Amended and Approved July 20, 2006

 

ASABE Meetings Council

 

Policies and Procedures of the Meetings Council and Meetings and Conferences Department

 

According to the ASABE Bylaws and Rules, the objects of the Society shall be accomplished by:

(1) Advancing the theory and practice of engineering in agricultural, food, and biological systems and the allied sciences and arts by holding meetings for the presentation and discussion of original papers; by participating in meetings with other engineering and scientific groups; and  encouraging association of agricultural, food, and biological systems engineers among themselves and with allied scientists and technologists for the mutual exchange of knowledge and experience; and (2) Enhancing the capacity of the engineer for service by (f) providing opportunities for continuing education;

 

Council and Executive Committee Meetings

 

The Executive Committee will meet by conference call as needed, but normally will meet every three weeks.

 

The Meetings Council will meet by conference call as needed, but will normally meet quarterly.

 

Council Members

           

New Council members are to be selected well in advance of the Annual International Meeting (AIM) at the close of which they start their term of office and are encouraged to attend Council Meetings during the AIM just prior to the start of their term of office.  Each unit shall inform the Meetings and Conferences Department Director and the Meetings Council Chair of who will be their representative at least three months in advance of the start of their term of office.

 

Meetings Council Membership for 2005-2006

Chair, Vice- Chair, Past Chair, Vice Chair Elect, Secretary (ex-officio), two Liaison members from the Board of Trustees, and representatives from (term ends) Biological Engineering Division; Canadian Society of Bioengineering; Education Division; ED-416 Continuing Professional Development Committee; Ergonomics, Safety, and Health Division; Food and Process Engineering Institute; Information and Electrical Technologies Division; International Affairs, INTL-601; Northeast Agricultural/Biological Engineering Conference (Community); Professional Engineering Institute (Community); Power and Machinery Division; Preprofessionals; Soil and Water Division; Structures and Environment Division; Senior Actives Community; Young Professionals Community. (Meetings Department Staff)

 

Conference Chairs: Conference chairs will be invited to participate in the Meetings Council.

 

A representative of the Local Host Section/unit will be invited to participate in the Meetings Council.

           

 

 

Committees

 

Program Committee

            A committee of division/institute program chairs shall assist with coordination of technical presentations at the Annual International Meetings. The committee will be chaired by the Meetings Council Vice Chair. The committee will normally meet during the AIM to discuss ways to improve the AIM technical sessions. Division/Institute program chairs are to be selected well in advance of the Annual International Meeting (AIM) at the close of which they start their term of office and are encouraged to attend the Program Committee Meeting during the AIM just prior to the start of their term of office.  Each unit shall inform the Meetings and Conferences Department Director and the Meetings Council Vice Chair of who will be their representative at least three months in advance of the start of their term of office.

 

Continuing Education/Professional Development

            This will be developed during the coming year. Sharon McKnight will be assuming more responsibility for providing Meeting Department Staff leadership to this effort. This will include efforts of the ED-416 committee.
Financial

 

Any contract or other obligation to pay money in the work of the Society shall be valid only when signed by the society Executive Vice President or others she has authorized such as the Meetings and Conferences Director.  Other signatures are not binding. All funds received shall be directed to the comptroller for proper recording and deposited in authorized bank accounts.

 

Business Plans and Budgets

 

A business plan and budget for the Meetings and Conferences Department will be prepared annually during the fall by the Meetings Department Director and approved by the Council Executive Committee by December1. The budget is submitted to the Society Finance Committee and Board of Trustees for approval at their December meeting. The Meetings Department Director will provide the Council Executive Committee with updates to the plan and budget at least quarterly.

 

A business plan and budget shall be developed for each ASABE sponsored or co-sponsored event by the Meetings Director, in conjunction with the unit(s) sponsoring or co-sponsoring the event, and submitted to the Meetings Council Executive Committee for approval.  Attendance estimates used in preparing the event budget must be realistic, based on prior experience of this and related events, and must include consideration of current economic conditions. The budget shall include all expenses requiring payment for services outside ASABE for which disbursements are required, and an estimate of the cost of Headquarters staff to service the event. This will include salaries plus benefits and travel for meetings staff, as well as overhead. Event fees shall be structured to reflect the projected market conditions, and established at a minimum break-even status. Expenses should be budgeted separately for accountability. The budget categories used in the ASABE Annual International Meeting and conference budgets and the budget categories used by ASABE's finance department to pay acquired invoices should corresponded. It is important not to overspend any program budget, but understand that each budget category is flexible. After an event, a financial report will be submitted in a timely manner to the sponsoring unit of the Society, and to the Meetings Council Executive Committee.

 

All expenses of the Annual International Meeting must be covered by registration fees, exhibitor fees, and sponsorship, grant, alliances and partnership. Conference fees will be set to cover all direct costs, administration costs, and staff costs plus a minimum 15% contingency fee. Overhead may be based on a two year projection.

 

AIM costs for associated activities such as Fellows Ceremonies, Awards functions, etc. will be identified separately and reported to the BOT for guidance on paying for these costs.

 

Any workshops, professional development seminar, technical tour, spouse/guest tour, cultural tours, held in connection with the Annual International Meeting or conferences are intended to be self supporting, separately-ticketed events. ASABE overhead must be calculated into the registration fee for any such program. Attendance at these types of programs are generally limited in registration and may not always be scheduled outside of the primary ASABE meetings, conferences, seminars, and symposiums.

 

Grants, Alliances, Partnerships, Sponsorships (GAPS)

 

The solicitation of "GAPS" are encouraged to increase the potential for a financially successful Annual International Meeting or conference and to assist in keeping registration fees low. Such funds are not "taxed" with ASABE overhead, so the entire amount is available for the meeting or conference budget. If an organization elects to pay for a service directly, a signed receipt showing the amount of the expenditure and terms must be supplied to the grant organization, alliance or partner and/or program sponsor. Contributions of any kind may not be publicly announced until two thirds of the funds or services have actually been received by ASABE unless otherwise agreed upon in the original signed agreement terms.  ASABE Meetings Department will act as the contact management organization unit so no solicitation effort is duplicated for a single meeting or conference. All donations and other contributions must be budgeted or recorded in the event or program final audit.

 

 

Annual International Meeting

 

Annual International Meeting Site (AIM) Selection

The ASABE Meetings Council is responsible for AIM site selection with recommendations provided by the ASABE Meetings Department staff.  Meetings Department Staff will provide the Council with information to be used in selecting the location including travel options and costs, facilities, hotels, and meeting cost comparisons.

 

Meeting Rotation

The Annual International Meeting site will rotate within regions of the United States. Every 5th year the AIM will be a joint meeting with the Canadian Society for Bioengineering (CSBE), with ASABE hosting the meeting in the United States and CSBE hosting the AIM every 10th year. The meeting hosted by CSBE has historically been held in Canada.

 

Policy on Host Section

            The Meetings Council will compensate or reimburse the AIM host section up to $5,000 for their assistance depending on their participation. The Council will send an invitation letter with guidelines of expectations and compensation for the host to each prospective host section. The Council Executive Committee will make the final determination of the amount of compensation. (Minutes 7/31/03)

 

Volunteers

ASABE utilizes volunteers to assist with the on site staffing of the Annual International Meeting (AIM) per annum.  ASABE volunteers are typically ASABE Preprofessional members; although AIM volunteers are accepted from all ASABE membership categories.  Volunteers are selected with first priority given to the local section membership; then assigned to interested individuals on a first come first served format until the various volunteer positions are filled or volunteers have fulfilled the minimum requirement of service.  The volunteer coordinator(s) for the AIM are selected from the regional Section partner. 

 

Each ASABE volunteer, regardless of membership category, is required to work a minimum 8 hours to receive their AIM registration reimbursement or discount which is equivalent to the current registration fee for Preprofessionals.  The failure to fulfill the minimum service requirement of eight hours would result in the volunteer or individual paying the full registration rate for their particular membership category for the AIM.

 

DUTIES (work areas where volunteers are used):

·        Hall Monitors

·        Exhibit Hall Monitors

·        Awards Lunch setup (assist Staff)

·        Registration

·        Membership

·        Foundation

·        Ticket takers for in house events

·        CPD scanners

·        Tour monitor (check in)

·        Any other areas needing assistants

 

Invited Speakers Fund

Starting with the ASABE Annual International Meeting in 2007, a fund will be established for the purpose of providing honoraria to invited speakers at the ASABE Annual International Meeting.  An amount of $5 will be taken from each registration transaction and deposited into separate accounts for each of the current 10 Divisions/Institute as designated by each meeting registrant on the registration form.  If a meeting registrant fails to designate a chosen Division/Institute, this $5 amount will be even distributed among all current Divisions/Institute.

 

The Division/Institute Program Chair will be the contact person between each Division/Institute and the Meetings Department Director of ASABE regarding the disbursement of this fund, but each Division/Institute should develop its own procedure for the award of such honoraria.

 

After the conclusion of each Annual International Meeting (starting with the 2007 meeting), ASABE staff will provide each Division/Institute with the current balance of their own Invited Speakers Fund.

 

 

Distributing Brochures - All ASABE members wishing to display brochures at the AIM must obtain approval from Meetings Department staff and display them only in designated areas.

 

Cooperating Society Exhibits - Table top displays or exhibits by cooperating societies will be exhibited in the exhibit area and will be charged an appropriate fee for exhibiting.

 

Annual Meeting CD – It will be continued during the 2006 meeting; membership to be surveyed about CD-Rom at annual meeting.

 

Badge Fees – Standards Council has agreed to pay for their meeting room costs for 2006 AIM. Badge fees will be developed to cover costs of others involved in special events and not attending any AIM activities. The fee will cover all costs associated with events in which they participate.

 

 

The following are factors to be considered before selecting an Annual International Meeting city:

 

1)         The ASABE prior history of potential city for Annual International Meeting.

 

2)         There is an “active” ASABE Section operating within area or select region of North America. There are ASABE members or others in the regional Sections who are willing to assist in program coordination.  Such as volunteers, exhibit space solicitations, local technical tour coordination, etc.

 

3)         There is ample reasonably priced hotel accommodations and meeting room space with in a select number of hotels each within walking distance of primary Annual International Meeting Convention Center facility.

 

4)         There is an international airport with numerous direct North American and international flights. There is convenient and reasonable priced transportation to the Annual International Meeting city for those ASABE members wishing to attend the meeting.

 

5)         There is a convention center or conference facility capable of hosting the Annual International Meeting.

 

6)         Local resources appropriate to the interests of ASABE members, e.g., technical tours opportunities, spouse/guest tours of interest, a special exhibition or events areas.

 

8)         Local financial support available through area convention and visitors bureaus that would assist ASABE lower the overall hard costs associated with the ASABE Annual International Meeting, e.g., for meeting rooms, A/V, receptions, etc.

 

9)         Adequate dining options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner convenient to the conference center.

 

 

 

Conferences

 

All conferences which ASABE either sponsors, co-sponsors, or endorses, must be approved by the Meetings Council. All meetings and conferences which ASABE publicizes must be approved by the Meetings Council Executive Committee. Approval will be based on a written application, which meets all of the requirements of this Policy.

 

Events shall be priced to market and budgeted to be at least financially self-supporting.

 

In establishing locations and dates for conferences, the event organizers shall determine that no conflict occurs with other ASABE events dealing with similar topics. Evaluation of locations should include transportation and ease of accessibility for the anticipated audience as well as past history of success by other groups. ASABE will select regional, national and international locations for conferences, symposiums, seminars and or congresses based on input from each conference committee submitted to the ASABE Meetings Council Executive Committee for approval.

 

 

Sponsor:

ASABE will sponsor any association, agency, organization, government department, industry, individual, manufacturer, or service provider meeting or conference that has interest in ASABE through members, allied or direct vocation, research and projects, products and services, with the Meeting Council approval, and the meeting does not conflict with any ASABE conferences or meetings in content or time of year. ASABE sponsorship implies ASABE has total financial responsibility. ASABE as a sponsor, will list the meeting in our online and published calendar of events. ASABE will also send information out through various available meeting resources or make available to conference organizers ASABE meeting, conference and membership information and expects the same exchange from the organizer. ASABE logo and information listing must appear on all published print and electronic information as a sponsor of this event.

 

Co-Sponsor/Partner:

ASABE co-sponsorship implies a joint financial responsibility with another organization.  In this case, there shall be a clear written agreement of the duties and responsibilities of each responsible party involved. Where ASABE assumes a portion of the financial responsibility for an event, ASABE shall negotiate in writing with the cooperating groups to set fees whereby ASABE's expenses, in relation to its participation, are fully covered. ASABE will co-sponsor as above with exchange of meeting and conference services in lieu of monetary support or will partner with any of the above to facilitate a joint conference/ meeting or parts thereof for a share of labor and surplus revenue if approval by the Meetings Council is granted. ASABE will also co-sponsor or partner, and facilitate the meeting or conference with any of the above for labor and overhead costs plus 15% and/or an equal share of the surplus as deemed by the Meeting Council. ASABE logo and information listing must appear prominently on all published print and electronic information as a co-sponsor or partner of this event. Full exchange of marketing avenues will be required.

 

Endorse:

Endorsement requires the active involvement of ASABE members to the extent of organizing sessions.  This shall not include financial responsibility.  ASABE will endorse, upon agreement of the Meetings Council, any association, organization, company, government department, industry or agency meeting or conference that has similar, overlapping, or allied interests with members, contains ASABE members and the meeting does not conflict with any ASABE conferences or meetings in content or time of year. ASABE as an endorser will list the meeting in our online and published calendar of events. ASABE logo and listing must appear on all published print and electronic information as an endorser of this event.

 

Publicize:

ASABE will publicize with a listing on the ASABE website, upon agreement of the Meetings Council Executive Committee, any association, organization, company, government department, industry or agency meeting or conference that would be of interest to ASABE members and the meeting does not conflict with any ASABE conferences or meetings in content or time of year.

 

 

Application for ASABE Sponsorship, Endorsement or to Publicize

 

1.         The Name of the Conference or Meeting?

 

2.         The Name of the hosting organization?

 

3.         Areas of allied ASABE interests?

 

4.         List several ASABE members/committees or other existing relationships in both organizations?

 

5.         The name, contact and ASABE relationship of submitting person?

 

6.         The Conference or Meeting dates and location?

 

7.         What special considerations, if any, will be extended to ASABE members?

            (i.e. reduced registration fees, discount accommodations, etc.)

 

8.         Other information supporting the benefits to ASABE of endorsement or sponsorship?

 

    

 

 

Council Goals and Metrics

 

The Meetings Council will annually during the fall develop a strategic plan/goals including assessment metrics that support the goals of the society. These goals and progress in meeting the goals will be reported to the Board of Trustees as part of the Council reports.