02-05-2014, 02:34 PM
Select an organising committee
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The chair or coordinator is critical for the event. They will have to make all the final decisions and solve any conflict. You might also consider hiring a professional conference organiser (whose fee should be incorporated into your budget).
Ensure that the committee members have the necessary skills and knowledge or that there is sufficient time for them to be trained to fulfil their tasks for the event. Areas to be covered might include sponsorship, program design, or meet-and-greet. Each committee member should be given specific tasks to perform and where possible a job specification so that they are aware of their responsibilities and will feel comfortable with the tasks required of them. It is also a good check mechanism for reporting purposes.
Staff in the Communications and Marketing Unit are available to assist you with your event and to act as a resource to you and your planning committee. The committee may also wish to consult outside organisations such as the Adelaide Convention and Tourism Authority who will be able to provide specific information, seeding finance and other promotional materials.
Planning
This is the most important part of the event. It does not matter if you have two years or only a few weeks to organise the event - the planning will ensure that all avenues are covered.
When you begin planning, use project planning principles to become aware of all the things that need to be put into place to make it a success. Your event management plan should take into account all facets of the event such as budget, speakers, travel, accommodation and AV equipment.
Making it happen
It is important that those who are on the organising committee take responsibility for their allocated areas. Regular meetings and communication between members and the coordinator/chair are essential at this point. It is during these meetings that the little things that make an ordinary event into a great event come to fruition.
An essential item in your plan is the budget. Even though you may not have full details of funds available, it is essential to estimate the total cost. From this budget plan you can then see if the event is viable and which areas can be trimmed.
A major item to be budgeted for is staff time. Often this is a missed item as often University staff time is given as in-kind. However, if you are budgeting for an outside event, remember to include this cost with appropriate oncosts.
Date and time
Finding a date and time that is suitable for your event is always a difficulty. What may be great for you and the organising committee may clash with other major events at the University. Try to find out as much as you can about what is happening in the University and then plan your event accordingly.
If Senior Management are to be involved, avoid clashing with Council Meetings, Academic Board or School Board as this will mean the majority of senior staff will be unavailable to attend the event.
If appropriate, identify key personnel from the University for your event. It may be the Senior Management Group, Divisional Pro Vice Chancellors or others. Once you have decided on a date for your event and the University staff are pivotal to your event, make sure these people are notified, so that they can pencil it in their diaries. (If it is not a suitable date for these people then alternative dates may have to come into play.)
If a member of the Senior Management Group is to be one of the prime people in the event then it is necessary to brief them on their role and what needs to be executed by them. If the Vice Chancellor is a speaker at the event, you will need to provide briefing notes for her (As a courtesy the Chancellor and Vice Chancellor should receive invitations to major events at the University).
The venue
Once you have chosen a date you will need to book the venue. Most room bookings can be made through FM Assist at each of the campuses. Remember to ensure your venue is accessible for people with a disability and that wheelchair access is well signposted.
Should it be necessary to book an interpreter for the hearing-impaired, contact the Royal South Australian Deaf Society.
It may also be necessary for extra equipment to be ordered from outside the University (eg sound and AV). The University mostly uses Novatech Production Services.
Program/invitations
If you need to call for papers this should be done very early in the planning stages. Abstracts and a preliminary program should be developed well ahead of conferences. As the abstracts start to arrive the program can be modified to fit the papers. If you are accepting papers and registrations via the internet, meet with the IT people and formulate how this will happen.
If you are having programs or invitations designed, meet with the designer. At the same time information from speakers, sponsors, etc should be sought. Included in the program should be information concerning any costs to the delegates/guests, accommodation requirements/catering/transport/etc. This process may take some time as you proofread the information and develop the final product. So give yourself ample time to do this properly and avoid making mistakes with dates, times and venues.