GUIDELINES FOR THE PREPARATION OF A BID TO HOST A QUADRENNIAL CONGRESS

The International Maritime History Association Executive Committee (IMHA EC) formally considers submissions from institutions wishing to host a Quadrennial Congress at their Quadrennial Meeting held during the International Congress of Maritime History.
Consideration of bids for hosting the 2028 Congress will be undertaken at the General Assembly of the IMHA held parallel to the International Congress of Maritime History taking place in August 2024 in Busan, Korea.
Bid institutions will be expected to submit their bids to the Chair and the Secretary of the EC through email. If approved by the EC, final bids are presented to the General Assembly of the IMHA in person. The General Assembly then decides by majority.
To ensure impartiality and objectivity the EC utilises a weighted matrix evaluation tool based on a set of defined evaluation criteria. It is important that bid institutions respond to the evaluation criteria as closely as possible to ensure their bids are considered thoroughly and fairly.
Institutions should develop their bids sufficiently to enable a comprehensive application to be submitted to the EC. The EC does not expect institutions to have all the hosting arrangements in place at the time of submitting the bid.
The EC expects comprehensive applications to be submitted not later than May 15, 2024, and is asking institutions who are considering a bid to inform the EC of their intent as soon as possible.
Once an institution has been awarded hosting rights, the Chair and Secretary of the EC must be immediately notified of any substantial changes or variations to the agreed bid that may arise during the organisation of the Congress.

General Guidelines for Hosting an International Maritime History Congress
• The host institution must be historically linked to maritime history research and/or maritime historical engagement with the broader public.
• The host institution should be prepared to take the lead role in the logistical preparations for the quadrennial Congress. With the agreement of the EC, it may use the services of a professional conference and/or event management agency provided this does not result in the delegate registration costs exceeding the agreed maximum.
• The development of the academic programme is co-led by the host team and the EC. Hosts will be expected to work closely with the Academic Committee in the development of the programme.
• Venues should be easily accessible to overseas and local delegates via good airport, railway, and road networks.
• Venues should be able to offer conference facilities for a minimum of 150 delegates: including conference accommodations, catering arrangements, and technical support services.
• By agreement with the Programme Committee, the host venue will provide an appropriate and attractive programme for accompanying partners at a registration cost to be agreed.
• Venues should be able to offer hotel accommodations capable of accommodating at least 200 delegates, including accompanying partners, within a reasonable distance, and at a range of affordable rates. The venue or its conference organisers are expected to administer the conference budget, including registration fees, and provide advice and suggestions for hotels where pre-negotiated conference rates have been agreed.
• The venue will provide a webpage for the Congress at least 18 months prior to the Congress date and will ensure that all relevant information regarding the Congress is updated on a regular basis. All development and hosting costs for the webpage should be covered by the host institution.
• The conference will be conducted in English.
• The venue is expected to provide reasonable conference technical facilities for presentations including sound systems, computer-generated PowerPoint, and video, with the necessary technical support. It is expected that the venue can provide internet access for the registered conference participants during the Congress.
• A minimum of five half days should be scheduled into the Congress programme to accommodate the academic programme and the General Assembly with the overall Congress being held over four to five full days. It is recognized that flexibility is key and precise arrangements might be dependent on local circumstances.
• The host is expected to provide an office/meeting room for the IMHA EC for the duration of the Congress including internet access and standard computer printing services.
• The Congress is expected to include a social programme including a formal Congress Dinner and may, for example, include receptions or similar events in local historic locations.
• Any excursions included in the programme should be aligned and consistent with the theme of the Congress.
• The host venue will have sole responsibility for the Congress budget which is expected to be self-financed from registration fees and any local funding.
• The Congress budget needs to include the travel, accommodations, and conference registration costs for three keynote speakers. The three keynote speakers will be mutually agreed upon by the host and IMHA EC, with the final decision resting with the EC.
• The Congress registration fee will be agreed between the host venue and the EC. In recent years it has been € 250 for career scholars and € 180 for graduates, or equivalent local currency. This should include all Congress administration and operation costs as well as catering during the Congress sessions. It is acceptable that the conference dinner, excursions etc. are an additional cost charged directly to participants that register to participate in these events.
• The host venue is encouraged to find local sources of funding, including sponsorship where possible, to offset the costs of the Congress and any supporting events. IMHA EC reserves the right to reject sponsorship arrangements that are considered non-desirable by the IMHA EC.
• The host venue will arrange a payment mechanism for Congress registration fees that is based on the use of standard, internationally accepted credit cards.

Bid Evaluation Criteria.
Bid institutions should prepare a presentation to the EC that responds to the information requested below. Sufficient detail should be provided to enable the EC to consider the bid fairly and thoroughly.

1.0 General
1.1 We would like to learn about your institution (max 500 words). Please provide us information about your institution including:
• The name of your institution
• Where it is located
• How your institution is governed
• How your institution is funded
• What is its Purpose, Mission, Vision, Values
2.0 Concept (max 500 words)
2.1 Tell us what motivates you to host the Congress.
2.2 Will the timing of the Congress coincide with any significant events or anniversaries and if so what event or anniversary will be celebrated during the Congress?
2.3 Tell us about your concept and plans for the non-academic programme for the Congress. Include broad details of the activities and social programme that you plan to offer at the Congress.
2.4 What will the cost per delegate be to attend the Congress?
3.0 Support (max 250 words)
3.1 Tell us about how you intend to fund the Congress. Do you have for example a solid reputable organisation underwriting the Congress for you? If so, tell us about who will be underwriting the Congress.
3.2 Tell us about any partners that will be supporting your institution in hosting the Congress.
3.3 Tell us about the organisation and structures you will have in place to deliver the Congress
4.0 Location (max 200 words)
4.1 Tell us more about the location of your institution. We are particularly interested to know how accessible your institution is to delegates, particularly from international locations.
4.2 Is the location served well by airlines and internal transportation systems? Please provide details of how delegates will be able to get to the Congress location and access transportation within the local area.
4.3 Please provide us with an assessment of travel costs for delegates to get to your location.
5.0 Facilities (max 150 words)
5.1 Tell us about where you intend to hold the Congress. We are particularly interested to know whether the Congress will be hosted in your institution, in other premises, or a combination of both.
5.2 If the Congress is to be hosted in a variety of venues, how do you plan to get delegates between venues?
5.3 How many delegates can your venues comfortably accommodate?
5.4 Will break out facilities be provided at the venue? How many will be available and how many delegates can be accommodated in the breakout venues?
5.5 Tell us about the quality of the venue in terms of comfort, seating, and environment for delegates.
6.0 Accommodations (max 150 words)
6.1 Tell us about the range of accommodation that will be offered to delegates at the Congress. We are interested to know:
• The range of prices for accommodations that that will be offered to delegates.
• The standard and quality of accommodations available at your location.
• What is the proximity of accommodations to the Congress venue?
• Provide details of how delegates will get from the accommodations to the venues.
7.0 Partners (max 200 words)
7.1 Tell us about your concept and plans for the partners programme for the Congress. Include broad details of the activities and social programme that you plan to offer.
7.2 What will be the cost to attend the partners programmes?
8.0 Sponsors (max 200 words) (only mention sponsors that are not also partners)
8.1. Tell us about the sponsors you are planning to bring in that are not also partners to the Congress, if any. Include information on how these sponsors will help the Congress beyond mere financial sponsorship.
8.2. Is the support of these sponsors a make-or-break situation for the Congress?

Contact
Should clarification of any aspect of the General Guidelines or the Bid Evaluation Criteria be required; institutions should in contact the IMHA Secretary (Constantin Ardeleanu, cardelanu@nec.ro) or the President (Ingo Heidbrink, iheidbri@odu.edu).
Notifications of intent to place a bid (as early as practical) and complete bids (no later than May 15, 2024) should be send to the IMHA Secretary and copied to the President.