LSA logo


Bids invited for LSA Conference 2012

Bid deadline = July 1, 2010

 

Home Page

Bids for LSA 2012

2010 Conference

2011 Conference

Executive

How to Join

LSA History

The Executive Committee of the LSA invites bids from parties who are interested in hosting the LSA Conference in early July 2012.

Your bid should cover the following points:

  • Suggested conference title or main theme. Ideally the conference theme would not be similar to those of the immediately preceeding several years. See list of LSA conferences.
  • Rationale for the conference theme
  • Descriptive list of 4 or 5 suggested sub-themes
  • Committee Chair and suggested members -- contact numbers and brief bio information (see "Committee make-up" below)
  • Description of target audience
  • Suggested keynote speakers
  • Statement of support from the head of your institution / department (or equivalent)
  • Statement of suitability of the venue for conference sessions and availability of on-site residential accommodation (rooms, catering, accessibility etc.)
  • Statement of committee members' prior experience of academic conference organisation (as opposed to institutional conference office)
  • Description of proposed conference organisational / administrative structure

 

Please submit your bid by JULY 1, 2010
by e-mail to:

LSA Chair Dr. Karl Spracklen
k.spracklen@leedsmet.ac.uk

and copy to

LSA Secretary Dr. Ruth Jeanes
RJeanes@uclan.ac.uk

and Myrene McFee
myrene.mcfee@leisure-studies-association.info

Some general information on LSA Conferences for potential hosts:

  • Conference theme should be designed to reflect topical issues and concerns in leisure studies and should attract the participation of academics, leisure practitioners and other professionals.
  • Duration: Typically expected to extend over three days and two nights, although a longer conference is occasionally staged.
  • Committee make-up: Conference Organising Committee (COC) will typically include representatives of several institutions in addition to those of the host venue.
    ~~ The COC Chair should be an LSA member and the COC should include at least several other Members of the Leisure Studies Association.
    ~~ The COC will send a representative to LSA Exec meetings during the time leading up to the conference, and post-conference until final accounts are reported.
  • LSA provides the COC with Guidelines designed to assist the COC in staging a successful conference. The Guidelines arose out of the combined experience of members of many past LSA conference organising committees. They are guidelines, not strictures, enabling each COC to adapt to their own circumstances and express their own creativity in designing their conference, while still 'living up' to the traditional spirit of LSA events.
  • Additionally, LSA can supply further useful information such as examples of previous conference budgets and delegates' materials. LSA Administrator will create and manage the conference web pages in co-operation with the COC.
  • Financial:
    ~~ Various administrative/financial set-ups are possible depending on the requirements of your institution. You may, for example, employ an outside administrator [e.g. Myrene Mcfee]; or you may be required to operate through your institutions's internal conference office. Sometimes a combination of these structures has been beneficial.
    ~~ LSA provides a float, if required, to the conference organsing committee. The COC devises a budget and registration fees which must be reviewed and agreed by the Exeutive committee.
    ~~ The conference is expected to be self-supporting (i.e. break even). Experience has shown that good financial results are achieved where the budget and registration fees have been carefully set and the conference has been well-publicised (a joint responsibility of the LSA and the COC). Some COCs have had great success in attracting support from external bodies such as local government.
    ~~ One of the conference's mandatory ['above the line'] budget items is a contribution towards the production of the post-conference volumes. Additionally, any surplus income is expected to be returned to LSA to further support the production of the post-conference volumes (see below).
  • Post-conference publications:
    A main outcome of LSA conferences is the post-conference publication of themed and edited volumes arising from work presented at the conference. These volumes are held on the LSA Publications list and provide one of the major sources of income to the LSA.
    ~~ The editorial teams of the LSA Publications volumes typically are comprised of members of the COC and/or invited expert persons in the area of the theme of the given volume. Hence it is important that potential conference organisers have this in mind from the outset and are prepared to make a major commitment to the selection and editing of papers for the timely production of good quality publications following on from the conference.
    ~~ The editorial teams will be assisted in this by the LSA Publications Officer Dr. Jayne Caudwell and by the LSA Publications production manager and top copy designer/producer Myrene McFee.


More information on LSA Publications.

 

Review of conference themes/titles, locations and LSA Publications arising from those events.

 


Association Aims

To foster research in Leisure Studies

To promote interest in Leisure Studies and advance education in this field

To encourage debate through
publications, and an international journal LEISURE STUDIES

To stimulate the exchange of ideas on contemporary leisure issues

To disseminate knowledge of Leisure Studies to create the conditions for better-informed decisions by policy makers