After weighing up all the elements of risk and contingency, the EAS Board has decided that the Aquaculture Europe 2020 event planned in Cork next April cannot now go ahead. The Board has therefore decided to organise AE2020 as an online event, held over the same dates April 12-15, 2021.
The basic format of the event will stay the same as 'normal' Aquaculture Europe meetings, with morning plenary sessions and then breakout parallel sessions for oral and Eposter presentations. The parallel sessions will be made up of shorter slots for pre-recorded video presentations of the oral presentations and with time allocated to review Eposters and for Q&A.
The Board has also agreed to extend the deadline for submission of abstracts to January 31st.
They will also have an e-Market, where vendors and media partners will have a dedicated place online to present their products, link to their website and have a chat-box to interact with attendees and set up meetings.
Gavin, Burnell, outgoing EAS President and AE2020 Steering Committee chair said, 'Taking this decision now, six months ahead of the date, will allow us to prepare and configure the event so that it can be successful and interactive for attendees. This early announcement and the extension to the abstract deadline will also assure authors that they will have a chance to present their work and will position AE2020 against the many other online events taking place this year and early next'.
Organising parallel sessions with pre-recorded presentations will not only reduce the risk for technical problems and hence ensure the smooth running of sessions, but all presentations (oral videos and Eposters) will be available for a period after the event for attendees to see online. This ensures that attendees will not miss a presentation that they would have otherwise missed with a busy programme in a physical event. During that period, contact with the presenter will also be facilitated, complementing the live Q&A during the conference days.
EAS will also organise the planned RAS@EAS event as a one-day online workshop on April 12 before the conference starts. The workshop theme 'Creating an Optimum Environment' will be a panel-based discussion organised in three sessions addressing three key questions: 'How do we best approach disinfection'? 'Where are we going with monitoring & autonomy'? And 'What are the most problematic interactions between fish & their environment'? Each session will have an introductory presentation, followed by a moderated panel discussion. Registration for this event can be made separately, but all those registered for the full AE2020 event will be able to attend.
During the opening plenary session, and as done for the first time at AE2019 in Berlin, we will have the EAS Student Spotlight Award, with short pitches from the finalists and where participants will decide the winner.
More information on AE2020 will be posted at the EAS events website www.aquaeas.org
EAS is moving forward with the planning of the AE2021 event in Funchal, Madeira from October 4-7, 2021 and abstracts can also be submitted online for that event.
Key programme highlights:
Monday, April 12 - RAS@EAS workshop
Tuesday, April 13 - AE2020 starts with opening session, student spotlight and plenary.
Parallel sessions for the rest of the day and E-market:
Wednesday, April 14 - AE2020 day 2 parallel sessions and E-market.
Thursday, April 15 - AE2020 final day, with sessions, Eposter awards and and E-market.
Key dates:
January 31 - New deadline for abstract submission
February 28 - Early bird registration deadline.
Contacts:
General conference and EAS membership: eas@aquaeas.eu
The e-Market vendor opportunities and media partners mario@marevent.com
AE2020 and AE2021 abstract submission and registrations: worldaqua@was.org
Visit the Aquaculture Europe 2020 website, HERE.
The Aquaculturists
