Call for tourists

From korrekt.org

Sep 17 2008. For making a scientific conference a success, it is of course important to phrase the call for papers in a way that attracts contributions. So what should be written in the first paragraph? One might think of emphasising scientific excellence, such as IJCAI:

The IJCAI-07 Program Committee invites submissions of technical papers for IJCAI-07, to be held in Hyderabad, India, January 6-12, 2007. Submissions are invited on significant, original, and previously unpublished research on all aspects of artificial intelligence.

Or one might start with an introduction to the purpose of the event:

ISWC 2008 is the 7th International Semantic Web Conference. The purpose of this conference is to promote research and applications of Semantic Web theories, technologies and practices. ISWC 2008 has the following programs: …

Some conferences, however, choose to emphasise other aspects. A call I received today starts as follows:

The Los Angeles/Anaheim area is known for its many renowned attractions, such as Disneyland, Universal Studios and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Very few cities in the world offer as much entertainment, excitement and diversity as Los Angeles/Anaheim does.

Now this text strangely reminds me of a beggar I once saw in San Francisco, with a sign saying: «Why lie? It's for beer.» Then maybe we should start future paper abstracts with «Why lie? We wanted to see Disneyland.» But then again one might as well go to Orlando, Florida.