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OPERATIONS GUIDE IEEE INSTRUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE WELCOME This manual is designed to assist committee chairs in planning and carrying out their responsibilities to make the Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (IMTC) a success. Included are general guidelines, answers to some operational questions and suggested deadline dates for various stages of progress. IMTC is an international technical forum for disseminating and exchanging information concerning the science and application of instrumentation and measurement - accomplished through technical conference sessions, exhibits and publication of conference papers. IMTC - a focused technical conference - is a meeting place where engineers, teachers, scientists, students and others discuss information relative to specific disciplines and areas of interest. The permanent sponsor of the Conference is the IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Society. A Charter sets the policy of the Conference and a Board of Directors is the governing agent, providing provides primary direction, advice and counsel to the Conference Committee. The Society Administrative Committee appoints four members to the Conference Board of Directors. Co sponsors may be the IEEE section in which the Conference is held in a given year. Like the Society, a co sponsor provides advance funds and shares in any surplus (or deficit) proportionate to financial advances. There may also be technical sponsors which publicize the Conference and allow the use of their names by the conference but do not participate financially. Continuity is necessary and there are important rules to observe. However, there is plenty of latitude for change, for updating and for new ideas and techniques. The Conference Committee is a working body and it is important that each member devotes sufficient time to carry out specific assignments. Committee chairs constitute the Conference Committee which plans, schedules, arranges and implements the conference. All chairs must be available during the hours of the Conference. Chairmen must be reachable to answer questions, handle emergencies and generally insure the smooth operation of the conference. Because the conference committee is a team, chairs must be available to fill in for other committees in emergencies and when requested to solve problems and/or relieve a work jam. The Conference Coordinator operates as paid staff, providing support and backup to each chair and maintaining a central office for administrative activities. His specific duties are covered in section 1.0 Introduction under 1.4 Conference Coordinator. Copies of all correspondence relating to the conference should be sent to the Coordinator. The Coordinator is the agent of the Board of Directors and must approve any single commitment of Conference funds of $3,000 or more. Generally, these commitments include hotel and facility contracts, meal guarantees and contracts for special events. The Conference has a permanent web site: https://www.ieee-imtc.org which provides full details on the Conference. Conferences may establish their own web sites but they must be linked to the permanent site to provide continuity and ease of access. For purposes of clarity, the personal pronouns "he," "his"
and "him" are used throughout the manual and carry no gender
implications.
1.1 History A predecessor conference to the IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement
Technology Conference was held annually for 16 years in Ottawa, Ontario,
Canada, and was called the "Electrical and Electronic Measurement
and Test Instrument Conference." The first EEMTIC, as it was known,
took place in 1966 and was dedicated solely to test instruments and measurement.
Its purpose was broadened in later years to cover the science and application
of instrumentation and measurement. The conference was not held in 1982
and 1983 and the Instrumentation and Measurement Society voted to revive
the event and to select new conference sites for each year. The name,
Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (IMTC) appeared
for the first time in 1984 in Long Beach, California. Conference planning should begin three years prior to the date of the Conference - actually, the Conference begins its official existence when the IMTC Board of Directors approves a conference proposal. The Board of Directors generally meets twice a year, at IMTC in the spring and in connection with the Society Administrative Committee meeting in the fall, either at AUTOTESTCON, another Society- sponsored conference, or alternate location. Proposals for hosting IMTC are considered by the Board at these meetings. IEEE members seeking to host an IMTC initiate a invitation proposal (see sample proposal) .The invitation proposal is submitted to the Conference Coordinator for distribution to the Board and its inclusion in the agenda for the next meeting of the Board. The inviting group will be notified when the proposal is scheduled for Board consideration. It is recommended that a representative attend the Board meeting to make a presentation in person and answer questions. As a minimum, the proposal should include the Conference theme and the following three elements. a. Conference Arrangements - The time and place for the conference must be proposed and shall not conflict with any other conference sponsored by I&M or with any secular or religious holiday. The Conference Coordinator participates in arranging dates and site selection. b. Organization - Key members of the conference organization should be identified, along with their commitments to support the conference and resumes of their experience with previous conferences. Important members of the committee, identified as a minimum, are the Conference Chairman Technical Program Chairman, Finance Chairman and Arrangements Chairman. If the conference committee plans exhibits, it should outline a strategy and identify potential exhibitors. c. Financial Budget - The financial budget should be prepared using the Financial Report and Working Sheet Forms cited in the IEEE Conference Planning Guide. Important aspects of the financial budget are the fee schedule (set by the IMTC Board of Directors), the expected number of registrations and anticipated income from other sources (e.g., tutorials, exhibits). A budget of expenses must be provided. The budget should plan for a fixed financial surplus of 20 to 25 percent of total expenses. The I&M Society and a local Section co-sponsor enter into a Memorandum of Agreement that spells out specific responsibilities of and benefits to both parties. The letter is the cornerstone of the Society-Section partnership in the specific IMTC conference.. ( A representative Conference timeline of key events is a guidepost for planning. Individual conference schedules vary in detail but most will include at least the actions shown. 1.4 Conference Coordinator The Conference Coordinator is paid a retainer fee.. The Society loans funds for the Conference share of the fee with repayment after the Conference. The conference database is maintained in his office, as is the Conference bank account. He acts as liaison with IEEE Headquarters and I&M Society leadership and when appropriate with the local section co-hosting the conference. The Coordinator helps organize and produce IMTC and answers to the IMTC Board of Directors. His office works with all committees in helping carry out their responsibilities. Although he reports to the Conference Chair, he is available to all members of the Conference Committee as needed. He also serves as the executive agent of the Board of Directors and the representative of the I&M Society AdCom. The Conference Coordinator's office is the administrative office of the Conference. It monitors all Conference activities, maintaining a checklist of actions scheduled, under way and completed. The Coordinator maintains software programs specifically developed to handle IMTC finances, registration, mailing lists, CD proceedings production and program production. All registration, financial, technical program and mailing list data flow through the Coordinator as part of the corporate memory of IMTC which he maintains. He is responsible for filing with IEEE the Conference Information, Conference Publications, and Insurance Application forms and budget along with an Insurance application. Several foundations and private organizations may provide travel funds for qualified persons to attend conferences. Most candidates for these funds are from Eastern Europe or developing countries and do not have the financial resources to travel on their own. The Coordinator serves as the contact between these funding sources and the Conference. The IMTC Board of Directors is required under the Conference Charter to approve in advance any major commitment of funds; "major" in this case is generally considered any expense commitment exceeding $3,000. The Board has delegated this approval process to the Conference Coordinator and he must be consulted before contracts covering all printing, hotel/facilities and exhibit decorating services are signed. He must be included in decisions relating to meal guarantees during the conference. 1.5 Coordinator Activities The Coordinator provides the following basic support to committee chairs: Conference Chairman - Advises on policy, organization and timing, acts as liaison with IEEE Headquarters and I&M Society, maintains corporate and historical files, coordinates travel grants and other support from foundations and organizations; prepares and submits conference information schedule, interfaces with conference facility and participates in development of conference theme ,logo and support materials. Vice Chairman - Provides background information and logistical support for selected speakers. Technical Program - Assists in preparation and distribution of call for papers, manages the web-based papers program, provides bi-weekly updates to the webmaster to keep authors and attendees advised of the status of the program, monitors registrations and payments by authors assists with the review process and maintains a database of reviewer scores and comments to author and technical chars, insures requirements for IEEE-mandated Xplore compatible formats are met, prepares and posts on the web author kits and accept and reject notices, collects manuscripts submitted for Proceedings and serves as principal communication source for authors, maintains checklist of materials received and posts on the web and provides Xplore disk to IEEE.. Exhibits - When exhibits are included, he provides application forms and contracts for exhibiting companies, assists in selecting and negotiating with an exhibit contractor and establishing move-in, move-out hours and other regulations and helps in exhibit floor layout as requested. Tutorials - Participates in publicizing the tutorial program and developing registration form. Collects registration fees and produces receipts and certificates of attendance. Arrangements - Identifies specific needs for session and poster rooms, banquet space, plenary hall, exhibits area, signs, committee meeting rooms and sleeping accommodations and aids in selection of hotel/facility and negotiating contacts. Works with local committee to select attendees bags, if any, and features of social events, including evening reception and banquet/gala and companion tours. Submits to Conference Coordinator all contracts which involve a commitment of funds exceeding $3,000. Registration - Develops author and attendee forms with fees set by the IMTC Board of Directors. Collects all advance registrations and enters in database, processing funding by check, bank transfer and credit cards. Operates registration desk on site and coordinates on site signups, badges, all tickets and receipts and certificates of participation. Finance - Helps in developing budget files, initial and interim, manages Conference bank account, reconciles account and handles receivables and payables, providing regular reports to the Finance Chairman. Obtains insurance coverage. Contacts I&M Society and local section for seed money advance loans and handles return of seed money and payment of surplus. Participates in final financial reporting and prepares and submits materials for audit. Assures that an accrual-based financial report is submitted to IEEE by November 30 of the Conference year and final financial report is submitted for audit within one year after the Conference. Failure to close conference books within one year will result in financial penalties assessed against the Conference by IEEE. Awards - Develops certificates of participation and attendance when specified and responds to individual requests for such material. Obtains specified plaques and monetary prizes for I&M Society awards.. Publicity - Prepares and distributes news releases and articles for I&M
Magazine and local section newsletters, as well as any local media materials
as needed. Supervises distribution of call for papers and advance program
via the web. Helps coordinate any attendance promotion efforts. Publications - Works with the Technical Program Chairman and the Webmaster in preparing and supervising the advance program, the Conference Proceedings and the Conference program in short, all materials required for the conference. With the Technical Program Chairman, makes certain papers are received in time to be included in the Proceedings. Signed copyright forms are required from authors to publish their papers. Advises authors that any required clearance by a company must be obtained by the individual author(s). Only accepted papers and presented may be included in the Conference Proceedings. Conference Proceedings are provided at registration to each paid registrant and additional copies are available for purchase during the Conference. Specified numbers of CD ROM proceedings are sent to the IEEE TAB Products for resale after the Conference. IEEE TAB pays for these copies according to an established formula based on $25 per paper or a minimum of $1,000. Normally these proceedings are shipped directly from the manufacturer to a designated IEEE location. The Program Chairman and the Coordinator establish deadlines for receipt of papers and assure proper preparation of papers as outlined in the author kits. The Coordinator establishes a timetable with the printer consistent with the overall conference schedule. This schedule includes key dates for receipt of manuscripts, confirmation of Xplore compatibility, setup and final production. The Chairman consults with the Arrangements Chairman and the Exhibits Chairman to make certain places and times are correct and listings of exhibitors appear in the Conference Proceedings and the advance and final programs. He obtains from IEEE Headquarters the pertinent IEEE catalog and ISBN registration numbers. This information is available from the IEEE Acquisitions Administrator. The Publications Chair teams with the Coordinator in producing the Proceedings.
There are certain requirements that must be met. The official name of the conference is the IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference and IEEE must be prominently displayed in all Conference materials. The IEEE logo must appear on the cover and title page of the Conference Proceedings, and in the Advance Program, final program and Call for Papers. Electronic copies of the logo are available from the Conference Coordinator. Instructions on how to use the IEEE logo and suggestions for layout, cover and binding can be found on the web at https://www.ieee.org/organizations/tab/ click on Conference Organizers and IEEE Master Brand. The Advance Program is posted on the IMTC web page approximately four months before the conference. The program contains a preliminary listing of sessions and accepted papers, Conference technical and social events, features of the conference site and city and other pertinent information. 1.6 Final Program The final or at-door program is distributed to attendees at the Conference
and contains a final program schedule, room assignments, list of exhibitors
(if included) and information on the keynote address, social activities
and any special events. It is not necessary to include registration forms
or hotel reservation applications or "how to get to the Conference"
information. Messages from the Conference Chairman and Program Chairman
are included in the Proceedings and need not be a part of the final program.
Sufficient copies of the program are printed to supply all attendees and
exhibitors. 2.0 CONFERENCE COMMITTEE 2.1 Composition The Conference Committee is composed of the chairmen of all committees - Conference Chairman, Vice Chairman, Technical Program Committee, Exhibits, Arrangements, Registration Finance, Awards, Webmaster and Coordinator. The Committee, which exists under the authority of the IMTC Board of Directors, is the Conference operating and steering authority and is responsible for the staging of all aspects of the Conference. Through the Conference Chairman, it reports to the IMTC Board of Directors. Members of the Conference Committee must be IEEE member and should be members of the Instrumentation and Measurement Society.
3.0 CONFERENCE CHAIRMAN 3.1 The Chairman's Role The Conference Chairman, under the authority of the Board of Directors, is responsible for all activities and operations concerning IMTC. His assignment is to select and supervise all committee chairs and to monitor their activities to assure events progress in a satisfactory manner. He presides at committee meetings and is responsible for their scheduling and execution. He is the chief operating officer of the Conference, reporting to the IMTC Board of Directors. The Chairman may recommend to the Board of Directors and, indirectly, the AdCom potential cosponsoring organizations (e.g., local IEEE section, other IEEE society) or potential "participating societies" (e.g., American Institute of Chemical Engineers, IMEKO, National Conference for Standards Laboratories, a university or university department, IEEE of Japan, AEI). Criteria for participation include utilization of participating organization's mailing lists, participation in planning and preparation and prestige. Participants must be noted in publicity, publications, programs and any other public documents. The Conference Chairman will ask each participating organization to appoint a representative to attend Conference Committee meetings and take part in pre Conference activities. 3.2 Chairman's Duties He is a contact point with the IMTC Board of Directors. Duties include scheduling Conference Committee meetings, developing meeting agendas and chairing meetings. He often is the contact with keynote, luncheon and/or banquet speakers and is responsible for invitations to such individuals. He also is responsible for providing backup speakers in the event scheduled speakers drop out - or ensuring that key speakers provide a replacement if they can't appear. He is responsible with the Conference Coordinator for filing the Conference Information Schedule with IEEE Conference Services. This form must be received by IEEE before advance funding seed money can be released. The Conference Chairman, Finance Chairman and Conference Coordinator will oversee the return of seed money, distribution of surplus monies, and filing of the final report. The Conference bank account should be closed. A preliminary financial report is to be issued within three months after the Conference and an accrual-based report must be submitted to IEEE by November 30 of the Conference year. An audited final report will be completed as soon as all financial obligations are settled and will be submitted to the Board of Directors, sponsors and IEEE headquarters. Final reports and audits not completed within one year of the conference close will result in financial penalties leveled against the conference by IEEE. A professional auditor is required by IEEE for all conferences with receipts exceeding $100,000. Auditing services are available from IEEE itself or an independent professional may be selected. Selection of an auditor is subject to approval of the IMTC Board of Directors. IMPORTANT - For attendees residing in countries outside the conference country, They must be reminded to apply as early as possible for visas - in some countries the process takes up to two months. With heightened security around the world, nearly all nations are beginning to require visas. The Conference Coordinator can notify affected attendees as soon as their registrations are received, in the case of authors when their papers are accepted. The Coordinator handles all invitations to attend the conference when it is in the United States. The Conference Chairman of non-USA conferences must prepare and sign invitation/visa letters.
4.1 Relationship to Chairman He is the second in command and acts as the Chairman in the absence of
the Conference Chairman. He assists the Chairman in his responsibilities
and handles specific assignments as requested by the Chairman. The Vice Chairman coordinates publicity and attendance promotion efforts so that they work in concert to attract the largest possible attendance. 4.3 Specific Responsibilities He arranges for keynote and any other special speakers and lines up accommodations where needed (if appropriate and necessary, the Conference bears travel and hotel expenses only for keynote and featured speakers). He supervises the physical setup for special speaker presentations (including audio visual). ln this latter context, he consults with the Arrangements Chairman. He is responsible for selecting an appropriate memento for the keynote speaker. The Vice Chairman coordinates seating and other special arrangements for head tables at keynote, luncheon and banquet events. He selects any entertainment featured at the banquet or other activity. If the Conference Committee does not have an Awards Chairman, the Vice Chairman assumes those duties.
5.0 TECHNICAL PROGRAM CHAIRMAN 5.1 Overall Responsibilities The program is the heart of the Conference and must be of the greatest possible technical and educational value to the instrumentation and measurement community. It must be comprehensive and balanced between papers from industry and academia. The program includes both oral presentations and poster sessions. The Program Chairman, in conjunction with the Technical Committee, chooses the theme for the Conference and organizes the technical sessions. He provides the necessary program information for the call for papers, advance program and Conference Proceedings and advises the Arrangements Chairman of facilities needed for the sessions. The Chairman has the right of final selection of all papers. He exchanges with the Coordinator regular reports on all abstracts, authors and their affiliations, status in the evaluation cycle, author notifications, final papers received and session assignments. The Chairman cooperates with the Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement in facilitating the publication of a special issue of the Transactions. He makes sure that session chairs complete author evaluation/attendance reports and notifies the Conference Coordinator and Transactions Editor of papers not presented and therefore ineligible for the special IMTC issue. The Chairman will contact all session chairmen, assist them with author/speakers, and work with the Conference Chairman in coordinating technical sessions with keynote and luncheon speakers and with tutorial sessions, if any. He will determine, consulting with the Conference Committee, if papers will be invited, secured through a call for papers or both. He will work with the Conference Coordinator and the Webmaster in posting the Call for Papers on the Conference web page and will publicize it within the instrumentation and measurement community. The Program Chairman will assign reviewers to each abstract. Reviews are returned to the Conference Coordinator and tabulated. The Program Chairman and the Technical Committee will select papers and place them in sessions. An Advance Program will be posted on the web. The Chairman will select session chairs or moderators who are well known, knowledgeable in their respective fields and who will help attract an audience. The Chairman is responsible for briefing session chairs on their responsibilities and to encourage active participation in session development. A guide to session chairmen is an effective companion to a letter confirming a chairman's appointment 5.2 Call for Papers The Call for Papers should emphasize the theme of the Conference and the suggested topic areas (see below). All communications to prospective author/speakers (unsolicited or invited) must direct authors to the web and author kit and must note that paper publication is subject to receipt of a full fee registration from one author. The Call for Papers must include the following: The deadline for abstracts should be sufficiently in advance of the Conference to allow ample time for review. Submissions should be acknowledged by e-mail with assignment of a paper number as they are received (the web will list the paper numbers and later accepted papers only will be listed by number to avoid any embarrassment to authors). The Program Chairman must prepare a clear and realistic schedule to allow time for writing, review, corrections and printing. All authors must receive acceptance or rejection notifications no later than the date stated in the call for papers. 5.3 Selection of Papers The Program Chairman and his committee will determine which papers are suitable for presentation at the Conference and for publication in the Conference Proceedings. Accepted papers are listed by number on the website. Manufacturing of the proceedings in CD ROM format begins about one month before IMTC and all papers should be in hand at least one month prior to printing deadline. The author kit contains early deadline dates for the Proceedings - many authors submit papers later than the published deadline so an early date is recommended to overcome widespread tardiness. Authors are advised their papers will not be included if their material is not received in time. The IEEE Xplore program is the worldwide dissemination of Conference Proceedings to subscribers. Xplore compatibility requires certain pdf settings and a separate production CD in a different formal than the Conference CD. The Conference Coordinator is responsible for Xplore compatibility which requires submission of final papers in Postscript. The author kit containing Instructions to authors for preparing papers is posted on the IMTC web To assure author attendance and avoid no shows, the IMTC Board of Directors requires that all authors/speakers pay the Conference registration fee in advance of the Conference Proceedings deadline in order for their papers to be published in the Proceedings. Papers will not be included unless material is submitted in electronic format with copyright form and full registration form and fees. In addition, policy mandates that a full registration fee must be connected to each paper presented, even if authored and presented by a student, Life Member or other special category of member. In such cases, a student or other category member must pay a full registration. In addition, an author with a full fee registration and who presents more than two papers and does not have co-authors registered must pay a $50 surcharge for each additional paper. A list of no-show authors is maintained by the Coordinator and is made available to future program committees and the Transactions Editor. No-show authors are those whose papers have been accepted but who have failed to appear at the Conference and have not presented an acceptable excuse in advance. A second no-pay list includes authors who have papers published with a guarantee of payment but fail to pay registration fees. Session chairmen should contact authors in advance of the conference to assure they will be present and advising them of audio visual provided. Unless otherwise specified, A V equipment is limited to a computer-controlled (LCD) projector and screen, lavaliere or podium microphones and pointers. Additional equipment may be ordered at the option - and expense - of the individual author. All session chairmen and authors are required to report to their assigned session room at least 10 minutes before the scheduled start of the session for any last-minute information. 5.4 Program Content The objective of the conference is to give the widest exposure to subjects
and authors in the instrumentation and measurement community. Thus, these
general ground rules should be followed whenever possible (it is understood
that some topics are the expertise of only one or two organizations and
exceptions from the following rules can be made in such instances):
Generally, oral sessions are programmed to last approximately two hours. Each paper typically is allotted a total of 25 minutes; 20 minutes for presentation and five minutes for questions. Therefore, four to five papers can be planned for each session. Session chairs are responsible for limiting speakers to their allotted time and encouraging discussion. Invariably, some selected papers will not materialize. To reduce the risk of a shortage of papers in a session, an extra paper often may be selected with the understanding that paper may be moved to a poster session. A paper by an author on a past no-show list should be placed at the end of a session. 5.6 Poster Sessions Papers which require special handling are placed into poster sessions in which authors explain their work to small groups or one-on-one. Papers are posted on bulletin boards - hence the name - and authors meet with attendees in front of the bulletin boards. Poster sessions carry the same technical weight as oral sessions and no differentiation is made in the Proceedings or program. Papers are published in the Proceedings and eligible for the special issue of the Transactions. It is merely a different mode of presentation than oral sessions and one that appears to be growing in popularity. The precise size of poster board space must be included in the author kit on the web. The information is treated as critical by poster authors. 5.7 Conference Program Multiple Tracks - IMTC generally hosts four or five tracks which accommodate a total of 4 to 6 papers in each regular session and 35 to 50 poster papers in each poster session. The opening session of the conference is a single, or plenary, session setting the tone of IMTC and featuring a prominent authority in instrumentation and measurement presents new or far-reaching information of general interest. Panels Panels offer a change of pace from the more structured presentation of papers and can be effective for a subject of timely interest if the panelists are provocative communicators. Panels generate discussions and controversy and add contrast to technical paper sessions. Tutorials - Applications-oriented workshops can provide excellent background and new developments in a subject. Increasingly, tutorials are presented as special-fee half-day meetings the day prior to the formal conference and not included in the conference program. 5.8 Special Issue of the Transactions Production and publication of accepted and presented papers in a special IMTC issue are coordinated with the Editor of the Transactions and, where specified, a Guest Editor. 6.1 General Responsibilities The heavy academic flavor of IMTC does not attract a large exhibits following but rather publishers and software houses and instrumentation and measurement companies introducing new concepts or seeking assessments of new applications. If a conference elects to include exhibits, the nature of the displays and the academic tenor must be made known to potential exhibitors. The Exhibits Chairman should be knowledgeable about the technical aspects of the Conference and should be familiar with companies which are in a position to support the conference. He is responsible for selecting the exhibits area, establishing exhibiting rules and regulations, selling exhibit space, assisting in setting up exhibits and supervising exhibit activities. There are two types of exhibits booth: 1. A standard 10x10-foot area with back and side drapes and power and 2. A special 6x8-foot display for literature; the display booth does not have electrical power. A detailed budget will list the price of each booth space and estimate the number of booths that may be sold. lt should indicate the cost of the gross exhibition area and facilities, the cost of electrical power, decorator service, signs, drayage and warehouse services, security guards, insurance and the cost of sales (promotion, printing, mailing, telephone and fax calls). The budget also will include the cost of one full Conference registration per exhibiting organization. Exhibiting at IMTC is covered by contract and is limited to instrumentation and measurement products and services, including publishing in the areas of instrumentation and measurement and related applications. IMTC excludes exhibiting companies and organizations in other industries. Each exhibiting organization is entitled to one full Conference registration, including proceedings, admission to technical sessions, luncheons and social events. Extra proceedings and tickets to luncheons and social events may be purchased by other exhibits personnel. If approved by the Conference Committee, additional exhibits-only tickets may be made available to exhibitors in advance to invite customers and prospects to attend. 6.2 Application and Layout The Exhibits Chairman obtains the exhibits application and rules and
regulations contract from the Conference Coordinator and recommends any
changes to fit the conference site. In 6.3 Setup and Teardown The Exhibits Chairman is available throughout setup to handle any problems that may arise during that time. Exhibits personnel receive badges at the Conference Registration Desk.
7.0 TUTORIAL CHAIRMAN 7.1 Role of Tutorials Applications workshops featuring state-of-the-art information on instrumentation and measurement technology offer another dimension to IMTC activities. Tutorials usually are presented the day prior to the formal opening of the Conference to avoid any conflict with IMTC sessions. 7.2 Partnership with Conference The Tutorial Chair man works closely with the Program Chairman in selecting tutorial topics that complement and can enhance the Conference program. Subjects are selected to further knowledge of issues that will be discussed in detail at IMTC. The Tutorial Chairman contacts selected tutorial developers for outlines of what the courses will cover and what will be involved in the presentations. He relays this information to the Program Chairman and Coordinator. The tutorials are publicized as an integral part of the conference and are listed on the web page and Advance and At-Door Programs.
8.0 ARRANGEMENTS CHAIRMAN 8.1 Overview The Arrangements Chairman has responsibility for recommending appropriate
hotels, arranging and Contract negotiations with the Conference facility may be conducted by an independent site selection firm experienced in arranging IMTC conferences or by the office of the Conference Coordinator. If a site selection firm is used, it must be paid by the facility so there is no financial impact on IMTC. All contracts are approved by the Arrangements Chairman, the Coordinator and by IEEE Conference Services before signing. A final version of the contract must be submitted to Vita Feuerstein at IEEE Conference Services (v.feuerstein@ieee.org). Remember, the IMTC Board of Directors must approve in advance any commitment of funds exceeding $3,000. The Conference Coordinator has been authorized by the Board to act as its agent in this process and he must be consulted before major commitment of funds is made. These commitments include, but are not limited to, hotel/facility contracts, social and special events. In most cases, hotel meeting room rental fees are based on the number
of sleeping room nights recorded and fees are reduced or waived if certain
levels are achieved. These levels must be stated lower than anticipated.
A general rule: Meal guarantees should be based on a rate of 85 percent
of Conference registrants the first day, 75 percent the second day and
50 percent the third day. 8.2 Support of Technical Program Working with the Program Chairman and the Tutorials Chairman, the Arrangements
Chairman determines at least one month in advance the needs of the various
speakers for audio visual or other equipment. This can include lavaliere
or podium microphones, lecterns, laser pointers, blackboards and screens.
The Instrumentation and Measurement Society owns four LCD computer-powered
projectors and they are available as needed to IMTC. The committee should
be prepared to provide a laptop computer for every LCD. The Chairman should
make certain there are pads, pencils, water and glasses in the session
rooms. Whenever possible, session rooms should be set classroom style.
He arranges for signs - at the registration desk, the entrance(s) to the
exhibit area, at the door to session rooms and where other directional
indications are needed (the number of signs is determined by the Arrangements
Chair in consultation with pertinent chairs - a representative checklist
of signs is contained in Figure 14). Signs should be determined 30 days
in advance to avoid at-conference confusion and extra work in a time-critical
period. Even with careful planning, there are last-minute changes and
a sign-making computer program should be available to handle these emergencies.
He makes certain the conference is listed on the hotel or facility meeting
board and outside marquee for the day(s) and checks their accuracy each
morning. lt is difficult to estimate beforehand which sessions will have the greater attendance. Try to select facilities offering some flexibility in meeting room size. It a real advantage to be able to expand a room set for 50 people to accommodate 75 - or to pull off the reverse. 8.3 Sleeping Rooms In the US, a block of sleeping rooms must be booked in the Conference headquarters hotel to accommodate out of-town attendees Be careful to not obligate the Conference in a contract for more hotel rooms than IMTC history indicates are needed as such action could have a negative financial impact if the room count falls short. The growth of on-line hotel reservation services has had an effect on the number of sleeping rooms used at the headquarters hotel. Lower rates can draw conference attendees away from the main hotel. It is strongly recommended that an agreement be sought with the hotel to review reservations prior to the Conference as some Conference attendees may book rooms without advising they will attend IMTC. It is suggested to book a small number of overflow rooms in a nearby hotel (or have an arrangement with the headquarters hotel for overflow) in the event of a larger-than-anticipated crowd. It is helpful to identify a nearby low-rate hotel or motel to accommodate attendees from developing nations who cannot afford conference hotel rates - this facility is not advertised but information is provided on request. Normally, unreserved sleeping rooms are held until 30 days before the conference and then are released to the general public. Attendees attempting to reserve rooms after that date are handled on a first-come basis. ln a special category are members of the IMTC Conference Committee, the I&M AdCom, top IEEE officials and the keynote speaker. The Arrangements Chairman supplies names of these people to the hotel so they can be placed on a VIP list to be assured upgraded accommodations. 8.4 Social Functions Social functions require the Arrangements Chairman to schedule luncheons and receptions and pick the menu and deal with tickets to functions - it is critical to collect meal tickets from attendees during meal functions as they can be used to verify served meal count. Most hotels require a guarantee two to three days in advance of the number of meals to be served try for a 48 hour notice for guarantees but settle for no more than 72 hours. Guarantee on a conservative basis; the hotel prepares for 5 percent more than the guarantee. Remember, attendance drops after the first day and be aware some attendees skip meal functions altogether. There is no foolproof rule of thumb, although many meeting planners guarantee 85 percent of total registrations the first day, 75 percent the second and 50 percent the third. 8.5 Operational Support The Arrangements Chairman meets with hotel convention services, sales
and catering personnel prior to the Conference to review banquet event
orders and to advise of special circumstances, including Hotels usually have business centers with facilities for photocopies, fax, computer printer and modem availability for e-mail. If the Conference hotel does not have modem e-mail ports or wireless capability in sleeping rooms, the committee should arrange a bank of computers near the registration area as an "e-mail station." The Arrangements Chairman assists the Exhibits Chairman with layout of the exhibit hall, power, tables, drapes and other needs. He arranges for coffee service at the morning break and a coffee and soft drink break at mid afternoon - and he makes certain there are sufficient refreshments for all on hand. (Coffee breaks generally are paid for by the conference, although the Exhibits Chairman should invite exhibitors to host a coffee break - and receive appropriate recognition.) Working with the Coordinator, the Arrangements Chairman handles arrangements for any related non conference meetings, such as the IMTC Board of Directors, Society AdCom, technical committees or special project groups. The Conference Coordinator is the source for meeting information regarding the IMTC Board of Directors and Society AdCom. Technical committees should be contacted via the Society Technical and Standards Chairman in advance to determine any meeting needs. It is advisable to have several spare meeting rooms to accommodate technical and other committees of the I&M Society which may hold meetings in connection with IMTC - and in many cases these groups ask for meeting space at the "last minute."
9.0 REGISTRATION CHAIRMAN 9.1 General Information The Registration Chairman supervises at-door registrations, oversees the sale of banquet and meal tickets, additional CD ROM copies of the Conference Proceedings and any special packages such as social and spouses' tours (hotels, chamber of commerce and tourist bureaus can provide information on such packages). He teams with the Conference Coordinator who collects advance registrations, processes fees and manages the registration process. Full registration includes admission to all technical sessions and the exhibits, if any, one copy of the Conference Proceedings and tickets for conference sponsored luncheons and banquets. Life Member and student registrations include admission to all technical sessions and a Conference Proceedings Registration fees are set by the IMTC Board of Directors. IEEE requires that there will be two levels of registrations - IEEE members (IEEE member rates are extended to co-sponsoring or participating organizations), plus a relatively small number of students and IEEE Life Members entitled to lower registration rates, and non-members. The differential for non-members is equal to basic IEEE annual dues. Advance registrations in all categories are 20-to-25 percent lower than late registrations. Cutoff date for advance registrations usually is six weeks before to the Conference. Categories include member advance, member at-door, non-member advance, non-member at-door, student/Life Member advance, student/Life Member at-door. IMTC policy requires that there be a full fee registration connected to every paper presented at the conference. If a student or Life Member is the only author of a paper attending, he will be required to pay full registration. Student/Life Member rates are allowed when there is a co-author present who has paid full registration. Authors presenting more than two papers without a co-author registered are required to pay a surcharge of $50 for each additional paper. The Registration Chairman and the Coordinator will determine if attendees will receive registration bags. Attendees receive badges, holders, conference receipt, certificate of participation and banquet and luncheon tickets with the Conference Proceedings and tourist material from the host city or its tourist agency. Registration prepares packages for VIP attendees and, if pertinent, secures "exhibits only" credentials for guests invited by exhibitors. The Registration Chairman oversees an apparatus set up by the Arrangements Chairman to track Conference registrations relating to hotel reservations. Many hotels will provide names of Conference reservations; this is the most effective means of monitoring progress. The Registration Chairman arranges for personnel to load registration packages before the conference and support at-door registration. He assures there are sufficient chairs and tables, signs, computers/printers, pens, registration cards, etc. He arranges the use of a hotel safe deposit box for cash and financial records received. It is a nice touch to have a sign and a container at registration asking attendees not planning to use luncheon or banquet tickets to donate them for use by students. 9.2 Registration Desk The registration desk is manned throughout the Conference by the Conference Coordinator, Registration Chairman and personnel to accommodate at-door registration. There should be two PC-compatible computers and two printers. The desk should open at 3 p.m. the day before the Conference (or the tutorials if they precede the Conference) and remain open until 7 p.m. The first day of the Conference registration should open at 7 a.m. lt should be open all day the first two days of the Conference and until noon of the final day (the registration area also serves as an information center. The desk is manned by two or three persons (it may be desirable to increase the number of people manning registration desks during the peak registration periods to move attendees through the process promptly - it creates an excellent impression). A space is maintained for pre registrations where attendees pick up their prepared materials and a Conference Proceedings. Registration carries out the following: 9.3 Registration Form Two registration forms - author and attendee - are posted on the web. The attendee form includes reduced fees for students and life members, the author registration does not. These forms may be downloaded and submitted by mail, fax or e-mail. The form varies little from year to year with changes essentially in fees and the location, dates and special activities. This allows consistency and continuity and ease of handling. 9.4 Handling Funds Arrange to deposit cash, checks and credit card slips in a safe deposit box provided by the hotel. The Registration Chairman should be available at all times to answer questions and handle emergencies. Approval of the Registration Chairman is required for issuance of complimentary passes for the working press, furnished upon presentation of credentials. After the conference, the Conference Coordinator prepares a list of attendees and their full addresses, phones, faxes and e-mail addresses. Copies are furnished to the Conference Chairman for his final report and to next year's Registration Chair. Upon request, a copy may be given to an exhibitor. 9.5 Supplemental Tours and Activities The Registration Chairman is responsible for non-conference social activities.
Tours, shopping guidance and other programs are available through the
hotel concierge, a local tourist bureau or a commercial company - and
an announcement of availability should be made well enough in advance
so an appropriate paragraph may be included in the advance program and
other announcements. A guiding principle: All tours and social functions
should be self sustaining. The Registration Chair should have a menu of
activities to help visitors make arrangements to take part on an individual
or group basis. 10.1 General Information The Finance Chairman is the chief financial officer and controller. He teams with the Coordinator who maintains the Conference bank account and has in place a system for safeguarding and accounting of all funds received prior to the Conference from pre registrations, exhibits fees, tutorials and advances from sponsors and for monies received during the conference from registration fees and ticket sales. With the Coordinator, he submits mid-course budget figures to IEEE. He is responsible for a quarterly financial report and updating budgets and compiling a final financial accounting. He and the Conference Coordinator are responsible for submitting an accrual-based financial report to IEEE by November 30 of the Conference year. An Excel spreadsheet has been developed to calculate the IMTC budget based on attendance projections, function costs and fees. The spreadsheet program is available from the Conference Coordinator. "Seed" money will be needed to meet conference expenses before registration and, if applicable, exhibits funds become available. Advance funds are provided by the I&M Society and the host IEEE section. The total amount of these advance funds is $10,000 with each sponsor in most cases participating equally. The Finance Chairman, with the Conference Coordinator, must request these funds through the Treasurer of the Society and any co-sponsor. Advance funding should be returned to the sponsors as soon after the conference as possible. The Finance Chairman and the Coordinator will develop a budget to indicate all anticipated receipts and expenditures (to be approved by the Conference Committee) and will provide that budget to the sponsor and co sponsors.. Budgets will be updated annually and submitted to the IMTC Board of Directors and IEEE. The conference will budget for a surplus 20 to 35 percent of expenses. 10.2 Bank Account The Finance Chairman will work with the Conference Coordinator to handle funds received and to disburse payments. The Finance Chairman, the Conference Chairman, the Conference Coordinator and an executive from IEEE Headquarters are empowered to sign checks normally, amounts under $1,000 will be signed by the Finance Chair or Conference Coordinator alone. Checks exceeding that amount will be signed by the Finance Chair and Conference Chair. The IEEE executive should sign checks only in an emergency. All income and expenses are coded according to a Chart of Accounts Financial records carry the Uniform Employer Identification Number assigned to IEEE conferences by the IRS - 13 1656633. 10.3 Insurance The Finance Chairman and the Conference Coordinator are responsible for
insurance coverage The IEEE requires that a Conference must obtain in advance a certificate of insurance from a company providing buses for tours or other transportation activities. The certificate must specify the liability and property damage coverage provided by the company and must name IEEE as an additional insured. The certificate is to be filed with the IEEE insurance office. A Conference may not charter a boats in the name of IEEE as IEEE liability insurance does not apply to boats. If such transportation is needed, arrange for the carrier to sell the Conference individual passenger tickets - it is merely a coincidence that every passenger on a particular boat ride is attending the same Conference. If ticket transportation cannot be arranged, the Conference must secure a certificate of insurance from the carrier naming IEEE as an additional insured with a minimum coverage of $1 million. IEEE recommends caution in such charter arrangements because of the potential liability. Airplane travel as part of a conference event is not authorized. 10.4 State Tax Exemption Some states of the United States allow sales tax exemptions for IEEE conferences. If IMTC is held in a state where an exemption is allowed, the Finance Chair must provide the conference facility and other suppliers with a sales tax exemption certificate. 10.5 Payment of Bills Bills should be approved by authorized committee chairs and forwarded to the Finance Chairman and approval and then to the Conference Coordinator for payment. While every effort must be made to stay within the budget, the Finance Chairman may approve any bill authorized by the appropriate chairman which does not exceed a committee's specific budget by more than 10 percent (larger excesses must be approved by the Conference Chairman and in certain cases, the IMTC Board of Directors)). 11.6 Refunds The Finance Chairman, Conference Chairman, Exhibits Chairman and Registration Chairman will recommend a policy for registration refunds (but only after a credit card transactions is approved by the issuing agency or a check clears the bank) for approval by the Conference Committee. Refunds can be held to a minimum if a cut off date for refund requests is publicized in appropriate promotional literature. Requests for refunds after the deadline date will not be honored. Refunds should be avoided if possible but a recommended policy is 100 per cent refund 100 or more days before the conference, 75 percent 75 days before and 50 percent between 30 and 50 days. Fewer than 30 days no refunds are authorized except in documented medical or family emergencies. 10.7 Independent Contractors and Award Recipients If a conference hires an independent contractor to fulfill specific tasks
or presents a cash award exceeding $600, payment must be reported to the
IRS on Form W-8 (non-US resident) or W-9 (US resident). This covers payments
to individuals or unincorporated businesses for rents, services (including
parts and materials) prizes and awards. Such payments are considered taxable
income to the recipient and are required by law to be reported. Each conference
making such payments must provide a list to the IEEE Accounts Payable
Department by January 10 of the year following payment. The IEEE Accounts
Payable Department will file all the necessary 1099s on behalf of the
Institute. Types of payments to be reported: 10.8 Reports and Audits A preliminary financial report will be filed within three months, an accrual based account by November 30 of the conference year and a final audited report will be submitted to the Board of Directors, sponsors and IEEE headquarters as soon as possible thereafter, but realistically six months to a year after the conference. The report shall give a clear picture of the number of registrants, the fees they paid, the number of tickets sold for social events and detailed information about expenditures. Conferences must issue final reports and close all books within one year or financial penalties will be assessed by IEEE; additional penalties will be imposed if closing is delayed. All IEEE conferences with receipts exceeding $100,000, and IMTC meets this specification, are subject to a professional audit. IEEE offers auditing services for a reasonable fee or an outside independent professional may be used. Auditor selection is subject to approval of the IMTC Board of Directors or the Conference Coordinator. 11.1 Awards Process The Awards Chairman will coordinate with the Society awards committee the conferring of any Society awards and will provide assistance in obtaining mention in the Conference program and coordinate publicity through the Conference Coordinator. He also will assure that the awards will be presented at the most appropriate gathering of the Conference. He will recommend to the Conference Committee the type and number of awards - certificates, plaques, other mementos - to be presented, to whom and how , panel members, luncheon speakers, keynote speaker, Conference Committee members, exhibitors, etc. He will recommend if special framed awards (e.g., to a keynote speaker and Conference Committee) or plaques should be awarded and when. Normally, the keynote and luncheon speakers receive their awards immediately after speaking 11.2 Specific Award Participants The Chaiman develops a specific list of proposed award recipients based on suggestions from other chairmen. He assures the development of an appropriate certificate design, supervises the printing of that certificate and arranges for the inscription of the certificates to be completed in advance of the conference. If a Conference Committee elects not to have an Awards Chairman, the awards functions will be implemented by the Conference Vice Chairman.
12.1 General Information The Publicity Chairman works through national and local media via e-mail and the web to publicize the Conference and promote maximum attendance. The Technical Program gets the emphasis in publicity directed toward engineering technical publications, other trade journals and the web (sometimes a speaker will be emphasized in general media to gain coverage from newspapers and broadcast stations). The Publicity Chairman makes certain a news release and a Call for Papers go to electronics trade journals, society magazines and newsletters and host (and nearby) section newsletters, as well as to I&M Society, IMTC and local section web pages. A calendar item also should be included. The IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement should announce a special issue of conference papers and should draw attention to the papers when they are printed. The I&M Magazine is an excellent outlet for information on IMTC throughout the year as are the local section publications. ln the field of the technical press, there is the IEEE Spectrum, Electronic Engineering Times, Electronics, EDN, Electronic Design, Evaluation Engineering, Cal Lab, Test and Measurement World and many others.. Don't ignore local news media but don't expect to see reporters and cameras. The major exception would be a newsworthy speaker or topic relating to public interest. Material should reach trade journals two to three months prior to the event an initial announcement and Call for Papers should go to the media as soon as they are mailed to potential speakers. Local news media should be contacted one week before IMTC. 12.2 Mailing Lists The Publicity Chairman will determine which special e-mail lists or other means will achieve local and spot publicity coverage. A post Conference summary with photos of one or more highlights of the conference should be mailed to the I&M Magazine and local section newsletter and posted on the web. Copies of articles and news releases should be included in a Conference final report. 12.3 Attendance Promotion Working with the Conference Coordinator, the Publicity Chairman will develop lists of Society members, attendees at previous conferences and related conferences and persons who have inquired about the conference. These people will receive e-mail notification of calls for papers, Advance Program and other developed items. This material is supplied as well to the I&M Society, IMTC and local section web pages.
13.1 General Information IMTC has an official website - https://www.ieee-imtc.org - which is a doorway to all information about current, future, and past conferences. The website has basic information about IMTC, a history of locations and dates and links to the current conference, the immediate past conference and the immediate future conference. Individual conference committees may operate their own websites within rules of operation set down by the Board of Directors. However, ALL IMTC conferences must link in a consistent manner to the homepage site to provide continuity and easy contact. 13.2 Web Operations Each committee must designate a website coordinator to manage and post material to the individual conference webpage. It is critical that the website be under the direct control of the IMTC organization and not assigned to third party supervision. If the conference committee cannot identify a webmaster, the Conference Coordinator will be consulted to help identify a suitable candidate. 13.3 Web Content The next-up IMTC is the focus of the web and receives central attention.
But the future and the past are not forgotten, but must not upstage or
compete with the current conference. Last IMTC - This is the immediate past event: Future IMTC - What the future holds: |