Applications to Host NAPPN 2025 or 2026 are Open
Interested in hosting the NAPPN Annual Conference?
Our Annual Conference highlights the most recent advances in the rapidly developing field of Plant Phenomics
Our Scientific Sessions cover topics such as Computational Plant Sciences, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Phenotyping, Sensor & Systems, Engineering, Phenomics Enabled Biology, and open-source platforms.
Benefits of Hosting NAPPN
Provide leadership on the future of plant phenotyping through the selection of invited speakers, highlighted activities, social events, and options for sponsors.
Show off your best and brightest in the world of phenotyping, including cutting-edge research at your institution and tours of local research facilities.
Enjoy the economic benefits of hosting hundreds of visitors at your institution and in your local area.
Hosting Application
The NAPPN Executive Board will review the responses to the below questions to ensure compliance with expectations and feasibility. For each proposal that passes initial review, the Board will solicit a presentation to be shared with NAPPN members. Remember, only active NAPPN Members are allowed to submit a hosting proposal. If your conference proposal meets the guidelines below, you will be asked to share a public version and give a brief presentation (‘pitch’) to host the meeting at the upcoming NAPPN Annual Conference. Just 5-10 minutes to get attendees excited about your bid before member voting on the location(s) begins. Please make sure to read the hosting requirements and roles below. If you would prefer a downloadable version of instructions please click below, if not please read until the end.
The questions your proposal should address are:
Primary Contact
Primary Contact(s) (name, position, affiliation, contact information)
The primary contact must be a NAPPN Member
Dates of Meeting
Preferred dates in February for hosting the conference.
Local organization
The Local Organizing Committee will provide financial, technical, and logistic support to plan and facilitate the meeting. Please, give a short statement to the questions below related to the organization of the meeting:Location (City, State)
Site (e.g. University, Conference Center, Research Institute, etc)
Are there catering options at the site?
What will be the format of the meeting? (e.g., stand-alone, satellite, integrated with the existing conference). If the meeting will be associated with an existing conference, please specify the conference here.
Who will be part of the local organizing team (names and affiliations)?
Closest Airport
Distance to Airport
Nearest lodging and the average cost
Field trip options
What is the target audience size? (Rough or minimum numbers should be indicated. For reference, Phenome2020 had ~275 attendees and the NAPPN Annual Conference 2021 had ~400 virtual attendees)
Are rooms for poster sessions and exhibition booths available? (Descriptions should indicate what we expect as presentation, poster, and exhibition options)
How will the technical conference equipment be made available (audio/visual equipment, internet access, online platform, and technicians)?
Do you have experience in organizing large meetings? If so, please specify.
Scientific program
The Program Committee (NAPPN members and local representatives) will coordinate the program of the meeting. This part addresses the local representatives of the program committee. Please provide a short statement in response to the questions below:Suggested names of program committee members (must be current NAPPN members)
Timeline and number of days
Program structure
A shortlist of proposed topics, including possible workshops.
Sponsorship: The Local Organizing Committee and the NAPPN Executive Board are jointly responsible for sponsorship. The NAPPN Executive Board will assist with identifying potential sponsors and coordinating outreach to sponsors if desired.
What financial resources can you contribute to the meeting?
Potential sources for sponsorships
Do you have partnerships with any societies that might help to facilitate this meeting (e.g. ASPB, ISCB, Tri-Societies, IEEE, etc.)?
Budget: Please provide a rough budget
Diversity and Inclusivity
How does your organization encourage the involvement of individuals from traditionally marginalized groups? (e.g., diversity and inclusivity)
How will you ensure the conference is inclusive?
Supplementary Materials (Optional)
In this section, you may add any additional information that you think is relevant to your proposal. Some examples are:
Local sites and attractions
Catering Menu
Hosting Requirements
The North American Plant Phenotyping Network (NAPPN) holds an annual phenotyping meeting in February with the aim of bringing together the North American plant phenotyping community - a unique blend of biologists, engineers, computer scientists, and many allied disciplines that include the academic, industrial, and non-profit sectors - to share the latest scientific discoveries, news, and information, and provide networking opportunities between researchers, users, granting agencies, platform operators and technological experts. This annual phenotyping meeting also serves as the site for the annual NAPPN General Assembly meeting. Please see the organizing information below for what is required as a host.
Organizing the Meeting in Brief
A Logistics Committee, which includes the local organizing committee and members of the NAPPN Board, will provide technical and logistical support to plan and facilitate the meeting such as the organization of the online/networking and other technical services (for more details see questions below).
A Program Committee composed of local, regional, and NAPPN members will coordinate the meeting program including session topics, speakers (invited and selected from abstracts), workshops, and session chairs.
The NAPPN Executive Board will help to coordinate the logistics and program committees. Additionally, a hosting agreement will need to be arranged between the local hosting organization and the NAPPN Executive Board. If the local organizing committee plans to apply for conference support from a federal agency or other organization, members of the NAPPN Executive Board will assist with this process.
Committee Roles and Responsibilities (Details)
Program Committee
Comprised of members nominated by NAPPN membership (including those nominated by the Logistics Committee) and by the NAPPN Executive Board.
Will propose and decide upon conference themes, the session themes, as well as propose invited speakers that will be reviewed by the EID committee.
Will arrange for submission, review, and selection of abstracts and manuscripts for oral and poster presentations.
May delegate the organization of sessions or satellite events to NAPPN Affinity Groups.
Will decide on the general structure of the program with themes per day or session (jointly coordinated with the Local Organizing Committee)
Number of days
Themes and Session titles
Satellite meetings
Visits at facilities
Post-conference visits
NAPPN General Assembly
Social program
Deadlines for:
Early bird registration
Registration closure
Abstract submission.
The Local Organizing Committee
Comprised of local representatives who are NAPPN members and other colleagues from the NAPPN membership or nominated by the NAPPN Executive Board.
Will assist with program organization and sessions on behalf of the Program Committee.
Will communicate with and engage sponsors with assistance from the NAPPN Executive Board.
Will cover the travel costs of invited keynote speakers using the funds gained from registrations.
Arrange a symposium dinner using the funds gained from registrations.
Arrange rooms and meeting locations for symposium sessions, poster presentations, and satellite meetings as well as necessary transportation for field trips and the like (if public transportation is well developed, then it is not necessary to organize additional transportation).
Arrange technical assistance and equipment to record sessions (if hybrid this includes a production company).
Estimate the budget as a basis to define registration fees (upon the proposal of the local organizing committee).
Estimated expenses: including invited speakers (travel & accommodation), conference facilities including internet, audio/visual equipment, transportation, coffee breaks, lunch, conference dinner, (social events potentially paid by option registration costs), transportation, catering, conference materials, etc.
Estimate of the registration fees (upon the proposal of the local organizing committee): Registration includes: all presentations, poster sessions, coffee breaks, lunch, conference dinner. Additional costs of participants: travel and accommodation
Exhibitor guidelines using previous conferences as a basis
Estimated income: sponsorship, exhibitors, grants, other income sources
Sponsorship guidelines
Prepare the first draft for the announcement and websites / in coordination with NAPPN.
Book the venue etc. (local organizers)
Submit a final budget within 60 days of the conclusion of the conference.
May assist with organizing the program and sessions on behalf of the program committee and invite speakers with the assistance of the NAPPN Executive Board;
Carry out communication and attract sponsors with assistance from the NAPPN Executive Board;
Discuss and display options for accommodation to interested participants
NAPPN Executive Board
Sets up the website for the conference which may include registration and abstract submission.
Assists in promoting the conference to potential participants through its websites, social media, and email announcements.
Provide a limited number of travel grants for Ph.D. students and/or early-career researchers selected by the NAPPN Executive Board.
Provide additional economic support from within the budget of the NAPPN Affinity Groups.
Prepare a bilateral contract with basic rules and tasks of the involved partners and a revenue/cost-sharing agreement to be signed by representatives of the Local Organizing Committee and NAPPN before the end of the summer preceding the conference.
The NAPPN Executive Board may provide budgets and costs from previous meetings to help in planning.
Sets up the website for the conference which may include registration and abstract submission management.
Assists in promoting the conference to potential participants through its websites, social media, and email announcements.
In collaboration with the local organizing committee, will identify potential sponsors.
Provide a limited number of travel grants for Ph.D. students and/or early-career researchers selected by the NAPPN Executive Board.
Provide additional economic support from within the budget of the NAPPN Affinity Groups including but not limited to: travel grants for speakers invited to affinity group sessions at the conference, satellite meetings and field trips, travel grants for Ph.D. students, and/or early-career researchers affiliated with an Affinity Group.
Prepare a bilateral contract with basic rules and tasks of the involved partners including revenue and cost-sharing, to be signed by the Local Organizing Committee and NAPPN before the end of summer prior to the conference.
The NAPPN Executive Board may provide budgets and costs from previous meetings to help in planning.
Deadlines for travel grant application – abstract submission deadline.
Text for the announcement and websites / in coordination with Local Organizing Committee.
PDF — All proposals should be submitted as a single PDF file