Building inclusive engineering education conferences: a responsive approach to identifying and mitigating barriers

Academic conferences are a key development activity due to their role in capacity building and identity formation. However, meaningful participation is limited by barriers which differentially impact individuals, influencing their career development and progression. This work aims to understand how organisational practices (i.e. established norms) support participants with diverse identities when participating in the European Society of Engineering Education (SEFI) conference, and their perceptions regarding initiatives to reduce barriers to inclusion. Data from two surveys (prior to and during SEFI2024) are discussed in relation to the concept of inequality regimes. Implemented initiatives appear to have reduced some of the identified barriers to submission and attendance; however, the apparent disconnect between value statements and disparate levels of individual awareness underlines the need for inclusion to be integrated transversally into the conference culture and organisational structures. The paper concludes with reflections and recommendations for future conference organisers.