Call for sessions​​​​​​​​​​

Thank you for your interest in hosting a session during the ESP11 World Conference in Darwin, Australia on 23-27 June 2025.

The call for session proposals is now open until 5 January 2025. Due to several requests, we have decided to keep the submission form open for one more week. You can still submit a late proposal.

We welcome everyone who works in the field of ecosystem services to submit a session proposal.

In addition to the standard session format (presentations), feel free to be creative and propose a different format for your session (e.g. discussion forum, world cafe, or session in which media outputs are presented). 

The conference will be an in-person event, providing an enriching experience that allows attendees to fully immerse themselves in the atmosphere, interact with speakers and engage with other participants in real-time. Balancing interaction between in-person and virtual attendees is challenging and we believe going primarily in-person will be the best way to create an engaging and inclusive experience for all participants. However, if it is essential for your session to contain a virtual element, we can discuss ways to facilitate this.

Submit a session proposal

Procedure for submitting session proposals

• Session proposals should reflect the conference theme - From global to local ecosystem services: pathways to Nature-based Solutions inspired from Down Under.

• Session title: A brief and descriptive explanation of your session.

• Session abstract: A short description of your session, including a summary of the topic, the desired aims and outcomes of your session.

• Session format: The estimated duration and format you plan to follow for your session. You may refer to the guidance on the options for alternative session formats.

• Co-hosts and others involved: Up to seven possible co-hosts who are committed to assisting you with reviewing the abstracts submitted to your session and engaging in other responsibilities to make your session and the congress a success

Alternative session formats

We can help you explore alternative session formats and help you shape your proposal. Here are some options to consider:

• World Café: This format allows for open group discussion around a specific topic. The session is usually guided by a list of core questions or topics and facilitated by the session hosts. Participants are invited to join and contribute to a shared discussion.

• Documentaries and other media: Hosts and participants may want to present alternative means of science communication and share experiences among participants.

• Solution rooms: These sessions are designed to give participants space to discuss challenges they are facing around a specific topic.

• Speed talk/lightning sessions: These sessions are designed to be fast-paced, with participants given a short time (around 5 minutes) to talk about their research topics. Ideally, these sessions should be followed by a discussion.

• Scientific debates: These sessions allow people to debate over a specific question or topic. Participants are then polled to measure their opinions on the topic, followed by group discussions.

• Storytelling sessions: Presenters are called to present their research topics in the form of a story that helps illustrate their work. This format is more suitable for cases in which the experiences of individuals, teams, or community groups are told like a traditional story. The stories should have characters, themes, and an ending point.

• Fishbowls: This format involves dividing a big team into smaller groups and arranging them in a circle. The people in the smaller group have an open discussion while the other session participants (who sit outside the “fishbowl”) listen to what is being discussed. This format is interactive, as anyone outside the fishbowl can contribute their ideas by replacing someone in the fishbowl. This way, this format promotes real-time brainstorming and innovative thought processes.

• Scientific games: This format could be suitable for participants and sessions that want to test software or applications they have been developing. There is usually an introduction to the rules of the game, time for playing, and a feedback session towards the end.

Responsibility of a session host

Once your session proposal is accepted, you will become a session host. As a session host, you will be asked to review abstracts submitted to your session, moderate your session during the congress and take on some other responsibilities involved with organising a session. The Scientific Program Committee will review your session proposal. If your session is reviewed positively, we will send you session host guidelines soon after. If you are looking for others to submit a session with, we advise you to make use of the ESP communication channels and call for other interested delegates. You can contact the secretariat if you'd like to place a message on the ESP website or in the ESP newsletter.