Hosting a Colloquium

Program Committee: Troy L. Best, Michael L. Kennedy, Steve Castleberry, John Nelson. February 2006

This document summarizes procedures for organizing and hosting annual meetings of the Colloquium on Conservation of Mammals in the Southeastern United States and the Southeastern Bat Diversity Network (Mammal Colloquium/SBDN). Procedures listed herein are not intended to be interpreted as “rules and regulations,” but as helpful commentaries provided by persons who had previous experience in organizing meetings. It is our intent that this manual will be revised and expanded whenever appropriate.

The Program Committee will work closely with the Chair of the Local Committee on all basic aspects of the annual meeting. The Program Committee is charged with oversight of the general format of the annual meeting, as this reflects decisions of participants at large. The Program Committee advises the Chair of the Local Committee on format of the annual meeting via this meeting guide and the Local Committee is expected to stay within the general limits set forth. It is the role of the Chairperson of the Program Committee to facilitate the job of the Local Committee Chair and act as a liaison between the Local Committee and the Mammal Colloquium/SBDN. Finally, it is expected that the Program Committee will maintain an active role in soliciting meeting sites and interacting with the Local Committee and appropriate officers of the Mammal Colloquium/SBDN. Although the Mammal Colloquium/SBDN does not have an established geographic rotation for hosting the annual meeting, every effort will be made to move the annual meeting to various locations within the southeastern United States to facilitate attendance by all members.

The current Chair of the Program Committee is:

• Troy L. Best
• Department of Biological Sciences
• 331 Funchess Hall
• Auburn University, AL
• 36849-5414
• Phone: 334/844-9260
• Fax: 334/844-9234
• E-mail: besttro@auburn.edu

Members of the Program Committee that worked to provide this document include: Troy L. Best, Michael L. Kennedy, Steve Castleberry, John Nelson and Tim Carter. This document is a modified version of guidelines originally compiled by the Southwestern Association of Naturalists.

Procedural Manual

[rescue_toggle title=”Invitation To Host”]

Members who wish to host an annual meeting are asked to submit their invitation in writing to the Chair of the Program Committee no later than February 1^st, 2 years before the meeting they wish to host. The invitation should include information about facilities available at the host institution (including handicap accessibility), proposed dates of the meeting, approximate housing and meal costs, registration fees, and other pertinent details, such as travel. The invitation should indicate that tentative agreements have been made that guarantee availability of necessary facilities. Information contained in this guide should be considered when preparing your invitation.

Invitations from institutions having appropriate facilities will be presented to the Board of Directors and general membership at the Annual Meeting 2 years before the proposed meeting. If multiple invitations are received, the membership shall vote to determine which invitation shall be accepted. If no invitation is received by the February 1^st deadline, it is the responsibility of the Program Committee to locate an appropriate host institution for approval by the membership. Individuals offering invitations should be present to invite and respond to the Board of Directors and Membership or, if necessary, should be represented by a well-informed spokesperson.

[/rescue_toggle]

[rescue_toggle title=”Anticipatory Arrangements”]

Before agreeing to host the annual meeting:

1. Determine probable dates of the meeting–meetings usually are held on the second or third Thursday (SBDN) and Friday (Mammal Colloquium) in February.
2. Ascertain that adequate housing, rooms for sessions, facilities for meals, and other such requirements will be available during the meeting. Be sure that housing for participants is available for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights. Although the meeting usually begins on Thursday and ends on Friday evening, some participants may want to arrive early or wait until Saturday morning to depart.
3. Ascertain that other events are not scheduled at the same time or, if other events are scheduled, that they will not cause overcrowding of facilities.
4. Ascertain that enough members and/or other persons are available to do the work of the Local Committee, and that they actually and effectively will do the work if an invitation to host the meeting is accepted. If possible, use of convention center staff should be avoided to hold down costs of the meeting. Hosting a meeting is both a service to the Mammal Colloquium/SBDN and an opportunity to showcase your institution.
5. Obtain approval and commitment from administrators of the institution.
6. Notify the Chair of the Program Committee and that you wish to host the meeting prior to extending the invitation.

[/rescue_toggle]

[rescue_toggle title=”Preliminary Arrangements”]

As soon as an invitation to host the meeting has been approved:

1. Elect a Chair of the Local Committee, and select other members of the committee.
2. Have the event added to the institutional calendar.
3. Make all necessary reservations. In particular, the following should be considered:
   1. Board of Directors Meeting. The meeting is held Thursday morning.
   2. Registration. The foyer or other available space of the main facility in which business will be conducted should be used for registration. If allowed by the host institution or facility, signs clearly depicting the registration area should be posted on the major avenues leading to the meeting locality. The registration area should be open Thursday (e.g., 10AM – 6PM) and at least until noon Friday. Participants seeking to register at other times should be advised as to whom on the Local Committee to contact.
   3. Meeting Room. The meeting room should be large enough to hold all. This room should have microphones, PowerPoint capability, video projectors (if needed), screens, platform, and podium, and should be capable of being darkened. In addition, rooms will be needed for preview of PowerPoint presentations and poster sessions (display boards should be provided by the host institution).
   4. Lunch. The student union cafeteria usually is convenient for this purpose. Many members like to go off campus for lunch, and directions to nearby establishments should be provided unless specific arrangements have been made with food services personnel of the student union cafeteria.
   5. Refreshment Area. A room or rooms located near the technical sessions or vendor area can be reserved as a refreshment lounge (coffee, tea, juice, soft drinks, water, etc.). If possible, consider providing food such as donuts, cookies, muffins, etc., with the refreshments for breaks. Care should be taken to avoid interference with paper presentations.
   6. Field Trips. If field trips are to be offered, provisions for leaders, transportation, and lunches must be made.
   7. Special Events. Organized but informal social gatherings help participants to meet, renew old acquaintances, and socialize. Some kind of “mixer” is desirable for Thursday evening. Refreshments to be offered at such functions can include both nonalcoholic and alcoholic beverages (in compliance, of course, with local policies and laws). For at least the first “mixer”, the majority of beverages should be provided at no cost to participants. A “cash bar” for more expensive drinks, however, often is unavoidable. Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages should not be encouraged.
   8. T-Shirts. T-shirt design must be completed before the meeting announcement is mailed.

[/rescue_toggle]

[rescue_toggle title=”Call for Papers and Pre-Registration”]

The term “Call for Papers” is a general term used to request the submission of abstracts for both Oral and Poster presentations that will be give by the attendees during the meeting. Preliminary information regarding the meeting should be prepared and e-mailed to individuals on the mailing list of the Mammal Colloquium and to the membership of SBDN, by the Local Committee, by the first week in November. The Treasurer will maintain a current e-mailing list for the Mammal Colloquium/SBDN. Additionally, the Chair of the Local Committee should be sure that the “Call for Papers” is placed on the web page and, if possible, to allow electronic abstract submission and pre-registration for the annual meeting. An example announcement (available asPDF or DOC ) can be provided to you for modification and reuse. Please contact one of the program committee members for an example of past announcements. The “Call for Papers” should include:

1. Dates and location of the meeting.
2. Address, phone and fax number, and e-mail address of the Chair of the Local Committee and Chair of the Program Committee.
3. Deadline for receiving abstracts (this date is to be set by the Local Committee).
4. An area to type the abstract. This must be clearly marked to insure that all abstracts are of the same size. Print size should be 10 or 12 point.
5. Authors should indicate whether they are a student presenter or not.
6. If they are presenting an oral or poster presentation.
7. An area for the title, addresses of authors, appropriate section, paper/poster, and audio-visual equipment. With most presenters preferring to using PowerPoint presentation, it is critical for the Call for Papers to indicate whether PowerPoint presentations will be required, the format for presenters to bring their presentation (e.g., Mac or PC, floppy, zip, or CD-ROM), and the version of PowerPoint that is supported in ALL technical session rooms.
8. Instructions and suggestions to contributors.
9. A pre-registration form with all options regarding housing, meals, field trips, etc., and their associated costs.
10. A list of local motels and camping areas, their phone numbers, addresses, and tentative costs.
11. A legible map of the campus/meeting area.
12. Addresses where collecting permits and fishing licenses for the area may be obtained.
13. Explanations of any unusual regulations or opportunities pertaining to activities of participants or families of participants.

[/rescue_toggle]

[rescue_toggle title=”Program of Scheduled Paper Sessions”]

1. Allow 15 minutes for oral presentations (about 12 minutes for the presentation and 3 minutes for questions and answers). Concurrent sessions are preferable to rejecting presentations or shortening break times. Strive to schedule all presentations submitted and to keep break times long enough for adequate interaction of participants.
2. Provide a time for viewing poster presentations that will allow presenters to be available for discussion and to answer questions. For example, allow 30 minutes for interactions with presenters before the morning or afternoon session when no oral presentations are ongoing, or during a long break between oral-presentation sessions.
3. The program of the technical session must be prepared and e-mailed (within 2 – 3 weeks of the meeting) to participants by the Local Committee. The printed program should include schedules, titles of papers, authors, time and place of each presentation, and a map of the campus/meeting area. The Chair of the Local Committee should have the schedule placed on the web page of the SBDN.

[/rescue_toggle]

[rescue_toggle title=”Final Programs and Packets”]

Packets of material should be prepared well in advance so that one can be given to each registrant. These might include:

1. An official program of the meeting.
2. Abstracts of presentations.
3. Map of campus/meeting area, with meeting and parking facilities marked.
4. Map of city, with motels or other places of interest marked – these often can be obtained from the local Chambers of Commerce, etc.
5. Maps of field trips, if appropriate.
6. Announcements regarding special or social events.
7. Departmental or institutional information.
8. Name tags for pre-registrants should already be completed and in plastic holders within the packet. These should be large enough to be read from several feet away and should include name of institution (if applicable) or city and state if not affiliated with an institution.
9. A receipt of fees paid should be included for pre-registrants.

[/rescue_toggle]

[rescue_toggle title=”Student Awards”]Students wishing to compete for the oral or poster presentation awards should be given the opportunity to indicate their desire to be considered on the pre-registration form. Selection of the evaluation committee and student award recipients are done by the Mammal Colloquium/SBDN Program Committee.[/rescue_toggle]

[rescue_toggle title=”Registration”]

Registration (and also the mechanical labor of arranging activities, mailing notices, reproducing programs, and clerical assistance) is handled by specialized institutional personnel at certain large universities, but, at most institutions, these tasks must be performed by the Local Committee. The suggested registration procedure is as follows:

Station 1.

Initial sorting of the stages of registration and payment by participants. This could be handled with signs directing people to various stations, but we all know that few people, particularly ones who have driven all day, read signs.

1. If a person is registered and paid, direct them to station 4 for their previously prepared registration packet (this would include their receipt).
2. If a person is pre-registered but not fully paid, send them to station 3 to pay and receive a receipt.
3. If a person has not registered, send them to station 2.

Station 2

Serves as a place for a person to receive registration materials, fill these materials out, and pay. After completing these tasks the person is instructed to go to station 3.

Station 3

Serves as the place to pay registration and other fees and is a place where people paying at the meeting will receive receipts. After completion of these items, the person is sent to station 4. Name tags can be produced here or at the next station.

Station 4

Serves as the place at which all participants receive registration packets. This allows for the list of registrants to be compiled at a single station. Because this station receives people from other stations, it should be operated by more people than the other stations. A general sign-in list of participants should be available during the meeting for those interested in seeing who is present.

[/rescue_toggle]

[rescue_toggle title=”Field Trips”]Organized field trips should be at the option of the Local Committee.[/rescue_toggle]

[rescue_toggle title=”Duties of Chair of Local Committee”]

1. Make all preliminary arrangements (II).
2. Prepare information outlined in III.
3. Either appoint a member of the Local Committee or organize the program personally. This will entail arranging papers according to topic, determining what kinds of projection equipment to have available, and training assistants to operate the projection equipment. The official program must be prepared for e-mailing (IV).
4. Decide on format and registration contents of packet (V), and arranged to have materials reproduced. Student labor can be employed to stuff packets during the week preceding the meeting.
5. Arrange for an institutional official to formally welcome the Mammal Colloquium and SBDN during the opening ceremonies. Because the meeting consists of two groups (Mammal Colloquium and SBDN), and some people may attend only one part of the meeting, there should be a formal welcome at some level on both days of the meetings.
6. Arrange for someone to preside over each technical session.
7. Appoint persons to receive CDs, to operate projectors, and to be responsible for turning lights on and off during technical sessions.
8. Backup equipment for PowerPoint or other audiovisual equipment should be available.
9. A PowerPoint trouble-shooter should be at each technical session. Technical problems will happen and should be handled quickly and effectively.
10. Appoint persons to operate registration tables, and develop and practice procedures that are to be used in registration (VI). Remember, no one likes to stand in line, and their first impression of your institution (other than that based on the difficulty they had finding the building and locating a parking place) will be based on the registration line!
11. Insure that persons who arrive by plane or bus are provided transportation.
12. Appoint 1-2 persons with a vehicle to be on stand-by for emergencies (for example, to pickup someone at the airport, to go to the store to get supplies, to get backup equipment).
13. Appoint one or more persons to organize and lead the field trip(s).
14. Assign members of the Local Committee the responsibility of being available at all times (for example, at the registration tables) during the technical sessions, meeting, and meals to welcome late arrivals, help with any problems that might arise, and keep current the information (telephone messages, etc.) posted on bulletin boards.
15. Determine the following:
    1. Number of pre-registrants
    2. Number registering at the meeting
    3. Total attendance
    4. Field trip attendance
16. Pay bills after meeting and prepare a balance sheet to be sent to the Treasurer and Program Director. If any money remains from the registration fees, transfer to the Treasurer of the SBDN to be held to support future Mammal Colloquium/SBDN meetings.

[/rescue_toggle]

[rescue_toggle title=”Additional Suggestion”]

1. If you are going to have a Logo for the meeting and T-shirts, start early with an artist. Logos often take much longer to create than anticipated.
2. Keep everything simple and as flexible as possible. Arrange everything well in advance, but be able to “play it by ear” and make changes in plans as problems arise.
3. Encourage everyone to pre-register. Pre-registration can be facilitated by allowing registration over the World Wide Web and by making late registration costly (e.g., increased registration cost for late registration). Food Service establishments usually require at least 2 days notice regarding the number servings to prepare. It is difficult to make arrangements for meeting rooms, food for breaks and socials, etc., if you do not know how many participants to expect.
4. Let everyone arrange his/her own lodging unless the institution is willing to take on this responsibility.
5. Plan for nearly every possible problem. This can be attempted by considering what went wrong at other meetings you have attended and thinking of ways to avoid such problems or how to quickly deal with them should they occur. If your contingency plans are well developed, no problem should be too traumatic. Keep in close contact with the Chair of the Program Committee.
6. Try to have some “slack” time in each technical session, and stay on schedule.
7. Be sure to have extra food, beverages, etc. Mistakes happen in registration, and numerous non-registrants invariably show up.
8. Be sure to get enough name tags in advance.
9. Be sure moderators of technical sessions understand their responsibilities (i.e., show up on time, pronounce names correctly, keep people on schedule).
10. In each room where papers are presented, have:
    1. Pointer
    2. A RELIABLE remote control for projector and computers so they can be controlled by the presenter from the podium
    3. Ideally a monitor on the podium or close by so presenters do not have to turn around to view slides. Running presentations from a laptop on the podium works very well and allows presenters to control presentation easily (10.B.) This may require an extra long video cable to go from the laptop to the projector.
    4. Reading light on podium for referring to notes
    5. Extra projector bulbs and slide trays, if slide projectors are used.

[/rescue_toggle]

[rescue_toggle title=”T-Shirts”]

The sale of T-shirts with a local logo and advertisement of the Mammal Colloquium/SBDN meeting have become popular and profitable. Solicit orders and payment with pre-registration information. Consider ordering a few extra T-shirts for sale at the meeting.

Various local committees have sought out their own artists and printers. However, others (because of good quality) have used:

• Susan E. Smith
• 1430 Shalanwood Lane
• Placentia, CA 92670
• 714-528-9136

Contact with the T-shirt designer and supplier should commence in autumn prior to the meeting.

[/rescue_toggle]

[rescue_toggle title=”Guidelines for Preparation of Postings”]

1. Should be readable from a distance of 2 meters.
2. Title should be capitalized with lettering at least 2 cm high (72 pt).
3. Authors and institutional affiliations should be in upper- and lower-case lettering at least 11 mm high (42 pt).
4. Text lettering should be at least 5 mm high (18 pt) with a line thickness of at least 1 mm.
5. Information should be well organized and concisely presented. Most posters include the following sections: Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results and Discussion, Conclusions, Literature Cited.
6. Keep written text to a minimum. “Bullets” and short phrases are effective. Use no more than six illustrations (large graphs, flow charts, diagrams, and photographs). Keep captions and legends short and informative.

[/rescue_toggle]

[rescue_toggle title=”Notification of Paper Session Participants and Chairs”]

As soon as the program is completed, an e-mail notification should be sent back to each participant indicating:

1. The paper number
2. The time of the paper
3. The day and date of the paper

An example notification follows:

Potential chairs of each session should be contacted before the program is initiated to be sure of their attendance and compliance.

[/rescue_toggle]

[rescue_toggle title=”Estimating Costs and Setting Prices for Events”]Costs to the Local Committee can vary greatly with the resources of the institution and generosity of the community. The Chair of the Program Committee will keep on file the balance sheets of several previous meetings, and these can be made available to the Local Committee. Try to keep costs to participants at a minimum to encourage attendance by students. Members of the Mammal Colloquium/SBDN comprise a rather informal group. However, try to set registration, room, and meal costs to provide some meager profit for the society. If possible, it would be best to set the costs for registration, etc. to be divisible by 5 to reduce the problem of having sufficient number of one-dollar bills for change in the registration area.[/rescue_toggle]

[rescue_toggle title=”Handling Finances”]

The SBDN Treasurer will advance the Chair of the Local Committee seed money if necessary. A checking account should be established at a local bank as:

Mammal Colloquium/SBDN Local Committee
c/o Dr. Name of Chair
Department Name
Institution
City, State, Zip

All bills regarding publication announcements can be paid after the meetings. The Chair of the Local Committee should make arrangements for payments. A general balance sheet should be prepared and copies sent to the Treasurer (with extra monies) and the Chair of the Program Committee.

[/rescue_toggle]

[rescue_toggle title=”Emergency Situations”]Be prepared for a variety of emergencies. Provide a 24-hour telephone number where the Chair of the Local Committee or some other responsible person can be reached quickly during the meeting. The telephone number should be provided on the sheet for the “Call for Papers” and in the program booklet. Participants should be informed about the location of a notice board on which notes and letters are posted. On this same board, local emergency numbers (e.g., hospital, fire, police) should be provided along with directions to the nearest telephone. These numbers also should be provided in the program booklet.[/rescue_toggle]

[rescue_toggle title=”Insurance”]Mammal Colloquium/SBDN does not carry liability insurance to cover accidents associated with the annual meeting. Discuss insurance requirements with your university or institution. Often a special rider is prepared for the university’s / institution’s liability insurance. Consult with your institution’s risk-management officer for insurance and other concerns.[/rescue_toggle]

[rescue_toggle title=”Post Meeting Obligations of Local Committee”]As soon as possible, send electronic files of the Call for Papers, as well as any information that you feel may be helpful to individuals wishing to host future annual meetings (e.g. examples of major success or major flops) to the Chair of the Program Committee.[/rescue_toggle]

[rescue_toggle title=”Material Checklist (for convenience)”]

1. Software and the version of that software for PowerPoint presentations, computers and/or slide projectors. One for each technical session and preview room.
2. Lighted podium in each technical session.
3. Projector screens for each technical session and preview room.
4. Timers for moderators of technical session.
5. Cash box with lock.
6. Vehicles for transportation of participants and errands.
7. Extension cords for projectors.
8. Typewriters or computers with printers for registration area (preferably 2)
9. Microphones for technical sessions and business meetings.
10. Two receipt books for registration area.
11. Plastic name tags.
12. Alphabetical list of pre-registrants for registration area.
13. Minor first-aid equipment.
14. Message and announcement board.
15. Programs.
16. Money receptacles for mixer.
17. Plenty of ice chests and ice.
18. Pointers for technical sessions.
19. Packets for registration.
20. Plenty of cash for change in registration area.
21. MAMMAL COLLOQUIUM/SBDN LOCAL COMMITTEE stamp for registration area.
22. Supplies for poster sessions (including materials for those presenters who forgot their own supplies).
23. Signs and posters for rooms, directions, etc.

[/rescue_toggle]