Spatial Structures 2020/21 Conference Report

The International Conference on Spatial Structures has been organised and held on five previous occasions by the Spatial Structures Research Centre of the University of Surrey in 1966, 1975, 1984, 1993 and 2002, and in 2011 in collaboration with the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE) and International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS). The seventh conference was hosted by the University of Surrey from the UK during 23rd – 27th August 2021; it was combined with the 2020 annual symposium of the IASS. The conference was named IASS 2020/21 – Surrey 7 and its strapline was “Inspiring the next generation”. The planning and delivery of the conference had a long history: beginning in January 2016, and latterly very heavily affected by the worldwide Covid 19 pandemic emerging during late 2019/early 2020. The original planned dates were 24th – 28th August 2020, but as the impact of the pandemic became more profound, the mode of delivery evolved from fully in-person (designated as S0 mode of delivery), through hybrid in-person/virtual (S1) to eventually becoming fully virtual (S2) throughout the revised dates during August 2021. Under these circumstances, achievement required a highly professional, flexible, and agile Executive Group (EG) planning for and working on an entirely novel delivery model. The team was partly drawn from the conference corporate Organising, Scientific and Industrial Committees and comprised representatives from the Surrey University Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Procurement, Events team, Faculty and Research Communications and Marketing teams; along with outside contractors providing wider support and specialist technical services. The internationalism of the conference participants (see Figure 1) and the virtual delivery model presented the EG with unique challenges. Spatial Structures 2020/21 Conference Report