[Bldg-sim] Call for Proposals to host Building Simulation 2025

[Paul Strachan]

*Building Simulation 2025: Call for Proposals*

The board of IBPSA is pleased to issue the following call for proposals 
from parties interested in hosting the international conference Building 
Simulation 2025. A complete proposal should be sent to the Conference 
Committee chair, Paul Strachan (p.a.strachan at strath.ac.uk), no later 
than 30th April 2022. Discussions with the Conference Committee chair of 
potential proposals prior to the due date are encouraged. The proposal 
should address the following items:

•    proposed venue
•    dates
•    details of conference secretariat
•    organisation time line
•    format of conference (see below)
•    details of rooms for plenary sessions, parallel sessions and posters
•    availability of free Wi-Fi connections for participants
•    detailed budget in local currency and in US dollars, including 
estimates of registration fees for both on-site and on-line 
participants, as appropriate
•    discussion of possibilities for sponsorship
•    details of the conference presentation schedule (e.g. number of 
parallel and plenary sessions),  including innovative ideas for 
conference delivery methods and audience interaction
•    publication of proceedings
•    details of accommodation, including costs, for delegates and students
•    social events
•    options for pre and post conference tours, software demos and courses
•    options for programme for accompanying persons
•    involvement of existing or planned IBPSA Regional Affiliate(s)
•    experience of the organising committee with IBPSA and with 
organisation of similar conferences. Note that the BS’19 conference had 
around 1000 participants.
•    conference software for scientific review and registration: 
Conftool (https://www.conftool.net) is the preferred option as it has 
been widely used in previous conferences and there is support for its 
use by IBPSA.

Format of conference
IBPSA is aware of the need to reduce environmental impact of 
long-distance flying, but also recognises the benefits of face-to-face 
exchange of ideas and networking opportunities, and the timing 
difficulties with interactive on-line sessions for a global audience. 
IBPSA’s preference is for a hybrid conference with a high quality 
on-site conference, whilst also allowing on-line participation from all 
time zones.  Proposers should give a clear and costed description of 
their proposed conference format. Proposers should address how they will 
accommodate on-line attendance for all time zones, and whether they will 
allow on-line presentations.

Proposers should also describe how they would approach conference 
delivery if travel is severely restricted. This might include issues 
such as moving fully online and the cost implications of cancelling 
venues and other activities.

To assist your decision there are several documents available (please 
email the Conference Chair for information):

•    The IBPSA Regionalization Guide (available at 
http://www.ibpsa.org/downloads/IBPSA-Regionalization-Guide.pdf) 
describes IBPSA’s regionalization plans: we schedule all of the Building 
Simulation conferences in regions with existing affiliates or regions 
that are starting a new affiliate organization. In a region currently 
without an affiliate, we will only consider holding the conference there 
if a regional affiliate organization will be in place by the time of the 
conference.
•    Final reports for previous Building Simulation conferences, which 
include details of organization, finances (e.g. planned budget and 
actual expenses), post-conference surveys and other information useful 
to organizers of future Building Simulation conferences.
•    A document on sponsorship contains suggestions regarding the 
exposure and benefits of Building Simulation sponsors.
•    A recent Memorandum of Understanding serves as an example for the 
contract which will be agreed between IBPSA and the organizers of 
Building Simulation 2025.
•    A budget template.

Proposals will be evaluated using the following criteria:

•    Attractiveness and accessibility of location - is this location 
likely to attract delegates from around the world? (10%)
•    Affordability of venue - is the combination of registration fee and 
accommodation costs likely to be acceptable to potential delegates? (In 
this respect, a range of accommodation types including student hostels 
is a benefit.) (10%)
•    Quality of conference plan and facilities - are the facilities and 
conference plan conducive to a well-run environmentally sustainable 
conference? (10%)
•    Format of the conference – does the format appear attractive for 
both on-site and on-line participants (10%)
•    Likelihood of financial success - will the conference financial 
plan likely lead to breaking even (at least)? Is the conference likely 
to be affordable for a range of participant types? A financial plan that 
does not rely on unconfirmed sponsorships to break even is strongly 
preferred. (20%)
•    Approach to conference delivery in the event of severe travel 
disruption. (5%).
•    Support of IBPSA goals - will choosing this proposal help draw new 
members into IBPSA (in new regions) or support membership in existing 
regions? (5%)
•    Diversity of location - is this location sufficiently distant from 
recent conferences? (10%)
•    Regional participation - is the proposal well-supported by 
volunteer effort from the regional affiliate and/or nearby regional 
affiliates? (10%)
•    Experience of members of the organizing committee with IBPSA, and 
with organizing IBPSA affiliate conferences or conferences similar to 
Building Simulation. (5%)
•    Industry input – are there good prospects for participation by 
practitioners alongside researchers (5%)

The final decision regarding the location of Building Simulation 2025 
resides with the IBPSA Board of Directors and will be made following a 
thorough evaluation of all submitted proposals.

A decision regarding proposals can be expected by the end of June 2022.

Paul Strachan
IBPSA Conference Committee Chair
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