International Peat Society

INTERNATIONAL PEAT SOCIETY

Guidelines for the

Organisation of IPS Events

Developed by:

Line Rochefort, 2006

based on the American Ornithologist’ Union’s guide,

Statutes and International Regulations of the International Peat Society,

and Executive Board decisions in Angers, 9 September 2005

Draft 2 November 2006

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

EARLY CONSIDERATIONS

Basic Information

Benefits of the Cooperation

Invitation/Acceptance Process

Timing of the Events and the Lead-Up

IPS RESPONSIBILITIES

IPS President

IPS Executive Board

IPS Scientific Advisory Board

IPS Secretariat

LOCAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Convention Bureau

Local Organising Committee (LOC)

Chairperson of LOC

Program Coordinator

Local Secretariat

Finance and Sponsoring Committee

Website Committee / Manager

Scientific Committee

Field Trip and Tour Committee

Student Award Committee

Cultural and Social Program Committee

Commercial Exhibition Committee

WRITTEN MATERIALS

The Written Proposal

Circulars and Call for Papers

1st Circular and Call for Papers

2nd Circular and Call for Papers

Responsibility for production and development of 1st and 2nd Circulars

Program

General Information

Responsibility for production and development of the Program

Deadlines

Abstracts/Proceedings

General Information

Deadlines

Event Report

Historic Report

FINANCIAL MATTERS

Responsibilities

Budget

MEETINGS AND SESSIONS

Business and Technical Meetings

Scientific Sessions

Number of Contributions

Applying for Places on the Scientific Program

Preparing the Scientific Program

Session Logistics

Auditoria

Audio-visual aids

Slide check-in

Personnel

Poster sessions

Banquet speakers

REGISTRATION AND PACKETS

Pre-registration

Registration

Event Check-In

Conference bags

FILMS AND EXHIBITIONS

Films

Art Exhibitions and Contests

Commercial Exhibitions

WORKERS AND VOLONTEERS

MEETING FACILITIES

Headquarter and lounge

Check-In / Final Registration

Bulletin board

Auditoria for scientific sessions

Slide-preview rooms

Poster presentations

Business sessions and general meeting rooms

Art and Commercial exhibitions

IPS and other organisations

Coffee-break area

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

General Socializing

Alcoholic Beverages

Receptions

Coffee Breaks

Banquet or Event Dinner

Guest Trips and Tours

Field Trips and Post-event Field Trips

Group Photograph

TRANSPORTATION AND TRAVEL

Travel Agent

Arrivals and Departures

Parking

Intra-city Transportation

Shuttle Buses

ACCOMMODATION

Advanced Booking

Hotels and Motels

Residence Halls

Campgrounds

OTHER IMPORTANT ITEMS

Catering

Medical Problems and Emergencies

Mailing Address

Smoking

Child Care

Sports

Public Relations

Computer, Printer and Copier Availability

Liability Release

Final reports and Evaluation

Concluding Remarks

INTRODUCTION

This notebook serves as a guide to holding scientific events, such as Congresses, symposia and workshops of the International Peat Society. It is based on the experience of many years of past and current practice. The aim of this guide is to assist Local Organising Committees, Program Coordinators, scientific committees, professional convention bureaus, the IPS staffand other persons involved in the organisation of IPS events in establishing their action plans and rechecking required items. Not all parts of this document will be needed for small events. Main organisers (chair of LOC, PC)are advised to read the whole guide whereas head organisers of a particular committee will most likely read the sections pertaining to his (her) responsibilities.

EARLY CONSIDERATIONS

Basic Information

The International Peat Society regularly holds international Congresses, symposia, workshops and other events on all topics related to peat and peatlands. These range from a few dozen to about 600 attendants. Almost all of these events are organised in countries with an IPS National Committee (NC); in Northern and Central Europe, North America and Southeast Asia.

To fulfil its objectives according to the Mission Statements (see the IPS shall organise, in every 4th year, an International Peat Congress. For example, the 2004 congress in Finland is referred to as the 12th International Peat Congress of the International Peat Society. Other events coordinated by IPS Commissions, Working Groups andNational Committees complete the programme.

Typically, scientific events under the auspices of IPS are organised on the invitation of a local organiser. A local organiser is a local body, such as a National Committee, association, company or other legal organisation which carries the responsibility for the organisation of an IPS event.

All practical decisions and tasks connected with the event are coordinated, carried out and delegated by a Local Organising Committee (LOC).

The LOC appoints a Program Coordinator (PC) who is responsible for carrying out and coordinating the practical tasks as decided by the LOC. He can be supported by a Local Secretariat.

Benefits of the cooperation

When cooperating with IPS, the local organiser can benefit from:

use of name and logo of IPS as a worldwide organisation of peat and peatland experts. This will provide a better image and profile of the event due to IPS logo and name (franchising concept);
potential participant network of 1,300 members, their institutions, colleagues and project groups;
promotion of the event in IPS publications, such as Peat News, Peatlands International, by e-mails to key persons, in the IPS events calendar and on the IPS website;
use of IPS member database on agreement with/via the IPS Secretariat for distribution of circulars;
time and venue planning in coordination with other IPS events;
attracting high level expert papers and presentations;
awareness of decision makers and opinion leaders;
lower registration fees for IPS members (usually 42-50 euros);
one year temporary membership in IPS for full-paying participants;
support and guidance by the IPS Secretariat and its cooperation partners in event organisation, promotion, registration, publishing proceedings and organising administrative meetings if agreed on
publication of event report in Peatlands International
IPS promotion and support might bring more visitors and better financial result

Symposia and workshops can be organised also in cooperation with other IPS Commissions, Working Groups, National Committees or other societies, for example with the EPEGMA, the International Mire Conservation Group (IMCG), International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS), IUFRO, the Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS), the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER),etc. In such cases, conditions of the participation have to be agreed by the IPS Executive Board.

Invitation/Acceptance Process

Organisations interested in organising an event under the auspices of IPS should prepare a letter of intent to the IPS Secretariatwell ahead the event (see section The Written Proposal, in Written Materials), asking IPS for approval. For events with less than 100 participants, a 6 month to 1 year notification will be sufficient. It is advisable to study the events calendar of IPS at related organisations to avoid overlapping in time, regions and themes.

In the case of an International Peat Congress, the application process is started by the IPS Secretariat about 7-8 years before the event. National Committees can submit their proposals following the competition criteria given by the Executive Board. The competition criteria will be announced to the IPS membership when they come out.

The final decision on the hosting NC, the venue, date and time is taken by the Annual Assembly of National Representativeson the recommendation of the Scientific Advisory Board at least 6 years in advance of the Congress. According to the IPS statutes, the decision on the authorisation has to be made not later than 4 years before the Congress in question so that information on Congress arrangements (country, place, time) can be announced at the previous General Assembly of Members. A General Assembly of Members is held in conjunction with each quadrennial IPS Congress.

Once the written proposal (letter of intent) is received by the IPS Secretariat, it is circulated to the IPS Scientific Advisory Board which makes its recommendation to the Executive Board of IPS. The Scientific Advisory Board as well as the Executive Board usually meets in May and October, the Executive Board additionally in February and the Annual Assembly is held every year in early May. In urgent cases, e-mail conferences can be held to give short-term approvals.

Once the event proposal is accepted, the IPS President or Secretary General sends a formal letter of acceptance and the IPS Secretariat sends the IPS event organisation guidelines to the local organiser.

Timing of the Events and the Lead-Up

Establishing the deadlines of events is very important, and should begin 1 - 4 years in advance to allow appropriate decision-making and consultation. Registration and abstract deadlines especially need to be adhered in order to plan appropriately.

Dates of events often interfere with field seasons, university classes or traditional events of other organisations. Therefore, the schedule of other organisations should be considered in order to avoid conflicts. As the proposal for any IPS event will have been circulated among the IPS Scientific Advisory Board (thus including the Chair of each IPS Commission), other Commissions might decide to hold events or co-organised activities within the same venue. The symposia or workshops have to be included in the long-term work programmeand events calendar of the IPS.

In the year of the Quadrennial International Peat Congress, no other major symposia or workshops of the IPS shall be arranged. Symposia and workshops of the IPS shall thus be held in the years between quadrennial congresses.

IPS RESPONSIBILITIES

The IPS is officially the guest of the hosting local organiser, such as a National Committee, an IPS Commission, a university or a company. The LOC Chair or Co-Chairs (see Event Responsibilities) are usually affiliated with the host institution. The event is often co-sponsored by several organisations and companies in addition to the organisation serving as official host. Such co-sponsorship is advisable as it can often greatly increase the proof of resources available to the LOC.

IPS President

The duties of the IPS President are:

to send the formal letter of acceptance when a proposition of a Congress has been accepted by the IPS Executive Board;
to open the first session and to close the event for congresses.

According to the Statutes of IPS, a person from the National Committee which held the previous Congress is elected President, a person from the National Committee holding the next Congress is elected 1st Vice President of IPS. Therefore, the proposal to hold an International Peat Congress must contain also a candidate for the position of President/Vice President of IPS.

IPS Executive Board

The duties of the IPS Executive Board are:

to receive and, with recommendation of the IPS Scientific Advisory Board, to accept by a formal vote eventproposals from National Committees, Commissions, Working Groups and other IPS members;
to approve, in consultation with the IPS Secretariat, the local arrangements of the event proposed by the LOCand to approve the event contract;
to organise, in co-operation with the IPS Secretariat and the LOC of a quadrennial International Peat Congress, the General Assembly of Members.

IPS Scientific Advisory Board

The duties of the IPS Scientific Advisory Board are:

to make recommendations to the IPS Executive Board about event proposals;
to contact the IPS Secretariat and LOC if merging of conference or symposia of different commissions would appear preferable.

IPS Secretariat

The duties of the IPS Secretariat are:

to receive event proposals / letters of intent and to present them to the IPS Scientific Advisory Board and Executive Board;
to send the IPS event organisation guidelines to the local organiser;
to oversee preparations for formal IPS events, including meetings, exhibitions and the banquet;
to organise, in co-operation with the IPS Executive Board and the LOC of a quadrennial International Peat Congress, the General Assembly of Members;
to assure, through the LOC and other officials, that event procedures are followed;
to edit, with the LOC, the Abstract Bookand/or the Proceedings; if agreed on
to consult on the written communication on the event, such as flyers, circulars, websites, the programme etc.
to promote and report on the event e.g. in Peatlands International, Peat News, the IPS website, the journal Mires and Peat, e-mail and other media
to attend meetings of the LOC, if demanded
to receive reports
to identify members / non-members of IPS if agreed on
to provide further services in organisation and marketing tasks if agreed on (contract)
to report on events afterwards in the International Peat Journal or Peat News.

LOCAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Several individuals and committees are involved in the stated events. Most important are theLOC, the Program Coordinator and a Convention Bureau (if needed). In addition, the LOC will have to rely on the staff of the conference venue, the accommodation places as well as on its travel partners. All bodies should have well-defined tasks and areas of competence as well as the necessary decision authority.

Convention Bureau

A professional Convention Bureau can assist the LOC in all practical arrangements of a scientific event. It is advisable to compete between different organisations, all of which should have experience in organising international conferences. A detailed briefing and cooperation contract is necessary to delegate responsibilities between the LOC and the Convention Bureau. However, the Bureau should be as flexible as possible and able to deal with very tight deadlines, extra tasks and unexpected problems.

Local Organising Committee (LOC)

The LOC is responsible for local arrangements of the events, in consultation with the local organiser (host institution), IPS Secretariat, the IPS Scientific Advisory Board and the IPS Executive Board.

The main duties of the LOC are:

to carry financial responsibility for the event together with the local organiser (host)
to appoint the Chairperson or Chairs, the PC, the staff of the Local Secretariat, the subcommittees and any additional staff;
to employ a professional Convention Bureau if necessary; in any case for Congresses
to finance and to fulfil all financial responsibilities concerning the event;
to produce the Circulars incl. Call for Papers, flyers, advertisements and other information material;
to produce registration packages, the Program,the Abstract Book and/or Proceedingsand/or CD-ROM or memory stick and all other written materials of the event;
to make arrangements for meeting rooms, registration, housing, local events, field trips, exhibitions, pre- and post event tours and a variety of other activities including social events;
to manage all aspects of the actual event, including provision of necessary registration and Scientific Program staffs;
to invite a local dignitary to speak at the opening ceremony,and other parts of the event, if necessary;
to provide required reports of the event, including regular meeting reports, an historic report, and a financial report to the IPS Secretariat;
to make announcements of interest to participants at the opening ceremony and periodically through the event;
to edit, with the IPS Secretariat, the Abstract Book or the Proceedings, if agreed on
to organise, in co-operation with the IPS Secretariat and the IPS Executive Board, during a quadrennial International Peat Congress, the General Assembly of Members;

It is wise to have LOC members from different expert areas. Various responsibilities can be assigned to subcommittees. For a fair size event, a LOC can be formed by a representative of each subcommittee.

All persons involved must be aware that they are required to do a great deal of practical, actual work and must have permission of their employer to use their working time for this project.

Possible subcommittees of the LOC may be:

the Chairperson(s) or Co-chairpersons,
the Finance and Sponsoring Committee,
the Scientific Committee(s),
the Field Trip and Tour Committee,
the Cultural and Social Program Committee,
the Commercial Exhibition Committee,
the Student Award Committee

Their work is elaborated on in subsequent sections. The LOC may differ in size and composition according to the type of the event. For example, in small workshops, only some of the members or subcommittees of the LOC are needed.Some responsibilities of the different subcommittees can also be grouped together or a subcommittee can be composed of only one person. Representatives of the LOC should have attended at least one or two previous IPS events in order to familiarize themselves with meeting operations.

The LOC appoints a Program Coordinator (PC) who is responsible for carrying out and coordinating the practical tasks as decided by the LOC. He can be supported by a Local Secretariat.

Chairperson of LOC

The duties of the Chairperson of the LOC are:

to invite formally plenary and banquet speakers[1];
to chair all official meetings, to accept the greetings of the sponsors, to officiate at the banquet, and to conduct all the usual and customary affairs of the Society;
to set overall policy for conduct of meetings.

It is beneficial to choose a Chairperson with experience in senior management as guidance, control and a general overview of all processes are essential in coordinating a successful event.

Program Coordinator

The Program Coordinator (PC) is nominated by the LOC. He is responsible for carrying out and coordinating the practical tasks as decided by the LOC, possibly supported by a Local Secretariat. The duties of the PC of an event are:

to coordinate activities as decided by the LOC, its subcommittees, and other staff;
to employ and train assistants, translators and other additional persons involved in the event;
to assure that the LOC meets deadlines and other rules;
to order the logo of the event after approval from LOC
to work closely with the Local Secretariat;
to produce the Circulars and Call for Papers in consultation with all interested parties;
to authorize printing, mailing, and e-mail distribution of theCirculars and Call for papers;
to look frequently at the registrations received by the Local Secretariat;
to receive copies of Circulars and Call for Papers returned in the mail and to notify the person in charge of address problems or changes;
to provide advice on the Program and on paper time limits;
to assure communication occurs between the LOC and Scientific Committee(s) in planning the Scientific Program;
to confer with commission chairs and officers as appropriate regarding the Program;
to receive from the Scientific Committee necessary information for organising the schedule of the Program (Program Number, Session, Day, Time, Room);
to edit and correct the Program, to consult with appropriate officials and other committee chairs, and make final changes on the Program;
to solicit and receive information from other officers for inclusion in the eventProgram and to provide it to the LOC;
to build the Program with the help of the committees of the LOC;
to inform authors and session chairs of their places in the Program;
to review the draft Program provided by the LOC on disk and hard copy;
to maintain, or provide necessary information to maintain the website of the event;
to list late Program changes and forward these to the LOC for approval, organiseprinting and distribution at the event;
to assure that both the eventProgram and Abstract Book or Proceedings contain an appropriately indexed alphabetical list of participants in the scientific program and an introduction of IPS;
to assure that all communication material is produced and presented in a professional manner;
to introduce the Program and last minute changes at the opening session;
to provide timers to the LOC for individual scientific sessions and to secure these timers between meetings;
to assist the Scientific Committee in assuring that the sessions are carried forth appropriately;
to answer queries and direct people to appropriate individuals or committees involved in the event;
to record corrections, deletions, additions, and cancellations in the Scientific Program;
to provide an annual report of activity to the IPS Secretariat;
to bill the Finance and Sponsoring Committee for expense reimbursement to the level budgeted.

Local Secretariat

The Local Secretariat carries out practical tasks as decided by the LOC and coordinated by the PC. Its basic tasks are: