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Frequently asked questions

Find answers to your question or contact us for guidance.

This page answers some of our most frequently asked questions about the conference

Don't see the answer you need? Contact us via email at ac2025@rgs.org.

Please also see:

Call for sessions, papers and posters

What is the deadline for proposing a session, paper or poster for the conference programme?

The final deadline for all submissions is Friday 7 March 2025. Please see our guidance for session organisers and for individual presenters.

What formats are supported at the conference?

Sessions can be in-person, online, or propose a hybrid approach. We have plenty of capacity for online and in-person formats, but will have very limited capacity for live hybrid sessions at this year's event.

Consequently, we will be allocating these on an open, competitive basis, with priority for innovative sessions that make the most of hybrid opportunities and functionality. We will be asking you to make the case for why you require a hybrid format at the time of the submission of the session.

If you are submitting an individual paper to the open call for papers you will be asked to indicate whether you would prefer to present in an online OR in-person session.

About conference session formats

How many papers can I present at the conference?

Delegates will be limited to ONE paper presentation and ONE panel/workshop contribution, OR, TWO panel/workshop contributions. The role of discussant is included as a panel/workshop contribution.

A single paper may only be presented once at the conference. Please see our guidance for presenters.

How can I apply for Research Group sponsorship for my session?

Several of the Research Groups are circulating calls for proposals for session sponsorship. You can view a list of these, with deadlines.

Do I need to register for the conference before submitting an abstract?

No, you do not need to register for the conference before you can submit a proposal for the programme. However, if your contribution is accepted, you will then be expected to register and pay the appropriate fee to attend. Both virtual-only and in-person rates are available. In-person registration also includes access to all virtual elements.

How do I find out about sessions being planned for the conference?

Please see our list of advertised calls for papers (coming shortly). Please note that each call for contributions has its own deadline (generally much earlier than the main deadline of Friday 7 March 2025), and own process for submitting a paper proposal. Please read the call carefully and direct any questions to the session organisers.

Browse advertised calls for papers (coming shortly)

The conference theme and programme

What is the chair's theme for this year's conference?

Whether it’s the capacity to create new places out of old, or new spatial relations where none existed before, or to create beautiful things – artworks, writing, architecture, music, dance – in places and across spaces, creativity seems almost too fundamental to focus on.

But what are the spatialities of creativity? The geographies of creative practice – how artwork sustains globalised flows of money for example, or how music reshapes buildings and bodies, or how creative writing nurtures geopolitics – are sometimes hard to theorise and bear witness to. Yet creative practice is crucial both to physical processes and to human experiences: we need to understand it.

More fundamentally, if there sometimes seems to be too little creativity in our habitually over-consuming world, how do geographers become more creative? Is 21st century Geography a truly creative discipline? At a time when our world really needs a creative vision, to deal with new challenges in new ways, this conference theme asks for nothing less than a creative re-visioning of our discipline.

About the chair's theme

How do I find out what's happening at the conference?

The provisional programme will be published in May 2025.

How do I find out the dates and times for sessions?

Please see our programme page for more details on conference dates and session timings, as well as the structure of the conference day.

How do I tell whether a session is in-person, hybrid, or online?

Sessions are in-person, hybrid, or fully remote. The format of the session is displayed alongside the location in the programme.

Registering for the conference

How do I register for the conference?

Registration for the conference will open in spring 2025. You can find out more about registration, including fee categories, and prices, on our registration page.

By registering for the conference, you agree to abide by the conference's code of conduct.

What rates are available for registration? Can I attend just the virtual sessions?

The conference will take place in-person in Birmingham and online. To reflect this, there are two sets of registration fees:

In-person, which include access to all in-person sessions for the day(s) you select, and to all virtual content.
Virtual only, which allow access to all online and some hybrid sessions, asynchronous content and session recordings

Please see our registration page for more details.

Do I need to register for the conference before submitting an abstract?

No, you do not need to register for the conference before you can submit a proposal for the programme. However, if your contribution is accepted, you must then register and pay the appropriate fee to attend. Both online-only and in-person rates are available. In-person registration also includes access to all online elements.

Attending the conference

Where can I find out more about accommodation and travel to the conference?

Please see our guide to planning your attendance at the in-person conference, as part of our wider guide on planning your attendance.

Can I request a letter of invitation to support my visa application?

Yes. All conference delegates who need a visa to enter the United Kingdom are advised to arrange this as early as possible.

Visa support letters may only be requested from the Society once a delegate has had a submission accepted for the conference programme, paid the in-person registration fee in full, and provided full contact details from a recognised institution. There is more information in our guide on planning your attendance at the in-person conference.

Will a creche be offered at the conference this year?

The conference organisers are pleased to offer registered conference delegates a crèche service for children of all ages. The crèche is provided by Little Hens Childcare, an Ofsted-registered provider, whose staff are all first aid-trained, reference-checked, and CRB-checked. There is more information in our guide on planning your attendance at the in-person conference. Places are limited so please enquire as early as possible if you would like to book a place for your child.

Where can I find out more about accessibility at the conference?

We are committed to making the conference as accessible as we can to all delegates, in person and online. Please see our guide on accessibility at the conference. If you have questions or specific requests please do contact us.