Planning and Organizing an Annual Conference

Transcription

1 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION, VOL. PC-26, NO. 3, SEPTEMBER 1983 Plnning nd Orgnizing n Annul Conference JANET H. POTVIN Abstrct-Holding successful conference yer.fter yer constitutes hllmrk of excellence for professionl society. While mny fctors contribute to the success of such meeting, key fctor is creful plnning nd orgniztion. To id the first-time conference chirperson, this pper describes systemtic pproch to conference plnning nd orgniztion: (1) mking preliminry nlyses nd ssessments; (2) obtining the greement of cosponsors; (3) selecting key conference officers; (4) orgnizing conference committees; (5) selecting the conference site, hotel, nd dtes; (6) developing the conference mster pln; (7) following through nd implementing plnning decisions; (8) nticipting nd mnging contingencies; nd (9) coordinting post-conference ctivities. Using systemtic pproch simplifies the tsk nd mkes it possible to run n nnul meeting successfully. OUTLINE Introduction Mking Preliminry Anlyses nd Assessments Setting meeting objectives Anlyzing the trget udience Determining implementtion methods Obtining the Agreement of Cosponsors Selecting - Key Conference Officers ~ Selecting conference mnger Selecting the conference chirperson Orgnizing the Conference Committees Determining the conference committees Selecting the committee chirpersons Selecting the Conference Site, Hotel, nd Dtes Selecting the conference site Selecting the conference hotel Selecting the conference dtes Developing the Conference Mster Pln Estblishing plnning timetble Assessing meeting objectives nd developing method of pproch Selecting the conference theme Received November 19, 1982; revised April 25, The uthor is Director of Technicl Writing t The University of Texs t Arlington, Deprtment of English, P. 0. Box 19035, Arlington, TX 76019; (817) Determining the pproch to the technicl nd socil progrms Plnning for student involvement in the conference Estblishing policies nd guidelines for gifts nd exhibits Setting udiovisul equipment policy Plnning conference publicity nd publictions Prepring tenttive budget: Determining sources of funding nd projecting costs Following Through nd Implementing Plnning Decisions Prepring publictions nd the publicity cmpign Selecting session chirpersons, workshop nd tutoril leders, nd spekers Estblishing mngement system for hndling submitted ppers, uthor correspondence, nd requests for informtion Mking finl rrngements with the conference hotel Arrnging socil progrms nd specil events Setting registrtion fees nd dedlines Finlizing the budget Estblishing the progrm: Arrnging technicl sessions, socils, nd specil events Coordinting conference rrngements Setting the stge for the next yer's conference Anticipting nd Mnging Contingencies Identifying potentil problem res on n initil wlk-through Reviewing conference rrngements with the hotel stff Overseeing the opening of registrtion Being vilble to nswer questions nd resolve difficulties Coordinting Post-Conference Activities Writing letters of pprecition Ensuring tht bills re pid Reporting the conference to society members Prepring the finncil report for the society Conclusion Appendix: Guidelines for Plnning nd Scheduling Conference Publictions Cll for ppers Announcements Author's kit Progrm Progrm highlights brochure Newsletter Descriptive bstrcts Proceedings Registrtion pcket Progrm ddend or errt Production lterntives /83/ S01.OO IEEE

2 124 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION, VOL. PC-26, NO. 3, SEPTEMBER 1983 INTRODUCTION The success of the nnul conference of professionl society depends upon number of fctors, including the time nd loction of the meeting; the ttrctions f the locl re nd the locl rrngements; the bility of the conference chirperson nd plnning committee to ttrct nd select progrm prticipnts nd to orgnize technicl sessions, socils, nd specil events; the extent of the publicity cmpign nd the qulity of the conference publictions; the cost of ttending the meeting nd the trvel funds vilble to ttendees; the qulity of the technicl progrm; nd the number of progrm prticipnts nd meeting ttendees. The individul who chirs such conference for the first time my feel overwhelmed by the multiplicity of tsks tht, seemingly, must ll be done t the sme time: Among them re formulting meeting objectives; devis- ing conference pln; orgnizing committees; developing nd dministering budget; setting dedlines; plnning technicl nd socil progrms; obtining session chirpersons nd spekers; scheduling, writing, editing, designing, nd mnging publictions; rrnging for publicity; obtining support from industry; nd coordinting locl rrngements. Nevertheless, the job cn be done. It requires creful plnning nd orgniztion, delegtion of responsibility to cpble ssocites, nd coordintion of efforts, ttention to detil, nd dherence to schedule. To id the first-time conference chirperson, this pper describes systemtic pproch to conference plnning nd orgniztion nd provides guidelines for crrying out the mjor tsks involved. As shown in Fig. 1, the process of plnning nd orgnizing ntionl (or interntionl) nnul conference cn be divided into nine min steps. Individul Mking preliminry Selecting key conference Orgnizing the conference Selecting the conference nlyses nd ssessments off icers committees site, hotel, nd dter Setting meeting objec- ( tives Selecting conference Determining the confer- Selecting the conference ence committees Anlyzing the trget Selecting the committee udience chirperson I chirpersons I Selecting the conference I hotel I 1 Determining ~mplement- I tion methods Selecting the conference 1 dtes I Following through nd imple- Anticipting nd mnging menting plnning decisions 4 contingencies Coordinting postconference ctivites I Estblishing plnning timetble Prepring publictions nd Identifying potentil problem Assess~ng meetlng objectives nd developing method of Selecting session chirpersons, Reviewing conference rrnge- Selecting the conference 1 theme I Determining the pproch to the technicl nd socil Estblishing mngement system for hndling submitted Mking finl rrngements with the conference hotel Overseeing the opening of I Being vilble to nswer ques- I tions nd resolve difficulties ( registrtion I I Reporting the conference to society members Prepring the finncil report for the society I Plnning for student involvement in the conference Estblishing policies nd guide. I lines for gifts nd exhibits t Setting udiovisul equipment policy Plnning conference publicity I nd publictions I I I = Arrnging socil progrms nd Setting registrtion fees nd dedlines I Finliztng the budget Estblishing the progrm I Coordinting conference 1 Prepring tenttive budget I rrngements t Setting the stge for the next yer's conference I I 1 Fig. 1. Steps in plnning nd orgnizing n nnul conference.

3 POTVIN: PLANNING AND ORGANIZING AN ANNUAL CONFERENC tsks re described ccording to the timetble in which they re typiclly performed. Although generl guidelines for plnning, orgnizing, nd running conferences re vilble (see, for exmple [I-8]), little hs been written bout the specific strtegies nd mngement pproches needed for successful nnul conference even though the vst mjority of conference chirpersons re new to the tsk. MAKING PRELIMINARY ANALYSES AND ASSESSMENTS The first step in the process of plnning nd orgnizing professionl society's nnul conference is preliminry nlysis nd plnning. Completed by combintion of society officers, the society executive committee, nd the long-rnge conference plnning committee, this step consists of (I) setting meeting objectives; (2) nlyzing the trget udience; nd (3) determining implementtion methods. Setting Meeting Objectives One of the first considertions in conference plnning is to formulte meeting objectives. These might be thought of in. terms of () gols for the society nd (b) rewrds for meeting ttendees. For exmple, does the society wnt to increse membership? To gin more recognition for the generl public? To provide more services to members? A number of gols re possible [8, 91: Generte interction nd communiction Serve the needs nd interests of members Conduct the society's business Inform members of new policies Convey new informtion to ttendees Provide eductionl opportunities: enble members to keep brest of the ltest developments in the field; to continully upgrde skills nd knowledge; to mintin expertise in the discipline Give members n opportunity to present their reserch formlly Provide forum for exchnge of ides nd experiences nd cretion of new ides Provide n environment for free discussion of new concepts, reserch developments, nd pplictions Foster progress nd dvnce the stte of knowledge in the discipline Enble meeting ttendees to mke importnt contcts Enble meeting ttendees, progrm prticipnts, nd society officers to interct socilly Enhnce the society's visibility. The objectives set for the meeting should be bsed on the needs of those ttending. Who is the udience? Wht does the society wnt the udience to know or do when they leve the meeting? Wht is the purpose? For successful nnul conference the objectives should be clerly defined nd rnked in order of importnce bsed on n nlysis of the projected udience. Anlyzing the Trget Audience To id in formulting meeting objectives, the following udience chrcteristics might be ssessed: Is the udience homogeneous one or is it heterogeneous, bringing together individuls from diverse disciplines or from severl res within discipline? Are the min interests of the udience theoreticl? Prcticl? Applied? Or combintion? Wht is the eductionl profile of the udience? Do the members hve bchelor's degrees? Mster's degrees? Doctortes? Wht is the percentge of individuls in ech ctegory? Are the degrees primrily in the sme discipline or do they spn brod rnge? Are the members of the udience minly novices in the field? Or do they hve yers of experience? If combintion, wht is the proportion? Wht is the verge ge of the prticipnts? Is the udience lrgely mle? Lrgely femle? Evenly distributed? Are the individuls employed primrily in cdemi? In business? In government? In industry? In privte prctice? Will the mjority of the ttendees be members or will proportion of nonmembers ttend s well? Will spouses be likely to ttend? How mny people cn be expected? Wht is the regionl, ntionl, or interntionl distribution of the potentil ttendees? How do the members of the projected udience envision the purpose of the conference? The nswers to the questions of udience re significnt not only in formulting the generl pbrpose of conference but lso in setting specific meeting objectives, selecting conference setting, nd designing the conference progrm of technicl sessions, exhibits, socil events, nd tours. To id in formulting meeting objectives nd rrnging progrms keyed to the needs nd interests of society members, the progrm committee cn include questionnire in the registrtion pckets of those ttending the conference ech yer. The questionnire cn combine n evlution of the topics, formt, nd levels of presenttion offered t tht meeting with list of possible topics nd methods of pproch for the next one. Members cn lso be sked to suggest topics nd possible spekers or session chirpersons. Such informtion cn be dvntgeous in determining wht types of sessions nd events to include nd the mount of emphsis to be devoted to ech. Determining Implementtion Methods After objectives hve been formulted, the conference formt must be selected nd implementtion methods must be determined. Among the questions to be considered re

4 126 IEEE TKANSACTIONS ON I'ROFESSIONAL COMLMUNICATION, VOL. PC-26, NO. 3, SEPTEMBER 1983 the following: Should the conference be held s n independent event or in conjunction with nother meeting? Should other societies be invited to cosponsor, prticipte, or cooperte in the meeting? Wht types of technicl sessions nd progrm events should the conference include? Individul presenttions? Pnels? Symposi? Lectures? Plenry sessions? Debtes? Tutorils? Workshops? Short courses? Poster sessions? Roundtble discussions? Ide exchnges? Demonstrtions? Professionl tours? Wht socil events should be included? Brekfsts? Luncheons? Bnquets? Receptions? Wht supplementl ctivities should be included? Recretionl progrms? A spouses' progrm? A fmily progrm? Tours'? Wht committee, business, or specil-interest-group meetings will be held in conjunction with the conference? How mny dys should the conference lst? At wht time of yer should the conference be held? Wht setting would be most effective for the meeting formt proposed? A mjor hotel in mjor metropolitn re? A resort hotel in recretion re? A college or university cmpus? Who will mnge the conference? Who will mke the conference rrngements? A conference committee? Society officers? Society stff? Members of locl chpter? A professionl conference mnger? A convention bureu? Volunteers? Pid stff? Who will be responsible for overseeing implementtion of the plns? Wht imge does the society wnt to convey to the members nd other ttendees through the conference? Should the conference include proceedings? Wht other mjor publictions should be developed? How will the conference be funded? Should exhibits be included? Should industril gifts be sought? Wht proportion of the society budget should be llocted for the conference strt-up costs nd possible overruns? Once mjor policies hve been set nd implementtion methods hve been determined, preliminry conference rrngements cn begin. OBTAINING THE AGREEMENT OF COSPONSORS If the nnul conference is to be sponsored jointly with nother professionl society, the second step in the, process is to obtin detiled letters of greement. Cosponsorship implies significnt involvement in the technicl, finncil, nd dministrtive res of the conference [7] nd decisions must be mde bout the exct nture of the involvement. Will the nmes of both societies be used s cosponsors? Will the two societies shre equl plnning responsibility? Equl funding responsibility? Equl billing in publicity? Will one society hve the primry responsibility for developing the technicl progrm? The socil progrm? For mking conference rrngements? Will ny restrictions be imposed on funding, types of events, or exhibits becuse of the cosponsorship? Wht bout finncil libilities? Progrm prticiption? Use of miling lists'? The nswers to such questions should be confirmed in letters of greement well in dvnce to llevite possible misunderstndings nd to enble cosponsors to prticipte in plnning from the outset. If other societies, orgniztions, or institutions will prticipte, cooperte, or ssist with the conference, similr letters of greement must be obtined to specify the nture of the involvement. As used here, prticiption implies tht the society will be directly involved in the orgniztion of the technicl progrm nd will ssist with publicity nd encourge members to submit ppers nd ttend the conference. Coopertion implies tht the society will ssist with publicity nd encourge members to submit ppers nd ttend the conference (71. All such letters should be secured well in dvnce of the conference so tht cosponsors cn be shown on the conference letterhed, nd cosponsoring, prticipting, nd cooperting orgniztions cn be listed in the cll for ppers nd in other conference publicity. SELECTING KEY CONFERENCE OFFICERS The third step in the process of plnning nd orgnizing professionl society's nnul conference is to select the key conference officers: the conference mnger (if there is to be one) nd the conference chirperson. Typiclly, these decisions re mde by combintion of society officers, the society executive committee, nd the long-rnge confercnce

5 POTVIN: I'LANNINC; AND ORGANIZING AN ANNUAL CONFERENCE 127 plnning committee. If the conference is to be jointly sponsored, representtives of the cosponsoring society my lso be involved in mking these decisions. Selecting Conference Mnger An importnt plnning decision concerns conference mngement. Who will be responsible for mking the conference rrngements with the hotel (or other host site), hndling dvnce registrtions nd stffing the registrtion, informtion, udiovisul, nd press offices during the conference? These tsks cn be hndled by professionl convention bureu, professionl conference mnger, locl or conference-rrngements committee composed of professiont society members who live in the host city, or members of locl chpter or re university. Society trdition nd funds vilble for professionl services re the determining fctors in this decision. Conference rrngements must be hndled by knowledgeble, skillful, willing personnel who re cpble of negotiting to mke the best possible rrngements for the society t the lowest equitble cost. Prior experience in deling with hotel mngers is decided plus. Contrcting for the services of n experienced professionl conference mnger cn benefit society becuse such n individul brings knowledge of logistics nd expertise in negotition to the tsk. Conference rrngements cn be costly if tril-nd-error pproch is used. The conference mnger cn provide vluble plnning suggestions, id in site selection, obtin fvorble hotel rtes, nd often negotite specil trnsporttion rtes for members. The person chosen s conference mnger should be n experienced meeting plnner with proven record of producing high-qulity, well-run conferences. The individul should hve excellent communiction nd mngement skills; rpport with others; the bility to work with society officers, the conference nd progrm chirpersons, the locl nd conference rrngements committees, nd the hotel mngement nd stff; the bility to complete tsks on time; nd commitment to mking the best rrngements possible for the society. The individul should be bondble nd should hve knowledgeble nd efficient stff to hndle udiovisul equipment rrngements nd registrtion. When conference mnger is selected, it is importnt to crefully delinete the re of responsibility nd to estblish the mount of time, nd the fees to be chrged for the specific services to be provided. Selecting the Conference Chirperson A criticl plnning decision concerns selection of conference chirperson. This should be n estblished, widely known, nd respected individul with longtime stture in the discipline; fmilirity with the conference formt nd gols; demonstrted bility for ledership; reputtion for ccomplishing tsks on time ( frequent problem re); mngement cumen; rpport with others; bility to work with professionl nd nonprofessionl stff members (pid nd volunteer); skill in interpersonl reltions; nd expertise in delegting uthority, coordinting ctivities, nd following up on detils. Further, the individul should hve n expressed interest in chiring the conference, sufficient vilble time, ccess to secretril resources, nd commitment to mking the conference success. During the yer before the conference, the chirperson must give conference work the highest priority nd be redily vilble to coordinte others nd prticipte in conference decisionmking. Finlly, the conference chirperson must hve de- PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY OFFICERS-EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE-LONG-RANGE CONFERENCE PLANNING COMMITTEE I L CONFERENCE CHAIRPERSON I CONFERENCE PLANNING COMMITTEE - -- J EXI-IIBITS COMMl rtee I FINANCE COMMITTEE INDUSTRY LIAISON COMMITTEE P LOCAL AHRANGEpJEUTS COWYITTEE PUBLICAT'ONS COMMITTEE PUBLlClTY COMMITTEE 1. Sl UDENl TECHNICAL AFFAIRS P90GRAK COMWITTFE COMMITTFE - I AIJDIOVISIIAI CONFERFNCC HOSPll ALlTY REGISTRATION SPOUSE'S ECIUIPMEIVT ARHANCithlENTS P?OtiRAI/ COMWITIES COMMITTFF COMLiITTEE COWMITTEE COMMITTEE I-,ig. 2. Rcprcscnttivr slruct!lrc for thc cotiference or~niztion.

6 128 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION, VOL. PC-26, NO. 3, SEPTEMBER 1983 cision-mk.ing uthority within policy guidelines of the orgniztion. ORGANIZING THE CONFERENCE COMMITTEES The fourth mjor step in the process of plnning nd orgnizing professionl society's nnul conference is to orgnize conference committees nd form the conference plnning - committee. Tht committee defines responsibilities, guides ctivities of the working committees, nd serves s the policy mking body for the conference [B]. Erly orgniztion of competent plnning committee by the conference chirperson is n essentil step for the successful conduct of conference [7]. It is done by determining wht working committees re needed nd selecting pproprite chirpersons. Typiclly, these chirpersons, with members of the society's executive committee, serve s the conference plnning committee. Some members who hve served on the plnning committee previously should be included to ssure continuity mong the conferences. Determining the Conference Committees Representtive conference committees re shown in Fig. 2; their responsibilities hve been described elsewhere [5, 7, 81. The need for nd functions of conference committees re determined by the scope of the conference ctivities nd the structure of the conference mngement. Selecting the Committee Chirpersons In choosing individuls to chir conference committees, the conference chirperson should select persons with stture in the society's discipline, fmilirity with the conference formt, demonstrted ledership bility, reputtion for ccomplishing tsks on time, nd expertise nd interest in the re of responsibility of the prticulr committee. Skillful selection of the chirpersons for the individul committees, cler designtion of the re of responsibility of ech, delegtion of uthority to the respective chirpersons, nd creful follow-through re essentil for successful conference. Progrm The role of the progrm chirperson is to provide guidnce to session chirpersons to help them crete successful sessions, thus successful conferences. The progrm chirperson should be n estblished nd respected professionl in the discipline who cn enlist top-level experts in the vrious subject res to serve s committee members nd to chir technicl sessions. The progrm chirperson should know the stte of the profession nd the stture of those in it, both ntionlly nd interntionlly, nd should be willing to solicit suggestions nd contributions. He or she should be ble to evlute proposed sessions nd ppers criticlly nd should lso be n innovtor, willing to dopt new progrm formts tht might improve communiction in progrm sessions nd the interction of members in informl discussion groups [5]. The progrm chirperson should lso hve ccess to secretril resources so pperwork cn be hndled on timely bsis. Locl Arrngements The chirperson of the locl rrngements committee should be professionl in the discipline, should live in the conference city, nd should be thoroughly fmilir with locl points of interest, fcilities, institutions, nd lbortories [5]. He or she must lso be wre of budget constrints ffecting locl rrngements nd costs. Conference Arrngements If conference rrngements (hotel ccommodtions, registrtion, udiovisul, nd the like) re to be hndled by seprte committee, the person in chrge should be thoroughly fmilir with conference mngement nd be ble to negotite with the hotel to mke the best possible rrngements for the society t the lowest equitble cost nd the gretest benefit to members. Spouses' or Fmily Progrm If spouses' or fmily progrm is plnned for husbnds, wives, or children of the conference ttendees, the person in chrge should be n innovtive, outgoing person [6] fmilir not only with the points of interest in the conference city nd surrounding re but lso with the profile of society members nd their generl interests nd preferences for tours, socil events, nd dily schedules. Giftsllndustry Liison If committee is to be estblished to solicit gifts from industril sponsors nd foundtions, the chirperson should be n individul with stture in the profession, extensive contcts in industry, nd, if possible, demonstrted bility to obtin outside funding. Exhibits If exhibits re to be prt of the conference, the person in chrge should be thoroughly fmilir with the bredth of the technicl field from which exhibits will be solicited; ble to select exhibits tht clerly pertin to scientific, eductionl, literry, or technicl spects of the society's discipline; nd ble to ttrct exhibitors nd mnge contrctul rrngements. Finnce The chirperson of the finnce committee (conference tresurer) must be cpble of helping develop finncil policies nd detiled budget for the conference, seeing tht the conference opertes within the pproved budget, disbursing

7 POTVIN: PLANNING AND ORGANIZING AN ANNUAL CONFERENCE 129 funds s needed, keeping detiled records of expenditures, nd prepring finncil reports.. Publicity The publicity chirperson should hve public reltions expertise to fcilitte selection of publicity medi nd miling lists tht will ensure extensive, effective coverge of the conference. Publictions The publictions chirperson should hve expertise in writing, editing, designing, nd mnging publictions nd, if conference proceedings is plnned, the chirperson should be n experienced scientific or technicl editor [lo]. He or she must be ble to work well with the stff of the printer s well s with the conference nd progrm chirpersons nd members of the conference plnning - committee. The individul should lso hve expertise in negotiting with publishers to obtin high qulity work t resonble cost. SELECTING THE CONFERENCE SITE, HOTEL, AND DATES Prt of society's long-rnge conference plnning should include considertion of future sites nd the fesibility of the choices, s well s selection of tenttive sites. Populr hotels in mjor cities re often booked ten yers in dvnce, nd unless plns re mde very erly, the most fvorble rrngements nd dtes my be unvilble. The conference site, hotel, nd dtes cn be chosen by the society's longrnge conference plnning committee s prt of the preliminry nlysis nd plnning phse described erlier or, t this stge of the process, by either the conference plnning or site selection committee in conjunction with society officers. Selecting the Conference Site In evluting proposls for conference site, severl fctors must be considered. First, for most ntionl (or interntionl) conferences, the meeting site- mjor hotel, resort, motel, or conference center-should be in populr mjor city esily ccessible by interntionl ir service. Often it is much less expensive for individuls to fly to mjor city nd ttend meeting in more expensive hotel thn to rrnge trnsporttion to smller city where hotel costs re lower. It cn be helpful to prepre mtrix of irline costs from different points in the U.S. nd brod to the proposed conference sites nd to consider the trde-offs of the sites nd conference hotels from the point of view of the trvel logistics nd the possible costs of ttendees' trvel. Colleges or universities in or ner mjor cities cn lso be considered s potentil conference sites [6, 1 I]. Some hve conference centers. Mny offer ttrctive fetures, lthough ccommodtions my be sprtn [ Second, in selecting meeting site, the ttrctions of the locl re should lso be considered. They cn be fctor in obtining high qulity spekers nd lrge number of t- tendees. Will the meeting be held t time of yer when ttendees will combine their trip to the conference with vction for their fmilies? Will the ttrctions of the re encourge them to do so? On the other hnd, welth of competing ttrctions my cuse low ttendnce in technicl sessions. Third, the vilbility of locl chpter with members who re willing to id in plnning nd rrnging the conference should be considered. Other considertions include the climte of the re nd the chrcter of the city [6]. Is the nture of the city chnging? Will it be desirble plce for meeting three yers, or five yers, or ten yers hence when the conference will ctully be held? Conference sites cn be selected in lternte regions in lternte yers (e.g., lternting est nd west costs, or lternting est, west, midwest, nd south-centrl loctions); in single loction every yer; in response to proposls received from locl chpter sponsors; ccording to the society's regionl membership distribution; or on the bsis of the long-rnge conference plnning committee's fesibility studies nd suggested sites. Where members wnt to meet should lso be considered [6], lthough this my not be where they will in fct go. Selecting the Conference Hotel The conference hotel (resort, motel, or conference center) should be high qulity nd in reltively sfe environment. The physicl fcility contributes to the tmosphere of the conference [12]; it sets mentl mood, either positive or negtive [13]. A conference ttendee's first impression is bsed on the ppernce nd ttributes of the conference site nd his or her initil contcts with the stff. An ttrctive fcility nd personble stff help evoke fvorble imge of the conference nd of the society. An unplesnt experience stys in memory long time. The fcility should provide ttrctive guest ccommod-

8 130 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION, VOL. PC-26, NO. 3, SEPTEMBER 1983 tions; ttrctively ppointed meeting rooms in sufficient When scheduling conference dtes, it is lso importnt to number nd of dequte size with pproprite furnishings provide for the business meetings tht must be held in for the types of sessions plnned (e.g., lectures, discussion conjunction with the conference. The schedule should be set sessions, roundtbles, workshops, nd tutorils); ppropri- so tht dvisory nd executive committee meetings cn be te heting, ir conditioning, nd room ventiltion; suf- held conveniently, perhps on dy preceding or following ficient number nd dequte mix of fst-food, modertely the conference. This cn be n importnt choice, depending priced, nd expensive resturnts; dequte recretionl upon circumstnces. Such meeting dtes should be nfcilities; dequte prking fcilities; vilble sundries nd nounced to society officers well in dvnce. supplies; ccess to medicl ssistnce nd to trnsporttion; nd competent, proven, courteous, service-oriented, flexi- It is helpful to select trget dte nd two lterntives, nd ble stff. then to determine tht they re not in conflict or in competition. This cn be done by While some of these fctors re seemingly immesurble in dvnce of the conference, visits to proposed sites nd Checking the clendr for mjor ntionl holidys, locl creful evlution of the fcilities, the qulity of the food nd regionl observnces, nd the religious holidys of service, the cpbilities nd ttitudes of the stff, nd the the prticipnts [ 121 overll operting procedures help to provide fir ssess- Contcting the visitors nd convention bureu nd mjor ment of the qulity of the fcility. hotels in the projected host city to see tht no conflicting mjor conference is scheduled for the sme time in other hotels in the city Telephoning the presidents or conference mngers of other orgniztions with similr interests to see tht none hs lredy scheduled conference for the sme time. The dtes should be neither in direct conflict nor close to those of competing orgniztions [6]. As n id to evluting tenttive sites, it is helpful to estblish checklist or survey form 1121 so tht specific informtion bout ech site cn be recorded nd the fetures of ech fcility rted for comprison with others. Elements cn be evluted using rting system of Excellent, Stisfctory, nd Unstisfctory; Likert scle (e.g., 5 = excellent; 4 = bove verge; 3 = stisfctory; 2 = mrginl; nd 1 = unstisfctory); or numeric scle of 1 to 10. Mjor items to be considered in such n evlution re listed in Tble I. Selecting the Conference Dtes The dtes chosen for the meeting should not conflict with those of other mjor meetings on the sme or relted subject, with those of the meetings of other lrge orgniztions, or with those of mjor ntionl or religious holidys 161. Scheduling conferences to begin on Mondy or end on Fridy cn be dvntgeous becuse prticipnts cn trvel on the weekend if they desire, come erly or sty lte to enjoy the ttrctions of the host city, or spend the weekends t home. On the other hnd, scheduling the conference over weekend cn provide cost dvntges. For exmple, some mjor hotels give rte reduction if the meeting is scheduled on weekend; some irlines offer specil fres during weekends. When the chosen dte hs been found free of conflicts, it should be booked with the hotel t once. Hotel personnel my chnge between the mking of preliminry nd finl rrngements, so greement should be confirmed in writing [5]. Written nnouncements of the conference dys should then be sent without dely to ll of the possible competing orgniztions nd to the members of the society so tht potentil future competition cn be styed [6]. Summry In selecting conference site nd meeting dtes, remember tht thefurther in dvnce meeting is scheduled, the less likely it is tht there will be competition from others. When site selection is delyed, it is difficult to obtin good hotels in interesting cities, the most fvorble dtes, nd the most desirble fcilities. DEVELOPING THE CONFERENCE MASTER PLAN The fifth mjor step in the process of plnning nd orgnizing professionl society's nnul conference is developing mster pln. This involves the combined efforts of the conference chirperson, the conference plnning committee, the conference mnger, the society executive committee, nd society officers. Decisions mde require the pprovl of society officers nd the society executive commlttee. This step consists of (I) estblishing plnning time-tble; (2) ssessing meeting objectives nd developing method of pproch; (3) selecting the conference theme; (4) determining the pproch to the technicl nd socil progrms; (5) plnning for student involvement in the conference; (6) estblish~ng policies nd guidelines for g~ftb nd

9 POTVIN: PLANNING AND ORGANIZING AN ANNUAL CONFERENCE 131 Tble I Items to be Considered in Evluting Potentil Sites for n Annul Conference* Loction Cpbility of drkening room Sleeping Accommodtions Access to fcility r Hetinglir conditioninglventiltion Number of rooms vilble - Air - Adequcy - Single - Auto - Loction of controls - Twin - Limousine Loction of electricl outlets Double - Helicopter shuttle Loction of PA system controls - Suite Links with locl trnsporttion Loction of lighting controls Room size Cost Room rrngements Clenliness Generl fetures - Flexibility Attrctiveness of furnishings Number of guest rooms Lyout of fcility Age of fcility - Stbility Bed comfort Proximity to Desk, desk light - Elevtors Tble, chirs - Dining nd sleeping rooms Closet spce Fcilities nd services - Kitchens Bth Food nd beverge services - Construction or hevy trffic res Proximity to meeting rooms nd dining - Cocktil lounge - Restrooms fcilities - Coffee shop - Snck br - Dining room - Resturnt - Other prking - Avilbility nd cost - Cpcity - Covered or open - Sfety nd security Personl services - Brber shop - Beuty slon - Boutiques nd ciothing stores - Flower shop - Gift shop Equipment grtuity) - Medicl ssistnce - Brekfst - News stnd Bulletin bords Lunch - Specility shops Tbles (number, size, shpe) - Dinner - Sundries nd supplies Chirs (number, styles, comfort) Meeting fcilities Noise insultion Accessibility Room rtes Avilbility of extr meeting rooms - Single Registrtion re Double Storge spce - Twin Hospitlity roomslsuites - Suite Fcilities for receptions nd socil Check-out time gtherings Discounts Exhibit spce Complimentry room policy - Avilbility Dys dvnce gurntee - Cpcity Mel events - Setup nd tkedown times Menu vriety - Personnel Specil diets - Cost Dining room/bnquet room seting Restrooms (loction nd size) Cost for mel events (mel + tx + Minimum mel gurntee Recretionl fcilities Lecterns Brek setups - Sun Projector stndsltbles - Coffee, te - Swimming pool (indoor/outdoor) Screens - Juice - Tennis courts (indoor/outdoor) Chlkbords, chlk, ersers - Soft drinks - Trck (indoor/outdoor) Esels - Ice crem - Other Flnnel bords - Fruit Trvel Office mchines for registrtion re - Airline reservtion desks Audiovisul equipment? - Cheese nd crckers Dys dvnce notice - Rentl cr gencies Projectors - Mels - Trvel gency - Filmstrip - Breks Meeting rooms - Movie - Receptions Generl ccessibility - Opque Policies Accessibility to hndicpped persons - overhed Conference rrngements Size nd shpe of rooms - Slide Hotel reservtions Seting cpcity Light pointers Erly meeting-room setup Generl ppernce Audio tpe recorders nd cssettes Advnce shipment of conference Aesthetics (impct of color, decor, Video tpe recorders nd cssettes mterils spce) Record plyers Preprt~on of conference mster Freedom from obstructions such s Microphones nd PA system schedule columns or pillrs Extension cords Billing Lighting Duplicting fcilities Restrictions Acoustics Resources vilble - Audiovisul equipment Entrnces nd exits Led time needed - Exhibits Loction of doors nd windows Cost - Hospitlity rooms *Reference: This. 1-. E. The Smll,Meeting Plnner. Houston, TX: Gulf Publishing Compny; 1979.?Check cost, vilbility, equipment condition, nd personnel restrictions if these items re furnished by thc fcillty

10 132 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION, VOL. PC-26, NO. 3, SEPTEMBER 1983 exhibits; (7) setting udiovisul equipment policy; (8) plnning conference publicity nd publictions; nd (9) prepring tenttive budget (determining sources of funding nd projecting costs). The mster pln should be developed in plnning meeting held well in dvnce of the conference ( 1 Yz yers or more; see the representtive timetble in Tble 11). If convenient, the plnning meeting cn be held s prt of visit to the conference site. Estblishing Plnning Timetble To coordinte work nd to ensure tht plnning meetings re held, publictions issued, spekers selected, nd conference rrngements mde in good order, mster timetble listing the mjor tsks nd the dtes for completing them should be developed. A tenttive schedule should be prepred in dvnce of the first plnning meeting, then completed s plnning decisions re mde t tht meeting. When completed, the schedule should be sent to the conference mnger, the society executive committee, society officers, nd ll conference committee chirpersons. When setting dedlines, it is helpful to work bckwrd from the opening dy of the conference, the mjor trget dte. There should be two other mjor focl points: first, the dedline dte for preprtion of the cll for ppers, by which time mjor decisions must hve been mde bout conference formt (including theme nd pproch), publictions, nd udiovisul equipment; nd second, the dedline dte for submission of bstrcts or full ppers for review, which ffects the dtes for reviewing nd selecting ppers to be presented, notifying uthors, prepring the finl progrm, nd prepring the conference bstrcts nd proceedings for publiction [5]. Once the mjor dedlines re set, the dedlines for individul publictions should be estblished. In prepring the mster schedule, ll ctivities must be listed nd resonble mounts of time llocted for ccomplishing them. The finl schedule must be coordinted with the schedules of typesetters nd printers, the conference mnger, nd the hotel. It should include not only tsks nd dedlines but lso the committees nd individuls responsible for them. An even more detiled schedule my be pproprite; some find week-to-week set of specific tsks helpful for keeping on schedule. Assessing Meeting Objectives nd Developing Method of Approch Typiclly, long-rnge plnning will hve been done by society officers, the society executive committee, nd the long-rnge conference plnning committee. Certin decisions will hve been mde bout the generl purpose, durtion, nd mngement of the conference, nd the loction nd dtes of thc meeting will hve been set. The first tsk of the conference chirperson nd the plnning committee is to lern wht rrngements hve been mde nd to estblish pln of ction bsed on them. Here the tsk is one of formulting n pproch so tht prticipnts nd ttendees re ttrcted to the meeting nd the objectives of the conference 'ire met. The conference chirperson should build upon precedents nd the experiences of those who hve chired the conference in previous yers when estblishing pln of pproch for the meeting. Selecting the Conference Theme The conference theme is the focl point for the technicl progrm nd serves to integrte the vrious subject res of the conference into coherent whole. The theme should suggest the purpose of the conference, indicte the subject mtter of the meeting, be cceptble to ll who might be expected to ttend, nd move individuls to ction [6]. To determine the theme, it is helpful to brinstorm-to think of ll the possible topics tht might be developed, to consider the current topics of gretest interest to those in the discipline, to consider current topics tht will hve the gretest impct on professionls in the discipline, nd to identify the one subject tht might be of most interest nd concern to the profession during the conference yer. Tht topic, when ppropritely phrsed, should be the conference theme. A comprehensive, ctchy phrse helps to mke the theme memorble. If the nme of the conference serves s the generl theme nd is the sme from yer to yer, plnning might center on developing slogn, ctchy phrse, or series of phrses relted to the conference city for use in publicity to ttrct ttention to ech prticulr conference nd to motivte members to'ttend. Once the theme or slogn is determined, the mjor topic res in which presenttions re desired must be listed. These cn gin be developed through brinstorming or through questionnire to the members nd ttendees t ech conference. Some topic res my be the sme from yer to yer but interest res cn be modified to reflect new "hot issues" nd to crry out ech yer's conference theme. Determining the Approch to the Technicl nd Socil Progrms The overll pproch to the technicl progrm must be determined next: whether to include tutorils, lectures, nd roundtbles s well s pnels of ppers nd whether to develop progrm of strictly invited ppers, to pln progrm of contributed or to strive for mix. The technicl progrm is the hert of the conference [7, 81 nd specil cre must be given to obtining ppers of high qulity. Structuring progrm of ll or mostly ll ppers invited from recognized uthorities provides for high qulity technicl progrm but mkes for closed conference. Attendnce t conference of invited ppers my be smller if the mjority of possible ttendees must present ppers in order to receive trvel funds. Structuring progrm of ll contributed ppers mkes for more open conference but orgnizing sessions my prove

11 POTVIN: PLANNING AND ORGANIZING AN ANNUAL CONFERENCE Tble I1 Typicl Plnning Timetble for n Annul Conference Time Before Conference Plnning Action 5 to 10 yers Set meeting objectives, nlyze trget udience, or more determine implementtion methods, nd set mjor policies. [Long-rnge plnning committee] Determine potentil conference cities, investigte fesibility of proposed sites, nd select cities nd conference hotels so tht most fvorble dtes, hotels, meeting rrngements, nd rtes cn be obtined. (Populr hotels in mjor cities re often booked ten yers in dvnce.) [Long-rnge plnning committee] Determine whether socity, locl, or conference rrngements committee, or professionl conference mnger will mke conference rrngements. 2 yers Obtin greement in writing of cosponsoring, prticipting, nd cooperting orgniztions. Appoint conference mnger. Select conference nd progrm chirpersons. I $ yers Orgnize conference committees. Visit conference sites nd ssess fcilities. Select conference loction, hotel, nd dtes if not lredy selected. Develop timetble for conference plnning meetings, preprtions, nd publictions. Hold mjor plnning meeting, possibly t conference site. Select conference nme nd theme or slogn; identify mjor interest res for technicl progrm. Develop budget of projected income nd estimted costs. Design conference logo; print letterhed nd envelopes. Pln nd begin solicittion of industry nd foundtion contributions nd sponsorship of soc~l or specil events. Mke finl decisions on detils to be nnounced in the cll Ibr ppers: Decide on type of uthor contributions (bstrcts or full ppers; length; method of preprtion; method of submission for review; method of printing). Determine type of udiovisul equipment to be provided nd restrictions on specilly ordered equipment. Set dedlines for -- Receipt of bstrcts or ppers. - Notifiction of uthors of cceptnce. Negotite publiction costs nd rrnge publiction schedule with printers for ll conference mterils: sttionery, clls for ppers, uthor's kits, brochures, progrm. collected bstrcts, proceedings, ddend, etc. Obtin rriiling lists nd miling lbels. Prepre clls for ppers nd first conference nnouncements nd hve them printed. I yer Prepre uthor's kits nd hve them printed. Prepre control fonns nd determine procedures for office record keeping, mngement of requests for informtion, nd sfekeeping of submitted mterils. Identify journls to be used for mjor conference publicity nd determine led time for copy. Mke rrngements with the progrm chirperson of the next yer's conference for disply in the exhibits re, in the registrtion re, or in both. Pln to include the cll for ppers, brochure bout the conference site, nd informtion bout society membership. Obtin informtion from the visitors nd convention bureu of the next host city so tht publicity cn be plnned nd n exhibit designed for disply. Hold conference plnning committee meeting during the current conference. Also meet with the current or outgoing conference chirperson nd plnning committee to obtin insight nd perspective bout plnning nd orgniztion nd bout unique, unnticipted problems tht hve been encountered. Note: A follow-up meeting or conference cll month or two lter is dvisble to check on ny lte-showing problems. Distribute the cll for ppers t the current conference, long with brochure bout the next host city. Issue invittions to potentil session chirpersons nd spekers during the current conference. Actively seek progrm prticipnts. After the current conference, mil clls for ppers to members nd potentil prticipnts using pproprite miling lists. Issue invittions to session chirpersons nd spekers if not lredy invited. Prepre nd mil informtion nd ppliction forms to prospective exhibitors. I I months Follow up with letter to invited session chirpersons nd spekers s reminder of responsibilities nd due dtes. Issue invittions to lternte chirpersons nd spekers if necessitted by refusls or cncelltions months Receive list of invited spekers nd their topics from session chirpersons; send uthor's kit to ech. Mke finl hotel rrngements nd rrnge or negotite nd contrct for ll mjor services during conference: udiovisul equipment, ~)rojectionists, trnsporttion for specil events, breks, lrge food functions, specil equipment in meeting rooms. registrtion personnel, session monitors. Identify tsks to be hndled by locl rrngements committee, professionl society member volunteers. nd student ssistnls. Mke rrngements for tours nd specil events.

12 134 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION, VOL. PC-26, NO. 3, SEPTEMBER or6 Mke finl decisions on detils to be included in months registrtion form nd in conference publicity: Estblish registrtion fees, nd wht periods, ctivities, nd publictions they will cover. Estblish prices of publictions, mels, socils, nd specil events not covered by registrtion fees. Confirm hotel room rtes nd reservtion procedures. Set dedlines for - Advnce registrtion - Hotel reservtions - Ticket purchses for tours nd specil events - Cncelltions (nd return of ll or prt of the dvnce registrtion fee). This my be the dedline for receipt of bstrcts or ppers for review. (The dedline will vry depending on whether uthors re to submit full ppers for review nd selection or will submit full ppers fter n bstrct hs been ccepted.) Acknowledge receipt of invited nd contributed bstrcts or ppers s they rrive. Distribute mterils to progrm committee for their review nd selection for presenttion t the conference nd publiction in the conference proceedings. 5 3 to Mke finl selection of ppers for presenttion 4 i nd publiction in the conference proceedings s months recommended by the progrm committee. Notify contributors of cceptnce or rejection. Return rejected ppers. 5 months Schedule technicl.sessions, plenry sessions, socils. specil events, nd business meetings. Prepre detiled preliminry conference progrm listing titles, chirpersons, nd spekers for technicl sessions, tutorils, nd workshops; business meetings; socils; nd specil events. Show meeting time nd room loction for ech event. Prepre technicl progrm mtrix. Distribute the drft of the progrm to society officers, conference plnning committee, nd progrm committee for review. Finlize progrm detils. Prepre progrm highlights brochure nd mil to members. Publish conference nnouncement nd technicl progrm mtrix in society publictions (newsletter, mgzine, journl)., Prepre progrm nd hve it printed. Notify ech session, workshop, nd tutoril leder of the time nd loction of the session through n dvnce copy of the progrm listing for the session. Provide nmes, institutions, nd titles for uthors who hve been ssigned to ech session nd copy of the pper or bstrct. Notify uthors of their plcement on the progrm, cithcr directly or through the session chirpersons. 4 months Deudline for receipt of full ppers (if prepred) fter the bstrct is ccepted for presenttion). Assemblc mteril for the conference proceedings nd put it into finl form for the typesetter nd printer. Mil dvnce progrms nd registrtion inform* tion to members. Send publicity bout progrm to society-public. tion editors (journl, mgzine, newsletter) for inclusion in their next issues. 3 months Mil finl nnouncement of progrm to registrnts if more thn one brochure is included in the series. Print tickets nd bdges; order directionl signs for conference registrtion re, meeting rooms, technicl sessions, specil events, hospitlity rooms nd suites, etc; order registrtion supplies. Send press releses bout the conference to news medi nd trde mgzines. Check proofs of conference proceedings nd hvt it printed. 2 months Print finl publicity in society publictions. Note. In most cses, mteril to be printed must be submitted well in dvnce of this dte. Prepre registrtion pckets for dvnce registrnts. 2 or I month Send mster schedule nd full setup instructions to hotel nd suppliers nd to chirpersons of conference committees. Begin locl publicity bout conference. I month Closing dre for dvnce registrrion. 3 to 2 weeks Ship copies of finl progrm nd conference proceedings to hotel or locl rrngements chirperson for distribution t the conference. Items should be shipped so tht they will rrive two weeks before the strt of the conference or s designted by the'hotel; some will not ccept mterils this fr in dvnce. Ship registrtion re supplies nd directionl signs to hotel. 1 week Obtin mps nd brochures for re ttrctions from the locl visitors nd convention bureu. 1 dy Set up registrtion re nd informtion desk. Set up exhibits re. Prepre errt or progrm ddend nd hve it reproduced for distribution t the conference. Mke finl checks of ll conference rrngements. During the conference After the conference Double-check rrngements. Oversee registrtion process nd running of technicl scssions, socils, business meetings, nd specil events. Hndle requcsts, problems, nd contingencies..- - Prepre preliminry conference report on ttendnce, revenues, costs, nd publictions inventory. Send thnk-you letters to invited spekers nd session chirpersons, plcnry-session spekers.

13 ~OTVIN: PLANNING AND ORGANIZING AN ANNUAL CONFERENCE 135 conference mnger, nd hotel conference coordin- 2 to 3 Mke finl ccounting fter ll bills hve been tor nd stff, s pproprite. months pid. - Prepre finl report for the society, including the udit of finncil records nd distribution of re- 1 month Publish report to the members in the society mining funds. newsletter or mgzine. Include informtion bout Provide notes, records, nd suggestions to the the vilbility of proceedings. chirperson of the next yer's conference. Bibliogrphy Allince for Engineering in Medicine nd Biology. ACEMB Conference Mnul. Bethesd, MD: ACEMB; Lernp, H. B. Mnul for the Orgniztion of Scientific Congresses. Bsel, Switzerlnd: S. Krger; Institute of Electricl nd Electronics Engineers. leee Conference Orgniztion Mnul: A Guide ro Conference Plnning. New York: IEEE; undted.

14 136 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION, VOL. PC-26, NO. 3,SEPTEMBER 1983 s forml opening for the exhibits-n effective wy to ttrct prticipnts to the re. Such reception cn follow combintion plenry session nd business meeting. Specil receptions or socils cn lso be held: welcoming reception for new members or first-time conference ttendees; president's reception; conference chirperson's reception; or progrm chirperson's reception or socil for session chirpersons, spekers, conference plnning committee members, nd society officers to welcome prticipnts, to enble them to become cquinted with other prticipnts nd with society officers, nd to go over ny finl rrngements. Socils, when properly plnned nd held in the correct environment, re especilly vluble in promoting working reltionships mong prticipnts. difficult, the qulity of the technicl progrm my be highly vrible, nd it my be difficult to obtin enough ppers. Often the best solution is combintion of invited nd contributed ppers, with significnt proportion of ppers invited by session chirpersons who re leding uthorities in the discipline. Decisions should lso be mde bout including poster sessions, specil workshops, nd short courses. Workshops nd short courses cn be provided s service to members t no dditionl chrge- supplement to strengthen the technicl progrm-r they cn be included s corollry to the technicl progrm t modest or good chrge to members nd s source of revenue to the society. Workshops nd short courses cn be scheduled on the dy before or the dy fter the conference so tht they do not diminish ttendnce t regulr technicl sessions. Workshops cn lso be scheduled in the evenings. Poster sessions cn be scheduled for brek times nd held in the exhibits re, when exhibits re included, or they cn run in prllel with other sessions. They must be in res of high trffic to give the exposure necessry for successful sessions. The scheduling constrint for workshops nd poster sessions is usully the number of nnounced conference dys nd the events vilble to fill those dys. The progrm should be rrnged so tht person does not hve to be in two plces t once to meet his or her interests. Other decisions involve plnning for specil mels (luncheons or bnquets), one or more plenry sessions with keynote speker, socils, nd specil tours. Mel events re costly nd re not lwys well ttended, especilly forml bnquets. An lterntive to the forml bnquet is confcrence reception, which cn be held s welcoming event on the evening before the conference opens, on the first fternoon, or s closing scssion; it cn include presenttions or serve only s socil gthcring. If lte fternoon conference reception is included, it cn be held in the exhibits re When plenry sessions include keynote spekers, provisions should be mde for selecting nd inviting the speker well in dvnce. Normlly, distinguished individuls in the discipline re chosen s plenry session spekers, nd since such individuls generlly hve extrordinrily full schedules, they must be invited one or two yers in dvnce [S, 81. Including their presenttions in the dvnce publicity nd progrms is dvntgeous. Plnning for lterntive spekers, even if informlly, cn lso be importnt should plenry session speker be forced to cncel. Similr guidelines pply to selection of keynote spekers for luncheons nd bnquets. Prt of the progrm plnning must concern whether to include spouses' or fmily progrm in conjunction with the conference nd whether to include sightseeing or professionl tours. If spouses nd fmilies re encourged to ttend, progrm should be rrnged for them. Trditionlly, spouses' progrms hve been rrnged for women [6]; however, incresingly, spouses ttending professionl society conferences include both men nd women. Progrm plnners should include events tht ppel to both men nd women, prticulrly if the profile of society members suggests tht men would prticipte in spouses' progrm. Severl types of ctivities cn be included in spouses' progrm. Among them re tours of plnts or lbortories relted to the society's discipline nd plnncd outings to mjor sightseeing or recretionl ttrctions in the re, museums nd rt glleries, culturl events (concerts, plys, musicls), historicl sites, specilty resturnts (for luncheons nd dinners), professionl sports events (e.g., mjor legue bsebll, footbll, or bsketbll, depending on the seson, or golf or tennis tournments), nd mlls. Prticiptory sports events cn lso be plnned s pit of the progrm. Ingenuity in selecting events nd rrngement of n innovtive progrm with both eductionl nd recretionl ppel re necessry for successful spouses' progrm. Whcn conference includes spouses' progrm, rrnge-

15 POTVIN: PLANNING AND ORGANIZING AN ANNUAL CONFERENCE ments should be mde for hospitlity room to serve s meeting plce nd deprture point for events. Provisions should be mde for refreshments in the hospitlity room. Are mps, brochures of locl ttrctions, lists of resturnts, nd smple menus cn lso be provided. Plunning for Student Involvement in the Conference If the society hs student members, prt of conference plnning my concern wys to involve students in the conference progrm nd encourge them to ttend the conference. A student pper contest might be held nd winners' session included s prt of the technicl progrm. Students might lso be encourged to contribute ppers or proposls on competitive bsis for one or more specil student sessions. A discount for dvnce registrtion might be offered. Students in the locl re might receive complimentry conference registrtion in exchnge for serving s session monitors or projectionists for fixed number of sessions. Estblishing Policies nd Guidelines for Gits nd Exhibits At this stge of plnning, specific decisions should be mde bout soliciting industry gifts, either s grnts or s sponsorship of breks or socil events. If gifts will be sought, guidelines nd procedures should be estblished so tht committee cn be formed nd potentil contributors contcted. A decision should lso be mde bout exhibits. If exhibits will be included, the type of exhibits must be determined nd selection criteri estblished for both exhibits nd exhibitors. A committee must be formed to hndle the rrngements with the hotel for exhibit spce, the lyout of the disply re, the promotion nd sle of exhibit booths, nd communiction with exhibitors. Procedures for hndling exhibits must be estblished, ny restrictions on displys determined, fees set for the sle of exhibit spce, nd prospectus prepred for distribution to potentil exhibitors. The guidelines set for hndling exhibits must conform to society policy. The dvntges nd disdvntges of including exhibits hve been discussed elsewhere [6], s hve the procedures for hndling nd promoting them [5-81. Exhibits dd commercil dimension to conference, yet they re source of revenue for the society nd cn benefit members by bringing them up to dte on technologicl dvnces [5, 61. If exhibits re to be included, they should be integrted with the technicl progrm nd should complement nd enhnce it by displying new products nd services, new techniques nd equipment, nd pplicble publictions [7, 81. Setting Audiovisul Equipment Policy Next, decisions must be mde bout providing udiovisul equipment nd bout policy for chrging uthors for specil equipment or lst-minute requests. It might be greed to provide one 35-mm projector for ech session nd to llow other equipment only by specil request, the uthor either pying the full expense or shring it with the society. Without restrictions nd provisions for chrging uthors, the cost of renting specil equipment my be excessive. Plnning Conference Publicity nd Publictions Decisions must lso be mde bout publicity nd publictions. The success of the nnul conference depends in prt upon well orgnized publicity cmpign nd upon distinctive, timely, ccurte conference publictions. These re needed to nnounce the meeting, to ttrct prticipnts, nd to provide permnent record. Although the extent of the publicity cmpign nd the number nd type of publictions, the content, the design, nd the production re determined lrgely by cost nd vilble funds, the publicity cmpign should be s widespred s possible, for it is difficult to oversell conference [I I]. Among the useful publicity medi nd publictions re the following: Brief nnouncements in the professionl literture to show dte, plce, theme, nd individul to contct for informtion. A clip-out nd send-in form is very effective. Brief nnouncements in the newsletters of other societies tht list future conferences on topics of interest to their members Informtion brochure to serve s n dvnce or preliminry nnouncement Cll for ppers to nnounce the conference nd solicit contribution of ppers, workshops, nd tutorils. A cll for ppers for the next yer's conference should be vilble for registrnts to pick up t the conference ech yer, then miled to society members immeditely fter

16 the conference. Including clip-out nd send-in form s prt of the cll is very effective if contributors must request n uthor kit before submitting n bstrct or pper. Exhibits prospectus Full-pge nnouncements or dvertisements in ech issue of the society newsletter, mgzine, or journl during the yer before the conference News rticles in the society newsletter or journl nd sent to ssocited technicl newsletters or journls nd to trde journls Press releses (to other societies, trde journls, nd the press) Progrm -Preliminry -Finl Progrm highlights brochure Collected descriptive bstrcts (for publiction in the society journl) Letters to members nd to previous yer's prticipnts bout the conference Conference newsletter (sent s one of publicity milings to members; used s progrm highlights nd ddendum on first conference dy; published ech dy of conference s dily progrm highlights newspper) Author's kit Proceedings -Abstrcts prepred for distribution t meeting -Full ppers prepred for distribution t meeting -Full ppers or conference reports prepred nd published fter the meeting -Trnscripts of orl presenttions nd discussion sessions (published nd miled fter the meeting) Registrtion pcket or kit consisting of specilly designed envelope, portfolio, or briefcse, nd specilly designed notebooks nd pens in ddition to stndrd conference mterils (progrm, proceedings, nd bdge) Directory or list of conference ttendees Addend or progrm errt (for distribution t the meeting) At the very minimum, the following publictions' re needed to nnounce, publicize, support, nd record n nnul conference: Brief nnouncements in the professionl literture Cll for ppers or descriptive conference brochure Announcements (dvertisements) in the society newsletter nd journl Author's kit Finl conference progrm Collected descriptive bstrcts Conference proceedings Simple registrtion pcket Addend or progrm errt The more publictions nd the more milings the budget permits, the better coverge the conference will receive nd the greter the likelihood of lrge ttendnce. Repeted milings re more effective thn single, expensive cmpign, for it is repetition tht sells n ide [6] nd motivtes members to ttend nd prticipte.. -. when plnning publictions, decisions must be mde whether to print both preliminry nd finl progrm nd whether to print progrm highlights brochure or conference.newsletter s well. Among the options re (1) miling both preliminry nd finl progrm to dvertise the conference; (2) miling brochure contining conference highlights nd preliminry technicl progrm mtrix ( highly condensed version of the progrm, including session titles, session chirpersons, nd spekers;. nd socil nd plenry sessions, ll with dtes, times, nd meeting rooms); nd (3) publishing nd miling conference newsletter with progrm highlights, description of the conference city nd its ttrctions, listing of tours nd specil events, nd informtion on registrtion nd hotel reservtion procedures, followed by finl progrm. The decision is determined in lrge prt by number of pges, number of copies, miling costs, nd vilble dollrs. A relted decision concerns whether to mil items first clss or in bulk. A first-clss miling is more distinctive nd more timely but is considerbly more expensive thn bulk miling. A minimum of 200 items is required for bulk milings nd the weight of the item to be sent is mjor cost fctor. Also, bulk mil receives low priority; it tkes three to four weeks to bulk-mil items from the est to the west cost of the U.S., so tht considerble led time must be included in the publiction dedlines. If severl milings re to be done, both methods cn be used, with erly items sent by bulk mil nd lter ones by first clss. The number of items to be sent brod must lso be considered. Interntionl milings re much more costly thn domestic ones. If the number of pges in the conference progrm is gret, the progrm will be more expensive to print nd mil thn short brochure or conference newsletter. If the progrm is short, however, the miling costs my be the sme for the progrm nd the brochure, the only difference being the cost of printing. The vlue of the three types of publiction to members nd of their effectiveness in ttrcting conference ttendees must be ssessed nd the publictions decision mde in prt on tht bsis. Another importnt publictions decision concerns whether bstrcts or full ppers or both will be required for the conference nd how the bstrcts or ppers will be prepred, submitted, nd reviewed or refereed for cceptnce. For high qulity, bstrcts nd ppers must present previously unpublished originl work; invited s well s contributed bstrcts or ppers must be reviewed or refereed; nd, idelly, provision must be mde for editing nd revising the mnuscripts before finl publiction [lo]. It is less expensive for the society nd less time consuming for uthors if bstrcts lone re required (either 200-word or extended

17 potvin: PLANNING AND ORGANIZING AN ANNUAL CONFERENC As finl prt of plnning for conference publictions, if the budget permits, the plnning committee should work with grphic designer to develop distinctive logo nd color scheme for ll conference publictions nd publicity. The design cn be keyed to the theme of the conference or to the conference city. The color scheme cn reflect the society's colors or color pproprite to the theme of the conference. The color should be used consistently for ll conference publictions nd publicity from sttionery, nnouncements, conference progrm, nd proceedings to luncheon progrms, conference bdges, nd registrtion pckets. Prepring Tenttive Budget: Determining Sources of Funding nd Projecting Costs The costs of running n nnul conference re generlly funded by combintion of sources: bstrcts of not more thn 1,000 words), but full ppers provide more detiled record of conference ctivity nd more rchivl publiction. Some feel tht higher qulity presenttions nd higher qulity overll technicl progrm result when full ppers re submitted nd reviewed or refereed for selection for presenttion nd publiction. Others believe tht vlid decision cn be mde on the bsis of brief bstrct. If the decision is mde to hve uthors submit full ppers, then the question of whether to restrict the length of the pper must lso be considered. Decisions must lso be mde bout whether uthors re to (1) submit bstrcts for review nd prepre full ppers fter cceptnce; (3) submit full cmer-redy ppers which, review nd editing, then prepre cmer-redy copy fter cceptnce; (3) submit full cmer-redy ppers, which, fter review, my be retyped by the uthors or the conference stff or published exctly s they re initilly received; or (4) submit extended bstrcts in cmer-redy form for publiction in tht form. Undoubtedly, proceedings of higher qulity result when ppers re edited, revised fter review, nd retyped before publiction, but logistics nd scheduling my be difficult if uthors re sked to retype, or expensive if the conference stff is expected to do so. A relted decision is whether to supply oversized, bluelined mnuscript mts so tht bstrcts nd ppers cn be prepred for photoreduction or to hve uthors prepre originls on plin bond pper. The cost of prepring nd miling uthor's kits must be compred with the cost of Printing lrge number of ctul-sized pges in the proceed- Ings. Publishers who specilize in conference proceedings cn provide vluble dvice nd cn lso ssist with design of the mnuscript mts nd preprtion of the ccompnying style guide [lo]. Contributions by the society from membership dues for strt-up costs Contributions by cosponsors Registrtion fees Sle of publictions Sle of cssette tpes of technicl sessions Specil workshop nd tutoril fees Short course registrtions Industril gifts Exhibit fees Dontions of free time, mterils, nd fcilities. Publictions costs my be prtilly offset by including dvertising in the conference progm. In preliminry plnning, mjor revenue sources should be identified, the cost of the meeting projected, nd tenttive budget prepred for pprovl by society officers nd the society executive committee. A list of representtive budget items is shown in Tble 111. When tenttive budget hs been set, it is useful to project the number of meeting ttendees needed to meet budget gols. The tenttive budget is finlized during the next stge when contrcts re negotited with the hotel, the publisher, nd others who will provide services nd when registrtion nd event fees re set. Throughout the yer or more of conference plnning, the chirperson, with the id of the society secretry-tresurer nd the conference finnce cornmittce, is responsible for running wht my esily be $250,000 business, depending on the number of prticipnts nd ttendees. Budget decisions must be mde on the bsis of sound dvice, then dhered to strictly. Of specil importnce for stying within the budget re creful lloction nd control of costs for publictions, miling, nd udiovisul equipment, nd strict dherence to dedlines to void extrneous costs in lte chrges. Of importnce, too, is control of locl rrngement costs, especilly those for ny specil events the locl rrngements committee my be sponsoring.

18 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION, VOL. PC-2 6, NO. 3, SEPTEMBER 1983 Tble 111 Representtive Budget Items for n Annul Conference SOURCES OF REVENUE Registrtion fees Society members Nonmembers Students Spouses Professionl society support Membership dues Cosponsors Contributions Industril gifts Grnts Exhibits Publiction sles Cssette tpe sles Workshop fees Short course registrtions Specil event tickets Mel tickets EXPENSES Addressing nd miling Duplicting Expendble supplies Sttionery nd envelopes Stplers, mrkers, pens, pencils, thumbtcks, tpe, etc. Directionl signs Bdges nd ribbons Insurnce Miling lists nd publicity Shipping (from printer to conference or miling site) Telephone Conference opertions Meeting rooms Exhibit spce Audiovisul equipment Office mchines Reproduction of mterils t conference Tping of sessions Personnel Audiovisul stff (if volunteers re not vilble) Conference mnger Registrtion stff Secretril stff (to nswer phone, hndle specil requests, provide problem-solving ssistnce) Hospitlity costs Brekfsts Luncheons Bnquets Breks Socils Receptions Hospitlity suites Hospitlity progrm Spouses' progrm Music or entertinment Flowers Press room Publiction costs Logo Clls for ppers Announcements Author's kits Progrm highlights brochure Conference newsletter Progrm Collected bstrcts Proceedings Registrtion pcket Addend or errt Other publictions Out-of-pocket expenses Progrm committee Society officers Trvel expenses Society officers Progrm committee Conference stff Plenry-session or bnquet spekers

19 POTVIN: PLANNING AND ORGANIZING AN ANNUAL CONFERENC ctions re being developed, the next step is to select session chirpersons, workshop nd tutoril leders, nd spekers. Whether ppers re invited or contributed, the qulity of the technicl progrm is enhnced by selecting experts to serve s session chirpersons nd hving them invite substntil number of ppers from other uthorities in the discipline. In choosing individuls to serve s session chirpersons nd thus s members of the progrm committee, the progrm chirperson should ctively recruit individuls who FOLLOWING THROUGH AND IMPLEMENTING PLANNING DECISIONS When plnning decisions hve been mde, the tsk is lrgely one of following through nd implementing the rrngements. Once the mster pln hs been devised, the ction strts, with ech committee member responsible for his or her own ssignment, the generl conference chirperson offering guidnce nd promoting enthusistic prticiption. The min tsks tht must be completed in this stge of the mngement of professionl society's nnul conference include (1) prepring publictions nd the publicity cmpign; (2) selecting session chirpersons, workshop nd tutoril leders, nd spekers; (3) estblishing mngement system for hndling submitted ppers, uthor correspondence, nd requests for informtion; (4) mking the finl rrngements with the conference hotel; (5) rrnging socil progrms nd specil events; (6) setting registrtion fees nd dedlines; (7) finlizing the budget; (8) estblishing the progrm (rrnging technicl sessions, socils, nd specil events); (9) coordinting conference rrngements; nd (10) setting the stge for the next yer's conference. Prepring Publictions nd the Publicity Cmpign Generlly, publictions re plnned nd prepred jointly by the progrm chirperson nd the publictions nd publicity committees. To be successful, publictions must be well written, ttrctively designed, ccurte, distinctive, nd distributed throughout the conference yer. Negotition with the publisher is criticl step. Expert help is vluble to keep costs down nd production qulity high. Detils for developing individul publictions re given in the ppendix. Selecting Session Chirpersons, Workshop nd Tutoril Leders, nd Spekers After plnning decisions hve been mde nd while publi- Are cknowledged uthorities in the discipline Hve the stture nd bility to ttrct outstnding spekers Hve mngement bility Hve demonstrted bility to produce results by following through nd completing tsks on time Hve ttended or prticipted in other conferences Desire to orgnize session Will be vilble to prticipte in plnning decisions throughout the yer before the conference nd will ssign high priority to plnning successful meeting. Similr criteri should be pplied in selecting people to offer workshops nd tutoril sessions. The progrm chirperson should hve selected mny, but not ll, session chirpersons t the previous nnul conference. To ensure new ides nd n open meeting, the conference chirperson should select some individuls (10-30 percent) who re reltively new to the society nd hve presented well; nd others who re ctive but my not hve ttended the previous one or two conferences. A percentge of novices is desirble, too, to bring new blood into the group. The role of the session chirperson is to interct with spekers to ensure qulity sessions. Once session chirpersons hve been chosen, considerble uthority for developing the individul sessions should be delegted to them. Their tsk should be threefold: to invite substntil number of ppers from other experts in ech topic re nd ensure core of excellence for the technicl progrm; to review contributed ppers nd ccept or reject them; nd to determine the sequence of invited nd contributed ppers for the session. The qulity of technicl progrm is enhnced by delegting uthority for cceptnce nd rejection of ppers to knowledgeble reviewcrs. Those experts cn lso help rrnge ppers in sequence tht is logicl nd meningful. Such n pproch voids common filing of mny conferences where the selection nd rrngement of ppers for the technicl progrm re mde by n individul or committee not competent to judge the merits of ppers in ll res within discipline or specilty. The mix of invited nd contributed ppers results in higher qulity of technicl progrms over the yers.

20 142 leee TRANSACTIONS ON PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION, VOL. PC-26, NO. 3, SEPTEMBER 1983 After session chirpersons tenttively gree to orgnize sessions, letters of confirmtion should be sent within two weeks to ffirm tenttive session titles nd the ground rules for chiring sessions nd to provide the dedlines for submitting nmes of invited spekers. A letter of confirmtion should lso be sent to workshop nd tutoril leders. As second follow-up one month lter, control form should be sent to session chirpersons with informtion bout review procedures nd dedlines. When selecting chirpersons, it is helpful to select tenttively 10 to 30 percent more thn re ctully needed to provide high qulity technicl progrm of the desired size; not ll those chosen will be ble to serve nd not ll will be ble to obtin the needed number of invited ppers. Estblishi~zg Mngement System for Hndling Submitted Ppers, Author Correspondence, und Requests for Itformcction A next step is to estblish mngement system for hndling requests for informtion, correspondence with session chirpersons nd uthors, the miling of uthor's kits, the receipt nd reviews of submitted bstrcts nd ppers, registrtion fees (if they re received by the conference chirperson nd stff), nd conference expenses nd pyments. Rpid replies to requests nd creful hndling of ll submittls re of utmost importnce. A detiled, ccurte record of ll replies nd trnsctions is lso essentil. Letters or memornd should be sent to confirm telephone converstions. Approprite forms, control sheets, nd logs re helpful, s re computerized logging system nd miling list. Mking Find Arrcrngements with the Conference Hotel The conference mnger or locl or conference rrngements committee must complete the rrngements with the hotel nd negotite the contrct for rooms nd services. Among the items to be considered re the numbers of single, twin, nd double guest rooms the hotel will commit nd the rtes for ech; the number of room reservtions the society must gurntee; the procedure nd dedline for hotel reservtions; the number, size, nd loction of the meeting rooms nd whether the meeting rooms will be retined or relesed to the hotel in the evening; the number of suites nd hospitlity rooms; the equipment nd room setups to be provided; the number of breks nd mel events, the style of service, nd the menus; nd the number of complimentry rooms the society will receive. The finl rrngements nd costs must be relyed to the finnce committee for use in determining the finl conference budget nd to the publictions committee for use in prepring hotel nd conference registrtion forms. Arrnging Socil Progrms nd Specic~l Events The locl rrngements, hospitlity, spouses' progrm, nd tour corrlrnittees n~ust select nd rrnge the socil events nd tours tht will be held in conjunction with the conference. Provisions must be rnde for tickets, prices estblished, nd contrcts negotited with trnsporttion nd tour compnies if they will be involved. Tours nd socil events must be self-supporting nd pproprite fees must be set for ech. Informtion bout the events nd the fees must be relyed to the finnce nd publictions committees. Arrngements must be mde with the visitors nd convention bureu of the host city for mps of the city nd brochures bout current events nd ttrctions for distribution t the conference. Copies of menus must be obtined from re resturnts if they re to be displyed in the hospitlity re. Setting Registrtion Fees nd Demdlirtes Next, registrtion fees must be set for the conference nd the ctivities nd events to be included. Fees must be high enough to cover the mjor costs of the conference nd ssocited publictions, yet low enough to be ffordble by most members of the trget udience nd ordinrily bout the sme s the registrtion fees of comprble conferences of other professionl societies. Setting fees too low detrcts from the perceived qulity of the conference nd mkes it difficult to brek even on costs; setting fees too high decreses conference ttendnce. Among the options when setting fees re to: e Set high fee nd include ll mels, socil events, nd conference proceedings Set low fee nd include no mels. socil events, nor proceedings Set moderte fee nd mkc purchse of mels nd proceedings optionl. The dvntges of including mels nd proceedings in the registrtion fee re tht (I) universities will generlly py registrtion fees but hve limits on per diem llownces nd will not cover seprte costs of expensive udiovisul equipment or proceedings; (2) hving the cost of mels included in the fee rnkes ttendnce t mels higher, if tht