Call for Bids to Host EMNLP 2025 or 2026

Proposal Due Date & Bid Selected Date

  • Mar 10, 2024: Call for bids
  • June 14, 2024: Deadline for draft bids
  • Through June 15, 2024: Feedback to bidders
  • August 18, 2024: Full proposals due
  • September 15, 2024: Bid selected

Introduction

The Empirical Methods in Natural Language Processing (EMNLP) Committee, in collaboration with the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL) Director of Events, cordially invites proposals for hosting the EMNLP Conference in 2025 as well as in 2026. We are seeking distinguished venues worldwide capable of accommodating our diverse attendees and ensuring a productive and enriching event.

Conference Overview

EMNLP welcomes students, professors, and business professionals from across the globe who specialize in empirical methods in natural language processing (NLP) to present their research papers. The field of EMNLP is characterized by the growing interest in employing data-driven techniques to construct and assess models for various NLP tasks. These methodologies leverage real-world data for model training, testing, and refinement, emphasizing experimentation, data-driven approaches, and quantitative evaluation to advance effective and robust natural language processing systems.

Location

For the 2025 and 2026 conferences, we are seeking a new location and region to continue our tradition of global outreach. Past EMNLP locations include Sentosa Island, Singapore (2023), Abu Dhabi, UAE (2022), Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (2021), Virtual (2020), Hong Kong, China (2019) Brussels, Belgium (2018), Copenhagen, Denmark (2017), Austin, TX USA (2016), Lisbon, Portugal (2015), as well as various other international venues.

Grants & Sponsorships

We are actively seeking government or local university grant sponsorship to help offset fees for the EMNLP 2025 and EMNLP 2026 Conferences. This sponsorship will play a crucial role in ensuring accessibility and inclusivity for participants in keeping registration fees down which allows for more academic attendees. By partnering with government entities or local universities, we aim to provide financial support to students, enabling them to attend and contribute to the conference.

Venue Requirements

The chosen venues must satisfy the following specifications:

Capacity

  • A primary ballroom capable of accommodating 2500-3000 attendees in theater-style seating with minimal AV setup.
  • An enclosed exhibit poster area spacious enough for 20 exhibitors and 150 vertical poster boards.
  • Six parallel rooms with seating for 250-500 attendees each in theater-style seating.
  • Six breakout rooms with seating for 100-200 attendees.
  • Four additional breakout rooms with seating for 50-75 attendees.
  • Eight conference meeting rooms for ad hoc meetings, committee sessions, staffing, Diversity & Inclusion sessions, and conference staff use.
  • A designated registration check-in area.

Accommodations

  • Collaboration with a host hotel providing a room block for 2000 rooms.
  • Partnerships with nearby hotels catering to attendees with various budgetary preferences.

Local Assistance

  • Access to contacts for printing and marketing materials.
  • Exhibit services.
  • Assistance with promotional materials.
  • Support for visa procedures.
  • Arrangement of transportation.
  • Engagement with audio-visual companies.

Food & Beverage

  • Inclusive breakfast options or a venue capable of incorporating F&B costs into the rental.
  • Morning and afternoon coffee breaks featuring light pastries or snacks.
  • Organization of a social event including welcome drinks, appetizers, and a one-night dinner.

Social Event Venue

  • Capacity to seat 1/3 of attendees while accommodating a cocktail reception for the remaining 2/3.
  • Preferable stations-style setup.
  • Ability to host the event or generate interest among our diverse group of NLP attendees.
  • Memorable activities, locations and connections to local culture especially encouraged.

    Submission Instructions

Interested parties should submit their bids to the EMNLP President Isabelle Augenstein, with a CC to the ACL Director of Events. All proposals must be received no later than 14 June 2024. For inquiries or clarifications regarding the bid requirements, please contact the ACL Director of Events (Jennifer Rachford) at +1 855 225 1962.

We encourage your proposals and the opportunity to host successful EMNLP conferences in 2025 and 2026. We also welcome preliminary statements of interest and will be happy to work with you to help identify and develop successful venue options.

Isabelle Augenstein, President of SIGDAT