Frequently Asked Questions

Any scientist will tell you that conferences are a valuable networking opportunity, so turn up prepared with business cards and be ready to mingle and sell yourself. If there are group activities available, sign up to them as soon as you can to ensure you don’t miss out – group activities are well known for being the relaxing and friendly environment that really propels new connections and collaborations.

If you are bringing a poster, ensure you give it to one of the Fusion team as soon as possible so they can put it on display for you. The earlier the better so your poster receives as much exposure as possible.

For practicality, ensure you’re on time for all talks, and try and attend every one. Also something that can be forgotten about – it can be impossible to accommodate everyone’s wishes on the temperature of the conference room! To ensure you’re as comfortable as possible, best to wear a light, short sleeved top and bring a sweater/cardigan to throw over the top in case the air con is a little chilly. Conference dress is casual – many attendees wear shorts which is necessary in warm climates!

Do you have special dietary requirements? Please let the conference organiser know as soon as you book so we can accommodate your needs.

We usually aim for an early start, buffet breakfast included. The morning is filled with talks, interspersed with regular coffee and networking breaks. There is usually a four hour break in the afternoon allowing delegates to enjoy some free time – this could be at the beach, at a group activity or even just catching up on emails over lunch if need be. The afternoon has further talks prior to dinner, whereby there may be organised group meals for you to attend. At some of our all-inclusive venues you’ll have a choice of where you’d like to dine and with whom.

Conferences usually start on day one with an exclusive Student Networking Lunch as an ice breaker for junior faculty, before starting for the afternoon. Starting later in the day enables many scientists to fly in that day, reducing the need for booking an extra night. The last day of the conference aims to end by noon allowing some to return home that day but for those looking to combine the trip with a vacation, extra nights and family members can be booked via Fusion.

Usually day two includes a two-hour poster session (dependent on the number of presenters) followed by the renowned Fusion Gala Dinner – a large group meal with live entertainment, to encourage guests to let their hair down, get up on the dance floor and network late into the evening. We find that most collaborations are started after our dinners due to the extremely friendly and relaxing atmosphere.

Fusion’s registration fees are unique and normally include 3 nights’ fixed accommodation and a food & beverage package for the duration of the conference. More detailed inclusions for particular conferences can be found under the ‘Prices’ tab on the conference webpage.

The amount of funding available for grants varies for each conference. Please send any requests for funding to the Fusion team for review including your name, a brief description of your current research and an abstract for talk or poster consideration.

Yes, we would encourage you to bring colleagues along to our conferences. Group discounts range from 4% - 10% depending on the size of the party. Please contact the Fusion team for details.

As a family-run organiser, we appreciate how important time with family is. Scientists frequently travel abroad to various conferences throughout the year and you shouldn’t miss out on time with your loved ones. We endeavour to try and only select venues that are family and child friendly. We do have to charge for accompanying guests, but we only ever pass on the hotel cost, no other hidden charges are included. Unfortunately, your family will not be able to attend the conference, however if you are speaking, we can make an exception for your guests to attend your own talk. Please just approach us at the registration desk to let us know. Of course, your accompanying guests will be able to use all of the hotel’s facilities. Your family is also welcome to join you at all meals, including the Fusion Gala Dinner.

At present we do not offer bespoke childcare services tailored to the conference programme. However, we do have information on file regarding childcare services available at our hotels. Kids club and nanny services are usually offered so please contact the Fusion team if you require further details such as availability, pricing and age groups.

We ensure all our venues are disability-friendly. If you have any health conditions or impairments please do contact us shortly after registering so we can do everything we can to ensure your conference stay is comfortable and enjoyable.

This varies depending on the venue, it’s usually a maximum of 2 adults and 2 children per room. Please contact the Fusion team before booking to check the maximum occupancy. Please note our rates are based on single occupancy for academics and industry, and on a shared basis for students. A discounted ‘shared’ rate is available on request for academics and industry if you wish to share with a colleague.

Room upgrades can be arranged upon request at an additional charge. Please contact the Fusion team to discuss any special requirements you may have.

Accommodation included within the registration fee is fixed, however additional nights can be booked for an additional fee if required.

Although we don’t include any transportation within the registration fee we do aim to make your trip as seamless as possible and transportation options and recommendations can be found under the ‘Transport’ tab on the conference webpage.

Yes, for many of our conferences we can provide a Day Pass rate. Please contact the Fusion team to obtain the up-to-date Day Pass fee for your preferred meeting. Both single day and whole conference Day Passes are available.

Please see point 5 of our terms and conditions.

Yes, however we do require a small deposit to be paid online to secure all registrations. Once registered, bank transfer details can be found on your invoice in your Fusion account.

We recommend bringing a USB stick with a copy of your presentation on. As soon as you arrive for the conference, provide the Fusion AV technician with your USB stick and they’ll run through your presentation with you and check compatibility. Right before your talk, you’ll just need to approach the AV desk to get equipped with your mic. After that, you’re good to go!

If you are presenting on the first day of the conference, please e-mail your presentation in advance to the Fusion team.

During the registration process you have the opportunity to upload your abstract for consideration. Or, once registered, you can login to your Fusion account and upload an abstract at any point prior to the published poster/oral submission deadlines.

Yes, you can login to your Fusion account at any point prior to the poster/oral submission date and submit an abstract.

Our poster boards can accommodate a maximum poster size of A0 (1189H x 841W mm), portrait in orientation. 

In a nutshell, yes. We do not restrict tweeting or image sharing like other conference organisers, however we do ask you to use common sense when it comes to unpublished data.

We recognise the importance of ‘open science’ – and this includes using social media for discussions, debates and sharing ideas. Not all scientists that want to attend our meetings can come – they might have limited funding, they may have an important deadline that overlaps the meeting preventing attendance, or they have personal commitments. We support scientists being able to use social media to keep up to date with their research field and what is going on at our meetings.

The Fusion Twitter account will endeavour to always post the programme as and when it happens so you can keep in the know, however please use the conference hashtag to see what other attendees are posting too!

We encourage the use of Social Media both prior to and during the conference to develop collaborations and stimulate discussion. All attendees will be invited to join a private LinkedIn Group where they can ‘virtually’ network with other attendees. You can interact with Fusion Conferences on the following platforms; LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

The initial registration costs for a Fusion conference are higher for two reasons. Firstly, we pride ourselves on being a high quality, maximum service conference organiser, aiming to offer a high amount of flexibility for our delegates. Our tailored experience allow many things that may not be possible at other conferences – such as accommodating late or early arrivals, as well as the option of bringing your family to the conference hotel. We also offer excursions and organised group activities to allow guests to continue to network away from the coffee breaks (and many of our guests appreciate how much of an ice breaker this is as it breaks down any hierarchy and really builds long lasting relationships). We also bring to the table our renowned party Gala Dinners, finishing each conference off with a bang and really allowing our guests to ‘let their hair down’ and network in an incredibly relaxed environment.

Secondly, our conference venues are all-inclusive. This absolutely bumps up initial registration prices, however we have had highly positive feedback about running our conferences this way – many actually state the conference was cheaper in the long run due to not having to pay for individual meals and general day-to-day expenses. The all-inclusive vibe means delegates are not having to worry about finding a place to eat as there are restaurants and cafes on their doorstep – and this means it is much easier to find other conference delegates to have lunch and dinner with. Delegates have also commented this was fantastic as it meant not having to hold onto every receipt to claim back their expenses!