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Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Event Conduct

IEEE Cloud Summit is committed to building an inclusive, welcoming, and professional environment for all participants. We align our practices with IEEE guidance on event conduct and safety, non-discrimination, and respectful professional behavior, and we expect all attendees, authors, speakers, organizers, exhibitors, sponsors, volunteers, and staff to uphold these standards throughout the conference—including technical sessions, social events, and any online or hybrid components.

1) Our commitments

We aim to:

  • Provide a safe, respectful, and harassment-free conference experience.

  • Expand participation by lowering barriers and encouraging involvement from diverse communities and institutions.

  • Increase representation across organizers/committees, authors, speakers/presenters, and attendees through intentional planning and transparent measurement.

2) Event conduct and reporting (IEEE-aligned)

IEEE Cloud Summit follows IEEE expectations for conference conduct and safety. We will publish and enforce a clear Code of Conduct and provide multiple reporting channels.

How to report a concern

  • On-site: Report to conference staff at registration or to an identified on-site conduct point-of-contact.

  • Escalation to IEEE: You may also contact IEEE at eventconduct@ieee.org.

Reports will be handled promptly and respectfully, with attention to privacy and non-retaliation, consistent with IEEE event conduct expectations.

3) Diversity goals and plans (next event cycle)

Our diversity plan addresses the demographics and participation of event organizers, committees, attendees, authors, and presenters.

A) Organizers and committees

Goals

  • Maintain broad representation across academia/industry, career stage, and geography.

  • Target ≥40% representation from underrepresented genders across leadership and committees (measured via voluntary self-report).

Actions

  • Appoint Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Chair(s) responsible for implementing this plan and reporting outcomes.

  • Use open nominations and targeted outreach to recruit committee members beyond existing networks (including diverse universities, MSIs, and industry affinity groups).

  • Build balanced slates for leadership and track roles (sector, region, seniority).

Metrics

  • Committee composition by sector, region, and career stage, with optional voluntary demographic self-report.

B) Authors and submissions

Goals

  • Increase submissions and accepted papers from a broad set of institutions (including MSIs and emerging research groups) and regions year-over-year.

Actions

  • Publish an inclusive CFP and promote multiple contribution formats (research papers, industry papers, posters, demos, tutorials).

  • Provide reviewer guidance for fair evaluation and enforce conflict-of-interest practices consistent with IEEE conference ethics norms.

Metrics

  • Submissions and acceptances by region and institution type (when publicly identifiable), plus student-led participation where available.

C) Speakers, presenters, and program roles

Goals

  • Target ≥35–40% invited speakers/panelists from underrepresented genders.

  • Ensure diversity across sectors (academia/industry), regions, and career stages in keynotes, panels, and session-chair roles.

Actions

  • Maintain a diversity-balanced shortlist for invited roles and track representation during invitations.

  • Provide visibility pathways (e.g., student spotlight talks, poster lightning rounds, mentoring/networking sessions).

Metrics

  • Distribution of invited speakers, panelists, and session chairs by sector/region and optional voluntary demographic self-report.

D) Attendees and accessibility

Goals

  • Reduce barriers for students and underrepresented groups and support broad participation.

Actions

  • Offer student/need-based support when funding permits (e.g., reduced fees, travel support).

  • Collect accessibility needs in registration and provide reasonable accommodations (e.g., dietary/access needs, quiet space; captioning when feasible).

Metrics

  • Registration breakdown (students/faculty/industry), geographic distribution, and inclusion/accessibility feedback via post-event surveys.

4) Transparency and continuous improvement

Within 4–6 weeks after the event, we will publish a brief Diversity & Inclusion Summary reporting:

  • Progress against the goals above

  • Key participation metrics

  • Lessons learned and concrete improvements planned for the next year

5) Related IEEE guidance

This plan is intended to align with IEEE’s published expectations for event conduct and safety, non-discrimination, and inclusive participation in IEEE-sponsored conferences.

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