2016 Editors' Symposium

Welcome to the 2016 Editors' Symposium 

I am delighted to invite you to the sixth Editors' Symposium at the Sofitel Hotel (Heathrow), London, in the UK. Following the very successful fifth Symposium in Brussels in 2013, publishing at the Royal Society of Chemistry has continued to grow in quality, excellence and size since the last Symposium took place and is at the forefront of innovative electronic publishing. 

The contributions of Board members are essential for the future and vision of publishing at the Royal Society of Chemistry and sharing your time and support with us is very much appreciated. At this sixth Symposium as well as Board meetings there will be a series of workshops on many aspects of publishing, arranged to encourage the active sharing of information and innovative ideas to shape future developments. There will also be many opportunities for networking and informal interactions with delegates from across the globe and the chemical sciences including a Saturday evening Reception and Sunday Gala Dinner in relaxed and elegant surroundings. 

The Symposium promises to be the largest ever and I hope you will be able to participate. I am very much looking forward to welcoming you to London next February. 

Helen Fielding 
Chair, Royal Society of Chemistry Publishing Board 

About the Symposium

The Editors' Symposium is a thought-provoking weekend of lively discussion, debate, idea-sharing and brainstorming on all aspects of Royal Society of Chemistry Publishing. 

The event starts at lunch time on Saturday 27 February, and finishes after lunch on Monday 29 February 

In addition to attending your own Board meeting, the Editors' Symposium will give delegates the opportunity to: 

• meet and exchange views and ideas with members of other Boards on topics such as peer review, open access, journal development and quality 
• discuss the future direction of publishing for the scientific community 
• enhance your knowledge of publishing and contribute to future developments 
• learn how our publishing staff conducts its business        

NOTE: the Editors' Symposium is a closed meeting for Royal Society of Chemistry Board members only. 

Sofitel London Heathrow

Sofitel London Heathrow , Terminal 5, London Heathrow Airport, London, TW6 2GD , United Kingdom

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About the venue

The Sofitel London Heathrow Hotel is a luxurious 4* hotel with state of the art fitness centre.

All accommodation at the hotel will be booked by your symposium team on your behalf once you have registered. 

Location

The Sofitel London Heathrow Hotel is the only Heathrow hotel with direct access to Terminal 5 via a covered walkway and Terminals 1, 2, 3, 4 via courtesy Heathrow Express. Easy access from London Underground from Central London. 

Map: Please download a detailed map from the hotel website.  

Travel Information

International travel to London 
London is easily accessible by both air and rail.

Travelling by air

Travelling from Heathrow airport 
Fast convenient transfers are available between Heathrow's terminals. Please refer to the Heathrow link to plan your journey (All links at the bottom of the page) 

Travelling from other London Airports 
If you are travelling to London Heathrow Terminal 5 from another London airport please see the Heathrow link to view options (All links at the bottom of the page) 

Travelling from London St Pancras 
The Eurostar terminates at London St Pancras. From London St Pancras we recommend that you take the underground to London Heathrow Terminal 5 (All links at the bottom of the page). 

Travelling from Central London 
Heathrow airport is well connected to London city centre by underground. Frequent trains connect the airport to the whole underground network from major stations. 

We recommend that you take a train to London Heathrow Terminal 5 (Piccadilly Line) which is a five minute walk from the hotel. Full details of underground connections can be found on the Transport for London Underground website. All links are at the bottom of this page 

Travelling by Train

Travelling from Europe by rail: Please see the Eurostar website for full details of trains from Europe direct to London St Pancras. Please note that tickets go on sale approximately four months in advance of travel dates. (All links are at the bottom of this page). 

Travelling from UK by rail: Please see the national rail enquiries company website for full details of trains to London from Europe. It is important to note that there are several main rail stations in the centre of London.( All links are at the bottom of this page). 

Accommodation and meals

All accommodation and meals for delegates will be provided during the Symposium, from lunch on Saturday 27 February to lunch on Monday 29 February.

If you have any special dietary requirements (e.g. vegetarian or allergies) and/or disability/medical conditions which will need to be taken into account when booking rooms and accommodation, please give details when completing the online registration form.

A reception and buffet to include introductions and welcome will take place on Saturday 27 February at 19:00 in the Sofitel London Heathrow hotel.

On Sunday 28 February there will be a banquet held in the Great Hall of the historic Guildhall London. Transport to and from the hotel will be provided. The dress code is smart. Black tie is welcome but optional.

On Arrival

Delegates should aim to arrive at the hotel on Saturday 27 February. 

The hotel check-in opens from 17:00. Early arrivals may leave their luggage in the Sphere bar on the ground floor. The dedicated Editors' Symposium registration desk will be open from 08:15 on Saturday 27 February.

Delegates who need to arrive before Saturday 27 February and/or leave after Monday 29 February, for travel reasons, for example the availability of long-haul flights, should indicate this on the online registration form so that alternative arrival/departure arrangements can be made. 

Delegate Badges

Badges will be issued to all delegates. Participants are kindly requested to wear their badges throughout the Symposium.

Registration and information desk

The dedicated Editors' Symposium registration desk will be open from 08:15 until 18:00 on Saturday 27 February.  

On Sunday and Monday, the desk will be open at the following times.

Sunday 08:30-17:30 
Monday 09:00-14:00 

If you have any questions about the Symposium, Royal Society of Chemistry staff will be happy to help.

Expense Claims

This guidance is provided to assist members of Boards and Committees when planning their travel and claiming expenses for attendance at meetings. 

• Delegates are requested to minimise their expenses in any way they can. 
• In particular, members are requested to take advantage of standard class travel and "reduced fare" air and rail tickets whenever possible, for example by booking early. Submitted expense claims are expected to be in line with amounts agreed prior to the Symposium. 
• Where all or part travel is made by private car, the mileage payable is calculated using the rates allowed under the Inland Revenue Fixed Profit Car Scheme. The private car allowance is intended for use only where more economic arrangements are not possible. 
• Receipted bills for all expenditure must be attached to claims. 
• All accommodation, meals and internet access will be provided for delegates for the duration of the Symposium. Delegates are responsible for any other expenses incurred and will be expected to pay on departure any bill from the hotel for any additional services provided. 
• Delegates with an accompanying person are required to pay any surplus fee for accommodation in addition to the guest's travelling and subsistence costs. 
• Please return scanned copies of your receipts to Hannah Porter by email using the link below as soon as possible after the Symposium.       

Accompanying Persons

Unlike typical scientific conferences that take place over a longer period and have an accompanying person programme, the Editors' Symposium will be an intensive weekend of scheduled events (including mealtimes). 

We therefore do not recommend that delegates bring spouses/partners/family to the event itself. 

However, if you wish to bring an accompanying person to London you will be required to pay any surplus fee for accommodation (plus the guest's travelling and subsistence costs). 

Code of Conduct

We are delighted to have the opportunity to welcome members of our Boards to the 2016 Editors' Symposium. To ensure that it is a welcoming and enjoyable event for all involved, we would like to take this opportunity to remind attendees of the points below. 

• This will be an intense weekend of work, though not significantly different from attendance at a conference. In addition to your Board meeting, you are invited to attend workshops. We ask that you do make every effort to attend these. The aim of the Symposium is to offer an opportunity to learn about wider Royal Society of Chemistry Publishing activities, to contribute to shaping our strategy and to connect with members of other Boards and members of our publishing staff. The success of the event is dependent upon your participation. 
• Please be punctual during the Symposium: we appreciate your assistance in keeping to the timetable. 
• The dress code for evening events is smart casual. For meetings and workshops please dress as you usually would for a Board meeting. Although all events take place indoors please be aware that the weather may be cold and it would be prudent to bring appropriate outerwear such as a warm coat as one of the social events takes place in a different venue. 
• Meals and refreshments will be provided during the Symposium. There are likely to be times, such as after the Reception and the Banquet, when delegates retire to the bar. This can provide good opportunities for discussion and networking, however we do ask that delegates exercise judgement in getting sufficient rest to allow them to be ready for the following day's activities. We also ask that delegates exercise judgement in their alcohol consumption, as appropriate for a professional event 
• All Symposium delegates and members of our staff have the right to be treated with dignity. We ask you to be considerate of other attendees and treat them with the respect that you would wish to be afforded. In particular, harassment (including sexual harassment) or bullying will not be tolerated or condoned 
• We reserve the right to refuse admission or require you to leave the event if your behaviour is considered likely to cause damage, offence or injury, or is otherwise considered unacceptable

We hope that you find the Symposium interesting and we look forward to welcoming you to London.