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Race, Culture and Equality Working Group

The Race, Culture and Equality Working Group (RACE) of the RGS-IBG invites you to submit proposals for sponsorship at the RGS-IBG Annual International Conference 2025.

The RGS-IBG Annual International Conference 2025 will be chaired by Professor Patricia Noxolo (University of Birmingham, UK), on the theme of Geographies of Creativity/Creative Geographies.

The conference will take place at the University of Birmingham and online, from Tuesday 26 August to Friday 29 August 2025.

Session sponsorship

Session sponsorship means that a session is branded in the conference programme with the Research Group’s name, and gives the opportunity to promote the session through our Research Group networks.

The RGS is encouraging a range of session formats. The RACE group also encourage innovative and inclusive formats and invite proposals for session sponsorship that engages with the conference theme, as well as other aspects of geographical work around race, culture and ethnicity.

Given that the RACE group's concerns cut across a number of research groups, and with a view to putting the conference theme of Geographies of Creativity/Creative Geographies into action, do also keep in mind that co-sponsorship is possible. You should contact the relevant Research Group, as well as the RACE group, if you would like to explore this.

Guest passes

Unfortunately, session sponsorship does not include financial sponsorship. International delegates, or those who are not working in geography departments, may be eligible for a Research Group guest registration if their conference session is sponsored by one of the Society's affiliated Research Groups and/or if they meet other eligibility criteria.

Research Group guest registrations are limited in number and over-subscribed every year. Delegates should contact their session convenor and the chair of the relevant Research Group for more information. The Research Group guest registration scheme will open in spring 2025.

More information on research groups at Annual Conference is available on our site.

Key info

To apply for RACE session sponsorship there is no form to fill in. Please send the following information to the RACE Secretary James Esson at j.esson@qmul.ac.uk by Wednesday 26 February 2025:

  • Session title;
  • Session abstract (250 words);
  • Session organisers’ names, affiliation, and emails;
  • Session format and an indication of how many timeslots you are requiring;
  • Whether you aim for a co-sponsorship with other groups.

A general tip: sessions that speak to the RACE group’s key themes tend to be more successful in securing sponsorship than those that do not. 

The committee will review the applications and we will inform session organisers of decisions no later than Monday 3 March 2025.

Timeline

Call for papers and sessions for the RGS-IBG Annual International Conference 2025 are now live.

Deadline for sponsorship applications from session organisers to RACE: Wednesday 26 February 2025.

Decision on sponsorship applications from RACE communicated to session organisers no later than Monday 3 March 2025.

Deadline for submissions from session organisers to RGS-IBG: Friday 7 March 2025.