OK, it cannot go on. I am just flattered, absolutely flattered by all these scientific meeting requests I get in my mailbox on a daily, (yes daily) basis to go to meetings. It cannot go on much longer. The object of my frustration reads like the following. Do others get the same requests?
5th Annual Congress of International Medichem-2014
Time: November 27-29, 2014
Venue: Suzhou International Conference Center, Suzhou, China
Website: http://www.bitcongress.com/icm2014/
Dear Dr Sean Ekins,
I’m Race, the program coordinator of 5th Annual Congress of International Medichem which will be held during November 27-29, 2014, Suzhou, China. On behalf of the organizing committee, we sincerely invite you to be the Chair on the Session 2-1: New Opportunities in Lead Discovery and Optimization Strategies. Or, you are welcome to choose any session that you are interested in!Your prompt reply with a speech proposal will be highly appreciated! With your support, we hope to make this year event different from any others.
We are trying to design a program in which all the main components below are included:
Track 1: Frontier of Chemical Biology and Targeting Medichem
Track 2: Challenges and New Opportunities of Medichem
Track 3: Master Medicinal Chemistry of Biotherapy
Track 4: Small Molecule Drugs R & D
Track 5: Green Approaches in Bioactive Compounds and Manufacturing Process
For more information in detail, PS: http://www.bitcongress.com/icm2014/Programlayout.asp
Suzhou is called ‘Heaven on Earth’, Suzhou is located in the south of Jiangsu Province, with Shanghai to the east. Since 42% area of the city is covered by water, including a vast number of ponds and streams, Suzhou is praised as the ‘Oriental Venice’.
We look forward to seeing you in Suzhou for a stimulating and enjoyable conference.
Sincerely yours,
Ms. Race Chang
Program Coordinator
Organizing Committee of ICM-2014
East Area, F11, Building 1,
Dalian Ascendas IT Park,
1 Hui Xian Yuan,
Dalian Hi-tech Industrial Zone,
LN 116025, China
Tel: 0086-411-84575669-861
Fax: 0086-411-84799629
Email: Race@bitconferences.com
Yes one day I will hopefully travel to China to visit my friends/ collaborators, see the great wall of China etc.. Its on my to do list, that and probably Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, the Moon and Mars (hopefully all in my lifetime). But I get so many invites for these “conferences” it makes me wonder do they ever actually happen? Are they vanity conferences, where you basically foot the bill to chair “whatever scientific session you want!”. And do real scientists just turn up to these sessions or are they actors? My questions are naive because obviously I have never stumped up the cash for a return ticket to “insert locale of interest in China”. Who has the time for these when there are so many other conferences you could go to such as the always fun ACS. I guess if you get bored of San Francisco, Boston, Washington, Texas as ACS locations they could also chip in and pay for everyone to go to Suzhou, because there are likely more chemists in that region than in America now? Perhaps thats a stat only the ACS bean counters know, (soon to be renamed the CCS).
So next time I get one of these emails – tomorrow I bet- I will delete and briefly think of what could have been my moment of self deluded fame and grandeur in Suzhou, surrounded by a crowd of folks who have no idea what I am talking about. The ACS could make my daydream come true, send me to Suzhou so I can report on what they do at these meetings.
P.S. do entrepreneurial American companies send similar emails to the burgeoning Chinese scientific community inviting them to the Suzhou of the USA (insert anywhere in snowy New Jersey) to chair “whatever scientific session you want!” I am sure conferences could do wonders for US-China relations. Perhaps not such a silly idea.
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Antony Williams says:
February 17, 2014 at 10:29 pm (UTC -5)
I also get these daily. As well as weekly invitations to be an editor for some obscure Open Access journal…commonly in an area where I know nothing!!! I send to Junk mail…and they keep coming
sean says:
February 18, 2014 at 8:55 am (UTC -5)
Here is a classic hybrid meeting/journal email to a Medicinal Chemist collaborator:
2014 EMTC经济管理和经贸合作国际会议征稿函
2014 International Conference on Economic Management and Trade Cooperation [EMTC2014]
2014 EMTC经济管理和经贸合作国际会议[EMTC2014]
（4月12-13日，2014 中国西安）
（April 12-13,2014 Xi`an China）
2014经济管理和经贸合作国际会议(EMTC 2014)将于2014年4月12-13日在中国西安召开，所有EMTC 2014论文将由Atlantis Press出版并提交EI Compendex和CPCI-SSH检索。会务组现诚向相关领域专家、学者和学生征稿。
The 2014 International Conference on Economic Management and Trade Cooperation(EMTC2014) will be held from April 12-13, 2014 in Xi`an, China. The all accepted papers will be published by Atlantis Press and submitted to EI Compendex and CPCI-SSH (ISSHP) for indexing.
征稿范围包括但不限于：a.公共管理b.公共经济c.公共政策和经贸合d.管理科学与工程 e.经济管理的跨科学研究。
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to
1.Public economy 2.Public management 3.Public policy and trade cooperation
4. Management Science and Engineering
5 Interdisciplinary research of economic management
征稿要求：文章撰写语言为英语；提交的文章不得少于3个版面；文章应按照会议网页上提供的模板进行排版。
Requirements:
1. Submitted papers MUST be written in English.
2. Submissions are at least 3 pages.
3. Manuscripts should be submitted in Word/PDF format.
Full Submissions due: March 10th, 2014
Website: http://www.emtc2014.org/
Submitted via Email: emtc2014@163.com
Call for Papers-[EMTC2014]-April 12-13, 2014
A Cusenza says:
February 21, 2014 at 1:21 am (UTC -5)
I enjoyed visiting your Blog – this entry was especially fun to read. Thanks for your Mon – Fri Rare Disease Posts !! Ann
sean says:
March 1, 2014 at 10:37 pm (UTC -5)
Hi Ann,
Thank you..still keep getting the meeting requests..daily
Sean