 |  |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | ||
| For the International Association without a dedicated in-house event organiser, there are so many things to consider when organising a congress. We hope this brief INCON guide will help you to get to grips with the major concerns. The guide is designed to work with hand in hand with our Glossary - simply click on the linked words (underlined) to view a brief explanation.
PRE-CONGRESS ORGANISATION In most cases the International Association will appoint an International Advisory Committee and a Local Organising Committee to take care of the details. If an initial bid has to be made, the Local Organising Committee will prepare the bid for the host country. Either before or after the bid is won, the Local Organising Committee will usually employ a PCO to handle either all or some of the arrangements. Whether this is the case or not, the Local Organising Committee will need to prepare an initial budget, pre-book a suitable venue and hotel accommodation, source a list of potential delegates and consider the financial implications of the event. A Scientific Committee may also be set up to discuss the content of the congress. The Local Organising Committee together with the PCO will need to open special bank accounts, obtain sponsorship where appropriate, handle the abstracts, produce First and Second Announcements and promote the congress at previous events to potential delegates. There will be a Call for Papers and often the International Association or the Local Organising Committee will set a theme for the meeting around which the lectures can be arranged. Before the congress starts, the Final Programme will be printed and this will also be available in the Delegate Packs when attendees arrive for on-site registration. Once the basic administration is underway, other matters must also be considered: controlling financial matters, arranging a social programme, producing promotional documentation (i.e. newsletters, a website etc), organising the registration of delegates and their hotel requirements, arranging staffing for the event, organising welcome desks at inbound airports, preparing delegate packs, badging, flowers, press and media, transportation and airport transfers. The social programme can often be quite extensive and will not only include pre- and post-congress tours but also evening functions, including a Gala Banquet and a full programme for Accompanying Persons. THE CONGRESS ITSELF It is usual for the Congress to start with an Opening Ceremony after which the programme may be split up into Plenary Sessions and Parallel Sessions. Depending on the Association it is quite common for Simultaneous Interpretation to be used. For the Congress, the PCO may use the services of Hosts and Hostesses to assist the delegates with finding the correct meeting rooms and to generally ensure smooth running. The quality of these people is very important. If a PCO has not been appointed, the Local Organising Committee may have bought in local services from a PCO or used companies recommended by the venue. At the same time, the venue will also have been requested to erect appropriate signage around the building to ensure that delegates can find their way to lectures and other congress activities. The congress will probably require full catering for the delegates, technical equipment and technicians depending on the speakers' requirements, security staff, first aid staff and insurance for possible setbacks including cancellation. |
||