WORKSHOP SUBMISSION

WORKSHOP PROPOSAL SUBMISSION IS NOW CLOSED

Conference-affiliated workshops are half day, full day, or two day events that are proposed and organised by individual researchers, if their proposal is accepted by the SMM2022 conference committee. SMM2022 workshops will be held on Saturday, December 11th and Sunday, December 12th, 2021, during the weekend just prior to the conference.

Workshop proposal submission is NOW CLOSED!

Workshops are open to all conference registrants up to the stated capacity of the workshop. We typically receive between 20-40 workshop proposals and have 12-16 rooms available per day, so we may not have space for all the proposed workshops.

Virtual participation in these workshops will depend on individual workshop organizers, but will not be included in the virtual conference experience. 

WORKSHOP PROPOSAL FAQ

WORKSHOP PROPOSAL EVALUATION

A group of reviewers approved by the SMM2022 Conference and Scientific Program Committee chairs will evaluate the workshop proposals and select those to fill the available slots based on their review scores. Other workshops will be placed on a waiting list and added to the schedule by rank order of their review scores if additional slots become available.

REQUIREMENTS AND FEES

SMM2022 workshop leaders (those who submit the proposal and organise a workshop) must be a member of the SMM. In appreciation of their contribution in organising a workshop, up to two workshop leaders are not expected to pay the registration fee for the workshop they organise (but will pay if they attend another workshop). Presenters at workshops (those who give a talk or take part in a panel discussion) are required to pay the workshop registration fee. If presenters are not registered for and/or do not intend to register for the conference, they will have to select the “Workshop Only” registration option before selecting workshop options. This option does not cost any additional money.  Individual workshop leaders can also request attendance by non-registered individuals (e.g. an invited speaker who comes only to give a presentation, not to participate in the complete workshop). Fee payment for workshops will only be available on the SMM2022 website, so workshop organizers will not have to deal with cash, nor arrange for A/V or coffee breaks, etc. 

Unless a proponent has specialized audiovisual equipment requirements, there are no additional fees to host a workshop as we assume that costs will be covered by the workshop participant fees, listed above.

* For the complete list of low income countries, please refer to the UN World Bank Country and Lending Groups list. For the current 2021 fiscal year, low-income countries are defined as those with a GNI per capita, calculated using the World Bank Atlas method, of $1,035 or less in 2019.

VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS

Virtual participation in these workshops will depend on individual workshop organizers, but will not be included in the virtual conference experience.

Workshop presenters who choose to offer a virtual component to their in-person workshops are responsible for any issues attendees may encounter.  SMM will not guarantee the strength of the WiFi for this type of program. We highly recommend that workshops planning on offering a virtual experience work with the convention center to set up and pay for your own internet/Wifi connectivity to guarantee proper connectivity.

If you are planning on offering a virtual experience, please be sure to notify the Workshop Coordinator (workshops@marinemammalscience.org).

SPONSOR SUPPORT

If workshops organizers can arrange financial support from individual sponsors or agencies to lower the cost to participants, that reduced cost will be shown on the workshop registration page and participants will only be charged for the remainder.

TEA / COFFEE BREAKS AND LUNCH

Tea and coffee breaks are included in the price for all workshops. No lunch option is available. We are instead recommending that full-day workshops allow at least 1.5 hours for lunch to allow time for participants to forage off-site at the many nearby food options.

NON-AFFILIATED MEETINGS

Individual conference attendees may wish to take advantage of the presence of colleagues at the conference and host additional non-SMM2022-affiliated workshops or organizational meetings, but they will be responsible for all logistics including reserving the venue for their meeting and covering the cost of the space, equipment, and refreshments. No assistance will be provided by the SMM2022 organizing committee other than providing a list of possible meeting sites and contact information (for a copy of the list send an email to workshops@marinemammalscience.org). No endorsement of such meetings by the SMM2022 organizing committee or sponsoring organizations is implied by such assistance.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What and When are the SMM2022 Workshops?

SMM2022-affiliated workshops are half-day, full day, or two day events proposed by individual researchers (the “workshop leaders”) and coordinated by them if their proposal is accepted by the SMM2022 conference committee. Workshops are typically a meeting at which a group of people engage in intensive discussion and activity on a particular subject or project. The format of such events varies widely and includes: a series of speakers and/or a panel followed by discussion, a training session on use of technology or data analysis; a small group effort to analyse data or draft an action plan, etc. Workshops are open to all conference registrants, and to those not attending the conference for an additional fee. The workshops will be held pre-conference on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th December, 2021.

What time are the workshops?

The majority of the workshops are either a half-day (8:30 AM – 12:30 PM and 1:30 PM – 5:30 PM) or a full day  (8:30 AM – 5:30 PM). Workshops of two day duration may also be offered.

Will I be able to participate in workshops virtually?

Virtual participation in these workshops will depend on individual workshop organizers, but will not be included in the virtual conference experience. More information on workshops that may offer a virtual experience will be released after workshops are posted for sign-in this summer (date to be announced). 

What time will rooms be available for set-up on the day of workshops?

Please note that rooms will be available as of 8AM, but workshops will start as of 8:30AM.

Where are the workshops being held?

Workshops are being held at the conference venue, the Palm Beach Convention Center.

Will lunch be provided during the workshops?

All workshops will include coffee breaks, but in order to keep workshop costs down, lunch options are not available. We are recommending that full-day workshops allow at least 1.5 hours for lunch to allow time for participants to forage off-site and will provide you with a list of nearby places to eat.

How many people can attend each workshop?

Most of the workshop rooms available are limited in size, so be sure to sign up early! Available rooms are a variety of sizes to accommodate 35-150 participants in classroom-style seating; however, participants numbers may be lower than in previous years due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

How much do workshops cost?

Most workshops cost $50 USD for a half-day workshop and $100 USD for a full day workshop. If you are not registered for the conference, you will be required to pay a supplemental workshop registration fee. Supplemental fees for those only attending a workshop (and not the rest of the conference) are as follows:

Members: $25 USD /day
Non-Members: $125 USD /day

Do I have to be registered for the conference to attend workshops?

In exceptional cases, individual workshop organizers can authorize attendance by non-registered individuals (e.g. an invited speaker who comes only to give a presentation, not to participate in the complete workshop). But preference will be given to those registered for the conference and non-conference registrants will have to pay a non-registrant participant surcharge (see above).

How do I sign-up for a workshop?

When available, you can sign up for workshops on the conference registration page. There you will see a list of the workshops being offered on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th December, 2021. You will only be able to sign up for one workshop per day (or two half-day workshops).

Be sure to register for workshops early as space is limited. Once a workshop is sold out, a wait list option will appear in case space opens up.  Those on the waiting list will not have to pay in advance, but will be contacted by email if a spot in their preferred workshop opens up and then they will be able to pay and complete their registration for the workshop.

What if I sign-up and a workshop is cancelled, or I have to withdraw?

Note that workshops may have to be cancelled if the organizers/presenters have scheduling difficulties or the workshop does not reach a minimum number of signups. If a workshop is cancelled those who have signed up will be notified by email, and registered participants will be given an option to switch to a different workshop or be reimbursed.

If a workshop participant withdraws within three weeks of the workshop dates (by November 20, 2021), a refund is possible – after that date no refund is possible. 

Help! I’m having trouble signing in and I want to register for a workshop!

This is probably a “cookies” or caching problem in your browsing software. Empty the cache/cookies in your web browsing software.

Another possibility is that one of the extra toolbars or browser add-ons is causing an unexpected problem. You might try registering using another browser.

  1. Open a new browser.
  2. Click HERE to login.
  3. Once you are signed in to SMM, move to the conference software.
  4. Select “Registration” from the provided options on the profile home.

Still having problems? Contact us at workshops@marinemammalscience.org.

Have a question about the conference workshops?

Contact our conference committee at workshops@marinemammalscience.org