Dear SIGCHI,

If you filled out the CHI 2022 executive team’s recent survey, you know that they are thinking deep and hard about whether or not the conference should have an in-person component. They are committed to offering a fulfilling return to in-person conferencing, while prioritizing health and safety, equity, and financial responsibility, and doing so amid the ongoing COVID and climate crises is no easy task.

There are many unknowns. For example, it is unclear at present what restrictions the ACM can mandate at in-person events (e.g., vaccines, masks). We do not know who all, from our global community, will be in a position to attend. We also cannot be certain how the financial implications will change as we get closer to the conference dates. CHI-related decisions have consequences for how our community develops, in the short and long term, and also how we support SIGCHI activities taking place through the year and across the globe.

To discuss all of the above, and move us towards a shared understanding around this complex decision-making, the SIGCHI EC and the CHI ’22 team would like to host a town hall (in two sessions, to accommodate various time zones) for members of our community, including organizers, potential attendees, and future attendees.

Join us on Friday October 15 at 3-4pm UTC or Tuesday October 19 at 10-11am UTC. We apologize for the short notice, but timing is unfortunately tight at this moment. For those unable to attend, the sessions will be captioned and shared online. You can also use this sli.do link to participate anonymously.

The CHI 2022 team will also be sharing their analysis of the survey results shortly, and we’ll forward along a link to their blog when this is online.

Regards,
SIGCHI EC