Swansea University case study
Client: Human-Agent Interaction
Name of event: International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction
Date: 24th – 27th November 2024
Event overview
HAI aims to be the premier interdisciplinary event for discussing and disseminating state-of-the-art research and results relating to human and robot interaction. The event gathers researchers from fields spanning engineering, computer science, psychology and sociology, and covers diverse topics, including human-robot interaction, affective computing, computer-supported collaborative work, gaming and serious games, artificial intelligence, and more. The annual event moves each year having previously been held in countries including New Zealand, Sweden and Australia.
Event objective
The organisers are keen to establish the event as a premium product in the sector. For 2024 the organisers selected Swansea as its destination with ambitions to not only grow the event’s attendance but also engage with new territories and welcome engagement from new areas. For the first time in its 12-year history the team welcomed papers from Israel and the UAE with its position reinforced by ground-breaking content from across the globe.
Scale and format of the event
The theme for HAI 2024 was “hybrid society” and it received submissions from more than 40 countries across five continents. Around 200 delegates attended the event from around the world, which began with a day of workshops, and developed across the three days into a series of keynotes and specialist sessions.
Behind the event was Dr Ahmad, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science at Swansea University, it was his passion for the project that saw the event land in Wales, and his work that contributed to its success.
Equally, to inject some Welsh culture and history into the project, Dr Ahmad and his team selected the National Waterfront Museum as host for its conference dinner. Located at Swansea's historic dockside, the museum offers modern, spacious galleries and accessible work spaces and allowed the attendees to socialise while also experiencing Welsh cuisine. “We spent time focusing on the details such as the quality of the catering to ensure that guests had the best experience,” said Dr Ahmad.
Background to the venue selection
Dr Ahmad had been working hard to bring the event to the city for some years. He became part of the Wales Ambassador programme last year and he and his team intend to make full use of the support on offer in helping to attract this and other sector-specific projects back to Swansea.
Dr Ahmad, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science, Swansea UniversityFor a bid to be successful the organisers needed to understand what support there is from the venue, the location and the destination. They need to have oversight of the potential sponsors as well as logistics.”
Event legacy
The project helped to put Wales – and in particular Swansea – on the map and raise its profile among a new emerging sector. "We’ve received so many great messages describing the event as fantastic and plan to bid for its return in 2029.” said Dr Ahmed.
