Biennial Meeting Site Selection Process
Site Selection Criteria
Site selection for the SRCD Biennial Meeting, which gathers more than 6,000 attendees biennially, is undertaken with thorough consideration of multiple factors, including, but not limited to, geographic and cultural diversity, costs for attendees, available meeting space, and social justice record.
The SRCD Governing Council has responsibility for establishing guidelines and criteria for Biennial Meeting site selection that are consistent with the professional standards and ethics of its members and the child development research field.
SRCD Governing Council approved a written policy incorporating current antiracism principles, ethics, diversity, and inclusion on March 24, 2022.
Location
- Rotation between three of four regions of the United States (occasional locations in Canada and international locations).
- Urban center with accessibility for travel, affordable air travel.
- Positive anti-discrimination, anti-racist, and accessibility record, including race; ethnicity; gender; sexual orientation; gender identity; age; religion; language; national origin; physical ability; health conditions; socioeconomic status; marital, domestic, or parental status.
- Available dates, with selection preference for Thursday – Saturday
- Weather – Average temperature in late March/April.
Facilities/Space
- Adequate block of meeting rooms, exhibition halls, and other spaces to meet function needs.
- Accessibility of facilities – SRCD strives for the inclusion and access of all potential participants and will seek to verify that future locations provide reasonable accommodation and participation in the biennial by its members.
- Provision of or adaptability for accessible accommodations (accommodation for individuals differently abled, all-gender restrooms, lactation room, quiet room, prayer room).
- Hotels within walking distance of the conference headquarters
- Transportation logistics and costs between hotels.
- Complementary facilities/services.
- Record of fair labor practices, employee disputes, and strikes.
Costs
- Affordability of room rates (e.g., typical participant hotel rate, average rate increase per year, sizable block of rooms at core hotels).
- Facilities rental rates or food and beverage commitments.
- Labor costs, food and beverage costs, audiovisual and equipment rental costs.
- Incentives offered by the city, hospitality industry, and vendors.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Demonstrated leadership commitment (e.g., mission statement)
- A written description of responsibilities to diversity, equity, and inclusive practices, such as policies, actions, and procedures that demonstrate a shift in the overall culture. For example, a new policy is meant to drive increased discussion and awareness of any biases that may shape a process or organization.
- Representations of supplier diversity, including but not limited to the number of diverse suppliers engaged or mentored.
- Description of outreach efforts to increase supplier diversity.
- Benchmarking efforts to develop increased diversity among suppliers.
- Internal and External Diversity examples of outreach – leadership/organizational commitment
Other
- The presence of local institutions of higher learning.
- New, culturally diverse locations.
When an issue (e.g., changes in federal and state legislative laws, regulations) arises close to the Biennial Meeting that requires an immediate response from the Society, and there is a short window of time for the full Council to meet, SRCD’s Executive Director consults with the SRCD President. They may decide on a course of action or confer first with the Past President and President-elect or with the Executive Committee of the Council to determine a course of action. SRCD Executive Director will outline the issue and recommend a course of action for the quickest turnaround. If time permits, the Executive Director and the President will bring the matter before Council to discuss and consider the recommended action. It is optimal when time is sufficient to allow for such deliberation.
Every effort will be made to uphold SRCD and the Governing Council’s policies. A review of the current policies of the Governing Council and how the location policies have changed and have become inconsistent with the Society since selection and contracting. A summary of all possible actions and a good faith effort will be made to explore all potential options to relocate the biennial while minimizing the Society’s contractual penalties and obligations with regard to the emergency reserve fund. Additionally, all decisions will acknowledge and include detailed efforts to reduce the negative financial impact of any resulting decision on society. For example, a detailed explanation if the total cost for relocation (including contract cancelation penalties) exceeds the emergency reserve fund.