2021 ESA Annual Meeting
Virtually Anywhere
August 2 – August 6, 2021

Deadline: 5:00 PM Eastern (2:00 PM Pacific)
Thursday, April 22, 2021

All ESA Annual Meeting submission deadlines are 5:00 PM Eastern so that technical support and ESA staff assistance will be immediately available when submitters need it. If you begin your submission very close to the deadline, you are choosing to take a risk, and we will not make an exception if you don’t complete your submission in time. The form automatically closes at 5:00 EST / 2:00 PST whether you have completed your submission or not.

Event requests that are incomplete or received after the deadline will not be considered.

ESA meetings, open to ESA members and those interested in ecology, are among the most respected meetings of ecologists in the science community. ESA is committed to providing a safe, productive, and welcoming environment. All participants including, but not limited to, attendees, speakers, volunteers, exhibitors, ESA staff, service providers and others are expected to abide by the Code of Conduct for ESA Events. This Code of Conduct applies to all ESA meeting-related events including those sponsored by organizations other than ESA but held in conjunction with ESA events, in public or private facilities. In addition, ESA members and authors of ESA publications must adhere to the Code of Ethics for the Ecological Society of America.

About the 2021 Annual Meeting

In the interest of the health and safety of our attendees, ESA will once again transition its Annual Meeting to an all-virtual model.

How To Submit

You must submit your event request using the online submission form. Requests sent by email will not be considered. Click the link below to begin. You will be able to return to the proposal to edit it until the submission deadline has passed. Information on how to do so will be included in two automated emails you will receive, first when you begin and then when you complete your submission.

Begin an Event Request

About Social Events

Networking is one of the most important benefits of conference attendance. Whether it’s a small business meeting or a large evening mixer with food, beverages, and A/V, a little advance planning goes a long way. To help us provide the appropriate room setup and meet your logistical needs, anyone planning a social event (mixer, reception, business meeting) as part of the 2021 ESA Annual Meeting program is required to submit an event request in advance. Social events can be requested for Monday through Thursday. If you are requesting multiple social events, you should submit a separate request for each event. If you are holding an event offsite and would like us to include it in the online program, please submit an event request and provide the offsite location (including its address) in the Event Description.

Feel free to contact us if you have questions about planning your event. We can help you figure out what you need to request and if you are in charge of an event that ESA has hosted before, we can give you some idea of how many attendees you might expect based on past years.

Event Request Format

The information listed below must be submitted through the online submission form. It is provided here to assist you in planning your submission. The form may differ slightly from the version listed here. Event requests that are incomplete or received by email will not be considered. You may begin a submission and then return to edit it up until the deadline.

Components of an Event Request

For all events, you will need to provide the following information:

  • Event title
  • Event description. This will appear in the online program.
  • Organizer (name, institution, email, phone number)
  • Name of group organizing the event
  • Requested session day:
    • Any day
    • Monday
    • Tuesday
    • Wednesday
    • Thursday
  • Are there any other sessions proposed for the meeting that this session should NOT conflict with?
  • Is there a session (formal scientific session, business meeting, mixer) that this session is intended to immediately precede or follow?

If Confirmed

Everyone who has submitted an event request will be notified of their event’s status in May. All of the logistical concerns for the event will be handled through follow-up over email.

ESA may not be able to accept all event requests. Confirmation of an event request does not obligate ESA beyond providing a meeting space and including the event in the online program.

If you have questions during the planning process, please contact Christi Nam.

Cancellation Policy

Once an event request has been confirmed, cancellation imposes a serious logistical burden. Please do not submit an event request “just in case.” If for some reason you must cancel your event, it must be cancelled in writing (email is sufficient) by June 25, 2021. Cancellations after this date may incur a cancellation fee, especially if food and beverages have been ordered.

Important Dates

April 22, 2021 Deadline for submitting a social event request to ESA.
May 20, 2021 Organizers notified of event status.
June 25, 2021 Deadline to cancel a social event

Questions?

Christi Nam
Director, Conventions and Meetings
Ecological Society of America
1990 M Street, NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20036 USA
Phone: (202) 833-8773 x 213
Email: christi@nullesa.org