General information about hosting NIME #

This is a brief overview of the basics of hosting a NIME conference.

Practicalities #

Name of the conference #

The official name of the NIME conference is “International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression”. The title can be followed by the year, but this should not be used as part of the conference title itself.

Abbreviated, the conference is called NIME followed by the year of the conference, for example: NIME2008.

Time of the conference #

NIME has traditionally been organised in the end of May or beginning of June. There have been a few exceptions to this rule, but it is preferable to stay with the May/June timing for consistency and for avoiding crashes with other conferences.

Location of the conference #

NIME is proud of being a truly international conference. To ensure this, it moves between continents every year. Up until now it has been moving between Europe, North America, and the rest of the world every third year. This pattern is not entirely fixed, but it is highly encouraged to avoid staying in one continent, or just moving between Europe and North America.

Eligible Host Organization #

There is not a particular requirement for the type of host institution. NIME is typically organised by universities or music academies/conservatories, or a combination of such higher education institutions and cultural organizations.

Language of the conference #

The official language of the conference is English.

Economy of the conference #

NIME is not a formal organization, and has no means on its own. It can be seen as a network of individually organized conferences.

Each Host Organization is economically responsible for their own conference. It may freely solicit any and all public and private funding organizations, institutions, sponsors and partners in any country. It also has the right to set registration fees and costs as needed to cover production of event and publication of proceedings.

NIME’s DNA #

• NIME is a friendly conference. It is important that it is equally welcoming to people from both academic and artistic backgrounds, and to both newcomers and longtimers.
• NIME should feel like a “small” conference, even though it is quite large. One way of achieving this is the single-track paper sessions, which ensures that everyone experiences the same content. Presentations are short (10-15 minutes) and of high quality.
• Poster and demo sessions are very important at NIME. This is where you can try things yourself. Paper presenters are encouraged to also set up a demo (if relevant).
• The artistic program is equally important as the scientific, and should be peer reviewed and presented on similar terms.

Conference program #

The conference program is based on the results of an international Call for Participation, with the following categories:

• Papers (oral and poster)
• Demos
• Performance
• Installation
• Workshops

There should be assigned on chair for each category, who is responsible for organizing the peer review of their track.

In addition to the peer reviewed conference program, the Host Organization is encouraged to include invited speakers, performers, exhibitors, etc. in the program if possible.

It is particuarly relevant to use the opportunity to invite people that would not otherwise come to NIME, such as to broaden the perspectives of the community. This also includes incorporating aspects of local culture, history and traditions (as they pertain to music, arts and technology) to make every Conference a unique and rewarding socio-cultural experience.

General Schedule #

The typical structure of a NIME conference is three days of core conference activities. It is common to organize a day of workshops prior to the conference, and one or more “unconference” activities the day after the main program. Installations typically run through the whole conference, and often also before and after.

Day 0: Workshops #

09:00-17:00: Workshops
18:00-20:00: Opening concert
20:00-22:00: Opening banquet

Day 1: Startup Day #

09:00-09:30: Opening of the Conference
09:30-11:00: Keynote
11:00-18:00: Paper/poster/demos
20:00-22:00: Stage performances
22:00-00:00: Club performances

Day 2: Middle Day #

09:00-18:00: Paper/poster/demos
20:00-22:00: Stage performances
22:00-00:00: Club performances

Day 3: Final Day #

09:00-17:00: Paper/poster/demos
17:00-18:00: Townhall meeting
20:00-22:00: Stage performances
22:00-00:00: Club performances

Day 4: Unconference #

09:00-17:00: Workshops
20:00-00:00: Performances / Open mic

Things to consider #

Diversity #

NIME should be an inclusive conference, and it is important to take measures to increase the diversity of attendees.

Hosts should take measures to include diversity aspects in the decision of the different roles in the conference organisation.

Registration fees #

NIME draws participants from academic institutions, both faculty and students, but also freelance artists, industry people, etc. It is important to keep the registration fees as low as possible, but as high as necessary.

It is particularly important to have measures in place to secure that students, and independent researchers/artists are able to participate.

This could be based on reduced registration fees, scholarships, volunteer programmes, or a combination of these.

The conference fees should not change dramatically from one year to another.

Banquet #

There have been a banquet at several NIMEs, but not all. If you decide to hold a banquet, please consider the cost. It is unfortunate if many participants are not able to participate due to a high price tag.