Organising a SIGCHI In-Cooperation Conference

Welcome, this page is designed to help if you are organizing an ACM in-cooperation conference related to ACM SIGCHI. (last updated 10th July, 2018)

This page is SIGCHI’s introduction prior to you reading the main ACM page on in-cooperation events which is essential to read. Applying to be in-cooperation with ACM SIGCHI is not the same as applying for ICPS. This are two distinct things (see the note on ICPS below).

This page is not for you if you are organizing a sponsored or co-sponsored conference.

Before starting, we would suggest you read through all these topics and use this page as a reference as you plan your event. Next, we would remind you of the ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct which is essential reading. We would also suggest that you direct any of your fellow organisers or chairs to review this also.

Before TMRF Approval

If your start up questions have been answered, then this section covers questions you might have before leading upto any preliminary approval.

What does the ACM have to do with SIGCHI specialized conferences?

SIGCHI is part of ACM that has its policy and procedure guidelines on conference organization. The ACM maintain an single ACM Conference Planning Guide. In addition, the ACM provides a page with access to a wide range of other Volunteer Resources which could be of use.

What are the benefits/constraints from ACM SIGCHI in-cooperation conference?

Discount on placing an advert in CACM, lightweight process. Note, access to the ACM DL is outside this process so we would direct you to ICPS (which involves cost).

ICPS?

ICPS is not part of the in-cooperation application process. ICPS is the International Conference Proceedings Series of the ACM. ACM’s International Conference Proceedings Series program offers a low-cost alternative to other publishers and venues. The ICPS process can be found here.

One important note of caution: “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.”

How do I get secure “cooperating status” from the ACM SIGCHI for my conference?

You should submit the ACM In-Cooperation Technical Meeting Request Forms (TMRF).

If the review of your Technical Meeting Request Form (TMRF) is approved and SIGCHI in-cooperation status is granted then you will receive a letter confirming this from the ACM Director of SIG Services (along with details of any other SIGs you have requested in-cooperation status, who have granted it). This letter will outline how you can use logos along with further details on advertising, registration rates and the requirement to submit a post event report.

General Considerations

This section covers general questions you might have after (TMRF) approval has been granted but before the conference itself starts.

What logo should I use?

If the review of your Technical Meeting Request Form (TMRF) is approved and SIGCHI in-cooperation status is granted then you will receive a letter confirming this from the ACM Director of SIG Services. This letter will indicate that you are allowed to place the following two logos together on your website and in your conference literature.

The following format should be used and should include both the ACM in-cooperation logo and the SIGCHI logo. It is important that you do not include ACM in the name of the event or conference, instead you can indicate the event is in-cooperation with SIGCHI.

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.

Planning the conference

This section covers questions you might have around topics which will present themselves during the conference itself. We would recommend reviewing these in advance of the conference!

Accessibility

The following does not constitute legal advice.

The particular country, area and venue for your conference each impact on any advice which can be given, what we suggest here is that you need to develop an accessibility policy. SIGACCESS has developed a very useful guide on how to make your conference accessible. In addition there is a SIGCHI accessibility community

From 2016 the SIGCHI accessibility community has been further discussing food and they would ask that site selection takes into account food alternatives.

At a minimum, we suggest that you please identify someone on your organising committee with the term accessibility so people know whom they can contact if they need help. Better yet, have documentation online to describe how you are handling accessibility requests. SIGACESS have a Guide to Creating a Conference Accessibility FAQ Page: http://www.sigaccess.org/welcome-to-sigaccess/resources/creating-a-conference-accessibility-faq-page/

If you setup an accessibility page we encourage you to use the following format (or a redirect URL_for_your_website/access (as this is what the SIGCHI accessibility community suggest)

The best course of action is to have an accessibility chair so its clear where requests should go. SIGACCESS has developed a very useful guide on how to make your conference accessible http://www.sigaccess.org/welcome-to-sigaccess/resources/accessible-conference-guide/ In January 2018, Jennifer Mankoff created and started maintaining this new page Really Brief FAQ on Making your Conference Accessible

Children at conferences

We recognize that for many parents, managing children during a conference can be complicated. You’ll need to develop a policy if you expect to have children attend your conference. In particular, each country, area and venue for your conference can impact the decisions you’ll need to make, but you will need to have a policy in place. While this does not constitute legal advice, such policies should reflect the work nature of conferences, what standards are communicated to parents who bring children, registration of children to attend events (without registration, insurance and liability can be problematic), access to events where alcohol is served, safety with respect to dangerous equipment/setup, etc. These issues can expose the conference to insurance and liability issues, as well as impacting the experience of your attendees.

Gary Marsden

The key line in what is to come is “as well as other HCI relevant conferences”

In recognition of Gary Marsden’s contributions and inspiration in HCI4D and support of HCI in the developing world, ACM SIGCHI established the Gary Marsden Student Development Fund in 2015. This fund is especially intended for sponsoring postgraduate students (Master or PhD degree) from and currently based in developing countries to attend SIGCHI (co)sponsored conferences as well as other HCI relevant conferences. For more information about applying for funding, see the PDF document at Gary Marsden Student Development Fund”

After the conference

This section covers questions you might have about what needs to be done, after a conference is over.

General Topics

This section covers general questions you might have.

What is the ACM SIGCHI?

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 SIGCHI 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 organises the activities of SIGCHI on behalf of its members.

What are ACM SIGCHI Specialized Conferences?

ACM SIGCHI Specialized Conferences are all conferences other than CHI that involve ACM SIGCHI (Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction) as sponsor or co-sponsor, or are in-cooperation with another party.

Why engage with the ACM SIGCHI on your conference organization?