Standing Rules for the
International Planetarium Society, Inc.
Revised
July 2005
by Lee Ann A.
Hennig, Secretary
Appendix C:
PART III
(UNDER DEVELOPMENT TO SUPERSEDE PART IV)
PART IV (
EXISTING CONFERENCE GUIDELINES)
THE IPS BIENNIAL CONFERENCE GUIDELINES
I. Guidelines: The
International Planetarium Society holds its conference once every
two years, generally during the summer, and covering a period of
four to six days. A survey of the IPS membership indicates that
the majority of members find it more convenient to attend
conferences in the summer. This is especially true for those
planetarians involved in educational facilities. The conference
should be arranged to include (1)interesting speakers and
activities;(2)opportunities for members to talk in formal
situations about their profession; and (3) time for members to
interact informally about their ideas and work.
The following guidelines are intended to help design an
effective conference proposal and to aide in formulating plan for
a successful IPS Conference. IPS Council assumes adherence to the
rules outlined within this document. If it is necessary to depart
from a rule, permission of the IPS President and/or Council is
required. Council realizes that the Conference Host needs
flexibility, and occasional exceptions to rules in planning a
large successful conference.
A. Conference Proposal: All invitations for conferences are to
be submitted to the President prior to Council meetings no later
than five years before the proposed conference, with copies of
proposals taken back by affiliate representatives to their
organizations for input, and final selection of site will be voted
on at the Council Meeting held at least four years before the
conference year. The Conference Proposal consists of the following
items:
1. A letter of invitation from the host institution on
letterhead stationery addressed to the IPS President and Council.
This letter must include a statement proposing the time and place
of the conference, and a general statement concerning the
advantages of hosting the conference at this particular location.
2. The body of the Proposal must include pertinent information
on why planetarians would find this location appealing: for
example:
a. Host Facility- specific information on the planetarium and
surrounding institution as drawing cards: the ability of the
host institution to serve a large group in terms of dining,
rooming, meeting and transportation factors (and their proposed
costs)
b. Conference Activities- a general statement concerning
normal conference agenda and any unique or unusual activities
which are planned, such as: special tours, paper sessions,
workshops, guest speakers, optional excursions, special
facilities of an astronomical/planetarium nature which are
nearby, and other activities available for family members
c. Host Town- specific information of the area in which the
conference is being held; weather, recreation facilities,
transportation, basic Chamber of Commerce data.
3. The Closing Statement page summarizes the reasons why, based
on the information presented in the Proposal, this site should be
selected as the IPS Conference location.
B. Basic Organization
1. Early in the planning stage find people who will perform the
various duties needed, but be certain you can depend on them for
the tasks assigned.
2. Set deadlines for tasks to be completed and be adamant about
meeting them.
3. Put in writing all tasks, schedules, people and phone
numbers, and give out copies to all persons who need to know this
information.
4. Be firm about getting arrangements and agreements with hotels
and caterers in writing.
C. Publicity
1. The Planetarian, IPS publication, is your first line of
communication with IPS members. Don't neglect to notify affiliate
editors so that they may publish conference news in their
publications. Publications related to science teaching and museum
news should also be considered when looking for sources of
publicity.
2. If your institution has a publicity person-use that person.
Give him/her the information regarding the purpose of our
conference and the people involved. If you don't have a publicity
person, you or someone on your staff should contact the media for
coverage. Media people thrive on unique, clever, and unusual
angles to topics- see what you can come up with. Ask the media
people what they want as far as a story-personal interviews are
best; they also establish contacts. If possible, arrange for talk
show interviews with some of the delegates during their stay, or
interviews during the conference held at the conference site.
3. A major publicity consideration is publicity to IPS members
in advance SEVERAL times. They need to plan their schedules and
perhaps even to arrange budget items. Try to set times which allow
vacation and sightseeing or leisure as part of the visit. Enhance
your offer by impressing conference attendees with other things to
see and do in your area. Set the actual dates no later than one
year before the conference, preferably earlier.
4. Arrange to have your trustees, board members, or VIP's meet
with the group. Most desirable is a social setting like the
banquet or cocktail hour.
D. Fees
1. A general guideline which has evolved over time is to charge
the non-member the basic conference fee plus the cost of
membership in IPS. (IPS dues may be waived for spouses of
attending members.) This automatically enrolls the person in the
organization. Coordinate with the IPS Treasurer the option of
allowing conference attendees to pay for two year memberships
rather than just one year.
2. Fees should be structured after planning has determined the
cost of transportation (buses, etc.), meals (lunches and
banquets), speakers' fees, clerical fees and any other costs (such
as facility fees). If a company is subsidizing a dinner or other
expensive event and there is a limitation, the conference fee
structure for spouses (non-planetarians) should be higher so that
all registering planetarium professionals are subsidized first.
Fees of $50.00 to $100.00 for registration(not including IPS
membership fees )are not uncommon today. Also, if proceedings are
to be printed from the conference, then the costs associated with
them, need to be covered (discuss this with the IPS Treasurer as
well).
3. Sometimes optional fees (banquets, proceedings, lunches) are
structured. Be careful. Some functions such as lunches and
banquets require minimums. Also, if a conference hotel is
selected, a basic number of conference guests in the hotel secures
rooms and facilities at no cost. Confer with local hotels for
details. Some hotels provide conference planners-they are a great
help-use them. Some institutions have conference planners-use
them. Check with you local Chamber of Commerce-they occasionally
provide tourist bureaus with great assistance, free conference
clerical help, name badges, folders, etc.- use them.
4. For accounting requirements, see Article IX.B.1.
(1995)
E. Funding
1. The conference fee is the basic source of funding. Planning
should go on well in advance of the conference to determine the
necessary fee.
2. The fee must be stated in the first pre-conference mailing
(at least 6 months prior to the conference).
3. Look for local companies which are willing to host lunches,
coffee or cocktail hours. Remember, activities can be tailored to
funding if necessary.
4. Funding comes also from the institution (usually in the form
of personnel), from tourist bureaus (also personnel) and fees from
exhibitors.
5. Costs can be reduced by encouraging delegates to stay in the
conference hotel as costs for meeting rooms are canceled or
reduced if sufficient hotel guests are conference attendees.
F. Registration (Time Table)
1. Your first mailing to members (including the call for papers)
must go out NO LATER THAN SIX MONTHS PRIOR TO THE CONFERENCE.
2. The second mailing, consisting of the general program,
pre-registration form, hotel registration materials, and tourist
information, must be sent out NO LATER THAN THREE MONTHS BEFORE
THE CONFERENCE. Allow adequate time for the deadline to register
after this mailing- at least two months.
3. Pre-registration is a great help (invaluable for planning
logistics). To encourage members to pre-register, tack on a late
charge for all registrants after a specified date.
4. The major business to be carried out at the registration
desk at conference should be: confirm pre-registered conference
attendees; register late comers; hand out conference packet, and;
serve as a general information center.
5. Any possible limitations on registration must be advised at
the time of submitting the proposal.
G. Accommodations-Conference Center
1. Accommodations should be as close to conference activities as
possible, unless mass transit at a reasonable rate can be
arranged.
2. In selecting a conference hotel, the Host should be careful
to examine room, food, and beverage service costs in making
comparisons among possible conference hotels. Be sure there are
adequate facilities for fast service at breakfast time (or enough
nearby restaurants to handle the overflow) as well as facilities
for large banquet type meals.
3. Check the facilities for meeting and conference rooms to be
sure they meet your requirements for seating capacity, A/V
equipment, and the adaptability of the room for your needs.
4. Competent hotels/motels will handle details of room
reservations for you with reservation cards, plus plenty of
suggestions. Be sure to establish a method of knowing who has
reserved rooms and therefore who is coming to the hotel.
H. Conference Agenda
1. Discuss the needs of the Council for meetings with the IPS
President will ahead of the conference. Council always meets at
the time of conference or just before this conference.
2. Conference events may not be scheduled concurrent with
Council meetings.
3. IPS Business Meeting- Schedule a General Business Meeting
Session at the beginning of the conference. If business meetings
are the very last item, the non-verbal psychological message is, "business
meetings aren't very important, as indeed our organization is not,
therefore, the meeting is placed so as to minimize the
inconvenience; most of you will have gone by then anyway." NO
OTHER ACTIVITY SHOULD BE SCHEDULED DURING THE MEETING. Be sure
that adequate facilities are provided for the meeting, and that
the proper amount of time is allotted for this general session.
Discuss the business meeting times with the IPS President before
the conference agenda is finalized.
4. Affiliate Meetings- some affiliates elect to hold business
meetings in conjunction with the IPS conference. Check with each
group to determine if they will need a slot in the schedule for
such a purpose.
5. Paper Sessions
a. A Papers Committee should review all papers to be
presented in order to insure appropriate topics and quality.
This can be a function assigned by the Council or the Conference
Host. Papers Committee persons should be chosen for their
ability to select papers on the basis of organization rather
than on agreement or objective disagreement with the ideas the
papers propose.
b. Paper sessions can be arranged topically in such
categories as: Philosophy, Technology and Hardware,
Administration and Management, Public Programs, Education
Programs, Publicity and P.R. (sometimes combined with
Administration and Management), Innovative Programs, etc..
This approach has the advantage of allowing split concurrent
sessions where interests can be accommodated.
c. Papers should be limited to between ten and twenty
minutes. Studies have shown that to listen to one speaker
beyond twenty minutes loses the majority of listeners. Time
should be allotted at the end of each presentation for
questions from the audience.
1. Try to synchronize papers in planning- 10 minute papers
together, 20 minute papers together, etc., as well as
OBSERVING A STRICT TIME SEQUENCE.
2. Attempt to keep the speaking rooms close by one another
so that people can go between rooms easily.
d. Each hour should have a planned coffee break or five
minute stretch period, or allow for delegates to easily flow
in and out of the seating area at their discretion. Please
make allowances so that little, or no, distraction and
discourtesy to the speaker and the audience is experienced.
e. Outside each speaking room there should be a bulletin
board with information about the events occurring inside:
title of talk, speaker, time.
f. Arrange to have a special room set aside for speakers to
prepare materials they may have before the talk- slides,
displays, etc.. Tell speakers about this room when they are
notified that their papers are accepted.
g. Have tables set up for handout materials in/or near the
speakers' room.
h. Assign a session chairperson for each paper session. This
person's duty is to keep things running smoothly time-wise,
and for any technical problems which might arise.
i. Have abstracts of all papers/workshops printed in a
booklet to be distributed to all conference participants (and
possibly to all IPS members). Funding for this should be
discussed with the IPS President and/or Council.
j. Thought should be given to asking for printed copies of
papers with a note as to why they are needed. A good model for
a booklet of such papers are those assembled prior to the 1982
Vancouver Conference and distributed to participants at that
meeting upon registration.
k. Transcriptions of papers for a booklet (e.g. the 1974
Atlanta Conference) is a time-consuming process and is not
recommended.
6. Panel Discussions
a. Panel discussions can be quite useful as well as
entertaining, and offer an opportunity for many viewpoints.
b. Panel discussions should be built around a single topic,
with the session lasting an hour to an hour and a half
including audience participation. Panel members should be
carefully chosen and the total number of participants should
number about three to five.
7. Poster Sessions
a. Certain topics are not easily adapted to an oral
presentation, or could be better related in a one to one, or
small group situation (such as special effects projectors, photo
techniques). Many of these topics can be fully described on two
sides of a single sheet of paper, or a poster board paper. This
technique involves having the author put the essentials of
his/her paper on a single 22 x 24-inch poster board. It is
displayed around a conference room's walls along with the work
of all the other presenters for inspection by everyone. At
working sessions, the presenters discuss their papers once,
maybe twice with small groups. The interactive potential is
superb.
8. Workshops
a. Workshops, if well planned and adequately supervised, can
be highly successful. It allows the participants to get involved
personally in the situation.
b. The planetarium chamber is a popular place for "show
and tell" demonstrations, although you must have advance
planning and plenty of technical staff ready to accomplish
this effectively. Topics that can be covered easily in the
workshop mode are: participatory programs, building
projectors, sample cases or fictional structured cases in
management and publicity, etc..
c. Check on the feasibility of conducting workshops with
college credit or certificate renewal conditions. This type of
workshop is especially helpful to the planetarian in the
educational facilities.
9. Enrichment Sessions
a. Tours of facilities of interest like NASA, astronomy
facilities, and museums, are examples of these sessions. They
are rewarding and enhance a planetarian's over-all knowledge of
the relationship of a planetarium to society. Occasionally these
sessions are made available the day following the conference.
b. Certainly a must on this list would be the local
planetarium installations in the area. If at all possible,
arrange a session involving the public or students
participating in a program that delegates can observe.
10. Invited Speakers
a. Speakers for banquets definitely should be selected for
their ability to address an audience with something to say to
which planetariums can relate. Speakers with enthusiasm, humor,
and any dynamic qualities are a must for banquets. Well-known
individuals, dignitaries, and others of great merit who do not
have these speaking qualities should appear elsewhere during the
conference.
11. Exhibitors
a. A display area should be provided (most hotels have these)
where businesses associated with the planetarium field can
display their materials. Schedules should be arranged so that
delegates can easily go through the display area. Fees are
normally collected from exhibitors (sometimes these fees are to
pay for the use of the space). Such fees range from $25.00 per
block (a block is normally 10 x10-foot) to $100.00 a block. Some
exhibitors will purchase several adjacent blocks. Fees are
sometimes for the entire conference and sometimes on a per day
basis. In addition, a general display table for flyers should be
provided. Be sure that adequate time, convenient locations,
proper publicity , and security are provided for the exhibits.
12. Social Sessions
a. Any good conference will allow ample time for planetarians
to get together for the purpose of swapping ideas, comparing
experiences, talking over business, passing time, socializing,
and a multitude of other activities.
b. Cocktail hours will sometimes be hosted by local
companies or businesses associated with the planetarium field.
Occasionally these companies will opt to host lunches or
coffee hours rather than cocktail hours. Other social sessions
can include cash bars, cookouts, tours, etc..
c. Achieving a good balance between social and working
sessions is the tricky part. Some conferences have left the
delegates feeling like they were race horses- winded and
always on the go, with no time to relax and catch their
breath. On the other hand, some conferences never seem to get
serious and really party most of the time. The host should
strive for a happy medium.
I. Tips to Keep the Conference Running Smoothly
1. Keep the conference running ON TIME. Make this philosophy
known to all who are involved with the conference-servers of
meals, session chairpersons, bus lines, etc..
2. At the conference center have a person/s to answer phones,
type, and answer inquiries, etc..
3. Have adequate personnel at the registration table. Remember,
some delegates will need to register late (perhaps not even the
first day of the conference), so have a designated place for them
to report to for details.
4. Be sure name tags list the person's name, institution, and
location.
5. Assign chairpersons for the session on papers.
6. Be sure to have aides to run errands, get batteries for
pointers, spare lamps for projectors, etc..
7. Prepare special identification tags for host institution
aides/members,
8. Portable communication contact (walkie-talkie, intercom) with
the conference center is a big help.
9. Have available an audio-visual person/s who knows how to
check things out ahead of time, like whether a P.A. system works
or not, how to plug in microphones, how to move projectors on
stands so as to accomplish in-focus projection, etc..
10. Have a photographer to take publicity and proceedings
photos: a tape recording specialist to tape all sessions: someone
to keep an historical record of events, especially if any of the
sessions are to printed.
11. A general aide, technical chairperson, or director would be
good to have. Such people should have a complete breakdown of
duties, responsible parties, phone] numbers and room numbers to
reach people if need be.(Provide a clip board or note book to be
carried by this person.)
12. Provide a person/s to run shuttle for transportation needs
from the conference center to bus and air terminals.
13. Provide technicians to handle sessions in the Planetarium.
14. Assign a person to be in charge of handling the registration
packet-check the contents: don't forget a complete list of
delegates attending the conference.
J. Regional and / or Local Differences
1. If a conference is held in a non-English speaking country,
please make adequate provisions for language differences between
the majority of our participants and the language of the country.
It is recommended that an English-speaking affiliate assist with
reviewing papers and planning the paper sessions.
2. For Conferences held outside of North America, inform the
membership of any local and/or regional customs that might exist
and which may affect the participants Include this information in
the pre-conference mailings.
