StudiesLife Science Conferences and Exhibits The Science Advisory Board recently asked 1,000 members to share their opinions on life science conferences and exhibits. Conferences play an essential role in promoting communication among life scientists. The rapid advances in science have led to an explosion in the number of conferences organized each year. The most important function of conferences is to provide a forum for presenting cutting-edge research. In addition, conferences offer attendees the prospect of identifying new research directions or approaches, networking with colleagues, developing collaborations, and advancing their careers. Trends in Scientific Conferences In 2002, The Science Advisory Board surveyed members on their experiences with conferences, so we were able to make some interesting comparisons regarding the changes that have occurred since then. Compared to 2002, the vast majority of scientists either place the same or a greater degree of importance on attending scientific conferences. This heightened importance is borne out by a 54% increase in the mean number of conferences scientists attended in 2002 as compared to 2008. Currently, the mean number of conferences scientists attend annually is 3.7. The vast majority of these conferences are on the smaller side with respect to the total number of conferees (100 to 1,000 people).  Given the trend toward smaller meetings, nearly one-third of scientists believe that large annual conferences (i.e., 20,000+ attendees) are no longer necessary. While nearly three-quarters of those surveyed had a definitive opinion regarding the future of “mega conferences,” half of respondents were uncertain as to how new media -- such as online conference reporting, attendees’ real-time blogs, podcasts of presentations -- would affect conference attendance. Of the remaining 50%, scientists were evenly divided as to whether they thought such advanced communication technologies would either increase or decrease conference attendance. The Ideal Scientific Conference While slightly more than one-half of the scientists surveyed attend small conferences (100 or fewer attendees), nearly two-thirds of respondents actually prefer conferences that are between 100 to 1,000 attendees in size. Study respondents also had specific preferences for conference length, cost, date, and location. The most popular choices were 2 to 3 day conferences, a $251 to $500 registration fee, May, and San Diego or San Francisco locations. The "Best" Scientific Conferences Members were asked to identify which conference they think is the best in terms of oral presentations, poster presentations, and keynote address/plenary lectures. Interestingly, almost 20% of respondents indicated the same conference across all four categories suggesting that when scientists think highly of a given conference in one area, they will, to some extent, think highly of the conference in other areas as well. Below are the top nominations for the entities organizing “the best” in these important categories: Best Oral Presentations 1. Keystone Symposia 2. Gordon Research Conference 3. (tie) American Association for Cancer Research and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Best Poster Presentations 1. Keystone Symposia 2. American Association for Cancer Research 3. (tie) Gordon Research Conference and Society for Neuroscience Best Keynote Address/Plenary Lectures 1. Keystone Symposia 2. American Association for Cancer Research 3. (tie) Gordon Research Conference and Society for Neuroscience ### On a lighthearted note, we presented the following scenario and question to members who participated in this study. You’re in charge of the National “Tots in Training Program: Raising Scientists for 2030 and Beyond” sponsored by your country’s leading science agency. In an effort to attract more exhibit hall traffic at scientific conferences, vendors have been contacting you to see what they should do to increase traffic of the “5 years of age and under set” at the exhibit booths. What would you recommend and why? To find out what your fellow members thought, read their recommendations here. [ View Current & Future Studies ] [ View Past Studies ] |
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