Expression of Interest Requirements

• Be an educational institution, university, school of medicine or health sciences, and/or academic medical center submitting an Expression of Interest letter signed by the President or Chair of the prospective host organization

  
  

• Describe proposed venue details, including floor plans and capacity charts (ensuring they meet the needs described in the venue requirements section of the RFP)

  
  

• Include information about the destination, such as its tourism appeal, average cost of flights from major cities in the US and Canada, and the destination’s social and political stability and safety for all attendees

  
  

• Provide estimated costs for food and beverage, audio-visual rentals and support, meeting room rental (if any), poster board rental, and any other estimable expenses

  
  

• Indicate what assistance can be provided by the host institution in planning for and during the conference

  
  

• Indicate what assistance can be provided during the SACME site selection visit and meetings, which will be arranged by SACME

  
  

• Provide a description of any financial incentives or support the host institution or the destination’s convention and visitors bureau can offer to SACME

  
  

• Provide information on the continuing education accreditation status (CME, Joint Accreditation, etc.) of the organization and whether the prospective host organization could accredit the meeting

  
  

Venue Requirements

• Be spacious enough to accommodate up to 250 participants

  
  

• Have the capacity for general/plenary sessions each day of 250 participants in banquet rounds (all in one room; lunch may also be served in this room provided it can be cleared quickly to allow a presentation in the room right after the lunch period)

  
  

• Have the capacity to accommodate up to 40 posters per day and 20 exhibitors; this could be done in the registration area if there is enough space, or in a separate room, or exhibitors in the registration area and posters in a separate room

  
  

• Have 3-4 concurrent session rooms for each of the days (spacious enough to accommodate 75+ people each, crescent style; 1 of the 3 concurrent rooms could be the same as the general/plenary room)

  
  

• Have 4-5 rooms for pre-conference workshops on the first day, each accommodating 35-50 people in crescent rounds

  
  

• Have 3-4 rooms available for committee and board meetings each day

  
  

• Have a staff office for the duration of the conference (plus at least 2 days prior to the first day of the conference)

  
  

• Have an audio-visual office for the duration of the conference (plus at least 2 days prior to the first day of the conference) if we bring in an outside audio-visual provider

  
  

• Have a hotel on-site or within a safe walking distance and/or transportation to and from the venue; reasonable prices ($170-$240 USD per night, commissionable) for hotel is preferred

  
  

• Provide discounted or free parking

  
  

• Provide complimentary internet in hotel guest rooms, meeting and public space

  
  

• Ensure conference venue, hotels, and transportation have accessibility for people with restricted mobility

  
  

• Provide affordable options for audio-visual rentals and labor as well as for catering throughout the meeting

  
  

• Provide or have a vendor for the rental of poster boards

  
  

Decision Timeline

• 31 August 2025: Deadline for submission of expression of interest by host organizations.

  
  

• 30 September 2025: SACME shall notify interested parties if they may make presentations and submit full proposals.

  
  

• October 2025: SACME shall hear one-hour presentations by representatives of prospective host organizations. These will likely be conducted virtually and scheduled at a mutually convenient time.

  
  

• November-December 2025: SACME management inspection of venue, meetings with host organizations and potential local sponsors.

  
  

• January 2026: SACME final selection of host organization.

  
  

• January-February 2026: SACME management contract negotiations and signing.

  
  

• March 2026: Announcement of selection of hosts for 2027 SACME Annual Meeting.