The Future of Software Engineering Conferences: A New Zealand Perspective

This paper examines the barriers faced by New Zealand researchers in attending software engineering conferences, such as high travel costs and scheduling misalignments, and proposes strategies like hybrid participation and governance reforms to foster more equitable global engagement.

The Gist

Imagine the world of Software Engineering (the people who build the apps and systems we use every day) is like a massive, global giant's ball.

For this ball to work, everyone needs to show up, share ideas, and make friends. But right now, the ball is being held mostly in North America and Europe.

This paper is written by four researchers from New Zealand. They are standing on the other side of the world, looking at the party and saying, "Hey, it's really hard for us to get there, and the way the party is run isn't fair to people like us."

Here is the story of their paper, broken down into simple parts with some fun analogies.

1. The Problem: The "Long Haul" and the "Empty Wallet"

New Zealand is incredibly far away from the main party hubs.

• The Travel Nightmare: To get to the party, Kiwi researchers have to fly for over 20 hours. It's like trying to run a marathon while carrying a heavy backpack, then having to work a full day immediately after you land. You arrive tired, jet-lagged, and ready to sleep, not to network.
• The Cost: The "ticket" to the party is expensive. When you convert the price from US dollars to New Zealand dollars, it feels like you're paying for a luxury car just to get in. Plus, the flight costs more than a small house down payment. For students or researchers with small budgets, the party is simply out of reach.
• The Visa Wall: Even if you have the money, getting a visa (permission to enter) is like trying to get a key to a locked door that changes its shape every week. It's stressful and often impossible for young researchers.
• The Wrong Time: New Zealand lives on a "Southern Hemisphere" clock. Their summer (when they are free from teaching) is winter in the US and Europe. The party is always scheduled during the Kiwis' busy school term, so they can't come.

2. The Hidden Bias: The "Local Echo Chamber"

Because most people at the party live near the venue, the research presented often only talks about local problems.

• The Analogy: Imagine a cooking competition where all the judges and chefs are from Italy. They will only make pasta and talk about Italian tomatoes. They might miss out on the amazing flavors of sushi or curry because no one from Asia or the Pacific is there to share their recipes. This paper argues that software needs everyone's recipes to be truly good.

3. The Solution: How to Fix the Party

The authors suggest several ways to make the "Software Engineering Ball" fairer and more fun for everyone, not just the people living next door.

🌐 The "Hybrid" Mix (Online + Offline)

Instead of forcing everyone to fly across the ocean, the party should have a high-quality live stream.

• The Metaphor: Think of it like a concert. You can have the "front row" experience in person, but you also offer a VIP virtual ticket where you can chat with the band and other fans online. This saves money and reduces the carbon footprint (less pollution from planes).

🗺️ Rotate the Venue (Don't Just Stay in the US/EU)

The big conferences are starting to rotate locations, but they still mostly stick to the "Global North."

• The Idea: We need to hold parties in Asia, South America, and Oceania more often.
• The Proof: The authors mention that when a conference was held in Auckland (New Zealand), the number of local attendees jumped from 2 people to 26! If you bring the party closer to people, more people will come.

💰 Sliding Scale Tickets & Cheaper Venues

• The Ticket: Just like airlines charge different prices based on where you live, conference tickets should cost less for people from countries with lower incomes.
• The Venue: Stop holding parties in fancy, expensive hotels. Hold them at universities.
• The Food: Instead of paying $50 for a catered lunch, let people grab food from local street stalls. It's cheaper, tastier, and supports the local economy.

🤝 Fixing the "Planning Committee"

The people who decide where and when the party happens (the Steering Committee) are mostly older, wealthy professors from the US and Europe.

• The Fix: We need more young researchers and people from different continents on the planning team.
• The Time Zone Trick: If the planning team meets at 9 AM in New York, it's midnight in New Zealand. The paper suggests holding meetings at times that work for everyone, or having two meeting times so no one has to stay up all night.

🚀 Helping the "New Kids" (Early Career Researchers)

Young researchers often don't have the money or experience to lead.

• The Idea: Give them special "training wheels" roles. Let them run side-events, chair sessions, or get travel grants just to say hello. This helps them grow into the leaders of tomorrow.

The Bottom Line

The authors are saying: "Software engineering is a global team sport. If we only let the players from one region play, we will never win the championship."

By making conferences cheaper, more flexible, and geographically diverse, we can build a stronger, smarter, and more creative community that actually represents the whole world. It's about moving from an exclusive club to a global village.

Technical Summary

Based on the paper "The Future of Software Engineering Conferences: A New Zealand Perspective" by Blincoe et al., here is a detailed technical summary structured by the requested categories.

1. Problem Statement

The paper identifies a systemic inequity in the global Software Engineering (SE) research community, specifically highlighting the barriers faced by researchers in geographically isolated regions like New Zealand (and broadly, the Oceania region). The core problem is that the current SE conference ecosystem is heavily skewed toward North America and Europe, creating significant obstacles for global participation.

Key specific barriers identified include:

• Geographic Isolation & Travel: Flagship conferences (ICSE, FSE, ASE) are predominantly held in the Northern Hemisphere. Travel from New Zealand often involves flights exceeding 20 hours, leading to severe jet lag and reduced productivity.
• Financial Prohibitions: High registration fees (often in USD) combined with exorbitant travel costs (>$3,000–$5,000 NZD for flights) create a barrier for researchers in smaller economies with limited funding.
• Visa & Administrative Hurdles: Strict visa requirements for North America and Europe, coupled with short timelines and costs, disproportionately affect Early Career Researchers (ECRs) and students.
• Academic Calendar Misalignment: The Southern Hemisphere academic year (Feb–Nov) does not align with the Northern Hemisphere schedule, causing conflicts with teaching obligations during peak conference seasons (Dec–Feb).
• Governance & Representation: Steering Committees (SCs) often lack representation from Oceania and other distant regions. Furthermore, meeting times are frequently scheduled during North American/European business hours, excluding global members who must participate at inconvenient times.
• Research Bias: The concentration of conferences in specific regions leads to skewed participant demographics in empirical studies, introducing unintentional geographic bias in research findings and tools.

2. Methodology

The paper employs a qualitative, perspective-based analysis rather than a quantitative empirical study.

• Authorship: The authors represent four major New Zealand universities (University of Auckland, University of Otago, University of Canterbury, Massey University), providing a consolidated view of the regional academic experience.
• Data Sources:
  • Historical Analysis: The authors analyzed the location history of three flagship conferences (ICSE, FSE, ASE) from 2015 to 2026 to demonstrate the concentration of events in North America and Europe.
  • Policy Review: They examined the recent "rotating schedule" initiative (started in 2023) intended to diversify locations.
  • Case Comparison: They contrasted attendance data from a flagship conference held in the "Not North America/Europe" region (ICSE 2023 in Australia) against a specific regional conference held in New Zealand (ICSME 2025 in Auckland) to illustrate the impact of proximity on participation rates.
  • Cost Analysis: The authors calculated specific financial barriers using current exchange rates (USD to NZD) and typical flight costs to quantify the economic burden.

3. Key Contributions

The paper contributes a comprehensive framework for restructuring the SE conference ecosystem to be more inclusive, sustainable, and equitable.

• Diagnosis of Systemic Bias: It provides a detailed breakdown of how current conference structures (location, timing, governance) systematically exclude researchers from the Southern Hemisphere and developing economies.
• Critique of Current "Rotation" Models: While acknowledging the 2023 rotation of ICSE, FSE, and ASE as a positive step, the authors argue it is insufficient because the "Not North America/Europe" category is too vast and diverse, still leaving regions like Oceania and Africa underrepresented.
• Strategic Recommendations: The authors propose seven concrete strategies for the future of SE conferences:
  1. Hybrid/Virtual Models: Moving beyond simple streaming to high-quality interactive platforms with asynchronous engagement to reduce carbon footprints and costs.
  2. Decoupled Governance: Separating the role of General Chair from the host institution to allow conferences to be held in resource-constrained regions while maintaining organizational quality.
  3. Flexible Pricing: Implementing tiered registration fees based on purchasing power parity and prioritizing travel grants for underrepresented regions.
  4. Cost-Conscious Venues: Shifting from expensive hotels/convention centers to university campuses and reducing catering costs to lower registration fees.
  5. Reimagined Tracks: Creating tracks for ongoing work (posters/short papers) to lower the barrier to entry for presenting, and designing tracks that offer tangible value to policymakers and funders.
  6. Inclusive Steering Committees: Mandating geographic and career-stage diversity in SCs, with specific mechanisms (e.g., rotating meeting times) to ensure active participation from all time zones.
  7. ECR Empowerment: Establishing leadership pathways (e.g., Shadow PC, session chairing) specifically supported by travel grants for researchers in distant regions.

4. Results & Evidence

While the paper does not present new statistical modeling, it presents compelling observational evidence:

• Location Data: Analysis of ICSE, FSE, and ASE locations (2015–2026) reveals that despite the rotation, the majority of events remain in North America and Europe. The "Not North America/Europe" slot has been filled mostly by Brazil, South Korea, and Australia, leaving vast areas (Africa, parts of Asia, South America) without flagship hosting.
• Participation Disparity: The paper highlights a stark contrast in participation numbers. Typically, only 1–2 researchers from New Zealand attend flagship conferences annually. However, when ICSME 2025 was held in Auckland, 26 participants (13%) came from New Zealand. This serves as empirical proof that geographic proximity significantly increases local engagement.
• Financial Impact: The authors demonstrate that a standard conference trip for a New Zealand researcher can cost upwards of $5,000 NZD (flights) plus $2,200 NZD (registration), a sum often prohibitive for students and researchers without external funding.

5. Significance

The significance of this paper lies in its call for a paradigm shift in how the global SE community operates:

• Equity & Diversity: It argues that true scientific progress in SE requires diverse global perspectives. Current biases in participant demographics lead to tools and practices that may not be applicable or effective in non-Western contexts.
• Sustainability: By advocating for hybrid models and regional hosting, the paper addresses the environmental impact of frequent long-haul flights, aligning the conference ecosystem with global sustainability goals.
• Community Health: The proposed reforms aim to retain and nurture Early Career Researchers (ECRs) who might otherwise be excluded due to financial or logistical barriers, ensuring the long-term vitality of the research community.
• Policy Influence: The paper serves as a manifesto for conference organizers, funding bodies, and steering committees, providing a roadmap to transition from an exclusive, hub-centric model to a truly global, inclusive network.

In conclusion, the paper asserts that the future of SE conferences must prioritize inclusivity, sustainability, and equity to ensure the global community thrives through diverse collaborations rather than being limited by geography and economics.