Conference management software for universities and research institutions
Converia integrates abstract submission, peer review, program planning, registration, payment processing, and invoicing into one seamless workflow. The software is compatible with university procurement framework agreements, hosted in Europe, and GDPR-compliant.
Unify submission, review, and programming on a single data platform.
Scientific conferences require more than just ticketing and room scheduling: managing hundreds or thousands of abstracts, multi-stage reviews, and parallel tracks requires seamless integration. Converia covers the entire scientific process from start to finish—even for chairs organizing their first event without templates or established routines.
Consolidate all of a person's roles into a single record.
At scientific conferences, one person often takes on multiple roles: submitting a paper, reviewing others, and attending as a participant. Using separate tools leads to duplicate data, unnecessary follow-up questions, and missing proof of eligibility at check-in. Converia connects these roles through a central person database with integrated role logic.
Integrate procurement, compliance, and consulting into your system.
For universities, software alone is not enough. Procurement, data protection, and accounting must also be aligned. At Converia, these requirements are part of the setup—complemented by personal advice based on over 20 years of experience with scientific conferences.
A system for the entire conference
Before the conference
- Manage call for papers, reviews, and program scheduling
- Set up conference website from templates, copyable for the next edition
- Set up registration, pricing plans, and early-bird logic
- Create invoices and manage communication via email templates
During the conference
- On-site check-in with QR codes, self-service terminals, and badge printing at the counter
- Conference app with live program and personal schedule, available offline
- Conference website with automated online program schedule
After the conference
- Export conference proceedings to InDesign
- Issue participation and CME certificates
- Evaluations, data exports, and invoicing exports to the
- Carry over structures and data for the next edition, even when moving to a different university
Converia does exactly what we hoped it would. By automating our processes, we significantly reduce administrative effort and free up time for other important tasks.
An individual solution for every requirement.
For the past 5 years, Converia has helped us reliably organize and manage both our major annual conference and our smaller events under our framework agreement. Since then, our processes have become much more structured, and our administrative workload has decreased significantly.
Converia was our lifesaver.
We particularly appreciated the quick response and the friendly customer support.
Converia is a very user-friendly software whose numerous features support effective conference organization.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Converia be used under a framework agreement for our procurement?
Yes. Converia can be configured as a framework agreement for university procurement—including for conferences that recur annually or are shared between institutes and faculties. This eliminates the need to go through the procurement process for every individual event. We will determine the specific structure of the agreement for your institution during a consultation, taking your procurement regulations into account.
We are organizing a conference for the first time. Can we get some support?
Yes. Our setup includes personal consulting from experts who know the conference business inside and out—no anonymous help desks here. We walk you through every step of your event, configure the setup together, and can even be on-site at the registration desk if you wish. First-time organizers especially value this to avoid starting from scratch. The team behind Converia has been supporting scientific and professional conferences for over 20 years.
The conference will be hosted at a different university next year. Is that possible?
Yes. The next edition is created by the organizing team copying the previous year's conference – including forms, settings, and personal data. You can use the program structure, registration rules, and pricing as a template instead of building them from scratch every year. Whether personal data can be transferred to an organizing team at a different university depends on the setup, though this is possible in many cases. We will clarify the details during a consultation.
Does Converia support true double-blind review?
Yes. The review process is conducted online and in multiple stages, using either a blind or double-blind method. Reviewers are assigned automatically based on defined criteria or manually, while section chairs manage the evaluation of specific topics. You define the assessment criteria yourself—ranging from grading and predefined answers to free text and decision recommendations. Submissions are accepted as plain text, formatted text, MS Word, PDF, or LaTeX.
Where are our data hosted and processed?
Our servers are located in a European data center that is ISO 27001 certified, and all processing is GDPR-compliant with a data processing agreement in place. Backend users can log in via single sign-on, Shibboleth, or LDAP using their existing university account. We provide all the necessary data protection documentation for your administrative department, and any data you no longer require after the conference can be completely deleted.
How do the invoices assist us with administration?
Invoices are generated in accordance with the German VAT Act (UStG) and can be issued to either the institute or the participant as a PDF on your own letterhead. For accounting purposes, exports and existing interfaces to DATEV, Sage, and SAP are available, allowing university administration to continue using their familiar systems. Reverse-charge for intra-European B2B transactions is covered. The creation and delivery of e-invoices will be available shortly.
How much effort is involved in switching from Excel and our current tools?
The transition doesn't happen in a single leap. We usually start with the next conference rather than during an ongoing one. Importing data from Excel, legacy submission tools, and attendee lists is part of the onboarding process. A realistic timeframe is 4–8 weeks, depending on complexity.
If our university hosts multiple conferences, can we see them all at a glance?
Yes. You can run any number of conferences within a single system, each fully customized to your corporate design and domain. Multiple meetings, seminars, and congresses can be bundled into a branded portal, organized by department or event type—a central hub instead of scattered individual pages.