Why host the URMA annual conference?

URMA is the world’s only association dedicated to the success of professionals who communicate about university and institutional research. Organizing the URMA conference means hosting communications experts from top research institutions – giving you the opportunity to highlight your university or institution and its research profile.
 

URMA conferences are truly special. Few conferences offer the ability to connect with so many professionals who experience the same challenges and the same joys inherent in communicating about research at an institution. This is your chance to share your creativity and passion for research communications with your colleagues on a broader scale.
 

Hosting the URMA conference enables you to develop deeper relationships with other research institutions in your region. We encourage you to invite communicators from your own institution, as well as from nearby institutions. Building these relationships is beneficial when your institutions collaborate on research projects.
 

What does hosting entail?

As host, you’ll develop the conference agenda in consultation with the URMA board and in response to member feedback from the 2023 post-conference survey. You may feature your institution’s faculty and staff, as well as bring renowned outside journalists, communications professionals, and other speakers to your campus.
 

URMA conferences typically run from Tuesday – Friday, with Tuesday featuring a field trip to a nearby research facility or institution for a tour and conversation with the facility’s communicators. Over the years, for example, we’ve traveled to Oak Ridge National Laboratory, NASA’s Johnson Space Center, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. We’ve also been to museums, aquariums, river tours – anywhere that people communicate about research.
 

Typical attendance at an URMA conference is in the range of 30–60 people. The host contributes an amount ranging from $5,000 to $20,000, depending on variables such as speakers’ fees and catering and transportation costs. URMA pays for up to 50% of the total conference cost, depending on the number of registrations and travel grant recipients. URMA sets the conference registration (typically around $300 per member) and collects registrations.
 

The host is responsible for creating the agenda, marketing the conference, selecting the hotel and venues, arranging transportation to research facilities and tours, and hosting a reception. Often, the reception begins with a welcome by the institution’s top research officer, such as the Vice President of Research.
 

When is the proposal due?

The URMA Board is accepting proposals through Friday, August 25, 2023. Please follow the guidelines on the next tab.