Important Dates
Set the conference-wide registration, submission, and presentation-material deadlines that programs inherit, and manage the schedule of conference events.
Purpose
The Important Dates tab is where you set the dates that apply to the whole conference: when registration opens and closes, the submission timeline that programs inherit, the presentation-material deadline, and the list of conference events (phases and social events). Each section saves independently, so you can update one set of dates without touching the others.
When you use it
Use this tab when you are first setting up a conference, or whenever a deadline shifts. The submission dates here are a fallback for simple conferences with a single main program using Direct Submission — programs that turn on "Inherit from Conference" pick up these dates automatically. You will also come back here to add banquets, receptions, exhibition hours, and phase labels to the public schedule.
The conference start date, end date, and timezone are shown at the top for reference but are edited in the Setup tab. Every auto-calculated date on this page is derived from them.
Walkthrough
- 1
Open the Conference Leadership Console, select your conference, and click the Important Dates tab.
- 2
Review the Conference Period box (start date, end date, timezone). If any of these are wrong, fix them in the Setup tab first — the calculated dates below depend on them.
- 3
In Registration Dates, leave Auto-calculate from conference dates checked to let the system set them (registration opens 45 days before the conference, early bird ends 25 days after opening, and registration closes on the conference end date). To override, uncheck the box and edit the three date fields, then click Save Registration Dates.
- 4
In Submission Dates (for Program Inheritance), keep Auto-calculate from conference start date on to use the Direct Submission timeline (submission 120 days before, notification 64 days before, camera-ready 50 days before the conference). To set them manually, uncheck the box and edit the submission deadline, notification date, and camera-ready deadline. The submission and camera-ready fields include a time picker (interpreted as Anywhere on Earth). Click Save Submission Dates.
- 5
In Presentation Materials, configure the required materials and their deadline that every program follows by default, then click Save Presentation Requirements.
- 6
In Conference Events, add schedule items. Use a Quick add preset (Welcome Reception, Banquet, Exhibition, Closing Ceremony) to open the editor pre-filled, or click Add Event for a blank one. Set the name, date(s), optionally a specific time, an optional description, and check Mark as main/highlighted event if it should stand out. Confirm with Add or Update in the modal.
- 7
Reorder events with the up/down arrows, edit or delete them with the pencil and trash icons, then click Save Events to persist the list.
Saving registration dates does not save submission dates, presentation requirements, or events — and vice versa. After editing any section, click that section's Save button before moving on or leaving the tab.
Tips
- Leave auto-calculate on unless you have a specific reason to override. It keeps every deadline consistent with the conference dates and updates if you change them in Setup.
- The Submission Dates here only affect programs with "Inherit from Conference" enabled. Programs using Two-Stage Rolling Review or with inheritance turned off manage their own dates in PC Chair Console → Important Dates.
- Use Conference Events for phases (Tutorials Day, Main Conference) and social events (banquet, reception, exhibition hours) — not for individual talks or workshops, which are authored in the Presentation System schedule.
- Highlight your main event so it stands out on the public schedule.