Guidelines for Local Arrangements Planning
Prepared by Pamela Howard Local Arrangements
Chairman, SALALM XXVI (1981) for Local Arrangements Chairman, SALALM XXVII (1982)
Revised by Pamela Howard-Reguindin, with
assistance from Richard Phillips and Mary Jo Zeter (2004)
Meeting Space
Depending
on the local market, try to book meeting space well in advance (i.e., at least
12-18 months). We needed at least 6 meeting rooms on the first day plus the
rooms for the book exhibit and SALALM headquarters. The headquarters room
should be booked for the afternoon or evening before the conference starts, and
you may want to organize everything that should be at the Registration Desk
that afternoon or evening to avoid doing it at 6 a.m. the next day!
Headquarters
It is best to book a centrally located room. You will need a photocopier (hotel
photocopy service is usually exorbitantly priced), computer with printer, and
the entire gamut of office supplies. Of course, the room should be locked
overnight and when no one is around. If your institution cannot lend a
photocopier to the headquarters, try to locate a nearby photocopy service
center.
Invitations
The host institution is responsible for composing the invitation, and it is
best to start working on it as soon as possible. It must be sent to both the
SALALM Executive Secretary and the President for editing and final approval. If
the hotel has a release time for the block of rooms you have reserved, be sure
to indicate that on the invitation and urge members to get their reservations
in before the hotel’s deadline. Another reason for doing the invitations early
is that you cannot send out the bookdealer/exhibitor packets until the invitation
is approved and completed.
Book Exhibits
Try to delegate the coordination of this to one responsible person. The exhibit
mail-out packets, including the invitation, press release, hotel reservation
card, exhibit announcement and form (see enclosed) should be mailed out by
early January at the latest. Try to get the list of the exhibitors who
participated in the previous two or three SALALM meetings as a starter list for
promoting exhibits in your conference. Ideally, most of them would be interested
in future SALALM exhibits. There is also a card file of dealers that I found to
be less than useful; however, the exhibits coordinator may want to peruse it
and select a few potential exhibitors. Mailing out 75+ packets should net
around 35+ exhibitors. The greater number of exhibitors, the better for SALALM
as it is a good source of income for the organization. Follow-up packets should
be mailed to all former exhibitors who have not registered by
mid-February. It is also useful to
maintain an ongoing, accurate list of past exhibitors. This list should be passed on from one
exhibit coordinator to the next. When doing the table layout/floor plan, don’t
forget that a SALALM table is needed for SALALM publications.
Local Bank Account
For
making deposits or advanced payment to ensure services, you may have to
establish a local bank checking account on behalf of SALALM several months
before the meeting. You will also use this account to make payments for
conference facilities, caterers, local transportation and other miscellaneous
expenses. It is best if only one or two responsible persons are signatories on
this account.
Folders and Name Tags
Try to obtain these early (i.e., January) so that you do not have to worry
about them later. The secret to success is never to procrastinate-do it NOW if
it can be possibly be done. The name tags and registration fee receipts can be
generated by an assistant as soon as the registration forms are returned. Name
tags for new members should be distinctive (different color, hanging ribbon or
some such) so that they can be easily spotted from a distance. The local
information brochures can go into the folders at an early date. Regarding the
working paper abstracts, Microfilming Projects Newsletter, and annual reports,
you can collected them in a folder until 2 weeks before the meeting, then have
them copied en masse. This will save many trips to the photoduplication
center and IT forms. Nevertheless, many folks will be late in sending
abstracts, and you cannot avoid some last-minute hassles. Also, keep in mind
that copy machines break down (ours did) and may cause unimaginable headache
pain if you are stuck with a pile of papers to photocopy and NO MACHINE. For
most conferences around 175 folders should be adequate.
Signs
They don't need to be elaborate--just strategically placed and neatly lettered.
White boards and felt pens are adequate and inexpensive, and they can be done
well in advance. You will need:
1
or 2 for SALALM HEADQUARTERS
1
each for Company name of book exhibitors
1
or 2 for BOOK EXHIBITS
4
to 6 for SALALM REGISTRATION (with directional arrows; number of signs depends
on complexity of hotel layout)
1
name sign for each panelist
1
each for Registration Table for:
PRE-REGISTERED
NOT REGISTERED
NEW MEMBERS
Any special events planned
Registration Desk
Apart from the signs mentioned above, there are several items needed for the
desk: 1 or 2 staplers, Scotch tape, pens, pencils, scissors, receipt books, 1
to 3 cash boxes, and plenty of change--very important! You should have
at least $50 in small bills and change at the registration desk. I completely
forgot about having change on hand, and it was a mega-hassle! For
post-conference accounting purposes, it is best to encourage payment in checks
with a separate check for each item.
It
is important to keep New Membership, Registration, and Special Event monies
separated. I forgot to, and spent two evenings trying to balance figures. Also,
be sure to arrange for a hotel safe deposit box to store the cash overnight.
Staffing
needs at the Registration Desk were heaviest during the morning hours on the
first two days of the conference. Please consult the staffing needs list below
for the duration of SALALM XXVI. It serves as an invaluable tool for planning
your Reg Desk task force. Don't try to coordinate a conference without one!
Keep in mind that it is better to be overstaffed than understaffed.
Tape Recorders and Cassettes
You
will need as many recorders as there are simultaneous sessions. Generally, 3
should be enough. The Executive Secretary will ship the SALALM recorder to you,
so you’ll need to locate one or two others for the Rapporteur General. It is
best to buy 60-minute (total playing time) tapes because 90-minute tapes can
get messy while playing back. You will probably need 30-35 tapes depending upon
the length of the sessions. Be sure to have someone wind the tapes up tightly
before use and label them with the session number and rapporteur names. The
cassettes were my one and only major problem at SALALM XXVI and winding them
tightly to begin with would have avoided that dilemma. This should be done in
January or February just to get it out of the way.
Receptions
If you are planning receptions, line up the caterers, maids, bartenders, and
beverage purveyor at least 4-6 months before the conference. It doesn't cost
anything and will save time in the long run. Have everything delivered. I tried
to save a few bucks by getting the bar setups myself. It was not worth the
hassle. Plan the reception food/drinks
for roughly the number of persons attending the conference as usually all
persons do partake in the merry making.
Physically challenged participants
Keep in mind that there may be physically challenged attendees with special
needs. Be sure that there are adequate hotel and transportation options for
them.
Post-SALALM Duties
You will be asked to provide the Treasurer with detailed information about
funds spent for the meeting. In order to do this, you must keep an accurate
ledger of accounts. Another chore is to determine who paid their registration
but did not attend. They must be sent the conference packet of hand-outs by
mail after the meeting. Do not, under any circumstance, throw out the
registration forms. They will be used later.
STAFFING NEEDS FOR SALALM CONFERENCES
Day 1
(Committee meetings day)
Registration desk (8 a.m. - 12 noon)
2 persons for Pre-registered attendees
1 person for At-Conference registrants
1 person for Special Event(s)
1 person for General Information and New Members
5 persons total for the Registration Desk in morning
Registration desk (12 noon - 5 p.m.)
1 person for Registration and New Members
1 person for Special Event
2 persons total for
the Registration Desk in the afternoon
Book exhibits (8
a.m. - 5 p.m.)
1 person to help
dealers set up and to guard room
Day 2 (Committee
meeting day)
Registration desk (a.m.)
Same as previous day
Registration
desk (p.m.)
1 person for General Information
Book Exhibits (8 a.m. - 5 p.m.)
Same as previous day
Days 3 & 4
Registration desk
staffed by 1 or 2 floaters
Book Exhibit (8 a.m.
- 5 p.m.)
1 person to guard room
Headquarters (a.m.)
1 assistant to type final resolutions and list of participants (?)
Other
staffing needs will vary depending upon the number of receptions planned.