Bringing People Together to Share Ideas

A Brief Introduction

Common Ground has been convening and managing conferences since 1989, including large and small events in Australia, Asia, Europe and the United States. We have a small, full-time team working in the conference management area. Common Ground is able to work under close instructions from sponsor organisations and steering committees, or work autonomously to create an exciting, vibrant and effective conference. We are always willing to be flexible about organisational alternatives, and the evolving shape of a particular conference. We are also able to work with diverse groups of stakeholders, adopting an inclusive approach which honours that diversity and uses that diversity as a generative source of creativity.

Unique aspects of Common Ground conference management include:

Inhouse development of sophisticated conference websites, including online call for papers and ecommerce enabled registration.
Publication of conference proceedings using Common Ground’s CGPublisher software. Using CGPublisher, conference proceedings can be published simultaneously as dbooks (digitally printed books) and ebooks (electronic books that can be downloaded through the Internet). Publication can either be paper-by-paper in a monograph format (e.g. spiral bound print format and PDF electronic format), or as a ‘perfect bound’ paperback anthology of papers and its ebook equivalent.
Virtual registrations, in which non-attending participants can access all published papers and non-attending participants, can publish their papers as part of the Journal.

Common Ground Conferences Capability Statement

Common Ground Conferences can:

Liaise with sponsoring organisations and a conference steering committee, including:
- Negotiate detailed conference requirements.
- Meet regularly with sponsors and/or the steering committee, at agreed times in person, by email or by teleconference.
- Submit regular progress reports at agreed intervals, including a final financial acquittal.
Develop the conference program, which may include:
- Opening ceremony: such as a welcome to country by traditional owners, invitation of representatives of government, music/performance.
- Keynote addresses - invited speakers, local and international.
- Parallel small group papers - short sessions showcasing research, community experiences, literary readings etc.
- Parallel small group workshops - longer, more interactive sessions demonstrating ideas and cultures in practice, talking circles, etc.
- Exhibition/marketplace.
- Performances - theatrical and musical events interwoven through the conference.
- Closing ceremony: summary of outcomes, symbolic close.
Organise conference logistics, including:
- Booking of the venue.
- Develop and promote program of related events - arts events within the conference, exhibition/marketplace, community visits, tours, conference dinner etc.
- Organise travel and accommodation for speakers and participants.
- Organise catering.
- Co-ordinate audio-visual requirements.
- Monitor disability access.
- Organise childcare.
- Co-ordinate media coverage.
- Co-ordinate and oversee the presentation of the conference.
Undertake conference promotion, including:
- Develop and print a conference brochure and/or poster.
- Mail the conference brochure and poster to agreed mail lists.
- Develop a conference website with online call for presentations and ecommerce enabled registration facilities.
- Post the conference website to search engines and arrange links from/to other agreed websites.
- Send emailouts to agreed email lists.
- Media promotion and liaison.
Publish the Journal, including:
- Virtual conference - virtual registration, online presence via the Session Descriptions, online access to text of the Journal.
- Manage peer refereeing - in which presenters referee each other’s written presentations, using either one-way blind (referee identity confidential) or two-way blind (author and referee identities both confidential) refereeing processes.
- Publish conference proceedings in dbook (printed) and ebook (Internet accessible) formats.
- Market and distribute published conference proceedings.