w9fz.comw9fz.com/csvhfs/confplanguide.doc · web view2 recovered from loss. input into microsoft...

CSVHFS Conference Planning Guide21 January 2005

CONFERENCE GUIDE

FOR THE

CENTRAL STATES VHF SOCIETY

January 21, 2005


Rev. Changes Made Author Date1 Original Creation Raymond L. Nichols About 19772 Recovered from loss. Input

into Microsoft Word. Added conference scope, timelines, agendas, and contract details.

William C. Caldwell January 21, 2005

REVISION HISTORY

i


FOREWORD......................................................................................................................iiiCENTRAL STATES VHF SOCIETY CONCEPT and PHILOSOPHY............................1CENTRAL STATES VHF SOCIETY CONFERENCE SCOPE........................................2

TYPICAL CONFERENCE SCHEDULE.......................................................................3TECHICAL PROGRAM.................................................................................................5

EARLY ARRIBAL BARGAIN SHOPPING..............................................................6ANTENNA GAIN MEASUREMENTS.....................................................................6PREAMPLIFIER NOISE FIGURE MEASUREMENTS...........................................6TECHNICAL FORUM...............................................................................................7

Proceedings..............................................................................................................7Talks........................................................................................................................8

VENDOR DISPLAYS.................................................................................................9FLEA MARKET.......................................................................................................10HOSPITALITY SUITE.............................................................................................10SNOTTS MEETING.................................................................................................10SMIRK MEETING....................................................................................................11

FAMILY PROGRAM...................................................................................................11THURSDAY EVENING...........................................................................................11FRIDAY EVENING..................................................................................................11FRIDAY AND SATURDAY EXCURSIONS..........................................................11

BANQUET....................................................................................................................12PIZZA PARTY..........................................................................................................12CASH BAR...............................................................................................................12AGENDA..................................................................................................................13

CONFERENCE RELATED DUTIES OF OFFICERS.....................................................14SOCIETY PRESIDENT................................................................................................15VICE-PRESIDENT.......................................................................................................15SECRETARY................................................................................................................16TREASURER................................................................................................................16CONFERENCE CHAIRMAN......................................................................................17TECHINCAL PROGRAM COMMITTEE...................................................................17SITE SELECTION COMMITTEE...............................................................................18TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT COMMITTEE................................................................19FINANCE COMMITTEE.............................................................................................19REGISTRATION COMMITTEE.................................................................................20TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE...........................................................................21PRIZE COMMITTEE...................................................................................................21BANQUET COMMITTEE...........................................................................................22FAMILY PROGRAM COMMITTEE..........................................................................23

EXAMPLE PLANNERS’ MILESTONES........................................................................24MILESTONES..............................................................................................................24

PLACING THE HOTEL FACILITY ON CONTRACT...................................................26

ii


FOREWORD

This document is intended to smooth the path to the Society officers and the annual Conference Committees, and not, except in a few specific matters, to restrict or limit them. These plans and ideas were developed from written and verbal inputs from many of the people who hosted our first ten conferences. Their combined memories of pitfalls, oversights, and problem areas, as well as of methods and approaches that have worked well, have provided the basis for the recommendations, procedures, and organization presented herein.

Raymond L. NicholsW5HFV

This document has been literally lost in the in the mail in its previous form. Thus, this version of the document is a restoration of the lost text. After reading a photocopy of the original manual, I found that Raymond Nichols’ philosophy and principals are timeless and still true today. His writing style is friendly and easy to understand. Therefore, most of his text, like his foreword, is left in tact with only minor revision. However, I found that the basic definition of a successful conference, timelines, agendas, and details of contract negotiation were missing. These missing items have been inserted in the between the opening philosophy and the discussion of the organization. Raymond’s discussion of the organization and my discussion offer differing opinions and approaches. With time, we may choose to eliminate one.

Remember that a historical spreadsheet is available to help in predicting the attendance of the next conference. The Board of Directors and Officers are available to answer questions and maybe even help if the Conference Committee is short handed. This document only contains guidelines and is intended to ease the task of hosting a conference.

This document has been restored and updated. It is not complete. Let us review it, correct it, use it, and improve it.

William C. CaldwellNØLNO

iii


CENTRAL STATES VHF SOCIETY CONCEPT and PHILOSOPHY

As told in the “History”, which is an appendix of this document, the original basic concept of the Central States VHF Society was simply that an organization be formed by a group of serious amateur VHF radio communicators who were active throughout the central part of the United States. There were three principal reasons for wishing to organize, although not all of these people were necessarily motivated by all three of those in the beginning.

One important reason was the natural desire of these people to become better acquainted with each other by means of an annual meeting. A better friend is always a better co-worker.

Another factor was an obvious need to provide a forum for easy interchange of ideas. New and innovative techniques, methods, and physical circuitry are not always easy to disseminate by radio or by mail. Face-to-face discussion, with blackboard, scratch paper, and hardware at hand rarely fails to provide full communication.

Thirdly, there was a matter of nationwide coordination. Similar groups had been formed in various areas, mostly along the east and west coasts. A central group would help to fill the gap, with reduced travel time and expense, utilizing both casual and formal interchange of attendees and speakers among the several groups.

The effort was a real success. The Society has grown beyond anyone’s original expectations, and has served its purpose quite well. That healthy growth has extended to the concept as well. In the beginning, meteor scatter and aurora were the principal modes, with occasional long-range tropo and, even more rarely, sporadic E bringing periods of high excitement. EME and satellite communication were dreams just beginning to materialize and, for most of us, still in the future. Today, not only are the latter modes in daily use, but advances in knowledge and in state-of-the-art, brought about in large measure by more competent and dedicated members of our Society and of other like groups, have increased our utilization of all propagation modes and of the spectrum. So our basic concept, though broadened in scope, remains unchanged. We all still wish to know each other better, to know the latest developments in antennas, receivers, transmitters, signal processing, and other devices and techniques better, and to know what is going on in the rest of the country and rest of the world better.

As for the philosophy of Central States VHS Society, it can probably not expressed fully and adequate by any one person. Perhaps it may be said to compare closely with one of its reasons for being, in that it fills the gap in the lives of its members just as it fills a gap, geographically, between the areas served by similar groups. Today, as in the beginning, most of us find in the Society something not to be found elsewhere. Many of the deeper needs of mankind can be filled, at least in part, for those of our particular bent, by attend the annual conferences. Comradeship of a close and specific nature; learning of a type not reality available elsewhere; striving together toward difficult goals often not considered worthwhile, or even achievable, by others; sharing, if we are competent

1


enough or fortunate enough to have something to share, with people who appreciate and who benefit from that sharing; these are some of the human needs which are at least partially met by our Society. Furthermore, in attempting to help satisfy these needs, the Society is really not competing with, or trying to outshine, any other organization of any type. Those of us who helped to establish it and all who have helped it to survive and grow were, and I am sure are still, only interested in supplemented and complementing all the other efforts toward a common goal; the perpetuation and enhancement of amateur radio as a hobby, as a means toward development of improved communications, and as a tool toward the betterment of mankind and the world, both technically and in brotherhood.

CENTRAL STATES VHF SOCIETY CONFERENCE SCOPE

So what makes a great conference? The Society was founded to provide a forum to: 1) meet others interested in VHF and microwave modes, 2) learn about new modes, equipment, and techniques, and 3) provide for nationwide communication. Today, the Society is still performing these tasks. A conference provides much more.

One might think that just creating an agenda causes a conference. However, much more behind the scenes work is required. The minimum conference provides a technical program, a family program, and a banquet. A brief review of the attendance figures shows that not all families participate fully in the family program. Therefore, the conference facility needs to provide a pool, exercise facilities, and easy access to other points of interest to satisfy family members.

Although the Society was founded to motivate radio amateurs, much of the success of the society comes from the attention given to the non-radio amateur members of our families. My son’s first conference occurred when he was two and a half years old. I heard a lot about going to the next Pizza Party. I here from many of my peers that their wives hound them in early May because no Central States registration information has arrived. The Society will continue to succeed as long as the other members of our families want to return. In fact, how the families are treated may be more important than the technical program.

2


TYPICAL CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

The following schedule is only for discussion purposes. Although most conferences operate pretty closely to this schedule, the times are not cast in stone. Note that very few times are given to allow for flexibility.

Conference Team Technical Program Family ProgramThursday Morning

Arrives at site and begins setup.

Thursday Afternoon

Registration is open. Last minute changes to registration are made. Deliver final banquet count to hotel.

Participants arrive and register.

Guests arrive and register.

Thursday Evening An event is typically planned for the entire family that requires little or no input from the Conference team.

Participants stay with their families.

Families attend a family friendly dinner and entertainment.

Thursday Late Night

The officers and directors hold their first Board Meeting.

Hospitality suite open if provided.

In bed.

Friday Morning More registration. Setup in forum room. Formal welcome to conference by President.

Antenna Measurements. Preamplifier Measurements may begin. Some participants my visit local inventory reduction shops for bargains.

Family members of loaded into bus and thoroughly entertained.

Friday Noon More registration that never really closes.

Antenna measurements should be winding down, but have gone until 2 p.m. Most participants will look for something nearby for lunch.

The bus may stop by the hotel to drop off and pick up members for the afternoon program. This is not always possible depending on the miles required to travel.

3


Conference Team Technical Program Family ProgramThis can occur before or after lunch.

Friday Afternoon Registration. Kickoff the forum.

Technical forum from 1 to 5 with a fifteen minute break at about 3. Preamplifier measurements.

Families have fun and return at about the same time that the forum ends. (Maybe just a little earlier)

Friday Dinner Registration.Setup flea market.

This is a two-hour break that allows for some quiet time.

The family program sometimes includes a dinner event that is either included with or before some show or entertainment.

Friday Evening Registration.Another board meeting begins in the last hour of the flea market.

Flea market. Preamplifier measurements.

Maybe a musical, play, or concert.

Saturday Morning Registration. Continue Technical Forums. Have a mid morning break. Preamplifier measurements.

Family leaves on bus for morning program.

Saturday Noon Registration. Break for lunch. Bus may or may not return to drop off and pick people for afternoon. They have lunch somewhere.

Saturday Afternoon

Registration.Host business meeting.Host final board meeting.

Continue Technical Forums. Have a mid afternoon break. End forums and hold business meeting. Must allow enough time probably 1.5 hrs. Since the forum room is often used for the banquet, must clear out of room to allow them

Continue with afternoon program that should probably end early to allow for banquet preparation.

4


Conference Team Technical Program Family Programto setup for banquet.

Saturday Evening Receive door prize tickets.Run banquet program. Relax and have fun because you are almost done!!!

Banquet Children attend pizza party. If hospitality suite is used, the beer and wine need to be secured. Baby sitters need to be instructed to not allow hospitality suite activities to begin until all of the children are picked up.

Saturday Late Night

Enjoy the hospitality suite.

Hospitality suite. In bed.

TECHNICAL PROGRAM

The technical program is for the amateur radio operators in attendance and includes but is not limited to: 1) antenna gain measurements, 2) preamplifier noise figure measurements, 3) technical forum with published proceedings, 4) flea market, and 5) post flea market SNOTTS meeting. In recent years, there has been a vendor room permanently open, a hospitality suite, live demonstrations in the parking lot, and team antenna building contests (’97).

Every conference team needs to determine what will make their technical program unique and memorable. It may be an activity, a theme in the forums, a product introduction, a demonstration of a new mode or band, or special guests or presenters. Something that is unique should be planned. In planning and execution, this may appear risky and even silly. However by the time of the banquet, the hosting committee will probably see that it was a success because new friendships were formed, participants had fun, and participants learned something.

EARLY ARRIVAL BARGAIN SHOPPING

If the local Inventory Disposal Outlets are charted and advertised, then some folks will arrive early to capture some bargains. Some communities may not have any such opportunities. Others have a 250 mile course defined with neat stops along the way. If you decide you have such an opportunity, a good list that categorizes the stores, a good map, and a total number of miles in the circuit are needed to really attract participants and do the vendors justice.

5


ANTENNA GAIN MEASUREMENTS

The Central States VHF Society has conducted Antenna Gain Measurements since its inception in 1967. In the early days results were tabulated and sent out with the following year's conference announcement. In more recent years the results have been handed out at the end of the conference. The results are usually also published in the following year's proceedings.

The published results can be used to make comparisons between commercial and homebrew antennas, between different homebrew designs, and between different commercial designs. Comparisons can be made between antennas measured in different years on the 50 MHz through 432 MHz bands because the same reference antennas have been in use for over 10 years!

The Antenna Gain Measurements are currently (and have been for many years) conducted under the diligent guidance of Marc Thorson, WB0TEM and Kent Britain, WA5VJB. Marc does the 50 MHz to 432 MHz measurements and Kent handles the bands 902 MHz and up. They have provided the equipment, guidance and expertise that has set the standard for VHF/UHF/MW antenna measurement in Amateur Radio. The Society sincerely appreciates their hard work and dedication. Mark and Kent need to be invited to perform this service. It is unfair the conference team and them to assume that they will just show up. When that conflict occurs, early notice permits the conference team adequate time to develop some other means of providing this service.

PREAMPLIFIER NOISE FIGURE MEASUREMENTS

The Central States VHF Society has conducted Noise Figure Measurements since the late 1970's. In the early days results were tabulated and sent out with the following years conference announcement. In more recent years the results have been handed out at the end of the conference. The results are usually also published in the following year's proceedings.

The published results can be used to make comparisons between commercial and homebrew preamps, between different homebrew designs, and between different devices from different manufacturers. In recent years the equipment used to measure noise figure has been the HP8970 Noise Figure Meter and HP346A Noise Source. Measurement accuracy of the system according to HP is +/- 0.2 db!

The Noise Figure Measurements are currently (and have been for many years) conducted under the diligent guidance of Al Ward, WB5LUA. Al has provided his equipment and the expertise that has made the results published by CSVHFS a recognized standard. The Society sincerely appreciates Al's hard work and dedication.

6


TECHNICAL FORUM

The Technical Forum provides a formal means of data exchange. A published proceedings and a set of talks are the means of communication. Courtesy and tradition suggest that all talks have a paper published in the proceedings. This allows the audience to mark of the paper with corrections during the talk. Papers should be encouraged instead of view cells.

Often at least two people are needed for advance preparation for the forum. One person works the talks. Often particular people are contacted well in advance to give specific talks and the write papers. This allows the Technical Forum to be centered around a particular theme.

A second person requests and receives the papers. The highest quality proceedings will be delivered today if the papers are delivered electronically. The proceedings papers do not need to be presented.

Proceedings

The Proceedings are prepared by the conference committee and published by the ARRL. The committee needs to consider the preparation schedule. The proceedings are something that can be pushed hard early and driven to completion will before July. It is comforting to have something tangible that is completed well before the conference begins. The request for papers and talks occurs in the January communication. This communication lists whoever has already volunteered and their topics. This often helps to motivate others to volunteer. Often, the Conference committee has to create some last minute papers in order to make the proceeding appear worth its price.

7


A typical proceedings outline is:

Cover art by ARRLTitle page by ARRLLetter from Technical Program CommitteeConference Agenda for Technical ProgramConference Agenda for Family ProgramCentral States VHF Society Directors, Officers, and CommitteesTable of Contents for rest of document that is:

A Brief History of the Central States VHF SocietyPictures from Previous conferenceChambers Award RecipientsWilson Award RecipientsAuthor and Speaker BiographiesPapersHistory of the Central States VHF Society’s “States Above 50 MHz”VUCC/R StandingsCentral States VHF Society Previous Year Noise Figure ResultsCentral States VHF Society Previous Year Antenna Measurements

A lot of the things in the outline can be prepared in advance of any deadline. This allows for a lot of early work. It would probably also be wise to solicit and write some standby papers just in case the proceedings looks thin when it is time to send it for publishing.

In order to have the proceedings in hand by July 1, the league needs NUMBER of weeks lead time. The papers should be in hand by May 1 to allow the Technical Program Committee to edit and reformat the papers into a consistent format. The assignment of editing the proceedings is great for someone who has June commitments like weddings or vacations.

Talks

There are always people who volunteer early to speak at the next conference. This is great. It makes the Technical Program Committee’s job easier. Before the January communication occurs, there needs to be some recruitment. It takes time to do a quality presentation and associated paper. The conference will take on the theme and quality of most of the talks. It takes planning to develop a theme during the talks.

It begins with determining what theme, if any, is to be portrayed. The theme can be local active VHF/UHF/microwave folks describing their problems and showing off their solutions. The talks may take on more of an educational flavor focusing on a mode, propagation type, new technology, or operating skills. The committee then recruits a few expert members from the Society to write a paper and present at the conference. This is also a great opportunity to showcase the local talent of the hosting community. In spite

8


of attempting to carry a theme, there will be deviation from the theme. This is actually good because no one topic interests everyone.

The program schedule needs to be carefully created and watched. The start time, stop time, and break times are scheduled first. The target length of the talk needs to be assigned. We have tried to have shorter talks to involve as many speakers as possible. There are two times that have lower attendance. The lowest attendance time is first thing Saturday morning. Place the talk in this time slot that you believe will appeal to the lowest number of attendees. There can be low attendance right after lunch on Friday if the antenna range is still operational.

When the schedule is full, you still need more talks. Something will happen. At least one speaker will be unable to attend. Spare talks will be used. I personally had to use three spares when I was Emcee. The Emcee needs to have some filler. If the programs begin to run short, then a short 10 to 15 minute talk can put you on schedule.

The Emcee of the talks needs to be a clock-watcher. It is important to finish on time. There needs to be a signal given at to the speaker when 10 minutes, 5 minutes, and 2 minutes are left. When time is up, the signal is to begin introducing the next speaker. The signals can be communicated to the speaker while attaching the wireless microphone.

Having an Emcee and a second person that is handling all of the technology that is required increases the smoothness of the operation. The computer interfacing and microphone can be addressed while the introduction is read.

A second microphone is needed in order to allow the Emcee to have control. Most speakers will be pretty prompt tending toward the long side. There will be at least one that runs short. When this happens, stretch it out by asking and taking questions. You can make some announcements or run an unscheduled short talk. It is okay to be a little bit ahead of schedule (but no more than 5 minutes). Ultimately, whatever happens happens and the Emcee makes it look great.

VENDOR DISPLAYS

A vendor display area has been setup in a separate conference room. The Vendor Displays were originally created to allow Down East Microwave Inc. to display and sell products for more than the 4 hours of the flea market. TESCO began displaying product. Then a few of our long term members began to display their wares throughout the conference.

Vendors are recruited to show up This is also an opportunity to invite local vendors to display and sell their goods. A room that is capable of holding 4 rows of 12 tables will probably support the both the vendors and the flea market on Friday night. Since the vendors are enhancing the conference and they will cost the conference no addition

9


money, there is probably no need to charge them anything. Additional tables are placed in the room for the flea market.

FLEA MARKET

The flea market actually begins on or near the antenna range. It is a perfect place to have a tailgater. Friday night, the flea market occurs in one of the conference rooms. Before vendors were showing up, the Flea market room was opened promptly at 7 p.m. The fleas chose their tables in gold rush fashion. Now that vendors are arriving, it makes more sense to allow time to set up their displays. It has become easier to allow the fleas the same courtesy since they will share the same room.

HOSPITALITY SUITE

The hospitality suite is another fairly new creation. This is a place where people socialize. A few coolers of beverages and some munchies have been provided. The Society has passed a motion that prevents the Society from purchasing liquor. Therefore, the Society never buys the alcohol. However, the Society does by the nonalcoholic beverages, snacks, and party trays. Private donations and suite sponsorship by local clubs is encouraged. This allows the local clubs to show their hospitality.

Hospitality suites have ranged from high class to having empty beer cans stacked to the ceiling. Recently, they have been pretty high class with a reasonably sized hosting party. Several wives have enjoyed the hospitality suite after the banquet. However, a few coolers of drinks and a few bags of chips have done well. Early on, the Prize Committee was responsible for securing donations for the hospitality suite to offset costs. Obviously, some things can be purchased with Society funds. This is really up to the values and budget of the hosting committee.

If the hospitality suite can be located away from the sleeping rooms, fewer people would be disturbed. Recently, the hosting team slept in the same suite as the hospitality suite. This is not a good the idea. The hosting team needs peaceful rest. Hospitality suite activities will probably linger to 3 a.m.

SNOTTS MEETING

The Stupid Numbskulls On Two Twenty Sideband (SNOTTS) traditionally begins at midnight after the flea market and continues until it is dismissed by hotel security (this last happened in Winnipeg). The place to hold SNOTTS meeting is in a location where nobody will be disturbed by a disorderly group of silly adults.

10


On a serious note, the SNOTTS meeting has become much lower key when compared to the hospitality suite. When the meeting is held in the hospitality suite, the SNOTTS are a quiet minority when compared to the rest of the hospitality suite.

For the first few times that I attended the SNOTTS meeting, Marc Thorson and I went to the nearby convenience store and secured two cases of swill for the meeting. This has recently been replaced by the hospitality suite supply. Again, this is a value and budget decision on the part of the hosting committee. If nothing is provided, the SNOTTS are resourceful and will meet somewhere anyway.

SMIRK MEETING

The Six Meter International Radio Klub (SMIRK) typically holds an informal gathering at the conference. Contact Bill Tynan, W3XO, to determine when and what type of gathering to support.

FAMILY PROGRAM

The author is unaware of any other conference that delivers a family program of the caliber consistently put together by the Society. This program is a key part of the success of the Society. As long the family wants to return, the conferences will be well attended.

THURSDAY EVENING

The Thursday evening program is a fun-for-the-family dinner and show program. The show can appeal to families with children and be affordable. If it expensive, it will appeal to fewer couples. The end time needs to be aligned with the Thursday evening Board Meeting. A program that is tailored to children will appeal to younger families and help the Society grow.

FRIDAY EVENING

The Friday evening program will have more wives and children without their fathers/husbands. The flea market will appeal to the fathers/husbands. Some families with children will opt to eat dinner together and retire to the pool without father. Friday evening is probably the time to schedule the more expensive show and dinner.

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY EXCURSIONS

The Friday and Saturday Excursions take the families via an air conditioned comfortable bus to destinations that showcase the local culture, architecture, history, art, museums,

11


and mansions. If it is possible for the bus to return to the hotel to pick and drop off participants, then participation may increase. Logistics may prevent the bus from returning.

The excursion needs to include a lunch opportunity. Lunch should again show the local culture. The plan for both days shapes up to be an activity, lunch, activity, return to hotel. The Family Program Committee will need to decide if the bus can return between activities.

Childcare may need to be provided during the excursions. Some parents will let father deal with the children’s needs. This actually has merit. This allows the conference to become a vacation for both parents. When the children and father are both located at the hotel, it will be easy to find him if anything happens.

BANQUET

The Banquet consists of a Pizza Party for the youth, a Cash Bar for the Happy Hour, and then everything on the provided agenda.

PIZZA PARTY

The pizza party provides childcare to parents. It gets the children to want to return. When children return for several years, they too make friends and look forward to seeing them. The children want to have fun and but will also need to be allowed to wind down. By the end of the evening, at least one child will be asleep.

The meal is pizza and pop, juice, or other kid friendly beverage. Maybe a few carrot sticks will balance it a little. Entertainment can be videos, card games, board games, and reading to the children. A variety is probably best. You will have children from 6 until 10.

If the hospitality suite is used, the alcohol needs to be cleaned up and locked up. The sitters should lock the door and keep it shut. No non-parent adults need to get into the room until the children are all returned to their parents.

Teens, their parents, and the sitters need to have an agreement. It is actually best if the teens can be convinced that they should help with the younger children. We need to be careful about letting teens roam the halls alone.

CASH BAR

The hotel provides a cash bar for those who choose to participate in a happy hour before the banquet. This is usually set up outside the banquet room before the banquet. During

12


the banquet, one or two bars are often operating in the banquet hall. The hotel staff is allowed to shut down operation when they believe business has basically stopped.

AGENDA

A candidate banquet agenda is below. This can be modified to suit the needs of the Conference Committee. Most of the Conference Committee is feeling pretty satisfied and ready for the end. The banquet is the end.

6:00 Cash Bar6:45 Doors Open7:00 Everyone Seated

Invocation by John Kirkman, W4WDHAt this time John will mention Silent Keys

7:15 Serve Meal8:00 Introduce Head Table

Introduce other guests, foreign hams, etc.Longest licensed ham, or longest members of Society

8:10 Thank Conference WorkersAnnounce next year’s conference officers and locationGift to Family Program Host

8:20 States over 50 MHz AwardVUCC/R UpdateAwards for Noise Figure ContestAwards for Antenna Measurement Contest

8:30 Wilson Award PresentationChambers Award Presentation

8:40 Banquet Speaker9:10 Door Prizes10:00 Retreat to Hospitality Suite

13


CONFERENCE-RELATED DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Special duties of Society officers in connection with the annual Conference are stated herein. Before leaving each conference, the newly elected officers should exchange mailing addresses and phone numbers with the next year’s Conference Chairman. He in turn should pass these on to the committee chairman, as appropriate, as soon as he appoints them. This will speed up the establishment of liaison needed for the early stages of planning next year’s event, and this cannot wait long, because hosting a successful Conference is no simple task, and some things need to be done quite early. Site selection and principal speakers arrangements must be made early, for instance and should be firm by or very soon after the first of the year.

14


SOCIETY PRESIDENT

The presidency carries heavy responsibilities with regard to both Conference planning and conduct. The President may, in fact, actually serve as Conference Chairman during those years in which the Conference is to be held in his area. Even then, he may wish to help the Board to select a Chairman other than himself. We should remain flexible in this respect and make this an optional thing. However, it should be established definitely at each annual Board meeting whether or not the new President is to wear the second hat as Conference Chairman. If two capable people are ready and willing, they should generally be used, because of time conflicts which occur can make live during the Conference somewhat hectic under a one-man rule.

In either case, the President must provide assistance and guidance wherever and whenever needed if it cannot be had at any lower level. His only recourse and this for advice and suggestions only, is to former presidents, or for major policy decisions, a polling of the Board.

During the Conference itself, the President is relatively free until the business meeting or the banquet, whichever occurs first. He will help the Banquet Committee and the facility staff to plan the head table arrangements and seating, but otherwise he can employ his time as he deems best. He may wish to host some of the VIP’s, possibly working with the Transportation Committee to meet and greet some of these personally; this might very well be in order for some of our foreign attendees or very “DX” types. He may wish to do some politicking in regard to some of next year’s officers, or the Conference location. Becoming personally acquainted with all those to be seated at the head table is usually quite in order.

At the Banquet itself, he is of course the Master of Ceremonies and is in charge of all following events until the prize drawing. At this time, he can direct the move to the site of the raffle, if it is not to be held in the dining hall, and turn responsibility to the Prize Committee. He is the free to resume his other activities.

He also presides at the Society business meeting, and jointly with his successor, at the joint meeting of the old and new Boards. These vary in timing from year to year.

VICE-PRESIDENT

The Vice-Presidency is a very important position. This officer normally serves as a Chairman of the Technical Program Committee. If he resides in the Conference area, he will confer with the Conference Chairman and they can jointly select the other committee members. If he lives elsewhere, the Chairman will appoint the other committee members, selecting on of the to serve as vice-chairman and direct all local program matters until the Vice-President arrives.

15


An early start must be made on contacting guest speakers, due the heavy schedules under to the outstanding people operate. October 1st is none too early, particularly for those who may be able to schedule some of their other activities to fit. Correspondence should be on Society stationery, so the new Vice-President should get a supply of it from the Secretary before leaving the current Conference. Financial arrangements are covered under Technical Program Committee and Finance Committee Sections. The Vice-President should contact committed speakers a couple of times in the interim, to assure himself that no problems of conflicts have developed and to resolve such things if they do occur. He will verify arrival and departure times for these people shortly before the Conference and advise the chairman of the Transportation Committee if pick-up is needed.

The Vice-President, with the assistance of the Technical Program Chairman of Vice-Chairman, as applicable, will emcee the technical sessions of the Conference. This leaves the President free to host VIP’s and foreign visitors, advise and consult with the Conference Chairman, the Banquet Committee, and other necessary duties that may make his presence at some of the seminar sessions impossible. The Vice-President will probably be better acquainted with some of the speakers by this anyway and can handle this task more easily.

SECRETARY

The Secretary shall keep a record of all proceedings of each general meeting of the Society and of the Board of Directors, and maintain all official club records. The Secretary’s duties are somewhat complicated by the ability to conduct official business over the internet. The Society discusses motions and votes via email. The motions and votes need to be recorded in the official club records.

Before leaving the Conference, a newly elected Secretary should receive the Society property pertinent to his office from the outgoing Secretary.

TREASURER

The Society Treasurer holds an important post which involves a lot of tedious work, generally not very interesting or satisfying to most of us. As it is very necessary an some concern to all of us, we owe both gratitude and cooperation to those who accept and perform the duties of this office.

Before leaving the Conference, a newly elected treasurer should receive the Society property pertinent to his office from the outgoing treasurer, along with advice, suggestions, and the always-applicable commiseration. The treasurer maintains a membership file. Working with the secretary, he should maintain the current status of each member. Then, working with the Registration Committee at the next Conference, he can further update this file, as well as determining the status (lifetime, dues paid-up or

16


delinquent, registration prepaid or not, etc.) of each old member. Some of these are not always sure of their own status, so this file is invaluable at these times.

Finance-wise, the treasurer’s job is the normal bookkeeping chore. One of his first steps, once he has the Society’s funds in his bank, is to issue the advance working fund check to the new Finance Committee Chairman, upon his written request. This check is usually for about $400-500.

Before leaving the next Conference, the treasurer will pay all bills, if possible, so that later correspondence by his successor is minimized. He, his successor, and the local past Conference Treasurer will work closely so that contact with all committees having bills to pay is simplified.

The old treasurer’s last act will be to, after all accounts are settled, close out his Society bank account by issuing a check for the remaining balance to the new treasurer or his bank.

CONFERENCE CHAIRMAN

The Conference Chairman is often the Society President. The Conference Chairman will establish liaison with the Society President and work closely with him, when applicable. He will contact other Society officers as necessary or as advised by the President. He will appoint all committee chairman and assist them in setting up their committees. It is usually necessary to have some people serve on more than one committee. If this is done, select related areas. For instance one capable person can very well serve on both the Finance and the Prize Committees. Avoid time-conflicting assignments; for instance, one person serving on both the Transportation and the Technical Equipment Committees could easily be needed in two places at once during the Conference itself.

The Conference Chairman will serve as an ex-officio member of, and work closely with, the Finance Committee, particularly in decisions regarding expenses and budgeting. Remember that, while not intended to “turn a profit” of any great amount, the conference should be self-sustaining except in case of unexpectedly poor attendance. A small surplus is very desirable, to help build up the Society treasurer so the occasional bad year Conference need not be subsidized entirely from members’ dues.

The Conference Chairman will assist the President and Vice-President as required in their duties of hosting and emceeing the banquet and the seminars respectively.

TECHNICAL PROGRAM COMMITTEE

The Society Vice-President is almost always the Technical Program Chairman. The Technical Program Committee consists of the Chairman plus three. If he is not local, the Conference Chairman should appoint the three local members and give their names,

17


addresses, and phone numbers to the Vice-President, with one, designated as Vice-Chairman, who will handle local program arrangements for the VP until he arrives. Another member should be the chairman of the Technical Equipment Committee.

Society members are of course not to be paid in any manner for program participation. Outside, or non-members, speakers are only to be used when no member of the Society can handle the desired subject matter adequately. Total spending for all speakers is to be controlled by the Chairman (VP) and the Society Treasurer, and every effort must be made to limit the overall expense to $300. The VP should of course tell all prospective speakers that their banquet ticket is provided; this is a common courtesy (I do not believe that this has been followed in recent years). Then, if he must go further, he can offer motel accommodations, and lastly, travel fare but not both. (To my knowledge this has not been done in recent years) Definitely, no speaker fee is to be paid. We may have so many outstanding people within our ranks who do appear on our programs while while paying all of their own expenses that hiring paid speakers would be grossly unfair to them. On rare occasions, special circumstances could possibly justify an exception to this rule. If the VP should feel that such a situation exists, he should request the President to poll the Board in regard to a waiver of the rule, and to agree on a dollar amount if a waiver is granted. Utmost discretion must be used in these deliberations for three reasons: to maintain fiscal conservation, to avoid setting possibly embarrassing precedents, and to avoid offending other speakers, past or present, who might, if we are ever too liberal, feel that they were treated unfairly.

It is probably best that this Committee work with the Banquet Committee in selecting the dinner speaker. The same financial care should be used as with technical speakers.

One Technical Program committee person should head up scheduling of events and preparation and printing of the programs to be distributed at the Registration Desk. The actual printing should be delayed as long as possible, as there will always be schedule changes due to travel delays and other time conflicts. Last minute changes should be posted on blackboards or bulletin boards conspicuously located, and verbal announcements made during preceding sessions. Programs should include the registration hours set by the Registration Committee.

The schedule must not be highly compressed. Thirty minute spacing is seldom successful. A forty-minute session plus a 5-minute break is probably the shortest period that is really adequate. For what might appear to justify a one-hour time slot, 75 or 80 minutes with a 10 or 15 minute break is recommended. The longer sessions seem best attended when they immediately precede or follow the lunch and dinner breaks.

SITE SELECTION COMMITTEE

The Site Selection Committee often consists of a chairman plus two. The committee surveys area for suitable sites. Consider location with respect to major highways, municipal and commercial airports, and local points of interest for the wives and children

18


who are not hams. The latter include shopping areas, parks, zoos, museums, arts and crafts centers, historical sites, and more. If possible, locate two or more potential sites and negotiate for the best offer. Use the convention committees from either the Chamber of Commerce or the state tourism department.

The committee investigates charges fully. Most of our members prefer midrange prices. Points to question are such as these:

a. Basic rates and convention discounts.b. Possibility of solid blocks or wing to keep most of us close together, to help

reduce neighbor complaints during late night tape and bull sessions.c. Availability of halls or club rooms at no or small charge for technical sessions,

displays, business meeting, and social hours. Two such areas are often needed, although not at all times.

d. Banquet hall capacity and cost of meal.e. Whether or not PA systems, screens and projectors, blackboards, etc., are

furnished and adequate. Use your Technical Equipment Committee for help as needed here.

TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT COMMITTEE

The Technical Equipment Committee consists of a chairman plus four. The committee chairman, as a member of the Program Committee, will compile a list of all needed facilities and equipment. This includes PA systems, projectors, screens, blackboards, pointers, etc., which are normal to convention operations and are often provided adequately by the hotel, motel, or other site facility. It also includes all special equipment required for special tests and demonstrations, such as noise figure and antenna gain measurements.

One member should serve as liaison with the building engineer or maintenance superintendent and assist with providing power, extension cords, tables, etc. Also, he will precheck built it audio systems, etc, before and between sessions, and know how to get help in such matters quickly when needed. He should learn the location of breaker boxes, light switches and dimmer rheostats, fire extinguishers, etc., and arrange access of authorized members.

One or more committeemen should assist during all technical sessions and at the banquet, so that the officers and speakers do not have to struggle with unfamiliar controls and confusion.

FINANCE COMMITTEE

The Finance Committee usually consists of a chairman and two members. The chairman shall serve as Conference Treasurer and should carry out the following functions:

19


a. Establish a liaison with Society Treasurer, and work closely with him, especially after his arrival.

b. Obtain advance working fund from the Society Treasurer and establish a local bank checking account with Society Treasurer also an authorized signer.

c. Set up simple account records for all expenditures and receipts.d. Funnel all locally received dues and advanced registrations through the Society

Treasurer by mail, and request additional advances from him, if needed, until 15 days before the Conference opening date.

e. Make all except small payments check and get receipts for the small cash payments. Make as few advance payments as possible, until arrival of the Society Treasurer.

f. Appoint, jointly with Conference Chairman, a member of the Finance Committee to serve as chairman of the Registration Committee.

g. Last, but among the important of this Committee’s tasks, is the effort to make the Conference financially self-sustaining. This involves the following steps: 1) Determining exactly as many as possible of the Conference costs.2) Estimating carefully the several variable costs.3) With help from the Society Treasurer, Secretary, and from the Registration

Committee, estimating the attendance.4) Dividing the total cost by the anticipated attendance figure.5) Making sure that both cost and attendance estimates are a bit pessimistic.6) Rounding off the calculated fee to the next highest dollar.

Past recommendations handled the banquet separately. However, it seems simpler to have only one task and one team responsible for managing the conference bottom line. After all, there is only one Society bottom line.

REGISTRATION COMMITTEE

The Registration Committee typically consists of a chairman plus five. The Registration Chairman will be a member of the Finance Committee, and will make arrangements with the site manager for safekeeping of moneys collected until banking hours. Either he or one of his two appointed assistant chairmen should be in charge at the desk during all open hours. The Registration Desk should be staffed for several hours Thursday afternoon and evening, for shorter periods Friday morning, noon and evening, and again Saturday forenoon for several hours. A minimum of 3 people, including one to handle Family Program matters, is recommended for each shift. The registration hours should be shown on the programs. Whenever the desk is closed, a sign or blackboard notice should show the next open hours. Maybe a cell phone number should be posted to allow immediate contact with someone in charge is a good idea.

A tradition has been established of having a large blackboard set up near the Registration Desk on which all licensed attendees chalk their calls. This should be pre-lined into columns for foreign friends and U.S. call areas, giving more space to those likely to need it. Someone should see that the early arrivals do not print their calls too large, as we

20


sometimes run out of space. Many attendees like to photograph the board, so the Desk should encourage registrants to enter their calls. This saves the Desk many questions as to who has arrived.

The Chairman must, after arrival of the Society Treasurer and Secretary, work closely and carefully with them to ensure that their records are completely in agreement. This is not easy, since some members pay their dues in February, others pay on arrival, some pre-register, and some do not, and some non-members attending will want to join and pay both dues and Conference fee, while others will hold off joining. These are urged but not required to join. Another committee member at a side table could handle banquet tickets separately. However, the attendee would probably like one stop shopping.

TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE

The Transportation Committee typically consists of two cochairmen plus two. The Chairmen will set up a schedule of arrivals and departures, using information from the Society Secretary, the Conference Chairman, and the Program Chairman. Departures may have to be scheduled after arrival in some cases, so it is helpful to have airline information as to flight departures on file at the Registration Desk. Speakers and other VIPs often arrive late or leave early rather than attending the entire Conference, so try to schedule drivers for these special trips who do not mind missing the particular event in progress at the time the run must be made. One of the co-chairmen should be near the Registration Desk during its open hours.

Chairmen will recruit enough drivers, preferably with radio equipped vans or SUVs. Drivers are usually reimbursed for fuel used, so they should keep mileage records. Available free transportation should of course be used, but use of chartered transportations must be cleared with the Finance Chairman, and be kept to an absolute minimum.

PRIZE COMMITTEE

The Prize Committee typically consists of a chairman plus three. The Prize Chairman need not be local, but the committee members of course should be local. The Chairman should be chosen by the Society President and the Conference Chairman and should be a person with some knowledge of manufacturers and other prize sources nationwide, preferably one with existing contacts.

The Conference Chairman should appoint the three local committeemen, unless of course the Prize Chairman is local. One of these should be in charge of local prize solicitation. Another should be designated as the addressee of any prizes to be shipped or mailed. Try to avoid duplicate solicitation of vendors, as this can cause ill will.

21


Pre-conference duties include pick-up and storage of all locally donated prizes as well as those shipped or mailed.

Conference duties consist of making provisions for the prize display and the drawing of tickets and, at a time arranged with the Program and/or Banquet Committees, conducting the raffle. The display should include donor credits on at least major prizes. Also records should be kept of the winner of each prize, and some simple forms provided for winners to sign for return to the donor. The Society Secretary can help with acknowledgements and credits. In addition to suitable prizes for members and XYLs, local merchants and wholesalers will often donate such things as chips, dips, cheeses, soft rings, beer, or liquor for the social hours. This can be of great help in holding down expenses down. Not that the purchase of liquor from conference funds was voted out. The Society tries not to by alcohol with Society funds.

The Society provides limited funds toward prize expense, usually $250. The President, the Treasurer, and the Conference Chairman will set the amount each year.

BANQUET COMMITTEE

The Banquet Committee usually consists of a chairman plus three. The Banquet Committee Chairman should be appointed from among the Site and Facilities people so that he will already be somewhat acquainted with management, staff, and plant of the site before banquet planning begins.

This committee is responsible for all actual banquet planning and preparatory operations. Something other than a formal dinner is sometimes welcome. An outdoor event like a barbeque is often great, with the conference hall used for the following ceremonies. The committee will select the menu and negotiate the price. Some facilities will provide the free meals for the guest speakers, while some require payment by the Society. Agreed price includes gratuities, of course.

This committee, either alone or jointly with the Technical Program Committee, will select the dinner speaker. The same financial restrictions apply here as for technical speakers. Care should be used to provide variety over the years. While ARRL officials provide a good source, they should not be selected too often, so check back in a few years. Since the VHF Conference is not a hamfest in the normal sense, ARRL speakers should be high level and a part of the desired variety. Once every two or four years is probably about right. Other good sources are our own members (e.g., past presidents), seminar people willing to do double duty, or someone from local state Historical Society. Don’t let us fall into a stereotyped pattern.

Much coordination with officers and other committees is necessary if a smooth evening is to result. Following are a few points to cover closely.

22


1. Head table arrangements will be carefully planned in advance, working with the President (who serves as the Master of Ceremonies), the Conference Chairman (if other than the President), and the staff of the site facility.

2. Audio-visual equipment will be handled by the Technical Equipment Committee but the Banquet Committee will help coordinate needs and timing with the officers and speakers.

3. Provisions for the raffle and the prize display will be worked out jointly with the Prize Committee. The latter will conduct the actual drawings.

4. One Committee member should handle banquet ticket sales at the Registration Desk or a side table there during all its open hours, to help simplify that hectic job. The facility may supply the tickets or they may have to be purchased. In the latter case, locate a source of standard pre-printed tickets, as specially designed and printed ones cost much more.

5. Notify the facility people of the estimated dinner attendance as soon as a rough estimate can be made. They will probably give you a deadline for a final count. Most places provide for only 10% over the advance sales so do all you can to discourage purchase at the door. Sometimes a minimum guarantee is asked of us. Discuss these things carefully in advance to help minimize any financial impact.

FAMILY PROGRAM COMITTEE

The Family Program Committee consists of a Coordinator plus two Co-Chairs. The family program is important in that many of the Society members must take their annual vacation time to come to Conference and as a consequence bring their wife and/or family with them. This necessitates some planning for the occupation of the time when the members are involved in Conference affairs.

The Coordinator should be a Society member because of the need to work with the various committees, such as registration and finance. The Co-Chairs may be wives of members who are also closely connected with the workings of the Conference. It is suggested that these keep fully aware of each other’s duties as well as their own, in case of family emergencies that can happen.

Some planned activities are good but these need not be at great expense. Whatever is planned will not appeal to all of the wives. They, unlike their husbands, do not have a common interest. Some wives will want to take their children wherever they go while others won’t go if the children are to be included. Some are past the “children” age others are not there yet, and still others have left their children somewhere so they will not be bothered with them on the trip.

The family program should virtually be self-supporting. It is not right that the fellow whose family does not attend should have to bear any significant portion of the expense for this program. A meeting room (lounge type) could be arranged at the site. Here could be held demonstrations, displays, and information concerning interesting places available for visits along with the expense involved. Many of the women have cars

23


available if some others want to furnish the gas and an expensive bus with a paid driver is not a necessary item. Many times buses have not been used to their capacity and this makes cost per person high. All lunches and such should be “dutch”. The family program can get out of hand so great care should be taken.

A baby sitting service is desirable but it too should be handled on a “you use, you pay” basis.

The Co-Chairs will work with the Coordinator who in turn works with the Conference Chairman, the Finance Chairman, and the Registration Chairman on all proposed expenditures and arrangements.

EXAMPLE CONFERENCE PLANNERS’ MILESTONES

The following set of milestones will need to be amended by each Conference Committee. The different situations will need more or fewer milestones. It is suggested that the Conference Committee begin meeting monthly after the previous conference. However, a Conference Committee can be formed and begin meeting earlier.

It is possible to plan and execute a conference in one year. However, the experience is not relaxed and fun. More time increases the pleasure of conference planning. More time also allows for more detailed planning. Detailed planning prevents most last minute panics.

MILESTONES

1. Perform local interest survey. Ask several of your friends they are interested in helping to host a Central States VHF Society Conference. Hopefully, you will have a few friends who attend regularly or have recently attended. Then continue to enlarge the group to include locally active VHF, microwave, and weak signal enthusiasts until you believe that you host of a Conference Committee. You also need to include potential Family Program Planners in your survey.

2. Contact conference facilities. Verify availability, preliminary pricing, and look over location for antenna range. Select a date.

3. Create and present proposal to the Board of Directors. Recently, the Board of Directors has used e-mail voting to approve conferences. Although this creates a small headache for the Chairman of the Board, the email system has allowed us to act on business items outside of the Board Meetings during the Conference. Teleconferencing and other meetings have also been used in the past.

4. Establish contract with the Conference Facility. Once the Board of Directors approved the proposal, you are authorized to proceed with preparations. Establishing the contract early not only reserved the date, it also reserves the specific rooms. With

24


enough advance planning, it is even possible to ensure that no dance will be occurring next door to the banquet. Reserve the parking space for the antenna range.

5. Formalize the Conference Committee. Contact those who expressed interest in hosting the conference. Invite them to a meeting to determine what tasks each will perform. It is best to get this information and a better meeting day and time from those who cannot attend the first meeting. Set dates for the remaining milestones. At the end of this meeting, hand out preliminary job descriptions to each member of the committee.

6. Determine Conference Theme or Focus. The theme or focus helps in the selection speakers, papers, and activities. A theme or focus is not required. EME and satellite demonstrations have occurred. Maybe there is an opportunity for a vendor to actually perform a demonstration or showcase a working system. It can be an opportunity for conference participants to experience a local problem or condition at the site of the conference. The Conference Committee can skip this step.

7. Recruit speakers and paper authors. A few speakers will volunteer to speak very early. However, an advertised healthy list of presenters will help to get others to volunteer. Preparation time can help authors to thoroughly develop their papers and presentations. Determine the length of each talk so that the agenda can be developed. More short talks add variety. Long talks fill the agenda faster. Save the long talks for speakers who rarely attend or who have something really new and unique. This is an opportunity to have local talent present to the Society. Recruitment should not end until the Technical Forum agenda is full and there are a few spares. Speakers often have trouble getting to the conference due to immediate conflicts or bad weather. It is comforting to have the ability to keep the Technical Forum Agenda full.

8. Create and send the January communication. The first mailing for each conference used to occur in January. Because this mailing was widely distributed and included lots of pages, it became very expensive to mail. Today, email distribution is used as much as possible to save on costs. This communication is a letter that includes: an invitation to the conference, the name of hotel, the contact information for volunteering to speak, the contact information for providing a paper, a preliminary list of speakers, and other known conference features.

9. Develop complete Family Program. By the time the Registration Mailing occurs, the all of the details of the Family Program need to be worked out. The registration mailing needs to include times, costs, and good description of the program for each day. This allows Family Program participants to choose which days or events to select. Contracts need to be established with the bus provider. Contracts may need to be established with the program element providers in order to have a reservation and complete red carpet service. The pricing needs to be established to assure that the conference shows no loss for the year.

10. Complete the Technical Forum agenda. Include the audiovisual equipment that is required for each speaker. There may be an opportunity to save some money by not using some equipment on some days, which may the order that is chosen for the presentations.

25


11. Create and send the Registration Mailing. The Registration Mailing can be mailed as soon as it is complete. They have been mailed as early as May 1 and as late as June 1. This mailing includes: hotel contact information and room rate details, a letter from the Family Program Committee, a Registration Form, directions to hotel, and banquet speaker information.

12. Accept and process registration forms. As registration forms are received, they need to be processed. This includes: auditing the form for correct fees, depositing checks, and building registration packets.

13. Secure prizes for the Banquet. This requires contacting old suppliers and recruiting new suppliers. The prizes need to be delivered to someone for inventory and storage until the conference.

14. Setup Conference. Usually the Conference Committee and recruited assistants arrive at the conference site early Thursday morning to begin setting up for the conference. This task large. Often two vehicles are fully loaded with supplies and equipment that needs to be setup or used at some point during the conference.

PLACING THE HOTEL FACILITY ON CONTRACT

There is no single recipe for a good contract that can be given. However, the standard hotel contract can be improved. The Conference Committee needs to know their community. The contract needs to reserve the most if not all of the rooms that will be used. Finally, the potential damages to the Society should be spelled out.

Almost very community that invites the Central States VHF Society to town has more than one conference facility which could host the conference. Facilities are often booked well in advance for weddings and reunions. Establishing a contract two years in advance will often place the conference committee in the driver seat. They will get first choice at the convention rooms. (Maybe the banquet will be isolated from any dances.) In some communities, new conference facilities are built at such a rate that a new one can be contracted that again may place the Conference Committee in the drivers seat. Know your community.

The hotel will provide a room map to facilitate the reservation process. Their objective is to contract as many rooms as possible. Your objective is to host the nicest conference possible. These two goals oppose each other. Look hard at the room map. Get the forum and banquet rooms in a place by itself to help control potential interruptions and noise in adjacent rooms. Find the best rooms to place hospitality suites. Get the suites away from the sleeping rooms. Look over the map and think through the conference. How else can room choice improve the quality of the conference?

A few conferences have had to pay the hotel a large penalty because the room nights were not met. First we have to admit that radio amateurs are known for being pretty frugal. Therefore, they may choose to stay elsewhere if the room rate is too high. This practice needs to be discouraged. However, a low room rate will help to secure a lot of

26


room nights sold for the hotel. The contract needs to delineate the penalties to be assessed to the Society if the room nights are not met. When asked, a schedule of penalties for various levels of room nights will be provided.

Finally, make all changes to the to contract in red ink. A representative of the Conference Committee and hotel each need to initial and date each redline. The hotel representative may no longer work for the hotel when the conference occurs. This redlined contract may be the only record of your agreement. So spend some time and make the contract match your conference expectations.

27

w9fz.comw9fz.com/csvhfs/confplanguide.doc · web view2 recovered from loss. input into microsoft...

Documents