Call for papers

Introduction

The Business Continuity Institute is pleased to request the submission of papers to be presented at the BCM World Conference and Exhibition which will be held on the 3rd and 4th November 2010 in London, UK.

The theme of the Conference will be ‘Defining business resilience’. The programme will feature three streams catering for those embarking on BCM as a career up to the most experienced practitioner. These streams will come together in plenary sessions to examine industry wide ideas and issues.

SUBJECTS

The three streams will cover the fundamentals of business continuity, the core considerations of resilience through case studies and the strategic context. The following topics will be included:

Stream A – Fundamentals of BCM

This will be a mixture of theory and case studies. Below are examples of what may be included in the sessions.

• BCM Policy and Programme Management – ‘How do I get started?’ – moving from the thinking to the action; Implementing and assuring a programme in a multi-national environment.
• Understanding Your Organisation – ‘What is a BIA?’; ‘What makes a good BIA?’
• Determining Business Continuity Management – Case studies
• Developing and Implementing a BCM Response – ‘Does every department need a BCP?’
• Exercising, Maintenance and Review – ‘Exercising on a shoe-string’; ‘How do you measure the effectiveness of your programme?’
• Embedding BCM within the Organisation’s Culture – ‘Is BCM embedded in-line with BS25999?’

Stream B - Core Considerations of resilience

These sessions will be case study based. Below are examples of what may be included in the stream.

• Supply Chain - examples of defining key suppliers; looking through the full supply chain; practical guidance.
• Information and Communications - examples around information security; cloud computing; data centre virtualization
• Sites and Facilities - examples around alternative site strategies including transport solutions; working with FM service providers’.
• People - examples of close engagement with HR; employment law issues in crisis situations; working across different cultures.
• Applying BCM to market or business events– examples such as customers and dealing with overdependence on major customers; finance and dependencies on credit and insurance.
• The role of government and/or regulators in promoting the adoption of BCM - examples from around the world.

Stream C – Strategic Context

These will be theory and research based sessions that bring new ideas and push the boundaries of BCM thought. Below are examples of what may be included in the stream.

• Corporate Governance - what role for BCM in corporate governance: what should the board, investors and other stakeholders know about BCM and why is it important for them to know anything about BCM?
• Insurance - are the terms of cover for Business Interruption insurance affected by the presence of BCM programmes, if so to what extent?
• Crisis Management and Reputation - media and PR perspectives on effective crisis management and where having a BCP fits in.
• Emergency Management - the relationship between emergency management and BCM; working with the voluntary and NGO sector.
• Risk and Resilience - effective approaches to managing risk and delivering greater resilience; the role of BCM in risk management and resilience.
• The future of BCM - new perspectives and research welcome.

Papers should be submitted no later than 4pm GMT on Thursday 8th April 2010.

RULES FOR SUBMISSION

1) An outline paper of c1000 words must be submitted – the paper must indicate the key points you plan to cover in your presentation.

2) The paper must be an original paper and not one that has been presented previously.

3) When presented at the conference the paper should not run longer than 20 minutes.

4) Please include a statement emphasising the benefits of your presentation to the audience and indicate where your paper sits in relation to the above subjects.

Please also indicate whether your paper is:

• an education document or case study aimed at new practitioners
• a case study or similar for experienced practitioners
• a more advanced paper pushing the boundaries or new research for very senior practitioners

5) Presentations must not be sales or product pitches.

6) You may wish to submit a general paper suitable for a plenary session based upon your own area of expertise – please indicate if this is the case.

7) A CV/resume should accompany your paper highlighting other conference/symposium successes you may have had. We may also ask you to provide evidence of these speaking engagements or a recording of you presenting either on film or audio.

8) By submitting a paper you agree to work with the appointed Stream Leader modifying your paper where necessary to ensure a coherent flow of the session. You also agree to meet the deadlines set by your stream leader and notify them of any issues you may have with these in advance.

9) By submitting your outline paper you agree to send a comprehensive written paper in support of your presentation one month in advance of the conference that is suitable for publishing on the Conference website and in journals after the event. Further details about the requirements of this will be sent should your paper be accepted.

10) All papers should be sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it no later than 4pm on Thursday 8th April.

11) If your paper is not successful for the main programme we may ask you to present on the exhibition floor or form part of a reserve list of speakers.

The BCI reserves the right to withdraw the offer of a speaking slot should the above conditions not be adhered to.

REVIEW

The outline papers will be considered by the BCI and the Working Party. Those who have submitted papers will be advised by the end of May whether they have been successful or not.

Selection will be based on the following criteria:

• Relevance to the suggested topics
• Inclusion of lessons learned and ideas for future trends
• Benefits to the audience
• Your experience as a presenter

COMPENSATION

The primary speaker for a submission, which is subsequently accepted as a presentation for the Conference, will receive a full conference delegate place which includes admission to all conference proceedings and the exhibition, and attendance at the pre-dinner drinks and gala dinner (valued at £995).

Co-presenters will receive a 50% discount on the full delegate rate if they are attending the two days and will then be able to attend all conference proceedings, the exhibition, pre-dinner drinks and the gala dinner.