Conferences are gatherings of people with common objectives, organized to exchange ideas, views and information of common interest to the group. An organization, usually an association, will organize a convention each year with a theme related to the organization’s topic. Those interested in registering for the convention can pay the association a fee for all the sessions, discussions, food and beverage, dinners, and site visits.
Types of conferences
- Conference
- Symposium
- Seminar
- Colloquium
- Workshop
- Roundtable
Conferences
Conferences can be large society meetings (e.g. SACNAS, ACS, AAAS), smaller annual conferences for Centers or targeted focus groups
Attendees/participants are students, academic, industry or government researchers, sometimes administrators.
Participants submit abstracts to present data (oral or poster), engage colleagues, get feedback, learn to hone presentation skills, learn from others in the field, network.
Attendees could be a speaker in one session and a learner/participant in another session.
Conferences usually have one or more keynote or plenary speaker(s). These speakers are lecturers who present a high level overview of their own work or career.
Symposium
A Symposium is a meeting or small scale conference in an academic setting where participants are experts in their fields. The experts present or deliver their opinions or viewpoints on a chosen topic for discussion. Symposia are particularly good for student speakers as it allows them to practice and get feedback on their own work.
Seminars, Colloquium
Seminars are a type of conference or other meeting typically designed for training. Departments often host regular seminars of student speakers or invited guests.
Colloquia are informal meetings or seminars on a broad topic usually led by a different lecturer at each meeting.
Roundtables and Workshops
Round table discussions: Participants discuss a specific topic. Each person around the table interactively participates. Workshops are usually interactive training where participants actively engage in activities rather then passively listening to a lecturer. Workshops are usually moderated by a lecturer or facilitiator.