Dear SMBE Members:

Want to meet like-minded colleagues from all over the world?

Wish you could have an international conference in your field closer to home?

SMBE is looking for a local host for its 2024 international meeting. Informal expressions of interest should be from a prospective local organizing committee of scientists headed by an SMBE member and should reach SMBE President-Elect James McInerney by 30 March 2021. Full proposals will need to be submitted using the SMBE template by 15 June 2021. Please email your proposal to smbe.contact@gmail.com.

For details of meeting organization, please see the SMBE Conference Guidelines (and specifically Appendix 2 which outlines the format of proposals).

The primary role of the local organizing committee will be to plan the scientific programme. All other aspects of the organization will be done in association with SMBE representatives and a professional conference organizer appointed by SMBE in consultation with the local organizers.

SMBE rotates its meetings geographically to encourage international participation. For 2024, we are particularly requesting proposals from the Americas. The next three years' meetings will be virtual (2021), in Auckland, NZ (2022), and in Ferrera, Italy (2023).

Please note that SMBE is not interested in proposals from professional conference organizers.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

James McInerney
President-Elect, SMBE
smbe.contact@gmail.com

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SMBEv 2021 

A Virtual Meeting to Beat All Virtual Meetings
4-8 July 2021 (3-7 July in the United States)

We are in the first stages of developing our plan for our society’s annual meeting. We decided earlier in the year that the meeting this summer will be virtual (Auckland is postponed until 2022). Today, we are asking our membership for volunteers to help organize and deliver SMBE’s first (but probably not last) virtual meeting. 

This is your opportunity to help shape not only this year’s meeting, but future inclusive, distributed, and carbon-friendly society meetings!

What will the virtual conference look like? 

Our 2021 meeting will take advantage of a Hub model, which will allow us to reach and engage our global community. We will have THREE geographically distributed Hubs, one in Australia/Asia, one in Europe/Africa, and one in the Americas. Each Hub will coordinate roughly ⅓ of the Symposia (which will be solicited as normal), which will distribute the timing of the symposia themselves across time zones and encourage as much synchronous participation as possible. 

I want to help organize SMBEv2021! What role can I play?

There are lots of ways for you to get involved! You can volunteer to be a Hub Coordinator, a member of a Hub Team, a Symposium Coordinator, or to help during the conference to ensure that symposia, Q&A, and poster sessions run smoothly. 

We are now inviting proposals for Hub Coordinators and Hub Teams. (Deadline 31 January, 2021)

Hub Coordinators and Hub teams will take on a role similar to the local conference organising committee of in-person meetings, but without the hassle of booking local venues! Hub teams will:

- Collaborate with each other and with liaisons from the SMBE council for decision-making as to online platforms and other logistical aspects (e.g. timing of symposia and plenary talks, planning  “social” events) of SMBEv2021

- Collaborate to solicit symposia and distribute these among Hubs

- Deliver ⅓ of the conference, including ensuring that symposia within that Hub run smoothly, that members b

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Dear All,

I am writing to let you know that we have decided to cancel SMBE 2020 due to concerns about COVID19. The wellbeing of our communities is always the most important consideration. Please join me in thanking an outstanding local organizing committee in Québec City, particularly Nadia Aubin-Horth and Christian Landry. We hope to see you at a future SMBE meeting. 

We will provide more details on refund process in the near future. In the meantime, be well wherever you are. 

With best wishes,

Marta L. Wayne
President, SMBE

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Dear SMBE Members:

At this time, we are still planning to hold our annual meeting this summer in beautiful Québec City. Accordingly, we recommend that you register for the meeting and book your hotel room. Registration and hotel room deposits will be refunded in the event the meeting were cancelled by SMBE. However, if you have not already booked your flights or ground transportation, you may consider purchasing trip insurance or fares that allow for refunds, if available. Note that many airlines are introducing incentives to book tickets; this is a dynamic situation and offers vary by carrier, so investigate carefully.

We look forward to seeing you this summer in Canada!

Yours,
Marta L. Wayne
President, SMBE

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The abstract submission deadline for posters only has been extended to 30th March 2020 23:59 GMT. Please be aware that this deadline will not be extended and that applications for SMBE awards 2020 can now no longer be considered. Abstracts should be no longer than 2500 characters (~250 words), with a title no longer than 300 characters. Full details on abstract topics, guidance and the submission portal can be found here.

A range of sponsorship opportunities have been developed for the meeting, if interested please contact SMBE2020@mci-group.com.

For any queries over abstracts or registration, please contact SMBE2020@mci-group.com.

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We are delighted to announce that registration for SMBE 2020 is now live. SMBE 2020 is taking place in Québec city, QC, Canada on June 28th-July 2nd 2020 at the Québec Convention Center. Full details on the symposia programme and confirmed keynote speakers can be viewed here.

Information on the registration fees can be viewed here. Register before the early bird deadline on April 1st, 2020 in order to secure discounted registration rates.

Please note that in order to receive a discounted member-rate registration you will be asked to provide your SMBE member number. Active members were sent an email that includes their member number.

You can book your accommodation from a range of city centre properties from inside the registration system.

As always SMBE are keen to ensure good international representation. Support will be provided to all delegates that may require additional documentation in order to secure a visa to Canada. Please click here to check if you require a visa for Canada. You can request support for your Visa application within the registration portal. Select the Visa application support letter and submit the required details. You will then receive a covering letter confirming your attendance at SMBE 2020.

Childcare facility will be provided on-site for SMBE 2020 delegates. During the registration process please advise whether you would like to make use of the facility and add details on the age of your child. Further details will be shared on the facility nearer the time.

Attendees can apply for Carer Awards as part of conference registration rather than abstract submission, or by email to smbe.contact@gmail.com if an earlier response is needed. SMBE will make available up to $2000 to SMBE members with children or dependent adults (including adult children with a disability or elderly relatives) to spend as they wish to facilitate the member’s attendance at the annual SMBE meeting. Examples of eligible expenses include (but are not limited to) providing airfare for your child or for your caregiver to accompany you, flying a relative out to help with care at your home while you’re at the meeting, or extra help paying for on-site daycare. All other awards can be applied for during the Abstract submission portal.

Abstract and Award submission deadline.

The abstract submission deadline is fast approaching. The deadline for abstracts is 20th January 2020 23:59 GMT. Please be aware that the deadline will not be extended. Abstracts should be no longer than 2500 characters (~250 words), with a title no longer than 300 characters. Full details on abstract topics, guidance and the submission portal can be found here.

A range of

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