Hosting Venues for AEC Events

The deadline to apply to host AEC events in 2026 is 1st July 2024

Why Hosting an AEC Event?

AEC events are a unique networking opportunity for AEC members to meet and get to know fellow colleagues and institutions, engage in interesting discussions, exchange good practices and being active at international level. Hosting an AEC event enables members to make their facilities, departments, faculty and activities known and visible at international level. Furthermore, the hosting institution can take an active part in the shaping the event in many different ways.

Which Events is the AEC organizing?

The AEC is currently organizing 4 main events on yearly basis.

AEC Annual Congress and General Assembly (Congress)
400 – 450 delegates
Second weekend of November – 3 and a half conference days
Next edition in need of a venue: 2026

AEC Annual Meeting for International Relation Coordinators (IRCs Meeting)
200 – 250 delegates
September – 3 conference days split on 4 days
Next edition in need of a venue:  2026 a

AEC Pop and Jazz Platform (PJP)
170-190 delegates
February – 3 and a half conference days
Next edition in need of a venue: 2026

AEC European Platform for Artistic Research in Music (EPARM)
170 – 190 delegates
Spring (March-April-May) 2 conference days split on 3 days
Next editions in need of a venue:  2026

 

Should you be interested in organising an Early Music Platform Meeting in the future, please contact the AEC office at events@aec-music.eu

 

How does the organization of an AEC Event work?

Each event is organized by a specific AEC working group which has been following the organization and development of the event over the years. Each working group is formed by representatives of AEC member institutions and AEC office staff (the Events Manager and the CEO). A representative of the hosting institution joins the working group during the preparation year. In particular, the AEC Events Manager/Coordinator and the hosting institution work in close cooperation for the organization of the practical arrangements.

Division of Responsibilities

AEC (office staff and working group)

  • Theme, programme, content
  • Relations with participants: invitations, registrations, information, feedback questionnaires
  • Relations with speakers: selection, travel arrangements, hotel, financial coverage
  • Conference material: App, information documents, website, participants list, badges
  • Others: slides, Signs in the building, , main management of functional desks (registration, finance, info), time keeping, Zoom

Hosting Institution

  • Negotiations with local hotels (prices and allotment)
  • On-site organization of dinners, lunches, coffee breaks arrangements
  • Arrangement of local transfers (if needed)
  • Rooms, halls booking and set up (chairs, tables, keys), stage management
  • Technical equipment (internet access, beamers, laptops, microphones, sound system, recording and streaming equipment)
  • Staff support to prepare folders, manage reception desks and halls (students)
  • Music programme (short introductions and concerts)
  • Tour of the facilities
  • Organization of a networking activity (compulsory for the IRCs meeting, optional for other events)
  • Providing information to the AEC office on local practicalities  (ex. list of local restaurants, relevant addresses, useful telephone numbers)
  • Provision of some material onsite ( boxes, stationary, etc)
  • Conference bag and promotional material, CDs, maps, etc.
  • Press conference and publicity

Budget division

The AEC covers from the conference fees and its own budget:

  • travel, subsistence and accommodation expenses for AEC Office personnel
  • travel, subsistence, accommodation expenses and honorarium (if applicable) for invited non-local speakers
  • costs for all organized lunches
  • cost of the conference VIP dinner for speakers, staff and host
  • shipping costs for materials to be sent to and from the conference venue
  • fee waivers for 10 official representatives of the hosting institution attending the conference (individual registration required)
  • ONLY FOR CONGRESS: translation of written documents

The hosting institution covers:

  • Travel, subsistence and accommodation cost for local speakers (if applicable)
  • Costs related to the provision of the rooms and materials (chairs, table, flip charts, stationary) needed
  • Costs related to the provision of the required technical equipment including a stable and reliable wifi connection for all participants, microphones, sound system, computers and operating systems, printers, copy machines, projectors and technical support (technicians’ working hours) including technical equipment and staff for recording  and online streaming
  • Cost related to the maintenance, arrangement, cleaning and safety of the facilities
  • Costs related to the use of technical equipment in the temporary AEC office including printing and copying equipment (not used for exceptionally large print runs)
  • Cost of: one dinner for all Platforms and IRCs meeting delegates / two dinners for all Congress delegates
  • Cost of pre-concert snacks (if applicable)
  • Cost of coffee breaks (including refreshments for the working group meetings)
  • Any costs associated with organising the artistic programme (producing or arranging the possibility to attend)
  • Costs associated with organising the tour of the facilities
  • Cost of local transportation (if applicable) to organized dinners/lunches/concert venues
  • Costs related to the translation in the local language (if applicable)
  • NB: both AEC and the hosting institutions are allowed to have external sponsors in order to support their cost items

Requirements to host AEC events

There are several requirements which an AEC member institution needs to meet in order to be selected to host an AEC event:

Facilities

  • A concert/conference hall to host plenary sessions (minimum capacity: 450 seats for the Congress, 250 for the IRCs Meeting, 200 for PJP and EPARM)
  • 1 room to be used by the AEC staff as AEC temporary office during the week of the event (3 staff members for platforms, 8 staff members for Congress and IRCs Meeting)
  • 1 room to be used for working group meetings (10 people for IRCs and Platforms and 15 for Congress)
  • Several rooms for seminars and breakout group discussions, possibly designed as open spaces to be arranged according to the needs. The number of rooms and their size can vary from year to year according to the programme, but generally speaking:
  • For Congress: 12 rooms of different size, including at least 5 rooms which could host about 50-80 people
  • For IRCs meeting and Platforms: about 10 rooms of different size, including at least 4 rooms which could host about 40-50 people
  • A large area to be used as catering area (coffee breaks and meals if possible)
  • A large space at the entrance which could accommodate the AEC desks
  • Several movable chairs, tables and flip charts.
  • Main event location and hotels should be easily accessible by public transport or at walking distance (if not, local transfer should be guaranteed by the hosting institution)
  • The presence of a Sustainabile/Green Policy of the institution is an asset

Technical Requirements

  • A reliable and stable Wi-Fi network, capable of handling as many logins as the number of participants
  • Computers, projectors, screens, microphones and audio system in all rooms where this equipment is demanded (depending on the event, up to 5 rooms should have audio-visual equipment)
  • Equipment for recording in the main hall
  • For Congress: equipment for recording in 5 parallel rooms and for live streaming in the main hall
  • For the AEC temporary office: a copy machine which can be connected with external laptops, reliable and stable wifi
  • For the desks: tables and connection to electricity

Supporting Staff and Personnel

  • One person in charge of the organization from the hosting institution side. This person should coordinate all practical aspects and be the main contact person for the AEC office
  • An adequate number of technicians ready to support all technical aspects of the event (wifi, projection, audio, stage management, rooms set up, live streaming)
  • An adequate number of helpers (students or staff) to assist the AEC staff in the preparation and running of the event (folders preparation, participants check-in desk, guidance of participant, general information on the location) – normally 5 for platforms and 10 for Congress

Commitment

Institutions selected to host an AEC event confirm their commitment in advance by:

  • Signing a mutual agreement with the AEC stating the all organizational details, division of responsibilities, facility and technical requirements, deadlines and budget division
  • Inviting AEC members to the event they will host by giving a short presentation at the closing session of the previous edition

Selection Criteria

Venues for AEC events are selected by the relevant working group in collaboration with the AEC office staff. Final decisions are formalized and approved by the AEC Council or the AEC Executive Committee. Selections are made according to the following criteria:

  • How the applying venue meets the requirements listed above
  • Overall geographical balance among venues over the years
  • Thematic relevance of the venue (especially concerning venues for platforms)
  • Accessibility of the venue

Applications and Deadlines

Applications to host AEC Events should be sent by email to the AEC Events Manager Sara Primiterra at events@aec-music.eu and should include the following:

A letter, signed by the head of the institution, formally stating an indication of interest to host one or more AEC events. Please indicate:

  • The name of the event/s you would like to host
  • The year/s when you would like to host and possibility to host also in previous/following years
  • The reason why you would like to host (including institutional anniversaries, inauguration of new facilities, etc.)
  • For PJP and EPARM: please explain the link between hosting the platform and your jazz/pop/world music activity and departments (for PJP) and research activities and departments (for EPARM). Please describe the added value your institution could give to the event and/or how the event could help developing the above mentioned activities in your institution
  • A paragraph stating that your institution meets the requirement listed in this Call in terms of meeting spaces, technical equipment, personnel and budget
  • A detailed description of your venue with specific references to the facilities, technical and personnel requirements listed in this Call, , including a detailed description of the rooms and halls available and their capacity
  • Contact details of liaison person in your institution

AEC members interested in hosting one or more AEC events should reply to this call by the indicated deadlines

 

The deadline for applications to host AEC Events in 2026 is 1st July 2024

 

Should you potentially be interested in hosting one or more AEC events but still needing time to put together the required information before sending a formal application by the deadline, you are welcome to send an informal indication of interest at the latest 1 week before the official deadline of the call to events@aec-music.eu. Please note that if enough applications are received by the deadline, late applications will not be considered and that an indication of interest cannot substitute an official application.

Informal indications of interest and official applications to host AEC Events should be sent to:

Sara Primiterra (AEC Events Manager)  – events@aec-music.eu MAIN CONTACT PERSON for all events venues

according to the event please put in copy the following persons:

Deborah Kelleher (AEC President) – deborahkelleher@riam.ie and Finn Schumacker (AEC Executive Director) – finnschumacker@aec-music.eu – for Congress and General Assembly

Jan-Gerd Krueger (chairman of the IRCs working group) – j.kruger@pl.hanze.nl –  for IRCs Meeting

Jere Laukkanen (chairman of the PJP working group ) –  jere.laukkanen@metropolia.fi and Beatriz Laborda (AEC Events Coordinator) – beatrizlaborda@aec-music.eu for PJP

Stephen Broad (chairman of the EPARM working group) – s.broad@rcs.ac.uk and Beatriz Laborda (AEC Events Coordinator) -beatrizlaborda@aec-music.eu – for EPARM