Section Special Meetings

Guidelines on Section Special Meetings can be found in Section 8.11.3 of the Membership Operations Manual.

What is a Special Meeting?

Special Meetings are Section events that fall outside the parameters of regular meetings.  A Special Meeting is one that meets any one or more of the following three criteria:

• It involves spending more than the greater of $2500, three times the average monthly Section meeting budget for regular meetings, or 40% of the Section’s annual allowance from HQ, without accounting for any offset from sponsorships raised, even if such sponsorships are paid directly to providers and do not flow through the Section’s accounts or if a co-sponsoring organization manages the funds.

• Is an all-day or longer event.

• Is an event where admission is charged to attendees.

Special Meetings are further divided into two categories:  Special Events and Section Conferences.

Special Events

A Special Event is a Special Meeting that is primarily social rather than tutorial, such as a holiday party, a golf outing or a bus tour.

The SMPTE Home Office must be notified in advance of all Special Events.  The Special Event funding and budget may be included as a part of the Section's Annual Budget, or a separate request for approval can be made.  The Membership VP and the Finance VP evaluate all requests based on the following criteria:

• Consistency with the Society’s goals and objectives
• Compliance with the Society’s policies as set forth in its Operations Manuals and resolutions of its Board of Governors
• Financial risk, including liability

Special Event proposals must be submitted by the Section Chair to the Home Office at least six weeks in advance of the proposed date of the Special Event.  Requests must include the following:

• A Section Special Event Proposal Form
• A Proposed Budget for the Event - Click Here to see an example of how you can include this with your Annual Section Budget

Contracts for goods or services in excess of $2,500 US must be executed by Home Office as specified in the Finance and Administration Operations Manual.

Funds used for a Special Event must be accounted for separately from the regular Section Budget.  Financial reporting can be made within the regular Quarterly Reports, but the Budget Categories created for the Special Event should be referenced to differential the expenses and income from regular Section funds.  Home Office may require the establishment of a separate bank account for a Section’s Special Event, which will be maintained under the same rules as the Section’s primary account.

Section Conferences

A Section Conference is a Special Meeting whose purpose is primarily tutorial, such as a full-day or multiday conference, seminar or workshop, with or without an associated exhibition.  This includes the class of events previously referred to as "offshore conferences."

For major events, it is recommended that a nine month lead time be allowed to ensure proper financial, logistical and program planning.  It will be the responsibility of the Membership Vice President to advise the Section Chair of approval or disapproval for the Section Conference.  

The Chair of the Section organizing a Section Conference is responsible for ensuring that the following information is submitted to the Home Office at least six months prior to the proposed Meeting date:

• A Section Conference Proposal Form
• A Section Conference Budget

The Membership and Finance Vice Presidents will review all proposals and notify the Section of approval.

At the conclusion of the event, the Finance Vice President will review financial results of the event to ensure that all surplus funds are properly accounted for.  Sections may request these funds to use as a seed fund for a subsequent event or for Section events, as provided in the Finance and Administration Operations Manual.  

The Chair of the organizing Section must submit to the Home Office a complete financial accounting of the Conference within 90 days after the close of the Conference.

Section Conferences Outside the United States

Conferences outside the United States that are sponsored by Sections are subject to additional reporting requirements beyond those specified above for Section Conferences.  These are due to legal and financial requirements imposed on not-for-profit organizations incorporated in the United States, which must comply with US law and regulation in addition to the laws and regulations of the country where the event is sponsored and where it is taking place.  Home Office will advise the Section of these requirements, and will engage legal and tax counsel if necessary.

• All Conferences outside the United States must be approved in advance in accordance with the procedures for Section Conferences listed above.
• In the case of a new activity, the Membership Vice President may authorize provision of seed money for the activity
• The Section will supply to the Home Office, within 90 days of the Conference end, a summary accounting of the actual expenses against budget,  and any surplus from the Conference.