Seminars are events of 3-7 days. Their main aim is to provide students with the possibility of learning something which they cannot learn at their university. Seminars cover topics of high international interest, topics of actual interest at that particular moment. Seminars also have a social part, either integrated in or separated from the academic programme, which gives the participants a chance to get to know each other and thus promote the fostering of mutual understanding.
Conferences entail more individual participation than a seminar.
While one is more or less lectured at a seminar, at a conference, on the other hand more input is expected from the participants themselves. One or more topics would be discussed in small workshops which finally reports to a plenary session including all the participants and perhaps the panel of authorities on the topic. Otherwise the conference is run like a seminar. They are of high academic content and are organised rather professionally. The subjects are relatively broad and general enough to be used more than once.