Call for Symposia and Roundtables

Deadline November, 10, 2020
(No late submissions will be accepted)

The Program Committee invites International Association for Food Protection Members and other interested individuals to submit a symposium or roundtable proposal for presentation during IAFP 2021, July 18 - 21, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Begin a submission to the following:

Instructions and Guidelines:

1. What is a Symposium?

   A symposium is an organized, 1.5, 2 or 3-hour session emphasizing a central theme relating to food safety and usually consists of presenters each giving 30-minute presentations. 1.5-hour sessions are limited to three, 30-minute presentations; 2-hour sessions are limited to four, 30-minute presentations; and 3-hour sessions are limited to six, 30-minute presentations.

   Symposia may include a discussion emphasizing a scientific aspect of a common food safety and quality topic, issues of general interest relating to food safety and microbiological quality, a report of recent developments, an update of state-of-the-art methodologies, or a discussion of basic and applied research in a given area. The material covered should include current work and the newest findings. Symposia will be evaluated by the Program Committee for relevance to current science and to Association Members. Proposals may be prepared by individuals, groups of individuals, committees or professional development groups (PDGs). Session proposals and presentations must follow the IAFP Policy on Commercialism.

2. What is a Roundtable?

   A roundtable is a discussion forum of 4 - 6 panelists that is 90 minutes in length with each panelist giving a 5–6 minute introduction, followed by time for a discussion (1 hour minimum) that includes audience participation. Panelists are not allowed to give presentations and should have no slides (no data projector will be provided for roundtable sessions). Roundtable convenors cannot also be panelists. Proposals may be prepared by individuals, groups of individuals, committees or professional development groups (PDGs).

3. Submission Instructions

   Proposals must be submitted using the Association’s online submission program on this page. At this stage, contact potential presenters or panelists to let them know that you are including their name in the proposal. Inform them that you will not know if the proposed session is accepted until after the November 11 notification date. Proposals are due November 10, 2020. No late submissions will be accepted.

4. Presenters Who are Not Members

   The International Association for Food Protection does not reimburse invited presenters for travel, hotel, or other expenses incurred during the Annual Meeting. However, invited presenters who are not Association Members will receive a complimentary Annual Meeting registration. Presenters who are Association Members are expected to pay normal registration fees.

5. Travel Support

   The International Association for Food Protection Foundation has offered limited funds for travel support of presenters. After final acceptance of the proposal (March 2020), organizers may submit an application to apply for travel support for speakers(s). REQUESTS SHOULD ONLY BE SUBMITTED WHERE A SINCERE NEED IS DEMONSTRATED BY THE SPEAKER. This travel support is not intended to fully pay travel expenses for speakers, but is intended to defray the total travel expense. Only speakers are eligible to receive travel support. Roundtable Panelists, Convenors and Organizers are not eligible for travel support. Only one request per 1.5-hour session and two requests for 3-hour sessions will be considered.

   Requests are reviewed on an individual and on a first-come, first-served basis until the funds are depleted. A maximum of $1,000 per North American speaker, $2,000 for European and South American speakers and $2,500 for other international speakers may be available. Organizers are welcome to seek funding from other sources and the Association will provide recognition for these supporters in our program materials.

   Organizers are asked to inform the Association if they obtain outside funding for speaker travel.

6. Selection Procedure

   The primary focus of the proposal selection procedure is to provide a balanced educational program for attendees of the IAFP Annual Meeting. To achieve this goal, proposals may be combined or modified by the Program Committee during their initial or final review, as appropriate, to prevent overlap of topics among competing sessions. The Program Committee also reserves the right to suggest alternative speakers and/or topics in an effort to round out the program. During the selection process, only the most relevant and promising proposals will be selected for further development.

7. Submission Guidelines

   1. . Proposals must be pertinent to IAFP Members and PDGs. Priority will be given to proposals that address one or more of the following program areas:
      • Safety and Microbial Quality of Foods (Dairy, Meat and Poultry, Seafood, Produce, Water)
      • Viruses and Parasites, Retail Food Safety, Epidemiology and Public Health
      • Non-microbiology Food Safety Issues (food defense, food toxicology, allergens, chemical contaminants)
      • General-applied Food Safety Microbiology (for example, advances in sanitation, laboratory methods, quality assurance, food safety systems)
      • General-food Protection for the Future (risk analysis, emerging pathogens, biotechnology, predictive models, etc.)
      • Developments in Food Safety Education
      • Other pertinent food protection topics may be considered if space is available
   2. In addition to addressing pertinent program areas, proposals accepted for further development should:
      • Be new, emerging and/or address areas not covered in last 2 years
      • If covered in last 2 years, provide new information that warrants another session
   3. Submissions must include:
      • Titles that clearly convey the topics to be covered
      • Topics that are unique to prevent overlap of basic information among speakers
      • Names of suggested speakers from a variety of backgrounds, such as industry, regulatory, academic researchers, or consumer perspective (as appropriate)
      • Suggested speakers who are knowledgeable and good communicators
   4. Special consideration will be given to submissions that:
      • Are directly applicable or provide viable safety options for food manufacturers, including small- to medium-size manufacturers
      • Bring an international (outside of North America) focus or viewpoint to the meeting
      • Attract or involve students
      • Attract or involve local area members who would not otherwise attend the Annual Meeting (e.g.,regional specialties like shellfish issues for Gulf States)
      • Would attract members of a new PDG or program area that IAFP is trying to develop or encourage
   5. Other considerations:
      • The Program Committee reserves the right to limit the number of sessions devoted to a single topic area to provide a balanced program.
      • A person should have no more than three roles (speaking, convening, organizing, or serving on the panel).
      • If relevant topics are proposed by more than one submission, the Program Committee will make the final decision to combine or modify proposals as appropriate to avoid overlap of topics among competing proposals. In this case, organizers may be asked to work with one another to combine proposals.
      • The IAFP Program Committee reserves the right to review proposals, including proposed subjects and speakers, and make modifications (including speaker replacement recommendations) in order to provide the most comprehensive and balanced program. Invited speakers need to be made aware of these conditions when they are contacted.
      • Due to space and time limitations, only the most relevant and promising proposals will be selected for further development. Again, the Program Committee will make final decisions regarding symposium breadth and length.
      • Selected sessions will be reserved for symposia sponsored by our partner, the International Life Science Institute North America (ILSI N.A.). The ILSI N.A. symposia address topics that are of general interest to IAFP meeting attendees, focusing on emerging food safety issues and technologies, and provide a global perspective.
      • Additional sessions may be added at the discretion of the Program Committee or ExecutiveBoard to accommodate emerging issues.

8. Review Process and Timeline

   November 10, 2020	Proposal Submission Deadline. No late submissions will be accepted.
   December 17, 2020	Organizers notified of proposal status (proposals will either be accepted for stage 2 review or declined).
   January 19, 2021	Proposals selected for stage 2 review must be finalized. This includes symposium title, abstract, convenor and speaker information (name, contact information, and proposed title of presentation).
   March 5, 2021	Organizers notified of final decisions regarding session proposals.

9. Who to Contact

   Tamara Ford
   International Association for Food Protection
   Phone: +1 515.276.3344
   E-mail: tford@foodprotection.org