The International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) and our partners in China, Tsinghua University in Beijing and XJTLU in Suzhou, have been working for more than a year to prepare IAMCR 2020 in Beijing in July 2020. The unfortunate and difficult situation resulting from the coronavirus Covid-19 has forced us to reconsider our plans and we have jointly agreed not to hold IAMCR 2020 in Beijing.
Nevertheless, given the effort that has already been expended to prepare the conference, the significant opportunity and milestone that holding IAMCR in China represents for both IAMCR and our Chinese partners, and as a way of reinforcing our solidarity with Chinese scholars, IAMCR’s Executive Board and International Council have invited Tsinghua and XJTLU to host our conference in 2022.
IAMCR’s Executive Board and International Council have also accepted a highly suitable offer to host the conference at Tampere University in Tampere, Finland, for the same dates, 12-16 July 2020. Professor Kaarle Nordenstreng, an IAMCR member since the 1960s, and his colleagues have been able to move quickly to establish support for hosting the conference and we thank them for their efforts. Tampere is well established with excellent facilities and a good track record for holding conferences.
The Tampere conference will maintain the same dates, the same theme, even the same logo and many other elements already prepared for Beijing, including for example, some of the plenary themes and speakers. Authors who have submitted abstracts for the Beijing conference easily will be able to have them considered for Tampere, and a new CfP will allow a two-week window (17 February - 2 March) for authors who chose not to submit for Beijing, to send abstracts for consideration for Tampere.
Call for Proposals 2020 Extraordinary Reopening | 17 February - 2 March ->>
Tampere has also committed to ensuring that technical facilities are in place to facilitate internet streaming of key sessions and video presentations for authors unable to attend the conference.