A Conference Panel – but not as we know it!

This panel will take the form of a public debate about whether the conference of which it forms part has a future. Academic conferences are increasingly hard to cost-justify and growing awareness of the environmental impact adds to the negative aspects – especially when the HCI community have developed so many tools and techniques to afford virtual collaboration, dissemination and critique. Yet participants continue to enjoy conferences and some would seem them as vital to the sustainability and coherence of the discipline. It is chaired by the chair of HCI2005 [3], and features as panellists the chairs of HCI2003 [1], HCI2004 [2], HCI2006[4], HCI2008, and is intended to feature vibrant contributions from other delegates. The motion to be debated is “This conference believes that the conference has no future after Sept 5th 2008” .