#Worm23: 24th International C. elegans Conference

Collaboration in Conferences: Crossing the Pond with Confidence

In June 2023 the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) welcomed the 24th International C. elegans Conference to Glasgow for the first time. The event is sponsored by the Genetics Society of America (GSA) and is the premier international convening of the C. elegans community, bringing together researchers at every career stage; undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, faculty and industry, and Nobel laureates, all interested in this fascinating area of microbiology.

Its arrival in Glasgow was not just the first time the meeting convened outside of the United States, it was also the culmination of an almost five-year journey which had seen the meeting navigate a global pandemic and a change of date, whilst keeping stakeholders positive on the trans-Atlantic move.

So, how did the conference still have the confidence to stick with its ambition, and why was the event so successful? The answer from both the organisers of the affectionately named Worm23 Conference, and the team at the SEC was the same; collaboration and relationship.

The structure of the conference itself is vast. Taking place over four days, with sessions held from 8.30am to 10pm, and consisting of hundreds of presentations covering the full diversity of C. elegans research. Subjects investigated include genetics, molecular biology, and cell biology. It also opens up new areas of research, with additional relevance across medicine, covering areas from immunology to physiology and neuroscience. Worm23’s content allows academics to present new findings and share the most recent research conducted within their field. The event includes, invited speakers, attendee-organised workshops, poster presentations, and exhibitors, as well as professional development, networking events and an Art Show highlighting C. elegans.

It’s ability to reach academics across the world is a key objective for the conference organisers, and why, despite its prolonged success in the US, they began to look at an international move. Previously the event had found its home within university campus’, growing steadily from its inception in 1975, at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and then moving to the University of California, Los Angeles in 2001.

However, in the late 2010s the conference’s leadership felt the time was right to reach out to its international audience and take the event outside of the US for the first time. At that point, 30% of the conference’s attendees were from outside of the US. Moving to Europe would broaden access to an international audience by offering a site that would be a shorter travel time commitment whilst reducing attendee travel costs.

This was done through the conference’s organising team, and in particular Anne Marie Mahoney, Director of Conferences, and the GSA leadership, who immediately sought to establish location, supplier partnerships, and the infrastructure needed to take the event to a completely new destination.

It’s ability to reach academics across the world is a key objective for the conference organisers, and why, despite its prolonged success in the US, they began to look at an international move.

“It was a daunting prospect, mostly because the event had built so many long term and productive relationships within the US,” commented Anne Marie. “We needed to build equally strong partnerships from the outset to ensure the complexity of the event, and the diversity of the audience would be coordinated seamlessly. We wanted to reach out to our international audience, but without any detriment to the quality of the experience.”

Anne Marie and her team began the process of picking destination and venue late in 2018 with Professor Barbara Mable, based at University of Glasgow, endorsing Glasgow’s bid. The team at GSA eventually refined its search to a final shortlist in 2019, with the Scottish Event Campus emerging as the preferred venue. The event was scheduled to take place in 2021 and plans were well underway. Then the pandemic hit.

Jennifer Roddie, Senior Sales Manager & Lead Bid Strategist at the Scottish Event Campus, led the initial conversations with GSA, and who then worked with them to manage their event during the global shut down. “We prioritise long-term relationships with our clients and look to do 'good business' by taking a supportive and collaborative approach, and this is exactly what we did with C. elegans.” comments Jennifer. “The main priority was to find the next available date for the event to take place, to play our role as a venue in minimising the impact on GSA and the C. elegans budget, and to work with Anne Marie and her team on the administration and logistics of moving a meeting of this scale.”

It was this approach that made what could have been a defeating experience for the conference into one that left the organisers with no doubt that they had the right partner in place for their event. “From the outset we had a great feeling about the SEC and the team at the venue, and we knew we’d made the right decision by how they went about their business when the pandemic struck,” continues Anne Marie. “They made a horrible situation bearable and manageable. It was incredibly hard putting off all the work we had done, but it left no doubt in our minds that we had the right team around us.”

The pandemic delayed the event by two years, and throughout, the SEC and GSA kept continual communication to manage what was an ever-evolving global situation. In the meantime, the team worked together to put in place the planning and infrastructure needed to make the event successful. Open dialogue and listening were a key priority for the SEC during this challenging period.

“Over that period, we really got to know everyone across the SEC, from the initial bid team to the operational and technical departments,” continues Anne Marie. “The SEC kept us up to date with the work they were doing around sustainability, food, and legacy. They shared what they were learning across other conferences and brought new ideas into our own. It was a really positive and collaborative experience.”

Despite the ambition of the move, from the US to Europe, from a University Campus to a global conference venue, and through a global pandemic, the event opened as planned 24 June 2023. 1,400 delegates arrived from around the world with Worm23’s international attendance increasing to 55% of the registrants. At the same time over 300 digital delegates watched remotely as the event embraced hybrid technology for the first time. “The SEC were able to support with an in-house streaming solution, at a low cost, which enabled us to reach our wider global community.”, comments Anne Marie. Worm23 pushed new levels of content and research forward, looking at emergent topics and the inclusion of a specific session on DE&I. This was a truly inclusive event.

“Everything we had believed when we met the team at the SEC came true throughout the conference,” continued Anne Marie. “We quickly benefited from all the small things you get when you come to an established and expert conference venue. From AV and technical support to the event help desk, teams of professional and experienced people on site to help, digital signage, even little added touches, from warm welcomes to the work the venue is doing to become NetZero. These elements were all both relevant and rewarding to our community.”

Jennifer Roddie added, “We want to wrap every conference organiser and every delegate, in a warm welcome from the SEC. This was a really important event for us. It’s one we desperately wanted to come to Glasgow, the subject matter and the make-up of the conference was right for us, and we wanted to show, from the outset, that they had made the right decision.”

“Everything we do at the SEC is about making sure we have the right people on hand at the right time. We want to make life easy, to take away the operational pain, and let the conference organiser focus on the content and the community they have bought together,” concluded Jennifer.

“The SEC and Glasgow created the buzz that we were looking for from the event,” concluded Anne Marie. “Within the venue we had everything from modern conferencing facilities, a restaurant, exhibition halls, and easily accessible 1,500 bedrooms, available at various price points to meet the attendee’s budgets. The city was a short walk or train ride away, with restaurants and bars all adding a local flavour to the event. The river, right next to the SEC, and the weather opening up, gave us the opportunity for outside exercise and activity. Meanwhile, the social programmes at the Science Centre and Merchant Square took in the fun and personality of the city.

“We also felt truly welcomed. From the branding and posters at the airport, in the city, and around the venue, to the knowledge of the cab drivers and the local city staff. There was a genuine sense of arrival, everyone felt very special.”

“Everyone at the SEC and the Glasgow Convention Bureau made the transition to an international site seamless. From contracting the venue in the currency of our choice, easy access to Glasgow from around the world, to personable, and likable people on site that really felt like an extension of our GSA team working towards the common goal of creating an exciting and rewarding event for our attendees. They made a big step for us into a very easy experience. The conference was a genuine success, and we were really delighted.”

Lifting a successful conference model from one continent to another is a daunting prospect. To handle it with confidence takes care and consideration, but also that most important ‘c’, collaboration. Research within the conference industry shows that trust in the onsite team is just as important as the desirability of the venue and the destination. In this case, Worm23, through its relationship with the SEC found the partner it wanted and the support it deserved.