Fachtagung

Fachtagung is a German term for a professional conference or symposium organized by a professional association, a university, or a research institute. It focuses on a specific field or topic and aims to bring together experts, practitioners, and stakeholders to exchange knowledge, present research results, discuss current issues, and foster professional networking.

The program typically comprises keynote talks, plenary sessions, parallel lectures, workshops, and poster presentations. A call for papers invites researchers to submit abstracts; submitted contributions may undergo peer review, and proceedings or summaries are often published after the event. Many Fachtagungen offer continuing education credits or certificates for attendees.

Organization and participants: A planning committee designs the program and coordinates logistics. Attendees include researchers, professionals, students, and sometimes policymakers. Events can be national, regional, or international and are usually held for one to three days in conference centers, universities, or hotels. Languages are often German and English, depending on the audience.

Impact and context: Fachtagungen advance knowledge dissemination, standardization of practices, and professional cooperation. They may generate position papers, recommendations, or consensus statements and can influence policy or industry practice.

Terminology and variants: In German-speaking contexts, "Tagung" and "Kongress" are related terms. A Fachtagung differs from a broader congress in scope and audience; it denotes a specialized event for a given field.