ACM SIGCHI – Specialized Conferences policy ver 5

Effective Date: Jul 20, 2018 (validated by SIGCHI EC)
Replaces: – Specialized Conferences Policy Ver 5 (see revision notes at the end)

Responsible SIGCHI Officer: Vice-President for Conferences sigchi VP Conferences _at_ acm.org
Last update: December 23, 2019

1 ACM SIGCHI Specialized Conferences

The Specialized Conferences program of ACM SIGCHI (Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction) has gradually evolved and has now become a significant part of the conference program that ACM SIGCHI offers the HCI community at large. This program includes all conferences involving ACM SIGCHI other than the annual CHI conferences.

The relationship between a conference and SIGCHI can be of three mutually exclusive types: sponsored, co-sponsored or in-cooperation. The purpose of the conferences is to promote the domain of Human Computer Interaction and ACM SIGCHI as a leading international professional society in HCI. ACM SIGCHI sponsored and co-sponsored conferences aim at the highest standards in terms of quality of the technical content as well as long lasting research areas. Conferences may include workshops, tutorials, panels, posters or other venues open to ACM SIGCHI members and others.

1.1 Sponsored, co-sponsored and in-cooperation conferences

Sponsored – ACM SIGCHI bears sole legal and financial responsibility (including risks and benefits) for the conference.

Co-Sponsored – ACM SIGCHI shares the legal and financial responsibility (including risks and benefits) with one or more societies. Societies can be either other Special Interest Groups (SIGs) at ACM or other non-profit professional societies (such as IEEE or IFIP). Co-sponsorship involving an organization external to ACM requires a joint sponsorship agreement.

In-cooperation – ACM SIGCHI cooperates in the promotion of a conference but carries no legal or financial risks or benefits, and does not take responsibility for the organization of the conference.

All ACM SIGCHI (sponsored, (co)-sponsored and in-cooperation) conferences offer ACM SIGCHI members the lowest available registration fees appropriate to their category of membership.

1.2 Technical scope

ACM SIGCHI shall primarily rely on the enthusiasm and interests of the HCI community to propose conferences and shall not dictate which themes should be the subject of one conference or another providing the proposed conference is consistent with the declared aims of ACM SIGCHI. The aim of ACM SIGCHI is to support the evolution of particular communities as the general HCI community evolves and diversifies. Beyond that, ACM SIGCHI policy with sponsored and (co-)sponsored conference is to cover the various areas of HCI and to avoid (as much as possible) overlap of research topics between conferences. While this is true for conferences dealing primarily with research topics (such as ICMI for multimodal interaction or UIST on user interface technologies), conferences targeting at application domains (such as Mobile HCI or HRI on Human Robot Interactions) are more likely to provide overlapping content when dealing with theories or development processes (for instance).

1.3 Technical quality

Specialized Conferences differ greatly in their character. Some serve primarily academic communities, others serve primarily practitioner communities, and some serve very mixed communities. Therefore this policy paper does not define the way in which all Specialized Conferences should manage the technical quality of their respective technical programs.

It is generally expected that the core technical program of conferences will comprise contributions that are subject to external review prior to acceptance and published in proceedings for the benefit of the community at large. In this context, contributions may be published in any archivable media, for example print, CD-ROM, Web format and entitled to be available from the ACM Digital Library.

1.3.1 Sponsored and co-sponsored conferences

ACM SIGCHI has a reputation for technical excellence that should be maintained by the sponsored and co-sponsored conferences. The organizing and program committees of each conference are responsible for ensuring that high standards of technical excellence are achieved. Program committee members of those conferences should have demonstrated good publication record in the topics addressed by the conference. SIGCHI carefully maintains a page on “how to organize a sponsored conference”. It is essential and expected that all conference chairs will be aware of, read and follow the guidance provided including the SIGCHI statement on inclusiveness which states that:

“SIGCHI strives to be inclusive for all its members and potential members. Conference committees should consider conditions that might prohibit or exclude members of our community participating when making site selections.”

Conference proceedings for ACM SIGCHI sponsored and co-sponsored conferences must be included in the Digital Library. Please view the ACM Authors Rights page for information on ACMs Publication Policy and different options for managing the rights and permissions associated with authors work.

SIGCHI has a default Policy for Submission and Review at SIGCHI Conference. This default policy for “Submission and Review” applies where a conference has not proposed and had approved their own policy. If a conference wishes to develop its own policy then who approves it depends on how it varies from the default. For example, if a conference wishes to add to the default policy and this does not run counter to the intent of the existing policy then this can be approved by the SIGCHI VP for Publications. However, where a conference wishes to remove, replace or alter aspects of the default policy then such a conference specific policy must be approved by the SIGCHI EC.

SIGCHI has a policy for the Live and Recorded Video for all SIGCHI Conferences.
Organizers of co-sponsored conferences must contact ACM Headquarters to see if a publication agreement with the co-sponsoring society exists. If not the ACM Director of Publications will work out an appropriate agreement. This agreement must be in place when the co-sponsored TMRF is submitted for approval.

1.3.2 In-cooperation conferences

The technical quality of the conference program is the responsibility of the conference organizing committee. The technical quality of the conference program is a determining factor in ACM SIGCHI’s evaluation of all in-cooperation requests. SIGCHI carefully maintains a page on “how to organize an in-cooperation conference”. It is essential and expected that all conference chairs will be aware of, read and follow the guidance provided.

The conference proceedings of an in-cooperation conference can be included in the Digital Library subject to prior agreement with the ACM. Conferences seeking to be in-cooperation with SIGCHI should also know that if they are also planning to apply for the ACM ICPS ( International Conference Proceedings Series) that they:

Do not simultaneously apply for ICPS publishing and sponsorship, co-sponsorship, or in-cooperation status with ACM or an ACM SIG. ACM will immediately terminate applications that do. Conference leaders wishing to secure cooperating status with an ACM SIG, should first apply for cooperation. Following approval, conference leaders may submit a request for ACM publishing services through the ICPS program. Further, all events with SIG In-Cooperation status are expected to pay the ICPS fee as described HERE. SIGCHI WILL NOT pay the fee on your behalf.

The ACM is an international organization and conference leaders are expected to follow our guidance including our SIGCHI statement on inclusiveness which states that:
“SIGCHI strives to be inclusive for all its members and potential members. Conference committees should consider conditions that might prohibit or exclude members of our community participating when making site selections.”

SIGCHI provides cooperation to many conference through the ACM in-cooperation process. From 2007 to 2016 SIGCHI was in-cooperation with 290 conferences. 55% of these conferences were in Europe, 20% in North America, 12% in Asia, 6% Oceania, 5% South America and 2% were in Africa.

1.4 Visibility

Appropriate ACM SIGCHI channels should be used to promote conferences.

1.4.1 ACM SIGCHI logo

In all cases the ACM SIGCHI logo[1] must be used where reference is made to ACM SIGCHI in conference collaterals.

SIGCHI Logo

1.4.2 ACM conference calendar and ACM SIGCHI conference calendar

Conferences organized under the auspices of ACM SIGCHI should be listed in both ACM conference calendar http://www.acm.org/calendar-of-events and ACM SIGCHI calendar of events http://www.sigchi.org/conferences.

1.4.3 Conference Web sites & Email Alias

Each sponsored or co-sponsored conference should have a web site. ACM SIGCHI encourages sponsored and co-sponsored conferences to host their web pages through ACM. If the committee requires a conference web page, conference blog/wiki, or access to listservs for conference advertising the request can be made here: http://campus.acm.org/public/infodir/menu.cfm

If the committee requires email addresses please email the request to: ishelpdesk@hq.acm.org

1.5 Conference Management for sponsored and co-sponsored conferences

The following requirements must be met:

1.5.1 Responsibilities of the organizing committee

The following responsibilities must be explicitly assigned to members of the organizing committee for the conference:

Overall quality of the conference and primary liaison with ACM SIGCHI and ACM
The quality and content of the technical program
Financial management

1.5.2 Composition of the organizing committee

Sponsored conferences

The General Conference Chairs/Chairs and Conference Treasurer taking on the responsibilities mentioned in section 1.5.1 are required to be members of ACM and SIGCHI.

Co-sponsored conferences

At least one of the officers must be an ACM and ACM SIGCHI member. If ACM SIGCHI co-sponsors to a level of 50% or more then the ACM SIGCHI member should have assigned responsibility for one of the following positions: general chair, program chair or treasurer.

1.5.3 Conference report

The organizing committee and steering committee must report on the performance of the conference to the ACM SIGCHI CSCC annually. We would encourage each conference and conference series to carefully document and report the details of the conference to share with both their community and subsequent chairs. Aspects of these reports will naturally feed into any conference series handbook which each conference may develop.

The minimum report consists of three slides on – status, attendance details, financials, closings figures from the ACM, upcoming initiatives and issues. However, conferences are also expected to highlight topics they wish the council of steering committee chairs to consider and discuss.

1.5.4 Conference languages

The working language(s) and the language(s) for all publications are at the discretion of the organizing committee. In cases where the conference proceedings are not in English, the proceedings published in the Digital Library must include an English title and abstract for each contribution.

SIGCHI Executive Committee (EC) decision on re-publication of work in English that was previously published in another language. English is considered the international language of ACM SIGCHI and its journals and conferences. Work that has previously been presented or published in a language other than English may be translated and presented or published in English in SIGCHI journals and conferences insofar as ACM SIGCHI is concerned. The original author should typically also be the author (or co-author) of work translated into English and it should be made clear that this is a translation. We encourage authors whose work was originally published in languages other than English to do this if they feel their work is of sufficient relevance and quality to be useful to a wider international audience. We encourage conference technical chairs and journal editors to make it clear that papers which are otherwise acceptable should not be rejected on the basis that they have previously been published in a language other than English. In some cases, work originally published for a very select regional audience may be improved by rewriting (as well as translating) so that the relevance to a wider audience is clarified.

Of course, it is not acceptable to translate the original work of another author and present it as one’s own. Authors wishing to publish in English a work originally published elsewhere also need to check their original copyright agreement with the original publisher to make sure that this is permissible according to that agreement.

1.5.5. ACM Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment for Members and Event Attendees

ACM has developed a Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment that applies to all ACM-related activities, including any conferences, symposiums, meetings or other events sponsored by a SIG. It also applies to communications sent through official communication channels for any such activity or event, including social media. You should review and link to the full policy in advance of your event; it is available at [Policy].

2 Rights and duties of ACM SIGCHI specialized conferences

ACM SIGCHI provides a set of benefits to the organizers and the organization of conferences under its umbrella. It also imposes a set of duties to the communities running these events. The list of duties and benefits are listed below. They are different according to the type conferences.

2.1 Sponsored conference and (co-) sponsored conferences

Conferences in these categories are the main conferences of ACM SIGCHI in terms of size of attendance, quality and close relationship with the HCI domain. As decided by SIGCHI Executive Committee (EC) SIGCHI provides additional benefits than the ones offered by ACM.

2.1.1 Benefits of being an ACM sponsored event

ACM takes the legal and financial responsibility
The conference is advertised through ACM channels (ACM web site, ACM calendar of event)
Proceedings go to the ACM Digital Library as an ACM sponsored conference
Publishing support from Sheridan (publication time can be shorten but usually 8 weeks including production time)
A web site at ACM e.g., http://www.acm.org/uist/uist2011/
Free advertising (1 page) in Communications of the ACM magazine (distributed monthly to about 60 000 readers)
Pay beforehand expenses (block hotel rooms, convention center, …) according to budget that has to be approved beforehand
Organizers are allowed to have ACM logo on the conference web site

2.1.2 Duties of being an ACM sponsored event

Prepare required documentation including PAF (Preliminary Approval Form (18 months prior to the conference) and TMRF (Technical Meeting Request Form)

Must produce a positive (>0) budget (part of the TMRF) to be approved prior paying expenses (contingency~15%) and with an ACM/SIG overhead (contingency will not appear in the final budget). For physical events the overhead is 10% of expenses. For virtual events, or mixed virtual-physical events, the overhead is the greater of (a) 10% of expenses or (b) the last approved overhead for a physical conference.
Proceedings go to the ACM DL
ACM (co-)sponsored conferences are expected to be long lasting series of events. It is thus expected that all the events within the series will remain with the ACM (co-)sponsored status
Organizers must have the ACM logo on the conference web site
Registration and proceedings fees will be the same for ACM and ACM SIGCHI members as for other sponsoring organizations and there will be no differentiation in fees between academic and corporate participants registration fees

2.1.3 Benefit of being a >=50% SIGCHI (co-) sponsored conference

- Proceedings of all SIGCHI sponsored and co-sponsored events will be included in the ACM Digital Library. All SIGCHI members will have access to the SIGCHI content in the DL
- Following a conference the SIGCHI operations group will endeavor to add an index to your proceeding to our OpenTOC, SIGCHI Open Table of Contents
- Proceedings go to the ACM DL under SIGCHI SIG page: http://dl.acm.org/sig.cfm?id=SP923
- SIGCHI will pay the expenses for utilizing ACM SIGCHI’s preferred submissions system, Precision Conference Solutions (PCS) – conference logo appears on login page of PCS
- SIGCHI will pay the expense for utilizing ACM SIGCHI’s preferred registration management company (Executive Events), to setup registration site (CVENT) and the per registrant price (but not any credit card fees).
- Free advertising of the conference (1 page) in Interactions Magazine (distributed freely to all the SIGCHI members)
- Free use of SurveyMonkey for running surveys about the conference (with support from SIGCHI Operations Group)
- Conferences may include a flyer in the conference attendee bags at the ACM CHI Conference (Human factors in computing systems)
- Conference student attendees can apply for support from the SIGCHI Student Travel Grant program
- Conference can apply for support from the Specialized Conferences Development Fund based on historical view

SIGCHI Capture Stations for video recording of sessions are available upon request and can be shipped to conferences at the expense of the conference budget (along with other costs). The ACM SIGCHI policy for the Posting and Streaming of Video for all SIGCHI Conferences should be consulted for key issues on video use.

The chair of the conference steering committee may request a “SIGCHI Specialised Conferences Development Fund” grant. Requests for such grants are based on a historical view of the finances of the conference and are approved by the SIGCHI Conferences Board. Full details can be found on this page. Please note this replaces any previous versions of this type of support which been called by our community the “carry forward”, “community grant”, “community fund”, “surplus”, “return”, “float” or “rollover”. None of those terms now apply.

2.1.4 Duties of being a >=50% SIGCHI (co-)sponsored conference

Organizers must have SIGCHI logo on the conference web site
Conference must have a steering committee (SC) in place
The steering committee chair (or designate) is a member of the SIGCHI Council of Steering Committee Chairs (CSCC)
The steering committee chair (or designate) is expected to attend the yearly CSCC meeting (travel and expenses covered by SIGCHI) usually in November/December
The steering committee chair should make themselves aware of the details of each years TMRF and budget
Each steering committee chair is listed on SIGCHI web site here http://www.sigchi.org/people/officers
The chair of each SC is responsible for providing an annual update on their conference series as requested by the Vice President for Conferences
The chair of each SC is responsible for making any SIGCHI specialized conference development fund request and for ensure a final report is submitted when the funding has been employed, prior to any subsequent awards
Organizers must ensure they are aware of the current ACM SIGCHI overhead percentage prior to submitting a TMRF. This amount is set by the SIGCHI Executive Committee and may vary over time

2.2 Co-Sponsored conferences (less than 50% SIGCHI sponsorship)

2.2.1 Benefits of being a less than 50% SIGCHI (co-) sponsored conference

Free advertising of the conference (1 page) in Interactions Magazine (distributed freely to all the SIGCHI members)
Proceedings of all SIGCHI sponsored and co-sponsored events will be included in the ACM Digital Library. All SIGCHI members will have access to the SIGCHI content in the DL.
Conferences may include a flyer in the conference attendee bags at the ACM CHI Conference (Human factors in computing systems)

2.2.2 Duties of being less than 50% SIGCHI (co-) sponsored conference

There are no specific duties. All the ACM and SIGCHI duties presented above (section 2.1.2 and section 2.1.4) apply.

2.3 In-Cooperation conferences with SIGCHI

2.3.1 Benefits of being an ACM in-cooperation event

The conference is advertised through ACM channels (ACM web site, ACM calendar of event)
In-cooperation conferences may request to have Proceedings included in the ACM Digital Library. Requires approval from ACM SIGCHI.
Discount for advertising (1 page) in Communications of the ACM magazine (distributed monthly to about 60 000 readers),
Organizers must have ACM-in-cooperation logo on the conference web site.

2.3.2 Duties of being an ACM in-cooperation event

Must produce a TMRF (Technical Meeting Request Form (12 months prior to the event),
Must produce a positive (>0) light budget (part of the in-cooperation TMRF) to be approved (little details are required),
Organizers must have ACM-in-cooperation logo on the conference web site
Submit a short report to in-cooperation contacts after the conference has occurred.

2.3.3 Benefit of being a SIGCHI in-cooperation event

Discount advertising of the conference (1 page) in Interactions Magazine (distributed freely to all the SIGCHI members)
Organizers are allowed to have SIGCHI logo on the conference web site
If approved, proceedings can be included in the ACM DL under SIGCHI (all SIGCHI member (even if they are not ACM members) can access the proceedings). If the event does not have its own publisher and would like ACM to publish the proceedings volume in the ACM Digital Library, the organizers are required to apply to the ACM International Conference Proceeding Series (ICPS). Details on ICPS and a link to the online ICPS application form can be found here: http://www.acm.org/publications/icp_series/
After several successful event the organizers of the conference series can apply for a (co-) sponsored status with ACM SIGCHI

2.3.4 Duties of being an ACM SIGCHI in-cooperation conference

No additional duties with respect to ACM in-cooperation (see section 2.3.2).

3 ACM SIGCHI

3.1 What is SIGCHI?

ACM’s Special Interest Groups (SIGs) represent the major areas of the dynamic computing field. A primary source of original research and personal perspectives from the world’s leading thinkers in computing and information technology, they foster technical communities within their respective specialties across countries and continents.

The Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) currently has 37 Special Interest Groups. ACM SIGCHI is one of these “SIGs” with thousands of members. The ACM maintains a page on ACM Special Interest Groups (SIGS) Volunteer Resources. The ACM SIGCHI itself is run by an Executive Committee (EC), which includes elected officers, the immediate past president, editors of membership publications, and appointed office-holders. This committee organizes the activities of SIGCHI on behalf of its members and is guided by the ACM Structure and Function of a Typical SIG.

The VP for Conferences chairs SIGCHI Conferences Board and the SIGCHI Council of Steering Committee Chairs (CSCC). All steering committee chairs, of a SIGCHI Specialized Conference organized under the auspices of SIGCHI with a (co-)sponsored status of at least 50% sit on the CSCC. The CSCC meets annually (typically just before the CHI PC meeting).

Further, the ACM SIGCHI aims to support international and interdisciplinary initiatives for the exchange of ideas about the field of human-computer interaction. The SIGCHI Executive Committee’s “Development Fund” provides resources to alleviate some of the constraints that can stifle the exchange of ideas across our diverse community and around the world.

3.2 Contact points for ACM SICGHI specialized conferences

People able to provide you with helpful information in order to organize a specialized conference are listed on SIGCHI web site at the following address:
http://www.sigchi.org/people/officers

4 How-to information for organization of ACM SIGCHI specialized conferences

This document is only the ACM SIGCHI policy on conferences. Thus it only presents general aspects of organizing conferences under ACM SIGCHI.

4.1 Organizing (co)-sponsored conferences

For tactical information on how to organize conferences you should refer to the ACM Conference Planning Guide. Please note, in mid-2018 the former “ACM Conference Handbook” and “Conference Manual” were replaced with this new Conference Planning Guide.

4.2 Establishing an ACM SIGCHI in-cooperation conferences

4.2.1 Contact information

Your Primary Contact for the in-cooperation conference is:

At ACM (for TMRF and/or budget, logistics, …)
Diana Brantuas
ACM Office of SIG Services
2 Penn Plaza, Suite 701
New York, NY 10121
Email: incoop@acm.org or brantuas@hq.acm.org

At SIGCHI (for scientific questions and/or organizational aspects)
ACM SIGCHI Vice President for Conferences
Email: sigchi-VP-Conferences – at- acm.org

Step 1: Submitting the TMRF

The first step the committee must take in order to get an in-cooperation event approved, is to complete and submit the TMRF (Technical Meeting Request Form). This form is completed by the General Chair, Treasurer or Program Committee chair.

The TMRF must be fully filled in for submitting it for approval. However, it can be filled in in several passes. If you plan to finalize the TMRF later on you must store the URL of the TMRF you are filling in. Otherwise you can contact ACM staff (see contact information right above) to get the URL of your TMRF.

Where do I fill out the TMRF?
http://www.acm.org/sigs/volunteer_resources/conference_manual/incoop

What information needs to be provided on the TMRF?
The committee will provide some basic information about the conference including: dates of the proposed event, indicate whether or not it requires proceedings, and indicate what the Call for Papers deadline is. The form is short and should not take very long to complete. This form gives ACM HQ and the SIG Leaders the information necessary in order to evaluate the event being proposed to ACM and the SIG.

What happens after the TMRF is submitted?
Following submission of the Preliminary Approval Form [TMRF]:
The organizer will receive a confirmation email once we receive the form.
The information from the TMRF will be forwarded to the ACM SIGCHI VP for Conferences (see contact right above) for review and endorsement. This process can be iterative as feedback will be provided to the organizers if approval is not granted.
If the event is approved, the organizers will receive a letter from

How far in advance should the committee submit the TMRF?
ACM SIGCHI recommends submitting this form 12 months prior to the proposed conference date. In the event is an annual event we recommend the TMRF to be submitted by organizers of event “n” enough ahead so that approval can be granted prior the occurrence of the even “n-1”.

For which kind of reasons an in-cooperation status with ACM SIGCHI can be refused?
In any case, prior to rejection a dialogue will take place between the ACM, the VP for Conferences and the organizers of the event. Examples of rejection can be:

Topics of the event are not (explicitly) related enough to the field of HCI
The program committee list does not contain (enough) specialists in the area of HCI to review the submissions
The submissions’ evaluation does not clearly mention peer reviewing and the number of reviews for each submission
The format of submission is based on abstracts and not full (or long) papers
The event is overlapping with a similar event (in terms of topics and/or public) already approved
The event is too small
The event takes place within a conference (as a workshop for instance) which might lead to confusion (if the conference is not within SIGCHI for instance)

APPENDIX: Web pages and letters to be signed corresponding to the submission of the TMRF for ACM SIGCHI in-cooperation conferences

This annex is composed of the 4 main web pages corresponding to the TMRF and of two letters that have to be signed by the organizers of the event.

The leadership of the ACM sub-unit reviewing the submitted TMRF will consider the following:

Dates

Does it conflict with other conferences or symposia that the members of this Special Interest Group might attend?
Is there is a potential overlap of audience? Conferences cannot be approved without the consent of the conference chair of the already approved conference.
Is it a good time of year with regard to workload of the proposed audience?

Technical Merit

Are the conference organizers credible in this technical area?
Does the conference chair have the time to make this conference a success? Does he/she have other commitments which might interfere in the overall management of this project?
Will the technical content attract the audience that the organizers have in mind?
Is this audience part of the membership of SIGCHI?
Will the attendees of this conference be sought after as members of your Special Interest Group?
Does this conference substantially overlap with an existing conference enough to impact it?

Financial Considerations

Who is taking the financial risk?
Is that organization the same who stands to gain from hosting this conference?
Is the fund balance of the guarantors large enough to cover 100% loss?
Are there any other sources of funding?
ACM In-Cooperation Arrangements

The in-cooperation form is only to be utilized by conferences seeking ACM/SIG Cooperation. This means that ACM and SIGCHI lend their names but do not share in the financial support or in the surplus or loss of the conference.

Meetings approved for Cooperation may be advertised as “In-Cooperation with ACM SIGCHI”. The term ‘pending’ cooperation may not be used.

The sponsors must provide copies of the Certificate of Insurance for liability coverage for the sponsoring organization. For conferences held outside the United States, if the organization is unable to provide a Certificate of Insurance the sponsor MUST provide a letter on the organization’s official stationery indicating that they are taking full financial and legal responsibility for the event. (A template for such letter is provided at the end of this annex.)

The following conditions must also be met for approval of all conferences:

A signed Statement of Understanding and Hold Harmless Clause must be submitted with the completed TMRF (a template is provided at the end of this annex)
A brief report must be submitted in writing within 120 days after the meeting to the appropriate ACM/SIG Staff Liaison. The report will be forwarded to the leaders of the sponsoring ACM sub-unit for review. The report will be utilized to consider cooperating support for future conferences. It should summarize the following:
- Number of attendees in each of the registration categories
- General assessment of the technical quality of the papers
- General assessment of the quality of the presentations and associated events
- Any problem areas encountered by the meeting
- A financial report of the conference
Resolution of the Free Circulation of Scientists

September, 1974
The XV General Assembly

Having been informed of a number of cases in which bona fide scientists from National adhering bodies of the International Scientific Unions had recently been prevented from attending symposia organized by these Unions through a refusal to grant entry visas and, recalling the earlier decisions taken by the ICSU emphasizing the right to free movement of scientists in this connection, draws the attention of the individual scientific unions and other ICSU bodies to the following guidelines and recommends their adoption:
- Before Symposia or Meetings are arranged:
  an assurance in writing should be obtained from the organizers in the country concerned that visas will be granted to bona fide scientists if proper applications are made, and
  the unfortunate consequences which may arise through failure to grant visas should be communicated to the organizers of the symposia or meetings involved.
- The procedure recently adopted by the IUPAC is commended for observance by other union, namely:
- that application for visas where necessary should be made to the appropriate authorities not less than three months before the date of the symposium or meeting, and if these visas are not granted or promised in writing one month before the date of the event, sponsorship should be withdrawn, and,
- arrangements for future meetings in any country found unable to comply with these principles should be suspended until more satisfactory circumstances exist.
- National adhering bodies of the ICSU should urge the authorities in their countries to facilitate attendance and exit visas for scientists to attend such meetings in the same way.
- Each Union or other ICSU body should inform the ICSU and its Scientists of cases in which withdrawal of sponsorship has become necessary so that other Unions may take this into account in making their own arrangements for meetings and symposia.
- The Chairman of the Committee for Free Circulation and the Secretary General of the ICSU should maintain a record of cases reported, to which scientific unions and other ICSU bodies may refer.
ACM Resolution on Sponsorship of International Conferences as Passed by the ACM Council
May 25, 1975

Moved: ACM Council, desirous of encouraging open information exchange and complete scientific freedom, subscribes to the following policies relating to international scientific conferences sponsored by, or held In-Cooperation with, ACM:
- The Council endorses the September 1972 addition to the Statutes of The International Council of Scientific Unions, and affirms that official ACM participation in all conferences shall be guided by the principles expressed in that provision: “In pursuing these objectives of the ICSU, the (ICSU) Council shall observe the basic policy of nondiscrimination and affirm the rights of scientists throughout the world to adhere to or to associate with international act regard to race, religion, or sex.”
- Council indicates that the implementing guidelines contained in the Resolution on the Free Circulation of Scientists of the ICSU XV General Assembly shall be followed to the extent possible in developing implementing procedures specifically meant for ACM sponsored conferences in or outside the United States, recognizing the responsibility of the ACM Council as final arbiter in such matters.
It is the viewpoint of the ACM Council that the computing community should support only such conferences, whether ACM sponsored or not, that subscribe to these guidelines. However, ACM or any of its sub-units shall not enter into formal agreements on international conference sponsorship or participation unless the sponsoring organization in the host country has agreed to adhere to these principles.

Letter of Financial responsibility

Financial Responsibility Letter for use with organizations that can not provide a Certificate of Insurance
- This letter must be place on the Sponsoring Organization Letter Head
- This letter must be signed (any un-signed letter will delay the processing for approval)
ACM-SIG Services
2 Penn Plaza, Suite 701
New York, NY 10121

[___enter date___]

To Whom It May Concern:

RE: [__name/year of conference__] and the Association for Computing Machinery In-Cooperation

The [__name/year of conference__] taking place on [__dates of conference__] in [__location of conference__] is sponsored by us, [__name of sponsor__].

We, the sponsors for this conference, take 100% financial responsibility. ACM SIG [__List all the SIG sub-unit(s) for which cooperation was requested__] hold no responsibility, financial or otherwise, for this conference.

We are unable to submit a Certificate of Insurance for the following reasons:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

Sincerely,
[______SIGN HERE______]

[___Title___]
[___Name___]

Statement of Understanding

Statement of Understanding for ACM In-Cooperation Conferences

The enclosed In-Cooperation Technical Meeting Request Form has been prepared to the best of my ability.

It is complete and accurate. If this conference is approved for ACM Cooperation, it is agreed that:

ACM members will be permitted the same fees for registration, proceedings etc. as members of the sponsoring organization(s).

The conference will provide one complimentary copy of the Conference Proceedings to ACM for archival purposes. That copy should be sent to: ACM SIG Services Department, 2 Penn Plaza, Suite 701, New York, New York 10121.

All publicity relating to this conference is to state that the meeting is “In-Cooperation with ACM.” The ACM logo with a registered trademark symbol must be displayed and may be obtained from ACM Headquarters SIG Services Department.

I am informed of the ACM policy on free circulation of scientists as it applies to the ACM Resolution on Sponsorship of International Conferences of 25 May 1975 and of the spirit and intent of the relevant Resolution on the Free Circulation of Scientists of the International Council of Scientific Unions [See Guidelines]. I know of no aspect of the proposed meeting, which is contrary to this intent.

I accept full responsibility and liability if I fail to comply with the ACM policies and procedures.

Signature _____________________________________________
Conference Chair

Date ________________________________

Signature ____________________________________________
Sponsoring Organization Representative

Date ________________________________

_____________________________________________
Sponsoring Organization Name

_____________________________________________
Representative Name and Title

Hold Harmless Clause for In-Cooperation Conferences between the
Association for Computing Machinery, Inc.

(hereafter known as “ACM”) and,

Name of Conference: ______________________________________________________

Dates of Conference: ______________________________________________________

Location of Conference:____________________________________________________

hereafter known as the “Conference”, and

Sponsoring Organization: __________________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________________________

hereafter known as the “Sponsor(s).”
The Sponsor(s) assumes entire responsibility for the legal and financial liabilities associated with the above named Conference.

The Sponsor(s) agree to hold harmless and indemnify ACM, its directors, officers, employees, agents, and assigns from and against any and all liability, loss, requests for payment, damages to persons and property including loss of use thereof as well as fines and penalties imposed by any governmental or regulatory authority and reasonable attorneys fees and disbursements in connection with the above captioned event.

In addition, the Sponsor(s) acknowledges that ACM does not maintain insurance covering the Sponsors and it is the sole responsibility of the Sponsor(s) to obtain comprehensive General Liability and Contractual Liability insurance to insure losses or casualties associated with the Conference.

The Sponsor(s) also acknowledge that there is a financial risk involved with sponsoring the Conference, and that the Sponsor(s) alone shall bear the burden of financial loss to the Conference.

I certify that I am an agent for the sponsoring organization and have the authority to make legal commitments for the organization.

For _______________________________________________________________

Date ________________________________________________________________

Name of Organization _____________________________________________________

By
Signature _____________________________________________________________

Print Name _____________________________________________________________

/
[1] The logo is available at the following address http://www.sigchi.org/logo.jpg
[2] Page one is very simple and is directly accessible from
http://www.acm.org/sigs/volunteer_resources/conference_manual/incoop

Revision notes

Ver 3 to 4: section 1.5.5 was updated due to new ACM policy Against Discrimination and Harassment for Members and Event Attendees

Ver 4 to 5: section 2.1.3 was updated based on the change of how we work with our preferred registration system. And section 4.1 was updated to note the ACM Conference Handbook and Conference Manual have been replaced with the ACM Conference Planning Guide.

Specialized Conferences