018 and you are an EGU member, your weekly ticket will cost €390. A similar early-bird discount is available to non-members, but weekly ticket costs are significantly higher: €530. A similar pricing structure is in place for PhD students who are EGU members. Those registering after 1 March will no longer enjoy early registration discounts, regardless of their membership and career status.
Finally, we are taking steps to make the General Assembly greener. Not all the details are confirmed just yet, so stay tuned to the blog for details of our green initiatives for EGU 2018.
So, now that you’ve heard about what’s new for EGU 2018, don’t miss the deadline (10 January 2018) to submit your abstract! Especially if you intend to apply for Roland Schlich travel support, the closing date for applications is right around the corner: 1 December!
We look forward to seeing you in Vienna!
EGU 2018 will take place from 08 to 13 April 2017 in Vienna, Austria. For more information on the General Assembly, see the EGU 2018 website and follow us on Twitter (#EGU18 is the official conference hashtag) and Facebook.
