Annual International Conference

In light of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, the 2020 annual conference has now been postponed to 2021. 

The new dates for the conference are Tuesday 31 August to Friday 2 September 2021. The conference will take place in London, and will have the chair's theme of Borders, borderlands and bordering. 

A revised timeline for the rescheduled conference will be published shortly, including a timeline for review of submitted programme proposals, registration arrangements, and more.

If you have any questions, please contact us at ac2020@rgs.org.

 

Registration for the rescheduled conference is expected to open in early 2021. Everyone who is listed on the conference programme and who wishes to attend the conference in person will need to register and pay in full before attending the conference. Additional information about how to register, a link to online registration, and details of additional workshops, is expected to be published in early 2021.

There is more information below about:

• General information about registration

• Fee categories

• Our cancellations policy

• Financial support

• The Research Group Guest Registrations scheme

• Discounts for RGS-IBG Fellows and members

 

About registration

• We welcome attendance and participation from all members of the geographical and related communities/disciplines and other interested parties.

• The delegate registration fee includes access to conference sessions, lunch and all-day refreshments, and many of the evening wine receptions. The fee does not include accommodation or any pre-conference workshops/symposia.

• There are discounted fees available for Society Fellows and members - find out more about our special joining offer for conference attendees below.

• Given the content and nature of the annual conference, most student attendees are ordinarily at postgraduate level. If you are a student who is under 18 and are interested in participating in the conference, please contact the conference organisers at ac2020@rgs.org to discuss this before registering.

• Indications of interest for the conference crèche should be sent at the time of making your conference registration.

• People who only wish to attend a Research Group AGM meeting can do so without booking to attend the conference, and may request a visitor pass from the conference organisers by emailing ac2020@rgs.org. All other attendance requires registration.

• Please contact the conference organisers with any questions: email ac2020@rgs.org or telephone +44 (0)20 7591 3027.

 

Fee categories

Fee categories and rates for the rescheduled conference will be published in autumn 2020.
 

A separate reduced distance participation registration rate will be available for those contributing remotely to sessions (by prior agreement with the conference organisers); the rates for this will be published shortly. Please contact the conference team at ac2020@rgs.org to register via this route. There is more information about distance participation at the annual conference here. 

 

Cancellations

Bookings for this event are non-refundable unless a medical certificate or similar evidence can be produced.

If you do cancel your booking by producing a medical certificate or similar evidence, cancellations made up to eight weeks in advance will incur a £30 administration fee, and cancellations made thereafter will incur a £60 fee. We cannot give any refunds for cancellations made less than seven days before, during, or after the event.

 

Financial support for conference attendance

We regret that we are unable to contribute to the costs of conference registration or attendance (travel, accommodation or any other expenses) for any conference delegate other than invited chair's plenary speakers.

Delegates who need financial support to attend the conference are advised to look for funding from their own institutions or other sources in their own country.

 

Research Group guest registrations

International delegates, or those who are not working in geography departments, may be eligible for a Research Group guest registration if their conference session is sponsored by one of the Society's affiliated Research Groups and/or if they meet other eligibility criteria. Research Group guests receive complimentary registration for one or more days of conference, at the invitation of the Research Group and the conference organisers. Assistance with travel and accommodation costs is not included. Last year we supported 70 colleagues to attend the conference through the Research Group guest registration scheme, including academics from the Global South and colleagues from outside academia, including artists and those working in policy and the third sector.

Research Group guest registrations are very limited in number and over-subscribed every year. Delegates should contact their session convenor and the chair of the relevant Research Group for more information. 

The Research Group guest registration scheme for the rescheduled conference is expected to open in spring 2021. If you have any questions please contact us.

Find out more

 

Discount for RGS-IBG Fellows and members

Joining the Society as a Fellow or Postgraduate Fellow offers you the opportunity to network with others in your profession and support the spread of geographical knowledge. In addition to reduced registration fees for the conference, Fellows and members enjoy a wide range of benefits, including access to the Society's Research Groups, academic journals, online lectures, the Society's Collections, and more.

Fellowship

• Fellows play a vital role in the Society’s mission to advance geography. By joining as a Fellow you will be actively supporting the future of geography as well as benefiting from being part of a thriving research community.

• If you mention the annual conference when joining we will waive the one-off joining fee for Fellowship (usually £30). Please note that the joining fee is a one-off payment and is separate from your annual subscription, which would not be waived.

• Fellowship of the Society allows you to benefit from the discounted registration fees for conference attendance.

Postgraduate Fellowship

• Postgraduate Fellowship is an excellent opportunity for early career researchers to be actively involved in the wider geographical research community. Whether through the Postgraduate Forum, or being part of one of the Society’s Research Groups, there are plenty of opportunities to share your research and learn from your peers.

• Postgraduate Fellowship of the Society allows you to benefit from the discounted registration fees for conference attendance.

• Please note that the one-off joining fee (as distinct from your annual subscription fee) is already waived for Postgraduate Fellows.

If you are an existing Fellow or member, you can renew your subscription.

If you are a Fellow or member of the Society and wish to pay for your membership renewal at the same time as registering for the conference, please contact ac2020@rgs.org for assistance. The Society can issue both charges on a single invoice/receipt, suitable for professional expenses claims.