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Call for Bids to Host AAMAS'2009
Background
Bids are solicited to host the Eighth International Joint Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems in 2009 (AAMAS'2009).
The initial AAMAS conference (AAMAS'2002) was held in Bologna, Italy as a joint event comprising the 6th International Conference on Autonomous Agents (AA), the 5th International Conference on Multiagent Systems (ICMAS), and the 9th International Workshop on Agent Theories, Architectures, and Languages (ATAL). It was attended by 700 researchers. AAMAS is now firmly established as a single conference, and is the biggest and most influential conference in the area of agents and multagent systems.
Subsequent AAMAS conferences have been held in Melbourne, Australia (July 2003), New York, USA (July 2004), Utrecht, the Netherlands (July 2005), and Hakodate, Japan (May 2006). AAMAS 2007 will be held from May 14th to 18th, 2007, in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, and AAMAS 2008 will be held in May 2008 in Estoril, Portugal.
AAMAS brings together researchers and practitioners in all areas of agent technology such as software agents, multiagent systems, synthetic agents, robotic agents, human agent interaction, and mobile agents. The AAMAS Joint Conferences include a variety of activities, including technical sessions, tutorials, associated workshops, and social events. The conference website provides links to each of the conferences.
The AAMAS Joint Steering Committee now invites bids for hosting AAMAS'2009.
AAMAS'2009 will be held at dates to be determined in consultation with the successful bid team, preferably in Spring or Summer 2009. Based on past experience and trends we expect the attendance of AAMAS'2009 to be between 500 and 800 people. Bids from all geographical regions will be considered.
Bidding Procedure
All correspondence regarding bids should be directed by email to Jeff Rosenschein, co-chair of the AAMAS Joint Conference Steering committee.
Bids should be made by individuals or small groups, with the backing of a host institution (typically a university or research center). Groups or individuals who are planning to submit a bid should notify Prof. Rosenschein of their intention as soon as possible.
Submission Deadlines
Bids for AAMAS'2009 must be submitted NO LATER THAN December 31, 2006.
Bids are geared towards determination of responsibility for local arrangements and designation of Local Arrangements Chair. Bids will be reviewed by the AAMAS joint steering committee and the board of conference sponsor IFAAMAS (the International Foundation for Autonomous Agents and MultiAgent Systems). The outcome of the site selection will be announced in April 2007.
A bid should consist of a short statement that explains why you meet the criteria below. Bids should be no more than a few pages in length, and at this stage, detailed financial projections are not necessary. (Ballpark financial figures --- such as cost of meeting rooms and equipment, and estimated cost of hotel rooms --- are useful, however.) Each bid should clearly identify the authors, including full contact details.
Criteria for Assessing AAMAS Bids
The following criteria will be used for evaluation.
Site Location --- attractiveness to conference attendees [as well as those accompanying the attendees (i.e., nearby attractions, tours, restaurants, night clubs, etc.)]. Will people *want* to attend?
Accessibility --- location with respect to major air routes and local transportation (trains, buses, automobiles). Function as a gateway city serviced by both domestic and international airlines; ease of connecting to local transportation.
Dates/Time --- relation to possibly conflicting special or local holidays; to other conventions or special events at the same time or immediately before or after the conference.
Climate/Season --- particularly as these factors affect availability of rooms and rate structure (and provide some negotiating edge with the hotels).
Facilities --- quantity, quality, flexibility, availability of meeting rooms, meeting support services, and exhibition hall. This factor is linked to the choice of accommodations (below), as it may be desirable to co-locate meeting facilities and accommodations.
Initial financial information --- cost of meeting rooms and of equipment (projectors, etc) necessary for sessions. Provide preliminary information regarding any space rental fees that may have to be paid by the conference.
Accommodations --- ability to accommodate the anticipated numbers of conference attendees, with a range of income levels.
Experience of the local organizers in organizing and handling projects of comparable size and complexity
Supporting Scientific Community --- the presence of regional and local research communities to support the conference and which will benefit from its presence.
Supporting Local Industry --- is there local/national industry that may be willing to support the conference in some way?
Volunteer Labor --- availability of an active local group willing to help out before, during, and after the conference.
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