TDWG 2022

Last updated 16 October 2022

Stronger Together - Standards for linking biodiversity data

The Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) annual conference in 2022 will be a hybrid meeting, hosted in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Although pandemic restrictions appear to be waning in many countries, we expect that many organizations will still be limiting professional travel in the fall of 2022. Consequently, TDWG 2022 will be a hybrid conference; in-person for those who can travel, and virtual for those who cannot. The conference will accommodate symposia, workshops, contributed oral and poster presentations, demos, and discussions, as well as keynotes and social events. Session timing will be anchored to the working hours of Sofia, Bulgaria, where the in-person conference will be held. (UTC+3; EEST during the conference.) Sessions will be streamed live via Zoom, as well as recorded and posted for people participating remotely (registration required).

Conference notifications

Important conference notifications are being sent from Conference Organizers or TDWG Secretariat to registrants via MailChimp. These include

Personalized links to join session Zoom tracks (required for virtual participation); N.B. if you do not already have a Zoom account, you will need to register for a free account before registering for conference Zoom tracks (track = room at conference).
An invitation to join the dedicated TDWG2022 Slack workspace (for synchronous, asynchronous, in-person and virtual participant networking and interactions). See introduction to using TDWG 2022 Slack.
Links and instructions for uploading slides, pre-recorded video, and posters for the conference (see deadlines!)

These links should not be shared. Questions? Contact conf-organizers@tdwg.org.

Deadlines

If you are presenting in person your slides must be uploaded no later than the end of sessions on the day prior to your presentation to allow the transfer by the technical folk at VIBE to the conference laptops.
If presenting virtually your slides also must be uploaded by the end of day in Sofia prior to your presentation. Please join the Zoom room 20 minutes prior to your session to test your access to the conference.
If you will rely on your recorded presentation, please notify your session organizer or moderator (see program) and let them know if you will be available for questions after the recording.

Uploading instructions were distributed on 22 September via MailChimp. If you cannot find this email, see the pinned post in TDWG 2022 Slack channel #help-tdwg2022.

Expired deadlines

Registration for TDWG 2022 - The last day to register and pay for full access to the conference was Friday 14 October 2022. Access to the online registration form is now closed.
26 September 2022 - Deadline to upload talks to be presented virtually. Email with link sent 22 September via MailChimp.
7 October 2022 - Deadline to upload posters and optional accompanying short videos
The discounted room block at the Grand Hotel Millenium Sofia expired Friday 23 September 2022
Last day to switch in-person registration to virtual with full refund of the difference (minus credit card processing fees) was 17 August 2022. Contact conf-organizers@tdwg.org for more information.
Call for abstract submission closed 1 July 2022.
Call for proposals for organized sessions closed 15 April 2022.

Registration

The last day to register for the conference with full access was Friday 14 October 2022 and the online registration portal is closed.

The deadline with no penalty (minus credit card fees) to switch from on-line to virtual attendance was 17 August. Upgrading from virtual to in-person attendance will not incur a penalty and is not subject to the 17 August deadline, however there is limited space remaining for in-person attendance.

Registration costs differ for in-person or virtual participation. As in past years, registration fees include a discount structure, and help to defray the cost of abstract publication. Special discounts are in place for students, post-docs or early career researchers, and participants from low/low-middle income nations. You can even donate funds to support registration of those in need.

All session organizers and presenters at TDWG 2022 must be registered. If you are listed as a presenter on an abstract for the conference, you must be registered before your abstract will be published. Please do this as soon as possible so that we can create the program. If you are unsure whether you will attend in person or virtually, there is no penalty for registering for virtual participation and later upgrading to in-person status. There is a penalty (after 17 August) for downgrading registration (see Terms & Conditions on registration link).

If the cost of registration is a barrier to your participation in this conference, please contact conf-organizers@tdwg.org and briefly state why this is a barrier.

Virtual registration includes

Zoom links to live streamed in-person sessions - you must register in advance in Zoom for these links. Emails via MailChimp were sent with instructions on 5 October, with a reminder on 10 October to all registrants. A final reminder (in addition to personally sent ones) was sent 15 October.
Links to content on demand for sessions you may have missed
Link to join dedicated TDWG2022 Slack workspace to interact, ask questions, join in the conversation for all sessions whether viewed live or on-demand.

In-person registration includes

All benefits of virtual registration (above)
Access to all sessions at the conference
A welcome reception on Sunday evening (from 5–7 PM 16 October) is included in registration. Pick up your name tag and other registration materials and greet fellow attendees.
The conference banquet, also included with in-person registration, will be held at Restaurant Vodenitzata on the evening of the 20th. Transportation will be provided.
A full-day field trip to Rila Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site, on Wednesday 19 October.

Benefits of being a TDWG member

Individual TDWG members and up to five representatives from member institutions enjoy a discounted normal registration. Not yet a member? Become an individual member or update your membership before registering for TDWG 2022. All current members (or the primary contact for institutional members) should have received an email (in early May) with discount codes. Members should know their code before registering.

Schedule

The conference will take place 17–21 October with full days of events starting at 9 AM (UTC+3; EEST) running until 6 PM in Sofia, Bulgaria. A Welcome Reception will be held Sunday 16 October from 5–7 PM.

Beautiful printable program - https://tinyurl.com/TDWG2022-program (thanks to Slavena Peneva and her team!)
Detailed schedule (PDF draft) - https://tinyurl.com/TDWG2022-Sched-Detail - last updated 14 October
Detailed schedule (as HTML page) - with times also shown in local time (best for virtual/remote participants) - last updated 14 October
Schedule overview by day - https://tinyurl.com/sched-tdwg2022

TDWG 2022 will feature four keynote speakers, two during the opening session on Monday morning and two on Friday afternoon. Their abstracts appear in the Keynote collection in TDWG Proceedings 2022.

Presentation information

You must be registered for conference Zoom links to present virtually at TDWG 2022 Multiple email reminders have been sent (5, 10, 15 October in MailChimp), as well as personal email reminders.

If you are presenting in person your slides must be uploaded no later than the end of sessions on the day prior to your presentation to allow the transfer by the technical folk at VIBE to the conference laptops.

See more detailed instructions for preparing for your presentation at TDWG 2022 as well as instructions for moderators and session organizers. Deadlines for uploading content for virtual speakers (26 September) as well as virtual poster presenters (7 October) are included. An email via MailChimp was sent out 22 September with the upload link for presenters.

Note: There is no space at the venue for physical posters.

Working Sessions

UPDATE. Working sessions for the TDWG Interest Groups, Task groups, and Functional Subcommittees will be held post-conference from November 7-10. Free registration coming soon, look for announcements at the conference and on social media. There may be time at the conference for some IG/TG meetings depending on program space.

Abstracts

All conference abstracts are now freely available in our open access journal, Biodiversity Information Science and Standards as TDWG Proceedings 2022. Don’t forget to tweet about abstracts you find there #tdwg2022.

A big thank you to all of the authors, reviewers, editors, session organizers, and the staff at Pensoft for their efforts in making this work available not only to those registering for the conference but to anyone with an internet connection.

Hosts and in-person logistics

TDWG 2022 is hosted by:

who cordially invite you to experience Sofia in-person and virtually.

Pre-conference excursions are available, see details. See also options for sightseeing and museums to visit during your stay.

Conference venue

TDWG 2022 will be held at the Grand Hotel Millennium Sofia, a 5-star hotel located in the heart of the city and within walking distance of the vibrant city center, an area filled with iconic historical and cultural sights, vast green parks and numerous government institutions. See the 360˚ tour of the Conference Center 4th floor.

Getting to the conference venue

The Grand Hotel Millennium is located in the central part of the city (89B, Vitosha Blvd, 1463 Sofia, Bulgaria). If you are arriving at Sofia Airport you can easily reach it by taking Line 4 of the metro (operates from 5 AM to midnight) from Sofia Airport station (Terminal 2). Make an easy switch at Serdika station to Line 2 or at Sofia University to Line 3 for one more stop to National Palace of Culture (NDK) station. (see maps https://www.metrosofia.com/en/maps)

Accommodations

The discounted room block at the Grand Hotel Millenium Sofia is no longer available (deadline was 23 September). Other options may still be available. See details…

Visa requirements

If you are attending the conference in person, please secure any necessary documents or visas prior to travel. See details.

COVID updates

It is highly recommended that in-person participants bring and wear high-quality masks during the conference to prevent contracting and/or spreading COVID-19. Hotel staff will be required to mask during the event. Further updates on local conditions and requirements will be provided closer to the time of the event.

The Grand Hotel Millenium Sofia includes in its hotel policies, information specific to the conference venue and hotel, detailed further in “Millenium Prime.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Republic of Bulgaria has provided the following guidance last updated 1 May 2022. Additional information is available from the European Union.

Medical labs near the hotel and city center offer PCR or rapid antigen tests for COVID. You are encouraged to bring your own rapid COVID test kits.

TDWG now has a Liability Disclaimer and Release policy regarding COVID-19 and relevant to in-person conference attendees.

Travel insurance

It is highly recommended that those traveling to the conference in person should secure travel insurance to cover potential delays or other mishaps that may be encountered.