Host the 4th International Moon Village Workshop & Symposium in 2020 – Call for proposals

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Brief event description

The Moon Village Workshop & Symposium is the major annual forum organised by the MVA. It is devoted to discussions on different aspects of the exploration and utilisation of the Moon, and is focused on the most recent progress achieved by the MVA along the lines of its ongoing activities and on the future planning.

Typically, the event is held during November time frame and lasts for 2.5 days. It starts with an evening special and/or social events and continues through the following two full days. The program consists of both Plenary Sessions (that are held in a large hall) and Splinter/Working Sessions (that are held in smaller rooms).

Foreseen are two catered lunches and a catered dinner on the first full day, as well as coffee breaks every day and a cocktail reception the first evening. Total number of participants and accompanying persons can typically be in the range of 150-200 people, but the bigger number is welcome and should be envisaged.

Background

 The 1st International Moon Village Workshop, organised by the Moon Village Association (MVA) along with International Space University (ISU), took place in Strasbourg on November 19-21, 2017 , and gathered more than 150 participants (final report is downloadable from the MVA website https://moonvillageassociation.org/)  .
Th 2nd International Moon Village Workshop & Symposium was organised by the MVA in cooperation with the University of Southern California (USC) and the National Space Society (NSS) and took place at/near the USC campus on 4-5 November 2018. It had about 120  attendees.

Th 3rd International Moon Village Workshop & Symposium is scheduled for December 5-8, 2019 in Tokyo and Kyoto. It is being organised by the MVA in cooperation with Tokyo University of Science, Keio University and Kyoto University. The event is expected to have about 150-200 participants.

In accordance with the currently adopted MVA policy regarding the Association’s annual event, its location is to be alternated between Europe, the Americas and Asia. As a consequence, the 2020 event will be held in Europe.

Eligibility for participation in the Call

A proposal can be made by an MVA institutional or individual member, or a group of members, possibly in cooperation with a non-member organisation. 

What is expected from a proposer

  1. Letter of commitment from the host organisation.
  2. Tentative dates of the event.
  3. Proposed event venue with:
    • A large room for Plenary sessions, with the capacity to accommodate at least 150-200 people;
    • 5-7 small rooms for Splinter/Working Sessions to be held in parallel, with the capacity to accommodate 20-30 people each;
    • halls for coffee breaks, lunches and dinner (the dinner can be held in a separate venue, but this must be indicated).
  4. Proposed hotels in the vicinity of the venue, including the main one with which special prices for participants are going to be negotiated, and indication of what prices are expected.
  5. Tentative fees for different categories of participants, what they include (to mention specifically whether the dinner cost is included, and if not – how much per person one should pay) and how they are going to be collected.
  6. Indication of a capability to attract sponsors, both local/national and international ones.
  7. Indication of a possibility to engage the host organisation’s and/or its partners’ staff and volunteers to help with logistics (e.g. computers, presentations-related issues etc.).
  8. Indication of how visa issues are going to be handled.
  9. Proposals (if any) for accompanying persons to have tours, and related costs.
  10. Creation of a Local Organising Committee; the proposal should indicate who will comprise the Local Organising Committee (LOC).
  11. The Host organisation and LOC are expected to work closely with the MVA International Program Committee (IPC). The proposal should indicate who from the host organisation (if anyone) could be recommended to the International Program Committee.
  12. Tentative schedule for event planning and preparation, including:
    • confirmation of the dates and venue,
    • period and method of booking hotels for attendees, etc.
  13. Full financial report on the event will be submitted to the MVA two weeks after the event at the latest.
  14. Final report on the event as a whole, including resume of the presentations and discussions in the splinter sessions, organizational aspects, statistics, lessons learned etc. will be submitted to the MVA two months after the event at the latest.

What is expected from MVA vis-à-vis a bidder-winner

  1. Creation of IPC
  2. Creation of a dedicated event website
  3. Confirmation of the dates and venue, as well as schedule for event planning and preparation
  4. Confirmation of registration fees
  5. Handling of abstracts (uploading and selection) and papers
  6. Relations with speakers
  7. Advertising campaign, in particular using the MVA website and relevant international mass media, as well as massive emailing etc.
  8. Information for the event leaflet to be published by the host
  9. Permission to use the MVA logo in the event-related materials

Contractual aspects

 A contract between the MVA and the LOC regulating above mentioned as well as other financial and liability aspects will be signed at least 6 months before the event.

Regardless of whether the event is profitable or not, the MVA will get 50% of all the paid registration fees, however not less than 8000 Euros. The percentage rule applicable to any sponsor contract, be it negotiated by the host or the MVA, is subject to separate negotiations. 

Submission deadline, evaluation and results announcement

Proposals should be submitted to Oleg Ventskovsky (gro.n1734756588oitai1734756588cossa1734756588egall1734756588ivnoo1734756588m@yks1734756588vokst1734756588nev.g1734756588elo1734756588), with CC to Glafki Antoniou ( Âyc.1734756588gro.o1734756588esc@o1734756588sa-av1734756588m1734756588) on or before October 31, 2019

They will be evaluated by the MVA Board of Directors during the subsequent month. Requests for additional information or clarification might be sent to proposers as a part of the evaluation process, quick responses are anticipated.

The selection result is expected to be announced on December 6, 2019 during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo part of the 2019 (3rd) International Moon Village Workshop & Symposium.