December 2020
“The AI does not hate you, nor does it love you, but you are made out of atoms which it can use for something else.”

– Eliezer Yudkowsky, Co-founder of Machine Intelligence Research Institute
Inside the December Issue: 
  • Hybrid Event Planning Guidance Available
  • New Marking Process for IEEE Xplore® Conference Papers Begins January 2021
  • IEEE Conference Quality Committee
  • Conference Education Updates
Hybrid Event Planning Guidance Available on MCE Website
virtual events
As more IEEE events consider going hybrid, organizers have questions about planning, budgeting, and creating engaging experiences for all event attendees.

Hybrid events include both in-person and virtual offerings, combining the accessibility of a virtual event with the face-to-face benefits of a traditional event. Due to their unique format, organizers must take special care to create cohesive experiences for both in-person and online attendees.

The IEEE Conferences Committee, in collaboration with IEEE OU partners, has developed guidelines to assist organizers in their planning. These guidelines, available on the MCE website, provide helpful tips and best practices to consider when designing a hybrid event.

Explore the IEEE Hybrid Events Guide to:

  • Learn the difference between hybrid and virtual event formats
  • Get tips on budgeting for a hybrid event
  • Find considerations for designing hybrid registration
  • Get inspired on engaging different audiences
  • Find "food for thought" on selecting platforms and tools
  • Review a library of helpful materials
  • and much more!

In addition, Bin Zhao, Chair, IEEE Conferences Committee provides insights on the path forward in 2021.

The IEEE Digital Events Team is ready to assist organizers with any questions about planning hybrid events at [email protected].
New Marking Process for IEEE Xplore® Conference Papers Begins January 2021
The IEEE Conferences Committee approved a motion at the IEEE November Meeting Series to establish greater consistency in the metadata of papers posted to IEEE Xplore®. 

Effective January 2021, all conference papers will be marked with the following information, in the left hand margin of the first page: 

  • Conference Name
  • Conference Year
  • DOI (Digital Object Identifier)
  • IEEE Copyright Clearance Code

This effort supports the IEEE author community by enhancing indexing and discoverability of IEEE papers. 

Organizers should submit their papers, without markings to IEEE. The Publishing Operations team will add the metadata to the papers before posting to IEEE Xplore®. 

Future efforts are planned to retroactively add markings to papers published in IEEE Xplore®.
IEEE Conference Quality Committee (CQC)
IEEE and the IEEE Conferences Committee (ICC) are dedicated to maintaining high quality standards for IEEE Sponsored and Co-Sponsored conferences.

The IEEE Conference Quality Committee (CQC), a sub-committee of the ICC, serves a critical role guiding conferences.

Recently, the MCE website was updated with information to enhance transparency around conference quality. The site will provide details on:

  • CQC committee purpose
  • CQC committee scope
  • CQC Subcommittees
  • CQC Ad Hoc Committees
Conference Education Updates
Historic Use of MCE Conference Education-2020

Due the global pandemic ‘stay at home’ guidance, usage of on-demand resources of the MCE Conference Education program soared to historic levels in 2020!

Through 30 Novmber, course and playback webinar enrollments have increased by 21% to 1,704 (YTD Nov.).
Overall, conference education experiences (course enrollments + webinar attendees + workshop participants) have increased by 5% to 2,295. (YTD Nov).

Results are notable in light of the cancellation of many in-person conference workshops, plus suspension of webinars during Q2, greatly reducing experiences. 

In the second half of 2020, many Sections conducted virtual workshops as a way to connect with organizers and providing opportunities to share best practices and local knowledge.  (See more below)

On-Demand Conference Role-Based Education - MCE Conference Education has comprehensive education resources, including 25 eLearning courses plus 28 on-demand webinars on a wide range of conference topics. All courses are available in the IEEE Center for Leadership Excellence (CLE).

Conference role-specific learning paths help you gain the knowledge and skills to be successful. 

Available Learning paths are available:
• Conference Treasurer
• Technical Program Chair
• Conference Publications Chair
• Event Planning


An IEEE Account is required for CLE access

IEEE Unit Virtual Conference Education Workshops - Conference education provides IEEE units (Region, Section, Society, etc.) opportunities to create engaging member activity, improve the organizer experience and lift the quality of sponsored conferences. 

MCE Conference Education will support you and volunteer presenters conducting virtual workshops, with consultation, guidance and materials. A library of up-to-date presentations, with speaker notes, is available to simplify the organizing effort.

If you are interested in conducting conference organizer/leader education for your Region, Section or Society, please contact Kevin Hanft ([email protected]) 
Quick Bits
Did you know? The New Year’s Ball Drop in New York’s Times Square is yet another COVID casualty. However, you can watch it live online!

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