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Special Meetings

 Special Meeting Request Form

 

Guidelines for Planning and Conducting of any Special Meetings/Seminars Outside the Schedule of Normal Monthly Meetings

(From SMPTE Administrative Practices, Section VIII)

When the need arises for a Special Meeting, locally or regionally (for example a Section All-Day Meeting, Training Seminar, Boot Camp) the request should come from the Section Chair to the Sections Vice President. The Sections Vice President should review and present this proposal to the Conference Committee, along with his/her recommendation.  The Section Chair must submit the proposal to the Sections Vice-President, preferably nine months before the event is to be held.

 
The proposal must contain the following information
 
  1. The Section proposing the meeting
  2. Theme of the meeting.
  3. Date and location of meeting.
  4. Estimate of attendance
  5. Suggested registration fees
  6. Proposed location, along with an event proposal from the facility detailing meeting rental fees, audio-visual rental costs, food and beverage guarantees, room night guarantees, other fees, cancellation policy, etc.
  7. The name of the person in charge of overall arrangements, and their prior experience in this area.
  8. The name of the person in charge of the program content, and their prior experience in this area.
  9. Proposed meeting budget indicating expected income and expenses. Be sure to include details about sponsorships.
  10. List any tie-ins, co-sponsorships, or affiliations with other groups, and give details.
  11. Is the Section Board of Managers unanimously in favor of this proposal? If not, what negative arguments have been offered?
  12. Is there a primary discipline group -- such as students -- to which this meeting will be directed?
  13. Are exhibits planned that relate to papers presentation? If so, is an exhibitor’s fee proposed?
 
Funds relating to Special Meetings held within the United States should be separated from Section funds used for regular monthly meetings. 
 
Registration fees should cover all expenses in connection with holding the Meeting, notwithstanding sponsorships. Any surplus from registration fees or sponsorships shall be returned to Society Headquarters.
 
Social events such as meals, entertainment, etc., should be self- supporting.
 
Any Venue Contracts should be negotiated with the assistance of SMPTE HQ Staff. All contracts are subject to HQ approval and should be signed by a member of the staff.
 
Sponsorship of Special Meeting activities is acceptable. Proper credit should always be given to a sponsor.
 
To help insure the success of Special Meetings and provide a continuing source of papers for the Journal, the need for the technical subject matter should be established. It is recommended that Special Meetings be held in locations with a demand for the topic as well as sufficient local support before and during the meeting.
 
To further the educational goals of the Society it may be desirable for these Special Meetings to include specific items to meet educational needs. These educational items should be included in the request and budget for the Special Meeting from the Section Chair.
 

Offshore Special Conferences

All Offshore Special Conference activities must be approved in advance as described in the procedures above.

In the case of a "new" activity, Headquarters may provide "seed" money for the Offshore Special Conference.

After all appropriate Offshore Special Conference Activities have been paid by the revenue of the Offshore Special Conference, 50% of the remaining balance should be returned to the Society's General Fund. Its use will be directed by the Board of Governors with emphasis in support of other Offshore Section activities.

  • Where multiple sections exist in a country or area, a portion of the funds that would be normally repatriated to Society's General Fund may be used to directly fund ongoing expenses of another section in the same country or area. Any transfer of funds may only occur after the normal section budgeting/approval procedure has been completed (the intent of this section is to minimize currency conversions).
  • It is not the intent nor the desire of the Offshore sections to become "self funding" by use of conferences, nor is it the desire or intent for one section's activities to serve as, or be directly demanded by another. As with any duly constituted section, it is the Society's intent to provide sufficient direct support for all Section activities through the normal Society funding and approval processes.

The remaining 50% will remain in the Offshore Section's account to provide for the following:

  • Offshore Sections operations.
  • Seed money funding (nominally $5,000) for the next special conference.
  • Additional Section activities such as tutorials or workshops.
  • Support of Section Chair or designee attendance at the Society's Annual Conference.
  •  In the event the Offshore approved requested monies exceed the retained special conference funds, care should be taken not to remit funds to the General Fund that would be transferred back to the country; the funds should not be remitted to H.Q., but remain with the Section to minimize conversions.

The Offshore Section(s) will be required to submit budgets for approval outlining the use of the "surplus" funds and provide reports, on a quarterly basis, on the expenditure of these funds to the Sections Vice President and the Financial Vice President of the Society.

Allexpenditures from the Offshore Sections Funds must be reviewed and approved by the Section Board of Managers and must be made according to the existing guidelines for Section activities and expenditures. Emphasis is placed upon the local Board of Managers to provide activities that meet local needs and interests.

It is not the intent of this practice to cause the local Offshore Section activities to be funded by the local Offshore Special Conference activities. This guideline is meant to serve as the basis for the use of any "surplus" funds from these Offshore Special Conference activities. Offshore Sections, as in any Section, should not hesitate to request support from Headquarters to their ongoing Section activities.