74th RILEM Annual Week and 40th Cement and Concrete Science Conference – online format

Please find below the communication from Prof John Provis, 2020 Honorary President and organizer of the 74th RILEM Annual Week:

Dear colleagues and friends,

This year has seen a great deal of uncertainty and disruption to the planning of conferences and meetings, with many events being cancelled or rescheduled due to restrictions on travel and group gatherings.

While we certainly hope that the national and international situation will have improved by the scheduled dates of the 74th RILEM Annual Week and 40th Cement and Concrete Science Conference (31 Aug – 4 Sep 2020), we cannot be certain that all travel and gathering restrictions will have been fully released by that point in time.

So, to ensure that all conference delegates are able to gain the maximum possible benefit from the meetings, sessions and presentations, we have taken the decision to move the conference and all associated committee meetings into an online format. All conference sessions will be presented and streamed live online, all meetings of TCs and standing committees will be held through teleconferencing, and delegates will be provided with as many opportunities as possible to interact with each other, to discuss technical and other matters.

We are conscious that most delegates will not have attended an online conference before – some of us were able to benefit from the extremely effective move to a semi-online format by the organisers of the RILEM Spring Convention in Guimarães recently, but this is the first time it will be done for a full RILEM Week and with minimal physical presence on site. We are working hard to provide the best possible experience for all participants, and we hope to introduce some new initiatives and ideas to enhance everyone’s conference experience using the opportunities opened by an online event. We are particularly keen to innovate to get a high level of interactivity throughout the conference, with opportunities for informal as well as structured discussions, and as much as possible of the social interaction that we all treasure through RILEM.

Further information will be made available through the conference website https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/materials/rilem2020 in the very near future – including details of registration, presentation formats, and other important logistical considerations. Please bear with us as we work through all of these details as we must change a lot of what was originally planned.

With best regards, and hoping all are staying safe and healthy!

Prof John Provis, University of Sheffield (RILEM Honorary President 2020)