Frequently Asked Questions

The conference has arranged access to discounted accommodation via our partner Visit Sheffield. These rooms can be booked using the conference booking portal. If you have any issues with your accommodation, please reach out to the contact information listed on the booking portal.

For more information, see Staying in Sheffield on the Visit Sheffield website. You are required to arrange your own accommodation.

The conference venue, The Wave (University of Sheffield, 2 Whitham Road, Sheffield, S10 2TQ), is located on the University of Sheffield’s campus. Information about getting to the venue can be found on the Venue page of the website.

You can find general guidance and technical guidance for your talk or session on our webpages.

For detailed guidance on preparing your poster please refer to the original call for submissions.

Key points are as follows:

• Posters should be A0 sized (841 x 1188 mm) and portrait orientation.
• You are responsible for printing and bringing your poster to RSECon.
• Fixtures for hanging and information about where to place your poster will be provided at the registration desk.
• Instructions on how to upload the digital copy of your poster for remote attendees will be provided in advance of the conference
• If you have opted to pitch your poster during the lightning introduction slots make sure you are prepared with this in advance of the session.

The conference will take place at The Wave (University of Sheffield, 2 Whitham Road, Sheffield, S10 2TQ).

The Wave is fully accessible for wheelchair users and provides step-free access throughout the venue. More information about physical and online accessibility can be found on the Accessibility page of the conference website.

Daytime temperatures in Sheffield in early September range from 12°C - 21°C (54°F - 70°F). Evening temperatures usually hover around 10°C - 11°C (48°F to 52°F). September has changeable weather, so there may be long periods of sunshine, or many rainy days.

There is not a dress code. We encourage you to wear what you would be comfortable in, knowing that the conference is a professional setting and you’ll likely be meeting lots of new people. If its helpful context, many attendees usually wear jeans and a t-shirt.

Yes! To help us reduce our environmental impact, we’d encourage returning attendees to bring their existing RSECon lanyard if they still have it. Don’t worry if you don’t have one - we’ll have plenty available at registration for anyone who needs a lanyard.

The online portions of the conference will be available via the Zoom Events platform. Attendees will receive instructions about how to log on to the platform in the weeks before the conference. All attendees will be able to access the online streams and playback of any sessions they miss or would like to rewatch.

There will be a dedicated RSECon26 Slack workspace, that should be used for all communications during the conference. Please note that this workspace is separate from the main RSE Slack. Invitations to this workspace will be sent to registered attendees in August.

Updates from the conference committee (e.g. important announcements, changes to the schedule, etc) will be posted to the RSECon26 Slack throughout the event. That workspace will have several channels pre-populated, and members can create their own as needed throughout the conference.

Please join the Slack a few days before the conference begins, and take a few minutes to browse and join channels.

We will be recording most sessions via the Zoom events platform. Those recordings will be made available via the SocietyRSE Youtube channel after the conference concludes. Most slides will also be published via a dedicated Zenodo community.

We will also have a professional photographer and videographer during the conference. The photos and videos will be used for social media and a conference gallery. If you do not want to be recorded, please contact us at the conference registration desk - a specific lanyard will be provided for those who registered ‘no’ for photos or video recording (photos captured during the conference will subsequently be reviewed, to remove any containing the designated lanyards prior to publication).

There are a wide range of social events planned, including the distributed social on Thursday that will provide a chance to explore the university and the surrounding area. If you want to spend some more time exploring or are spending some extra time in Sheffield, the Visit Sheffield website has information about things to do on campus and the local area.

The distributed social allows members of the RSE community to spread out across the city, enjoying activities that suit their preferences. We’ve curated a list of activities and invite you to join the one that appeals to you the most.

You might be excited about making new connections, or wanting to catch up with old colleagues. Perhaps you’re attending RSECon with your team and want to use this time to socialize, or simply looking for some downtime after two busy days of conferencing. There’s something for everyone.

Each event is self-organised and the costs are covered by attendees. Each activity will have a dedicated channel in our RSECon26 Slack workspace. Please use the Slack workspace to proactively develop plans for all who would like to participate. Most of our proposed ideas have a dedicated channel, each with the prefix #social-.

We understand that social events can be a bit intimidating for some. We’re committed to making sure everyone feels welcome and able to fully participate.

Yes! We have opened our merchandising store. Check it out to see the range of t-shirts, hoodies and other conference merch (including the ever-popular unicorn logo). All attendees are entitled to a free RSECon26 shirt this year, but don’t let that stop you from stocking up on the rest of our great merch!

You can email us at [email protected]. You can reach the Conference Steering Committee on the RSECon26 slack - come join the chat and ask the conference committee any questions via #helpdesk.