event: Foruth International Workshop on Human-Computer Conversation

Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, Bellagio.

The purpose of the workshop is to bring together academic researchers
and industrialists concerned with all aspects of human-computer
conversation and the associated research issues of emotion,
relationships, companionship, embodiment, ECAs, memory, evaluation
etc. that persistent, personalised computational agents will need
solutions for if they are to exist, as they will, in the reasonably
near future. The earlier workshops in this series (see the first at
http://icon.shef.ac.uk/meetings/bellagio/) were highly successful at
getting industry groups to display their interests and prototypes as
did university and independent researchers.

Since 2000, there has been a great upsurge in research funding, and
another aim of the meeting will be to bring together members of
currently active research consortia in the EU and US, such as CALLAS,
CALO, COSY, AMIDA, INDIGO, SOPRANO and others; the workshop is being
held under the auspices of the EU 6FP IP COMPANIONS (www.
companions-project.org)(2006-2010). Bellagio and the Villa Serbelloni
are among the finest spots in the world for thought and reflection:
see http://www.villaserbelloni.com/

IMPORTANT DATES:

Abstracts due: 1 July 2008
Authors notified: 31 July 2008
Final papers due: 5 September 2008

Abstracts should use a simple template (modelled on two-column AISB
format) at (Word version):
http://www.companions-project.org/downloads/Bellagio08_templ...
Abstracts should not exceed two pages. Final papers should not exceed
five pages.

GENERAL CHAIR
Yorick Wilks (U. Sheffield)

PROGRAM COMMITTEE
James Allen (U. West Florida)
Ellizabeth Andre (U. Augsburg)
David Benyon (Napier U.)
Christopher Brewster (U. Sheffield)
Harry Bunt ( U. Tilburg)
Marc Cavazza (U. Teessside)
Emmet Coin (ejTalk, USA)
Oliver Lemon (U. Edinburgh)
Bjorn Gamback (SICS, Stockholm)
Louise Guthrie (U. Sheffield)
Aravind Joshi (U. Pennsylvania)
Anton Nijholt (U. Twente)
Catherine Pelachaud (U. Paris)
Steve Pulman (U. Oxford)
Akira Shimazu (JAIST, Japan)
Tomek Strzalkowski (U. Albany)
Markku Turunen (U. Tampere)
Mats Wiren (U. Stockholm)

INVITED TALKS (not all yet confirmed)
James Allen (U. West Florida)
Aude Billard (EPFL, Geneva)
Harry Bunt ( U. Tilburg)
Marc Cavazza (U. Teessside)
Oliver Lemon (U. Edinburgh)
Tim Paek (Microsoft Research, Redmond)

REGISTRATION
Information and an online payment method will be posted on the project site
http://www.companions-project.org/events/200810_bellagio.cfm
and an email circular will tell you registration is open. At that
time we shall also post travel and hotel information etc. Those
wishing to ensure that they get rooms in the Villa Serbelloni itself
should book now at the website above, mentioning the workshop and
asking for the special price. The registration fee (under 400 euro
and 200 euro for full-time students) will include a welcome reception
in the Villa as well as a special lunch on the terrace over Lake
Como. Registration will be limited to 100 participants.