AIS Conference Budgeting General Information

How are the conference budgets developed?

A financial plan is developed for the full bid. This financial plan is based on historical and current information available at the time. This financial plan is updated each year as more detailed information becomes available throughout the planning process. See the attached financial plan & conference budget timeline document.

Upon confirmation of a conference site, the conference chairswill consult with the AIS Associate Executive Director, AIS COO and Finance Director to determine estimated expenses for pre-conference activities such as promotion and pre-planning meeting travel. Most expenses will not occur until one to two years out from the event.

Approximately 15 months out the AIS staff (Associate Executive Director, COO, Finance Director, and Conference Director) will work with the conference chairs to develop the draft budget. The AIS Conference Director will negotiate with the hotel(s) and local vendors to obtain food and beverage cost estimates, venue rental prices, transportation and AV quotes. The conference chairs and AIS staff will review and discuss which expenditures are most important to attendee value and consider how the expenses will affect pricing. Expect several reviews, discussions and edits during this budgeting phase.

What can affect the conference budgets?

Location, attendance trends, current industry situations, market pricing, value of the US dollar, venue, and ongoing AIS initiatives can all affect conference budgets. Many costs such as food, venue, and transportation, vary location to location.

When are the final conference budgets approved?

The AMCIS and ICIS budget for the upcoming year is typically reviewed and approved at the December AIS Council meeting. The complete AIS budget (of which ICIS and AMCIS are a part) is approved at the following June Council meeting.

AIS fiscal year is July 1 through June 30.

Who approves the conference budget?

The AIS Finance Committee receives the proposed budgetfrom the AIS staff Finance Director for review and approval. The Committee forwards their recommendations to the AIS Council who makes the final decision.

The AMCIS and ICIS conference budgets are very important pieces of the overall AIS budget. Therefore the conference budgets are prepared, reviewed, and approved to be incorporated into the total AIS organization budget. It is the AIS organization that takes the financial risk, signs contracts, and is ultimately responsible for events.

How are registration fees and other sources of income determined?

Historical information on past registration fees is provided in the budget documentation. The initial task is to estimate all expenses then determine the minimum registration fee needed for a return determined by the Finance Committee. The final decision about registration fees and all aspects of the conference budget is made by the AIS Council during the approval process. Registration rates are set/confirmed prior to registration going live and are determined based on sponsorships received/confirmed at that time.

How do you get Sponsors and how soon can you start raising funds?

Obtaining sponsorships can begin as early as fifteen months prior to the conference. The budget will only includescommitted sponsorships,funds of aboutpprox. $50K which may increase to which can result in higher registration fees to achieve the expected return. All registration rates are revisited prior to registration opening. If additional sponsorships were received/committed after the budget was approved, those funds can be used in a variety of ways: lower registration rates, enhancements to conference events, attendee giveaways etc.

The AIS Communications Director will begin development of your sponsorship brochure 2 years2 years prior to the conference. This will be a collaboration between the conference chairs, AIS COO & the AIS Communications Director. AIS COO will contact past Academic Institutions and Exhibitors who have supported/sponsored atprevious conferences. Any new contacts made by the Conference Chairs, once established, can be given to the COO for historical documentation.

What AIS organization expenses are allocated to conference budgets and what net revenue does the AIS Council plan for each conference?

The AIS organization has three revenue streams: AMCIS, ICIS and membership dues. From these income streams, AIS supports SIGs, chapters, publications, and council-approved initiatives such as improving the AIS website, database, paper management systems, outreach to other countries, and so forth. Therefore, AMCIS and ICIS conferences are expected to cover certain administrative costs and to also provide from $35,000 to $135,000 respectively, net return to the organization. See sample Financial Plan for more detail.

The allocated expenses are: are 19% to AMCIS, 21% to ICIS and the balance to Administration (unless otherwise noted):

6130 Insurance: AIS has Director and Officers Liability insurance and General Liability insurance. The annual cost is allocated to AMCIS, ICIS and administration budgets.

6160.01 Accounting (Professional Fees): The cost is for Accounting Services (outside of CPA to perform the audit)and is allocated to AMCIS, ICIS and the balance goes to Administration. All other professional fees are charged to Administration – not AMCIS or ICIS.

6140.02 Salaries (AIS Office Support): Salaries and benefits for AIS staff (full time GSU employees) are divided between the conferences and other activities based on estimates of staff time actually spent in each area. AMCIS gets .19% and ICIS gets .21% of salaries.

6160.07 Marketing: The cost for Communication services is split between AMCIS, ICIS and Initiatives.

6160.17 Web/DRS/Network Maintenance: Web maintenance for the registration site and Print on Demand

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6500 Bank service charges: Checking account fees which are not offset by interest are allocated back. These include wire transfers and any fees charged by the bank for the checking account.

6550 Registration credit card fees: Visa, MasterCard and Amex fees charged to AIS for processing credit cards. Both AMCIS and ICIS are charged .026% of their budgeted revenue for credit card fees.