VIS 2022 was the 26th year of VIS, but in many ways it was a year of firsts: the first in-person meeting post-pandemic and the first hybrid VIS. Throw in the uncertainty of a change in both venue and organizational team leading to shortened planning time plus a dash of global uncertainty, and you have a wonderful blend of chaos and excitement.
One thing that people who have never witnessed the inner workings of a conference might not realize is just how complex and expensive the entire conference can be. Fiscal decisions range from as massive as choosing a venue to as small as choosing whether to have bagels or pastries for breakfast on a given day. In this blog, we’re aiming to provide some transparency into the income and expenses associated with VIS 2022. This transparency is in part in service to the community so participants know where their money goes. The goal of this post is to provide an approximate, high-level breakdown of IEEE VIS income and costs.
TL;DR: We didn’t bankrupt VIS! All kidding aside, with a lot of careful fiscal dialog and almost constant eyes on spending, supporters, and registration (using many uncertainty visualization and thanks to the experience of the Finance chairs), we ended up running a surplus of ~$140,000 (roughly 20%) for VIS 2022. This surplus will support other VGTC initiatives, including providing additional support for VIS 2024. The figure below summarizes the major funds and expenditures for the conference.
Income
| Income Category | Income |
|---|---|
| Registration | $513,000 |
| Supporters | $122,000 |
| Surplus Reinvestment | $39,000 |
| VGTC | $25,000 |
| Other | $10,000 |
| Total | $709,000 |
Costs
| Cost Category | Cost |
|---|---|
| Food and Beverage | $190,000 |
| A/V | $168,000 |
| Administrative Services | $74,000 |
| Conference Management | $34,000 |
| Travel Expenses | $32,000 |
| Onsite Expenses | $31,000 |
| Publication Fees | $14,000 |
| Facilities/Venue | $7,000 |
| Miscellaneous | $15,000 |
| Total | $565,000 |
Context
VIS 2022 was a hybrid conference, offering synchronous online and in-person participation. We hosted the conference in Oklahoma City, OK, USA with a total of 1,302 attendees (614 in-person, 496 paid virtual, and 192 complimentary virtual via the Diversity & Inclusivity program). The conference ran from October 16–21 and included workshops, panels, tutorials, keynotes, and paper sessions. A mid-week reception was held at the First American’s Museum.
Sources of Funds
VGTC
VGTC allocates a proportion of their budget annually to support VGTC conferences. Their ~$25,000 contribution helped support PCS, the Doctoral Colloquium, Student Volunteers, Diversity fellowships, and VISKids.
Registration
The biggest source of uncertainty and income (~$513,000) came from registration. We ended up with 952 paid registrants: 514 in-person and 438 online. Registration fees were kept in line with past conferences, and complimentary registration was offered to some participants to support diversity and inclusivity.
Supporters
Supporters provided ~$122,000 in funds in exchange for visibility and participation opportunities at the conference. New sponsors, including local OKC contributors, helped boost support to one of the highest levels in recent years.
Expenditures
Facilities
Hosted at the Omni Hotel and the First American’s Museum, facilities cost was relatively low at ~$7,000.
A/V
A hybrid conference meant significant A/V demands, totaling ~$168,000. Prioritization of events and volunteer support helped keep costs down.
Food & Beverage
Catering included breakfast, coffee breaks, and a mid-week reception, totalling ~$190,000.
Publication Support
Costs for publication systems and services came to ~$13,000.
Attendee Support
This included testing kits, diversity registrations, volunteer support, and hotel subsidies, totaling ~$47,000.
Administrative Services
IEEE administrative consulting and coordination cost ~$59,000.
Miscellaneous
Included advertising, planning, and supporter program management: ~$15,000.
In Summary…
VIS 2022 was a financial success, thanks to better-than-expected attendance, affordable venues, strong support, and massive volunteer contributions. Hybrid conferences are expensive and complex but can succeed with careful planning and community support. We invite continued conversation about future VIS formats.
Danielle Albers Szafir, UNC-Chapel Hill