Hi Scott (and board),
Here are Darlene's convention notes. I think she tried to write it up
like the final document; as such, there are some things that seem "this
year", and some that are "future years"...
Initial comments on stuff presented in this document:
--- The recurring aquascaping ("Aquarium") contest references should be
removed -- It's a separate event, separate budget!
--- I'd like to see the bid requirements fleshed out. Basically the
"Submission/Selection process" is a very important section, and it needs
to be more detailed than the two sentences presented. The document
doesn't really go into what the AGA needs in the bid, more what the club
will encounter.
* Describe club's history, size, etc
* Fill in volunteers for each position
(Hotel coordinator, Registration, etc...)
* Hotel details and rates
* Potential events
* Tentative speakers willing to attend
--- The hotel doesn't need to hold 450 rooms, maybe half that?
--- Do we really need a breakfast and lunch option at the hotel?
--- Need to come up with paragraph for local club auction and silent
auction. Silent auction = AGA proceeds. Other auction = local club.
--- Speaker selection - I think it's useful to note that the "other
speakers" might include one or two locals to help keep costs low and give
a bit of local flair to things... also mention national sponsored speakers
(i.e. Marineland speaker program, or vendors who are willing to give a
talk such as Seachem)... I'm still a little annoyed about the policy of
not paying for non-keynote speakers' airfare, but I know it's probably
necessary at this point.
--- Is there a way we could tie the particular volunteer with the jobs
rather than present them in two separate sections? Seems kinda redundant.
Or in the wrong places.
--- Speaker laiason needs to also determine what A/V materials are needed
for each. Probably should also be an A/V coordinator listed as one of the
people.
-- I suspect in the final version of this document, we should probably
keep names off the particular jobs. Perhaps we could put some willing
volunteers and past volunteers on a cover letter, i.e. Darlene Walder is
interested in helping with or running the auction. I am interested in
---There is no mention in the document of the local club's responsibility
financially. I am pretty sure that in other conventions, the local club
has a stake financially just as the national organization. This probably
needs to be decided and spelled out quite specifically. Then things like
how many people are allowed free entrance, etc, become completely up to
the local club to determine. I don't completely like the sound of that
last paragraph of the document -- it reads very much like an angry
response to my angry rant to Charlene. At any rate, if the local club
shares in the financial responsibility (and also the returns if it's
succesful), they will be motivated to deal with volunteers in an
appropriate manner.
- Erik
--
Erik Olson
erik at thekrib dot com
Title: Aquatic Gardener Association
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Aquatic Gardener Association Conference Bidding
Guidelines The
following recommendations have been compiled to provide an outline for the
bidding process. Any prospective club
interested in hosting a future AGA conference can use these suggestions to formulate
and submit proposals. Bid proposals
should be submitted ______ mo./years in advance prior to the next/selected
conference and include estimates of all potential expenses as well as list all
considerations regarding the logistics of conducting the conference. Before
committing to any arrangements, please review these guidelines to create an
outline for your prospective bid proposal.
Questions concerning this document or this process should be forwarded
to the AGA Convention Chairperson : ___________________________________________________________ Submission/ Selection
Process: To
be determined by the board......... Who
is involved, deadline, communications, making modifications to plans, financial
responsibilities, incentives for participation of clubs, vendors, etc. Perhaps a brief desciption of the club’s
history, size, special interests as well as the level of commitment from
volunteers could be provided. Location selection: Host
city general description -
Distance
from closest major airport -
Other
local attractions or destinations of special interest (Public Zoos or
Aquariums, museums, parks, fish/plant stores) to consider for field trips or
convention events Convention
Center/ Hotel Selection -
Conveniently
located near airport, preferably with shuttle service, also within reasonable distance to other proposed
field trips -
Hotel
parking accommodations must be known and reasonable if fees are charged -
A
large hotel (>450 rooms) with reasonable room rates, reserving a large block
of rooms. (A free room is usually
offered with a certain number of bookings which can be available to defray the
primary speaker's expenses) -
Other
Hotel rooms/areas (these rooms may have no additional charges if enough room
nights are booked) are needed for: Registration (Fri.
afternoon) Breakfast and Lunch option
at Hotel for convenience (Sat.) Vendor displays (Sat. only) Speaker presentations (should accommodate at least ____
people) Banquet
room (Sat. evening event) Breakfast
option at Hotel for convenience (Sun. morning) Panel Discussion (Sun.
morning) Silent auction (Sun.
morning-hall must be available by 7:30a.m. to early afternoon) -
The
Hotel Events Coordinator must provide planning support regarding the needs of
every aspect of events set up, from table/ chair layout to food service
(include a contract proposal from the hotel regarding options on room rates,
discounts, food service, etc.) * READ OVER HOTEL CONTRACTS VERY CAREFULLY – set up
charges, taxes and gratuities can add substantially to the cost for catered
meals or a cash bar. Check for extra
charges for ‘Chefs’ or bartenders. Speaker Selection: -
There
should be 1 keynote speaker, preferably with an international reputation, and 4
other speakers. Seek out a speaker who
would represent the planted aquarium industry as well as other experts
(professional and amateur or knowledgeable hobbyists) with diverse topics -
In
the process of seeking potential speakers, there should be a verbal
confirmation of acceptance by the speaker to the conference prior to the submission
of the bid proposal Speaker accommodations include: Providing transportation
to/from the airport to the hotel for the keynote speaker Registration to the conference A hotel room during the duration of the conference Banquet charge deferred A small gift as a token of our appreciation, to be
presented at banquet Other Events/Activities: -
Provide
outlines for tours or fieldtrips to be scheduled beyond the scheduled times of
conference activities, including fees, transportation options, meal options,
etc. -
If
desirable, propose options for an off-site/ alternate location for Sat.
banquet, again taking transportation options into consideration Other Planning considerations Budget proposal: Income Registration fee Vendor advertising Raffle
of? Vendor table rental Bulletin board? Banquet Silent Auction Aquascaping contest entrance
fee Other? Expenses Speaker travel costs (paid only for keynote speaker) Speaker’s lodging costs (Friday and Saturday only) Conference registration deferred Speaker Banquet ticket deferred Speaker meals included in registration for the conference Other??? Miscellaneous - folders, nametags, shopping bags,
unforeseen expenses for supplies Brochures - printing, postage Contest Awards Advertising Local-
newspaper, TV, flyers to be distributed in all local fish stores and restocked
as needed National/International - Magazines (TAG, FAMA, TFH,
Gardening magazines, Interior Design
magazines, etc.) Hospitality Goods Extra Banquet costs ??? Volunteer
Coordination: Responsibilities
prior to the conference: -
Convention chairperson – liaison to local
committee and to guide process, confirming that things are occurring on time
i.e. speaker confirmation, brochures, vendor letters, etc. -
Financial/ Budget proposal
coordinator
(treasurer?) -
Advertising/ Public
Relations coordinator Local and National/International -
Hotel liaison – read all contracts and
forward copies to convention chair before signing. The hotel liaison also needs
to go over menus and room layouts with conference chair before meeting with
hotel staff. This person must be present conference weekend to ensure
everything is as ordered – meals, room layouts, etc. as well as go over all
details of the invoice. -
Registration coordinator - to be readily available
by phone, mail e-mail and fax 6 months prior to conference to answer questions
and receive registrations. This person
must keep copies of each registration and check or money order received before
forwarding to the treasurer. A Master list of all conference attendees,
including speakers, paid registrants, vendors and compensated volunteers must
be compiled to be able to submit an accurate count to the hotel of the numbers
of participants FOR EACH EVENT. Three copies of this Master list should be
available at the registration desk to: assist attendance documentation,
confirmation of attendee information and later record auction purchases. Name
tags should be made 2 - 3 days prior to the conference. Packets with name tags, conference schedule,
promotional flyers, etc. should be assembled for each attendee just prior to
the conference and made available to those working the registration desk -
Aquarium contest coordinator -Erik Olson -
Speaker/ Program liaison – someone who establishes
rapport with speakers AND will be present at conference to help speakers as
needed -
Vendor/ Sponsor liaison - Luis -
Auction coordinator - assist conference
coordinator as needed in acquiring donations for the auction, collect all items
needed for check out process, i.e. shopping bags for each auction/conference
participant, calculators, staplers, pens, a sales form to document buyer's
information, sign for CC purchases, document reimbursement status, etc. Responsibilities during the
conference: Hotel liaison - works closely with the food and beverage/events manager to confirm that everything runs smoothly. Preview all the reserved tables and rooms and their set up just prior to the events to confirm requested agreements.Registration
coordinator/volunteers - coordinate with liaison for tables set up, working
the table in shifts during the scheduled duration of registration time.
Auction
coordinator - If
possible, assist at registration desk to accommodate attendees who may be
bringing auction items. Complete
auction registration forms and secure these for auction records Archives/
documentation for historian - video recording Speaker Liaison - Same as above Vendor/Sponsor
liaison – assist vendors in set up as needed Volunteers -as gophers, drivers, assistance transporting speaker equipment, auction items, offering vendor's set up assistance, etc. Other ??? Responsibilities
after the conference: Hotel liaison - Review the final billing
from the hotel to be sure the charges are as agreed on in the contract. Negotiate with hotel, if necessary, for any
adjustments. Give your approval to the
treasurer to pay the bill. Publish a
list of all conference attendees, with their addresses, and email addresses
and/or phone numbers, to be sent to all participants. This task may be able to be accomplished before the end of the
conference. Auction coordinator -Organize bid sheets and tally auction income and reimbursement to donors. Submit results to conference chair and to treasurer.Editing video documentation/ video production - Erik Budget review/ treasurer's report Magazine article for TAG? Karen Recognition/ thank you letters or on website Other ??? Compensation for volunteers: Considerations must be made on the maximum number of
compensated conference volunteers (PRE-APPROVED by the conference chairman) and
the extent of commitment throughout the duration of the conference as well as
the preliminary planning process. Conference volunteers (pre-approved) are expected to
be available as early as Thursday until at least 2 p.m. on Sunday to assist
with both set up, tear down and clean up.
These volunteers could be available for multiple responsibilities such
as assisting with general registration, auction registration, assisting vendors
during set up, etc. These commitments may entail missing
portions of some conference events, field trips or other activities scheduled
outside of the conference schedule! |