Welcome to the 54nd Annual Benthic Ecology Meeting

When: March 1 - 4, 2026
Where: Virgina Beach, VA (USA)
Venue: Cavalier Resort

Welcome!

The Benthic Ecology Meeting Society (BEMS) was founded to create a meeting where we can share the latest and greatest advances in marine science in a welcoming, supporting, and engaging environment that is free from all forms of discrimination. Science is strongest when people from all backgrounds and all levels of experience come together to pursue the creation and sharing of knowledge. The BEMS has embraced efforts to ensure our meeting is accessible and inclusive with the goals of making everyone feel welcome and to promote the free exchange of ideas. We formed an advisory committee to assist with these goals, reaffirmed our commitment to our code of conduct, and continue to work to keep the meeting affordable so that cost is less of a barrier to participation, and we remain committed to these efforts. The Benthic Ecology Meeting is geared towards students to provide them with an important networking and professional development opportunity and the society strongly endorses the principles of inclusivity. Our goal is to ensure everyone has an enjoyable meeting in an atmosphere of mutual respect, cooperation, and professionalism. We look forward to seeing everyone in Virginia at our next meeting.

Request for Special Sessions

Special sessions provide an opportunity to discuss a specific topic of interest. If you would like to convene a special session, please submit your proposal below. The form will close on October 24, 2025.
Special Session Form

This form will close on October 24, 2025

Registration and Abstract Submission

Everyone must register for the conference, regardless of whether they are submitting an abstract or not. Early-bird registration is due January 16, 2026 and abstract submissions are due February 6, 2026. For further information, please navigate to the registration page or abstract submission page

Accommodations

The official hotel and venue for the BEM 2026 conference is the Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront Resort. Room blocks are available at the Marriott hotel as well as the adjacent Embassy Suites by Hilton. The hotels are part of the Cavalier resort located on the north end of the Virginia Beach boardwalk overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. For more information, see the Travel and Accommodations page.

Banquet

The traditional end-of-conference banquet will be held at the Bunker Brew Pub on March 4, 2026. Tickets will be $25 and can be purchased during registration. Brew Pub

Contact Us

Feel free to contact bem2026@vims.edu with any questions or concerns.