17th ACM International Conference on Web Search and Data Mining (WSDM 2024)

Role:

• General Chair ACM WSDM 2024

Main Activities:

• Leadership and vision. Together with my two co-general chairs, we set the overarching vision for WSDM 2024, defining conference goals that aligned with the WSDM community.
• Planning and coordination. Together with with my two co-general chairs, we oversaw the coordination of 40+ organizing members across various subcommittees responsible for different areas such as technical program, workshops, tutorials, industry day, doctoral consortium, WSDM day, WSDM cup, WSDM virtual, WSDM proceedings, sponsorship, publicity, website, volunteers, and local logistics.
• Committee management. Together with with my two co-general chairs, we assembled and managed an international, diverse, and high-caliber conference committee of 36 members, ensuring that all of them were aligned with the conference’s goals and deadlines.
• Budget management. Responsible for the financial planing of the conference, which included creating and managing the budget, overseeing registration fees, and ensuring financial viability.
• Venue and Vendor negotiation. Alongside with one of my co-general chairs, we oversaw the selection of the conference venue and the negotiation of contracts with various service providers.
• Sponsorship and funding. Contributed to secure sponsorship and funding from institutions in Latin America interested in supporting the conference.
• Publicity and public relations. Alongide with the PR committee, we developed and implemented strategies for promoting the conference to attract attendees and submissions, and enhanced the conference’s visibility and impact within the community. Additionally, I contributed to liaising between the WSDM conference and stakeholders in Mexico and Latin America, fostering local engagement and support.
• Program oversight. Together with my two co-general chairs, we supported our program chairs to ensures the conference’s technical program was of high quality, relevant, and well-organized.
• Crisis management. Addressed challenges and managed crises effectively, which was especially important in the context of hosting the conference in a new location (Mexico) for the first time.
• Promoting diversity and inclusion. Together with my two co-general chairs, we actively promoted diversity and inclusion, focusing on making the conference accessible and welcoming to a wide range of participants from different backgrounds and regions in Latin America.
• Volunteer selection. Alongside local logistics committee, we recruited and selected 20 local volunteers, ensuring a team well equipped to support the diverse needs of the conference.
• Post-conference activities. Engaged in post-conference activities such as gathering feedback, closing budget, and providing insights, which are crucial for documenting the successes and learning points of hosting the conference in a new region.

Period:

• November 2022 - December 2024