Information for attendees
The conference is taking place at the Bournemouth International Centre (BIC)
Badges
Conference attendees are asked to always wear their badges and lanyards while in the conference venue.
The badges provided are intended to last for the duration of the conference, however if your badge gets damaged, please go to the registration desk where a replacement can be printed.
Lost badges will be replaced at the discretion of the conference organisers. A replacement fee may be charged.
Bags and Security
The venue security staff will be undertaking bag checks on entry to the centre, therefore please only bring necessary items into the venue to avoid delays. Please avoid bringing large bags and suitcases to the venue – they will need to be searched.
Please do not leave any bags unattended around the venue.
Cloakroom
There is a cloakroom in the main foyer by registration for coats and bags. This is operated by the venue and there will be a charge for depositing items in the cloakroom.
The Society accepts no responsibility for any items which may be lost or damaged.
Conduct policy
The Society operates an event conduct policy and requires attendees to always adhere to the policy while in the conference and its associated events. The full text of the policy can be found at rss.org.uk/conduct.
If you wish to raise concerns or complaints under this policy, please contact the registration desk or reach out to a member of RSS staff who can be identified by their badges.
Conference App
The conference app is where you can view the most up to date information about the conference programme, plan your conference diary, message other attendees, submit feedback and questions.
A link with login details will be sent to all attendees in advance of conference – the email will go to the email address you used to register (please check your junk/spam folders). The conference app is provided by Brief2Event using the CrowdComms platform.
There will be a help desk for any issues with accessing the app situated near to the registration desk in the Windsor foyer.
Conference directory
The conference directory provides information about the programme, the exhibition and sponsors, venue plans and other logistical information.
Daytime Catering
Lunch as well as tea/coffee on arrival, at the mid-morning break and the mid-afternoon break is provided as part of your conference fee.
All refreshments will be served in the Windsor Hall.
There may be queues for refreshments, especially at lunchtime, so we do ask you to be patient and stagger your arrival at the serving points wherever possible. There will be multiple serving points please make use of all of them as this will keep the queues shorter.
The organisers have arranged for as much seating as possible to be available in the catering area but there will not be enough for everyone at the same time. Please be considerate of those who require somewhere to sit.
Dietary requirements
At lunchtimes for those attendees who have notified the organisers of special dietary requirements* please go to one of the serving points where a member of catering staff will be able to assist.
For the conference dinner please collect a place card on arrival at the Bournemouth Pavilion.
The conference organisers have passed all dietary requirements notified to us during registration to the venues for lunches and the conference dinner, however it is not always possible to provide dietary options for the other evening social events. If you are concerned about this, please contact the RSS conference team.
Menu information will be provided in the conference app.
* There will be vegetarian options provided at lunchtime which do not require any special arrangements.
Evening social events
There are no tickets for these events, however, please only attend if you have pre-booked during online registration as we are only catering for the number of people booked. If you are not sure whether you have booked, please contact conference@rss.org.uk in advance of conference or ask at the registration desk.
Both the welcome reception and dinner venues are around 5 minutes’ walk from the conference centre.
Exhibition
Please make time to visit our exhibitors. The exhibitors’ stands are in the Windsor Hall alongside the catering area. This area will be open at the following times:
- Tuesday 8 September 8.15am – 5pm
- Wednesday 9 September 8.30am – 7.30pm
- Thursday 10 September 8.30am – 4pm
Inclusion and wellbeing
We are trialing inclusion and wellbeing activities during the conference including breathwork and chair yoga sessions during breaks – please refer to the conference directory and programme for more details.
Local information
Information about the local area and amenities, including maps and guides, can be found here: www.bournemouth.co.uk
Meeting areas
Apart from the seating available in the Windsor Hall alongside the exhibition there are meeting areas available around the centre that can be used for informal meetings including the Bayview Gallery, Chine Lounge and the Windsor Bar.
Mobile devices
We ask that you switch your mobile phones and other hand-held devices to silent when you are in sessions.
Photography and filming sessions
The Society will have a photographer taking photographs in many sessions and at social events. The Society may use photographs taken in conference reports, publications and in future publicity materials. Also ad hoc filming may occur during some sessions and events for use in publicity materials that may also be shared online. If you would prefer your photograph or image not to be used in this way, please contact Paul Gentry, Head of Conferences & Events.
Please note that the Society is filming a selection of keynote and invited sessions in the Solent Hall, the recordings of which will then be made available on the Society’s YouTube channel.
Poster presentations
Posters will be on display in the Windsor Hall throughout the conference. The poster reception on Wednesday evening will provide an opportunity to speak with the authors – the final list of posters being presented will be available on the conference app and on information boards in the venue.
Presentation Desks
For speakers wishing to submit or amend their presentations during the conference and for poster presenters registering their poster the presentation desks are in the Windsor Bar area behind registration.
Quiet & Prayer Rooms
If you require a quiet space to get away from the noise of conference or need to somewhere to pray, you will find space allocated in the Solent Hall Dressing Rooms on the ground floor - please respect other users of the rooms.
Registration desk
The conference registration desk can be found in the Windsor foyer by the main entrance and will be open at the following times:
- Monday 7 September 3pm – 6.30pm
- Tuesday 8 September 8.15am – 6pm
- Wednesday 9 September 8.30am – 6pm
- Thursday 10 September 8.30am – 4pm
Session locations
Plenary sessions will be held in the Solent Hall. All other sessions will be held in the conference rooms and suites on the ground floor and first floor of the centre.
Please give yourself plenty of time to get to your chosen session before it starts.
ALL sessions are open to all attendees registered to attend on the relevant day (unless otherwise stated)
Stewards and Staff
RSS stewards (in RSS yellow t-shirts) and RSS staff members (identified by their badges) will be happy to assist you throughout the conference.
Timings for presentations
- The following timings for presentations will normally apply:
- Keynote talks: 50 minutes including time for questions and discussion
- Invited talks: 20-30 minutes plus time for questions and discussion
- Contributed talks: 20 minutes including time for questions and discussion
- Rapid-fire talks: 5 minutes with no questions or discussion
Wi-Fi access
Free wifi is available in the venue:
Select: _ BIC _ Public
Please follow the prompts on the screen/landing page to connect
Please note this will not be suitable for large downloads or streaming.