Running a Regional Hub of an International Conference: The ESIP July 2025 Canberra Hub Experience

Remote participation in international conferences often comes with significant drawbacks: time zone differences can make participation burdensome, and online networking sessions have not worked effectively for all communities. In addition, intercontinental travel is time-consuming and expensive, and is available only to a small fraction of the global science community. However, sometimes there is a regional cohort big enough to organise a regional hub of the main meeting. 

The ESIP July 2025 meeting had a meaningful time zone overlap with the east coast of Australia, allowing for a partial real-time participation in the main event, while allowing local networking at the regional hub. Setting up a regional hub allowed us to participate in the ESIP meeting while engaging with colleagues locally. During the event, we explored what a Hub Hybrid model could look like and captured lessons learned to inform future hybrid events. Our experience and recommendations were fed back to ESIP to support ongoing improvements. In addition, the meeting provided valuable opportunities to network with colleagues across organisations and locations.

The Canberra Hub was a great experiment and learning opportunity that demonstrated the viability of the Hub Hybrid model. With minor changes, this format can be scaled and refined for future events.