[2] The Society currently organises a large Annual Conference[9] and a number of smaller Focused Meetings, which cover a specific microbiology discipline.

The recipient of the Prize Medal gives a lecture based on the work for which the award has been made, which is usually published in a Society journal.

The Marjory Stephenson Prize is awarded annually for an outstanding contribution of current importance in microbiology.

[13] The Fleming Prize Lecture is awarded annually to recognise outstanding research in any branch of microbiology by a microbiologist in the early stages of his/her career.

Sir Alexander Fleming was the first President of the Society (1945–1947) and received a Nobel Prize for his discovery of penicillin.

The Sir Howard Dalton Young Microbiologist of the Year Competition is presented annually to a Society member who is a PhD student or early-career postdoctoral researcher.