Dear Members of the SACP,

I email you on behalf of the SACP Board of Directors. We solicit proposals for hosts for both our 2026 and 2027 annual conferences. We especially invite proposals from these regions: Asia for 2026, the Americas for 2027 (i.e., North, Central, and South America).

Here are some important bits of information to consider before volunteering to host an annual SACP conference:

• the conference should take place over the span of 3-4 consecutive days between late-May and mid-August
• expenses for the annual SACP conference can range from $12,000 to $25,000 USD
• the SACP Board will work with the location hosts and make every effort to highlight speakers and topics that are of regional interest, as well as make other accommodations (such as running panels in the local language, spotlighting the work of graduate students and young scholars from the host country and region, etc.)
• while we will work together with the local host (as just described), the SACP reserves the right to make final decisions regarding the conference program, such as keynote speakers, the managing of the final program, and so on

Here are some key things that the Board will prioritize in making its decision for our conference locations.

• Essential Items:
  • provide rent-free space for our conference (including 3-5 rooms for concurrent panels)
  • provide a large space for keynote events for up to 125-175 audience members (depending on the number of conference participants and special guests)
  • provide other basic facilities (bathrooms, a room or hall for setting up registration tables, etc.)
  • provide volunteer support (often students) to help run the conference (e.g., to direct conference participants to the correct locations, to set up and manage tech devices in presentation rooms, etc.)
  • provide print-outs of conference programs, tables for registration activities, and other basic needs
  • provide information for how to properly welcome conference participants (e.g., maps about the local area, advice on accommodations and places to eat, etc.)
• Bonus Items (not necessary, but much appreciated):
  • offer free or affordable housing (e.g., dormitory rooms, local hotels) for conference participants
  • pay for 1 dinner (such as the Farewell Dinner) for conference participants
  • pay for 1 opening reception (to include drinks, finger foods, etc.)
  • organize social events that allow conference participants to appreciate and enjoy the local culture, arts, and other distinctive features of the host location and surrounding areas
  • provide basic advertising to the local area
  • provide free catering for coffee and snacks (in the early morning, late morning, and the afternoon)
  • provide free catering for lunch on one or more days of the conference

If you or someone you know is willing and able to host one of our upcoming conferences, and you believe that your host institution can provide the above “Essential Items,” and possibly even some of the “Bonus Items” (though this is not necessary), then please notify me prior to the start of our upcoming 2025 conference at Leiden University, July 9-11. At our in-person Business Meeting (on July 11^th), the Board will announce the nominated hosts, and we will discuss your concerns, questions, and other comments. If you cannot attend the Business Meeting in person but would like your views to be taken into account, then please email me prior to July 9^th. Shortly after the conference ends on July 11^th, the Board will then make a final decision about our 2026 host, and will begin more serious discussions with our candidate hosts for 2027. We will also discuss the theme for the 2026 conference at the upcoming Business Meeting.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me or one of the other members of the SACP Board of Directors.

My best wishes,

Geoff Ashton
President, SACP 2025-2026
Professor of Philosophy, University of San Francisco