Hosting the iLRN Annual Conference

Hosting the iLRN Annual Conference

Overview & Vision

Hosting the iLRN Annual Conference is a distinguished opportunity to anchor your institution and geographic region as a global leader in immersive learning. Through partnership with iLRN, host sites become springboards for scholarly exchange, design innovation, and elevated institutional visibility. As the backdrop for cutting-edge XR, simulation, and immersive education research, your venue becomes a hub for international collaboration across disciplines and sectors.

Strategic Benefits for Hosts

• Global Visibility & Reputation: Hosting the conference dramatically raises the international profile of your institution within the immersive learning and educational technology communities.

• Community Building & Networks: You gain direct access to a global network of researchers, practitioners, and funders in XR and immersive education.

• Local Capacity & Catalysis: The conference galvanizes local faculty, students, and partners, stimulating new research and grant proposals.

• Institutional Leverage: Hosting can serve as a foundation for long-term partnerships, external sponsorship, and new programmatic initiatives (e.g., labs, centers, curriculum).

Timing & Format Expectations

• The iLRN conference typically occurs in the first week of June, spanning five days (Sunday through Thursday).  Conference dates have varied by as much as 3 or 4 weeks depending on host availability of the physical accommodations. 

• The series alternates between North America and Europe, although proposals from other global regions are welcome—provided they can deliver on necessary infrastructure and appeal to the community.

• Past editions have blended in-person and virtual modes (hybrid), adapting to global circumstances and broadening accessibility. 

What We Expect in a Host Proposal

To ensure a successful, high-quality conference, prospective hosts should include the following in their proposal:

1. General & Institutional Information

• Preferred years for hosting (ranked).

• City, venue, and host institution(s). 

• Academic lead(s) and track record in organizing events of scale. 

2. Venue & Facilities

• Venue details: meeting rooms, lecture halls, workshop spaces, exhibition areas. 

• Technical infrastructure: projectors, sound, networking, Wi-Fi, AV needs.

• Relationship between the venue and the locality (e.g., distance to airport, transportation). 

3. Accommodations & Logistics

• Lodging options (hotels, dorms, low-cost) with proximity to the venue and negotiated rates. 

• Strategies to manage visa, travel, and international participation. 

• Import/export considerations (for immersive tech or exhibition materials). 

4. Outreach, Attendance & Support

• Plans for attracting regional, national, and international attendees. 

• Identification of local and institutional support (funding, in-kind contributions).

• Proposed sponsors, partnerships, and promotional strategies. 

5. Financial Planning & Budget

• A realistic budget: venue, staffing, catering, social events, merchandise, insurance, marketing. 

• Revenue projections: registration, sponsorship, exhibitor fees, workshop income. 

• Scenario planning with best-case, likely-case, and worst-case figures. 

6. Local Team & Governance

• Names, roles, and short bios of local organizing team (chairs, logistics leads). 

• Proposal for how local and iLRN leadership will coordinate (e.g., an 18-month planning horizon).

7. Supporting Materials

• Suggested keynote speakers (regional/regional) with profiles.

• Potential sponsor leads. 

• Any additional supporting documents, letters of commitment, or visual plans. 

Process & Timeline

• iLRN solicits proposals at least two years in advance of the intended hosting year. 

• Once a host is selected, a formal Partnership Agreement is executed, defining roles, resources, and shared investment (in-kind, financial, institutional). 

• The local host enters into a co-planning relationship with iLRN leadership (Steering Committee, General Chairs, Program Chairs) to jointly design the conference.

Commitments & Expectations for Hosts

• Demonstrated institutional investment—whether via campus support, staff, facilities, or external sponsorships.

• Balanced ownership and partnership: the host must be willing to cede programmatic design to iLRN leadership while providing local resources.

• Responsiveness to global equity and accessibility: hosts must help lower barriers to participation for underrepresented regions.

• Adherence to the standards of scientific rigor, inclusion, and innovation that define the iLRN community.

For more information and access to host proposal interest and application forms visit  Immersive Learning Research Network Annual Conference page