written by Alison Davis Rabosky and Dan Rabosky:
Last summer, we had the opportunity to host the SSAR 2024 standalone meeting at the University of Michigan. As longtime attendees of academic conferences, we were excited to give back to the society that has offered so much to our community. Organizing a conference was no small task — especially with our limited experience in logistics, budgeting, or event planning — but it was also one of the most rewarding professional experiences we’ve had.
Standalone meetings like this one play a crucial role in strengthening the scientific and social fabric of SSAR. They’re not just about sharing research — they foster collaborations, offer mentorship opportunities, and help early-career researchers build connections that drive their careers. Hosting gives you a chance to directly shape that experience, showcase your local community, and build new momentum around herpetology at your institution.
There’s no one-size-fits-all blueprint, but we learned a lot along the way: build a large and enthusiastic planning team early, partner closely with campus event professionals where possible, and be ready for budget and registration uncertainties. Even the most daunting tasks (space decisions, program organization, last-minute logistics) become manageable with shared ownership and clear roles. And don’t underestimate how much your local network of herpetological colleagues — from students to other faculty — will rise to the occasion.
If you’ve benefited from SSAR meetings in the past, we hope you’ll consider hosting one in the future. The experience can be intense, but it’s also joyful, transformative, and deeply impactful for your local community and the society as a whole. We’re grateful to have had the chance to serve SSAR in this way, and we look forward to supporting the next hosting team who steps up to take the lead!
