Call for Hosting Venues  
AEC Events 2018-2020

 

 
The AEC is looking for member institutions willing to host AEC events in 2018, 2019 and 2020
 

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 5 main events. The frequency of the current existing events can vary (with the exception of the AEC Congress and IRCs meeting, which have a fixed annual pattern). In the near future new events and platform might come up and for those new call for venues will be launched. Similarly, some of the current platform meetings might slightly shift outside the AEC platform umbrellas and fall under the responsibility of some AEC member institutions or partner organizations. Please find below the overview of AEC Events:
 
AEC Annual Congress and General Assembly (Congress)
350 – 370 delegates
Second weekend of November – 3 conference days
Editions in need of a venue: 2019 and 2020

AEC Annual Meeting for International Relation Coordinators (IRCs Meeting)
200 – 220 delegates
September – 1 seminar(s) day, 2 conference days + networking day
Editions in need of a venue: 2018, 2019, 2020

AEC Pop and Jazz Platform (PJP)
120-150 delegates
First half of February – 2 conference days
Editions in need of a venue: 2018
2019
2020

AEC European Platform for Artistic Research in Music (EPARM)
100 – 130 delegates
Spring (April-May) 2 conference days (split on 3 days)
Editions in need of a venue: 2018 and 2019

AEC Early Music Platform (EMP)
80-100 delegates
First half of December
1,5 conference day
Edition in need of a venue: 2018
 
 

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 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: Reader, App, information documents, website, participants list, badges, folders
  • Others: slides, Signs in the building, , main management of functional desks (registration, finance, info), time keeping 

Hosting Institution

  • Negotiations with local hotels (prices and allotment)
  • On-site organization of dinners, lunches, coffee breaks arrangements
  • Local copy shop 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)
  • 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 on Sunday (compulsory for the IRCs meeting, optional for other events)
  • Providing information to the AEC office for the practical information section of the Reader (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 speakers
  • costs for all organized lunches
  • printing costs for exceptionally large printing runs (readers, participant list, handbooks)
  • 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
  • ONLY FOR CONGRESS: costs of the simultaneous translation services, travel and accommodation of interpreters, 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)
  • Cost related to the maintenance, arrangement, cleaning and safety of the facilities
  • Cost of audio recording of plenary sessions
  • 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/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)
  • ONLY FOR CONGRESS: cost of renting professional technical equipment for the simultaneous translation (boots and relevant equipment for 6 interpreters) and headsets (250) for the participants 
  • 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: 400 seats for the Congress, 250 for the IRCs Meeting, 150 for PJP and EPARM, 120 for EMP)
  • 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 5 rooms which could host about 30 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) 

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 7 rooms should have audio-visual equipment)
  • For the AEC temporary office: two printers, a copy machine, 4 computers with Windows operating system
  • For the desks: a printer 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)
  • 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) 

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. 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
  • The reason why you would like to host (including institutional anniversaries, inauguration of new facilities, etc.)
  • For PJP, EPARM and EMP: please explain the link between hosting the platform and your jazz/pop/world music activity and departments (for PJP), research activities and departments (for EPARM), and early music activities and departments (for EMP). 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
  • 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 deadlines indicated below. Please pay particular attention to the January 2017 deadlines for hosting AEC events in 2018.
 
AEC Congress and General Assembly (Congress)
AEC Congress and General Assembly 2019 – deadline for applications 31 March 2017
AEC Congress and General Assembly 2020 – deadline for applications 30 November 2017 

AEC Annual Meeting for International Relation Coordinators (IRCs Meeting)
IRCs Meeting 2018 – deadline for applications 31 January 2017
IRCs Meeting 2019 – deadline for applications 31 August 2017
IRCs Meeting 2020 – deadline for applications 30 November 2017 

AEC Pop and Jazz Platform Meeting (PJP)
PJP 2018 – deadline for applications – 16 January 2017
PJP 2019 – deadline for applications – 31 January 2017
PJP 2020 – deadline for applications – 30 November 2017 

AEC European Platform for Artistic Research in Music Meeting (EPARM)
EPARM 2018  – deadline for applications 31 January 2017
EPARM 2019 – deadline for applications 31 August 2017 

AEC Early Music Platform Meeting (EMP)
EMP 2018 – deadline for applications – 31 January 2017 
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 by email to events@aec-music.eu as soon as possible.
 
 
Should you want to know more about the specific events, you can refer to the following persons:

Sara Primiterra (AEC Events Manager) – events@aec-music.eu for all events
Eirik Birkeland (AEC President) – eirik.birkeland@nmh.no for Congress
Bruno Pereira (chairman of the IRCs working group) – brunopereira@esmae.ipp.pt for IRCs
Stefan Heckel (chairman of the PJP working group) – stefan.heckel@kug.ac.at for PJP
Peter Dejans (chairman of the EPARM working group) –  peter.dejans@orpheusinstituut.be – for EPARM
Peter Nelson (chairman of the EMP working group) –  peter.nelson@t-online.de for EMP