An important event for the IAME is its annual conference. The host organization and location differs from year to year. The venue for IAME 2018 was Mombasa, Kenya. In 2019 it was Athens, Greece. In 2020, there was an online conference organized in Hong-Kong. In 2021, the conference took place in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and in 2022 in Busan, Korea.

This event provides an excellent opportunity for the exchange of recent research; meet up with old friends and colleagues; and is a particularly valuable event for young researchers and students as it provides the opportunity to interact with more senior and experienced researchers and practitioners.

Conference hosts are members of the IAME and although host institutions are generally universities this is not a requirement of the Association – the conference host can be a university, a government department or an alliance of organizations operating in related areas. The IAME conference held in Panama in 2002, for example, was jointly hosted by UNECLAC and the Panama Canal Authority.

Members interested in hosting a conference should prepare a proposal which will be assessed by the IAME Council. Guidelines for the preparation of a proposal can be obtained from the IAME Secretariat. The Council meets annually and it has been the Council’s practice to receive and assess proposals at that time. Hosting and organizing a conference is a time consuming and demanding task and it is recommended that organizers allow two years for the preparation, organization and staging of a conference. For further information please contact the Secretariat or the President.