Statement regarding UACES Annual Conference

Following a meeting on 19 February, the UACES committee has taken the decision to move to a fully virtual conference for our annual conference taking place from 6-8 September 2021. We came to this conclusion for a number of reasons. Chief among our concerns, given the international nature of the Association, was that it would be difficult for our members from outside the UK to attend in person - particularly given uncertainty around vaccine rollout timetables and requirements for international travel. Secondly, hybrid events (where people participate both in person and virtually) come with a high financial cost, which UACES would have had to pass onto its members via increased registration fees. Finally, we cannot be certain that governmental restrictions based on different European countries will not cause issues for individual participants and our planning of the event.

It is with great regret that we will not be meeting colleagues and friends in person in September, but we have taken this decision to protect the wellbeing of our members and staff and to provide certainty for the Association at this challenging time.

The UACES office will be working hard in the coming months to put together a programme that will take full advantage of the opportunities provided by virtual conferencing. We hope that the event will be useful and fruitful for all delegates and that it will provide opportunities for social interaction and networking as well as academic exchange. 

In light of the changes to the conference format, we have decided to extend the paper submission deadline to 1 April 2021. The conference dates will remain unchanged. We look forward to receiving your proposals.

We thank everyone for their patience in awaiting details of this year's conference and the understanding of why we have taken this decision.

The UACES Officers and Office