Dear participants and friends of FSCONS,

After the annual meeting we are happy to inform you that the planning for FSCONS 2016 has started (and not only that: we’ve started looking ahead to 2017 and 2018 as well, but more on that later). We are aiming for the second weekend of November as usual, that is to say 12-13 November.

FSCONS 2016 will, as previously suggested, take place at a conference centre in the vicinity of Gothenburg with a limited number of speakers and tracks, and tickets for the event being essentially the cost price for the accommodation at the venue. This, we trust, will not only alleviate the work load of the organisers and thus increase the sustainability of the association, but also provide a more intimate setting for our 10th anniversary celebration. While this decision was not taken lightly, changing the venue for this year will reduce the effort of organising volunteers and logistics, and the reduced number of speakers means that we can use our buffer to cover the speakers’ travel costs, thereby reducing our need for finding sponsors.

Relying on a conference centre will mean that accommodation and meals will be included for all participants. While we anticipate that the total cost for participation for those travelling to Gothenburg will be about the same, unfortunately the price for local participants will likely be higher. To alleviate this, any additional funds acquired from sponsors will primarily go to lowering the ticket price.

In addition to the above, we are excited to report that the annual meeting has asked our collaborators in Oslo to look into the possibility of hosting FSCONS 2017. We think that this could bring some new energy and perspectives to the event, and that alternating between Gothenburg and another city in the Nordic countries every other year will also give the organisers more time for the tasks that need to be performed a year or more in advance, such as inviting high profile speakers and applying for external funding. This might also free energy and capacity for organising satellite events in Gothenburg and elsewhere in the years when the main event is out of town, which is something we have been wanting to do for many years.

We go into the planning of this year’s conference with FSCONS 2017 and 2018 already in mind, a fact which we hope you will find as inspiring as we do. We hope you will follow us on this journey, and as always you are more than welcome to join us in organising FSCONS 2016, and to help us make FSCONS 2016 the Ultimate FSCONS experience!

on behalf of the board, Andreas Skyman (Secretary) Stian Rødven Eide (Chairman)