In light of the success of the 2014 National Cervantes Symposium held at the University of Illinois at Chicago and in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Cervantes Society of America, the CSA would like to invite proposals for a second National Cervantes Symposium to be held in 2018.

Prospective symposium organizers should expect around 50 participants who would present in single consecutive sessions (traditional panels and roundtables), with the participation of one keynote speaker. The conference will be organized in a 2 to 3 day program.

The CSA will provide $3,000 in funds, and conference organizers may also plan on a modest registration fee from symposium participants. The CSA’s Executive Board will assist the conference organizer with the call for papers, as well as with the selection of presenters and of the keynote speaker.

Applicants should include the following information in their proposals:

1. Proposed dates;
2. conference site;
3. preliminary budget (see checklist below);
4. availability of hotel rooms close to the proposed conference site;
5. average hotel-room cost per night;
6. restaurant availability near the conference site;
7. transportation accessibility between the airport, hotels, and the conference site;
8. list of potential co-sponsors (host department or program, college or university, external institutions);
9. indication of available support at host institution (monetary grants and/or program funds, institutional support office, staff support, technical support, etc.);
10. any other features of your institution, city, or region that could potentially be included in the program and/or that could be of special interest to conference participants.

Please send the proposal to Steven Hutchison, shutchin@wisc.edu, President of the Cervantes Society of America, by September 1, 2016. A final decision will be made by October, 2016.

Checklist for Preliminary Budget:

The budget should be presented taking into account monetary support offered by the CSA ($3,000), projected registration fees, any financial support offered by your institution (confirmed or projected), and any financial support offered by external institutions (confirmed or projected).

• Cost for renting conference rooms;
• Cost for renting audio-visual equipment and other technical support;
• Cost for promotional materials (website, posters, conference programs, etc.)
• Catering expenses (coffee, water and/or soft drinks, any included meals or snacks, etc.);
• Banquet expenses;
• Projected travel, hotel, and meal expenses for keynote speaker;
• Projected honorarium for keynote speaker;