WLA Conference Planning Manual:
Local Arrangements

Contents

INTRODUCTION

 The Local Arrangements Committee is responsible for identifying and arranging for the needs of conference speakers, programs and conferees. The Chair of the Local Arrangements is responsible for coordinating arrangements for The Local Arrangements Chair is not responsible for exhibits. Commercial and professional exhibits are handled by the Exhibits Committee; however, the Local Arrangements Chair must cooperate with the Exhibits Chair on conference space allocation and the Exhibits reception (if there is one.)

The Local Arrangements Chair works closely with the Program Chair to ensure that the number of programs does not exceed the available space, and with the convention/hotel staff to utilize the meeting space most effectively. All groups or individuals needing meeting space must make arrangements through the Program Chair who provides information on estimated attendance, equipment needs, room set-ups and catering needs to the Local Arrangements Chair who then makes the appropriate arrangements.

The Local Arrangements Chair in consultation .with the Conference Coordinator forms a Local Arrangements Committee to assist with the details of arrangements. Usually the Chair of Local Arrangements handles assignment of meeting space, room set ups .and housing, while the other functions are delegated to one or several people on the Committee. Functions such as meals, signs and transportation are best handled by one person. Other functions such as equipment and hospitality work best with teams of people.

Considering the vast number of details involved with local arrangements there is a great potential for some things to be overlooked and others to be done two or three times by different people. The critical elements in a smooth running conference are: ORGANIZATION, COMMUNICATION, and lots and lots of LISTS! Included in this chapter are: task lists and time lines for each function, sample forms used to gather information, a matrix used to display information, and sample lists which could be used as models by future committees. As much as possible committee members should track information in computer databases so that the lists can be revised easily and often. People tend to change their minds about needs, and typically, miss deadlines or change programs/speakers/ set-ups after it appears that everything is set. All revisions of lists, matrices, etc. should be dated in bold print so that all know which is the latest version. A final version should be printed just before the conference. The committee should meet frequently to ensure good communication - monthly meetings through August and bi-weekly or weekly meetings in September and October.

SPACE CONSIDERATIONS

Early on in the conference planning process (December or January) the Coordinator, Program Chair, Exhibits Chair and Local Arrangements Chair should meet with the hotel and convention bureau meeting planners at the conference site. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the overall space needs for the conference and to make decisions about space allocation. Very few. convention sites can accommodate all of WLA's conference needs under one roof. It is important that all available convention space be held for WLA the event that it will be needed by the Exhibits or Program Chairs. The hotel/convention bureau representatives can offer advice on the most effect use of the facilities and should be able to suggest additional space which might be rented or borrowed. The convention bureau can also advise on reception sites, tours, local entertainment, etc. The Conference Committee should be aware of all possible options for exhibits, programs and hospitality space in the host city.

Among the items which should be discussed at this meeting are:

By the end of the meeting the Coordinator should have decided which areas will be allocated for exhibits and which areas will be allocated for programs. In the months ahead the Local Arrangements Chair will assist the Program Chair in utilizing the program meeting as effectively as possible.

MEETING ROOM ASSIGNMENTS

While the Program Chair is responsible for developing the program schedule and assigning time slots for individual programs, the Local Arrangements Chair is responsible for assigning programs to meeting rooms. The Program Chair will have knowledge of the programming needs and the Local Arrangements Chair will know the capabilities and limitations of the facilities. Working as a team the Program Chair and the Local Arrangements Chair can plan a conference matrix that will flow smoothly and maximize the available space to accommodate as many requests as possible.

Assignment of meeting rooms should be based on the following priority criteria:

  1. size of audience
  2. room set-up
  3. equipment requirements
  4. other requirements
Information on the size of audience, room set-ups, equipment and other special needs will be documented on the Meeting Request Forms which are submitted to the Program Chair and forwarded to the Local Arrangements Chair. Every program must have a Meeting Request Form approved by the Program Chair in order to be assigned a meeting room. The preliminary deadline for Meeting Request Forms is April 15, so sometime soon after that date the Program Chair and the Local Arrangements Chair can meet to make tentative room assignments. The Conference Coordinator should also be invited to this meeting. The Program Chair will have a program matrix to work with. It is likely that the program matrix will be revised at this meeting in order to best use the available meeting space. For example, if a luncheon is planned in Ballroom A that room may not be available for programs after 10 a.m. because the hotel staff need two hours to set up for lunch. A morning program may have to be shifted to an earlier time slot in order to accommodate a luncheon, Also, if two programs have the same set-ups and equipment needs and a similar size audience the Local Arrangements Chair may suggest moving them to sequential time slots instead of simultaneous time slots. The Program Chair is more concerned with content of programs and may not agree with the shift. Assignment of rooms and revision of the matrix thus becomes a negotiated process between the program needs and the hotel facilities. If the Coordinator is present s/he can offer some compromises to help move the process along.

If the Program Chair and the Local Arrangements Chair feel that the estimated attendance was inappropriate they may choose to assign a larger or smaller room than was requested. However, they should be cautious about placing programs in rooms that are too small. Program liaisons probably have a good idea about how many people will attend, and if it turns out the liaison was right about the original estimate, the Committee will be criticized for not providing an adequate room. When in doubt, go with a larger room. It is better to have empty chairs at the conference than to turn people away from the program.

After making tentative room assignments the revised program matrix should be distributed to the entire Conference Planning Committee for reaction. A thorough review of the matrix at this point will hopefully uncover logistical or programmatic problems which can still be resolved. The further along in the. planning process the less flexibility there is to move programs around. Once speaker contracts are signed, it is inappropriate to shift speakers to different time slots. Also, as the program matrix fills up, one change may have a chain reaction bumping a number of programs. The tentative room assignments should be made around May 1 and the Planning Committee should be given about two weeks to review the revised matrix for potential problems. In the meantime program requests will continue to arrive and be slotted into the matrix by the Program Chair.

By June 1 all meal programs should be finalized because cost information must be included on the registration form. The Local Arrangements Chair should see to it that menus and prices are forwarded to the Registration Chair by the needed date. (See Meals section for details on menu planning.)

June or July is a good time for the Local Arrangements Chair and the Program Chair to meet again to finalize room assignments. Any program requests received after July should be accommodated if meeting space is available, but it is unwise to attempt to juggle other programs around in order to accommodate late requests. It is also unfair to those units who planned carefully and made an effort to follow the deadlines. A carefully planned program will begin to unravel if programs are switched around late in the process.

It is not recommended that room assignments be listed in the 'Call to Conference" program sent out in August, but the final program booklet printed in October ..must show all room assignments. The Local Arrangements Chair should review the galley proofs for the program booklet to ensure that room assignments are correct.

ROOM SET-UPS

Room set-up refers to the manner in which the meeting room is arranged. There are four basic styles:

Theater style is the most commonly used arrangement because it is best suited for lectures, panel discussions and business meetings. Theater style provides the largest seating capacity.

Banquet style is usually described as 'rounds of 10" or 'rounds of 8' referring to round tables which seat 8 or 10 people. Banquet style is used primarily for meal functions, but it can be used for other types of meetings if desired. A workshop program can be very effective set up in banquet rounds, especially if the facilitator wants people to do small group work. A program or business meeting could be scheduled in a room set up banquet if appropriate. For example if Ballroom A is being used for a luncheon and dinner it could be usedd for the WLA business meeting or other program without re-setting to a theater style. If this is the case, the catering staff should be instructed to freshen the room with clean linens.

Classroom style is used mainly for workshop type programs, although it could be used for other programs if necessary. For example, if a room is set classroom style to accommodate 35 people for a workshop program, a subsequent program specifying theater style for 30 people could use the classroom style set-up.

Conference style is only used for small group meetings, such as committee meetings or unit board meetings. There may be as many as a dozen requests for this type of meeting room. Rather than tying up the larger meeting rooms for these small groups it is best to schedule these in suites or board rooms. Most hotels have several small meeting rooms for this purpose. Or, the hotel could remove beds from sleeping rooms to set up in conference style arrangement. The Catering Director can advise on the availability of meeting rooms for small groups. This discussion should be early enough in the planning process just in case sleeping rooms need to be reserved.

In addition to the seating arrangement several other factors will need to be considered:

Most rooms should be set up with either a podium or table top lectern and a microphone, even if the person did not request it on the Meeting Request Form. Most people assume lecterns and microphones are standard and therefore may only request special needs such as overhead projectors. Also, people requesting some type of projector may neglect to specify a screen. The Local Arrangements Committee must double check all requests for possible omissions.

The WLA business meeting should be scheduled in a room with a large seating capacity preferably in the main-n hotel site. The WLA President should fill out a Meeting Request Form identifying size of audience and special arrangements. Usually seating for 400 people is adequate unless there is a particularly controversial issue on the agenda. Some President's want the entire Board of Directors to sit at the head table, other. only want the officers there. A standard equipment requirement is an audience microphone(s). In a very large room there should be two or three standing microphones placed in strategic locations in the meeting room to allow for members to speak on issues.

Many hotel/convention sites document room set-ups on function sheets. That is, a separate information sheet is created for each program documenting room arrangement, equipment needs, meals, etc. The function sheets will identify the date, time, program name, room location and special set-up for each program/ event. If the hotel does not provide function sheets, the Local Arrangements Chair may wish to create a system for tracking this information. An alternative to the function sheet method is to develop a database or spreadsheet for the room set-ups,

Whatever method is used, it is important that the Local Arrangements Committee and the hotel/convention people are working from the same information base. The room set-ups should be reviewed continuously and revised as needed right up until the conference.

EQUIPMENT

The Program Liaisons are responsible for identifying their equipment needs on the Meeting Request Forms. The Local Arrangements Committee is responsible for scheduling, procuring and delivering equipment to the correct meeting rooms at the conference. The Local Arrangements Committee is not responsible for operating the equipment during the meeting. This should be explained to the Program Liaisons so that they make arrangements for operating the equipment. In most cases the speaker operates the equipment, but an assistant may be needed.

The Local Arrangements Chair should appoint one or several people to be in charge of conference media equipment, preferably people who know media equipment. As the Meeting Request Forms are received from the program Chair, those with equipment needs should be photocopied and forwarded to the Equipment person who will maintain a list of equipment needs. A good method for tracking this information is either in a database or spreadsheet format because the list will be revised and updated dozens of times before the conference. A database format would allow for printing the list in several different arrangements:

Sample lists from an earlier conference are included at the end of this chapter which may serve as models for the equipment person.

Procurement of equipment for the conference can be a complicated matter. The hotel/convention facility will have some of the needed equipment but they will likely charge a rental fee. The equipment person should check out local libraries, schools, and universities regarding the borrowing of equipment. It may not be possible to borrow all of the needed equipment so some will have to be rented. Rental fees can be charged back to the program budget or to a general supply budget. The Conference Coordinator should be consulted to determine who pays for the equipment.

Transporting the equipment to the conference site may require rental of a van and several volunteers on the morning of the conference. The equipment person should have this planned out in advance. Where will the equipment be delivered? Where will it be stored until it is needed? Who will transport it from the storage room to the meeting room and set it up? When and how will it be returned to its owner. The equipment person should plan on having a few extras of each type in case there is an equipment failure. Program Liaisons should be told who to contact if equipment is not present or is not working.

MEALS

The Local Arrangements Chair should delegate arrangements for meal functions to a committee member(s) : .As the Meeting Request Forms are received from the Program Chair those requiring catering service should be copied and forwarded to the person in charge of meals arrangements. At a typical WLA conference there will be 3 or 4 luncheons, 2 banquets, and 2 or 3 breakfasts. (Receptions, food carts, etc. are handled by the Hospitality person.)

The following guidelines are suggested when selecting menus for programs:

At some conference sites the meals are very expensive. It may be possible to negotiate the prices of meals or to adjust the menu in a way that will lower the cost. If meal prices are too expensive attendance will be low at the meal functions. Try to offer the best possible meal at a price that is affordable to the membership. One way to keep-the meal cost down is not to include dessert on the menu, but many people prefer to have dessert with their meal. Buffets are sometimes cheaper, but they are not recommended because it takes too long for people to move through the food lines. If there are more than 25 people registered for a meal it is more efficient (and pleasant) to serve them at the table. Most people prefer to sit at a table and chat while being served rather than standing on line for food.

Offering two menu choices is very popular. As many as 40 percent of attendees will opt for a vegetarian menu, so it is well worth the extra effort to offer this choice. The Registration Chair is responsible for providing tickets for the meal functions. S/he should be instructed to provide color coded tickets based on the menu choice. Hotel food servers should be told ahead which meal to serve based on the color of the ticket.

Once the menu has been selected and the meal prices set, a 15 percent gratuity must be added. Since WLA is a tax exempt organization it is not necessary to add sales tax to the ticket price. After the gratuity is added the price should be rounded up to the next half dollar to make for easier accounting. The cost of the program is not added to the ticket price. The only exception to this policy is for the Foundation fund raising programs. The Foundation Committee will set a donation fee to be added to the meal price. Listed below are examples of menus and meal price computations:

Awards luncheon:
chicken breast $6.00
gratuity .90
total 6.90
ticket price 7.00

fruit plate $4.50
gratuity .68
total 5.18
ticket price 5.50

Foundation dinner:
beef wellington $14.50
gratuity 2.18
total 16.68
foundation gift 10.00
Ticket price 27.00

fettuccine Alfredo $12.00
gratuity 1.80
total 13.80
foundation gift 10.00
ticket price 24.00
The registration form would show the following:

Awards luncheon: chicken breast $7.00.....fruit plate $5.50
Foundation dinner* beef Wellington 27.00....fettuccine alfredo $24.

* price includes 10.00 tax deductible contribution to WLA Foundation

Once the mens are selected and the prices agreed upon, it is best to have the hotel caterer provide a written guarantee of the menus and prices. Most hotels will guarantee prices within 6 months of the event. The price guarantee protects WLA from a price hike in the fall which could create a budget problem. Even a 5 percent increase in the chicken example above it would result in a loss of .25 per meal.

In addition to selecting menus the Meals person is also responsible for ordering flowers, arranging head tables, or reserved tables, or other special arrangements that are identified on the Meeting Request Forms. Flowers are usually ordered for the honoree tables at the Awards luncheon. Flowers may also be requested for guest tables at the banquet or Foundation dinner. Flowers will be charged back to the program budget, so all such orders should The person in charge of meals functions has two critical deadlines to be concerned with. The first one is on June 1 when the menu selections and prices are due to the Registration Chair. The second one is 3 days -prior to the conference when the final meal counts are due to the hotel caterer. Numbers of people registered for various meals is supplied by either the WLA Office staff or the Registration Chair.

CATERING CONTRACTS

The hotel will set up contracts for food service, room set-ups, flower arrangements, equipment etc. on catering contracts. These contracts should reviewed by the Local Arrangements Chair and then signed by the Conference Coordinator (or the Coordinator's designee).

Food contracts should specify the arrangements as well as the estimated amount. For pre-registered meals a preliminary meal count is given and then 3 days prior to the conference a guaranteed reservation is given to the caterer based on the number of pre-sold tickets. Estimating food and beverage needs for a reception is guesswork. The time of day and location will effect the how many people will attend as well as how much they ill consume. For example, a reception held at 5 o'clock in the hotel will draw a lot of people who will not have had anything to eat for four or five hours. A 9 o'clock reception across town will draw fewer people who are probably not too hungry since they just had dinner. The Local Arrangements Chair from the prior conference can provide good advice on how much food and drink was consumed at the most recent conference. It is better to err on the side of too much rather than too little.

HOSPITALITY

Hospitality arrangements include events such as receptions, tours, entertainment, fun runs, and other social events. It is recommended that a team of several people be assigned hospitality duties. In addition to planning social and hospitality functions for the conference, the hospitality group should also gather and disseminate information about the local area including restaurant lists, theaters, tourist attractions, etc.

Often a wine and cheese reception is held on Wednesday afternoon/early evening to commemorate the opening of the Exhibition Hall. This is a popular event with the conferees and the exhibitors. If the Exhibits Chair wishes to hold such an event s/he should fill out a Meeting Request Form to ensure that the reception is scheduled in the program matrix and to ensure that food and beverage arrangements will be made. Usually the Exhibits reception is paid by general conference revenues. The Exhibits Chair may wish to have a cash food cart set up at the back of the Exhibits Hall to attract people.

The Program Chair may also wish to hold an all conference reception on Wednesday or Thursday night. The Hospitality group should advise the Program Chair as to possible locations and catering arrangements. Different options to consider are wine and cheese receptions, hot hors d'oeuvres with wine or a cash bar; or a dessert reception with coffee and punch. If the Program Chair only has a limited amount of money for a hospitality reception, the money will go farther if it used for food and a cash bar is set up. The Hospitality group should explore other locations for a reception such as local museums, historical societies, libraries, colleges or universities where food may be catered less expensively or perhaps sponsored by a local business. Receptions held away from the hotel may require special transportation arrangements, but can provide a nice change from the convention site.

The hospitality group may want to offer special events unique to the local area, such as a boat ride in La Crosse, museum or brewery tour in Milwaukee, Packer Hall of Fame or museum tour in Green Bay, etc. The local Chamber of Commerce can assist in planning these events. Unless a corporate sponsor is found the cost of these events should be covered via the sale of tickets. If this is the case it is advisable to sell tickets ahead of time by having the events and costs listed on the pre-registration form. June 1 is the deadline for the registration form information so special events should be planned between March and May. All hospitality programs should be discussed with the Program Chair so that they will appear bn the conference schedule and will be held at the most optimum time. Special events that have transportation needs should be coordinated with the person responsible for transportation.

The Program Chair may wish to hold a dance or other type of social event for which entertainment is desired. The Hospitality group is responsible for providing entertainment choices and prices for the Program Chair. The Catering Director and the Convention Bureau representative can provide information on local entertainers. Contracts with entertainers may be negotiated by members of the Local Arrangements Committee, but the contract must be authorized by the Coordinator or the Coordinator's designee.

Speaker hospitality is the responsibility of the Program Liaisons, rather than the Local Arrangements Committee.

SIGNS

There will be a variety of signs needed during the conference to identify activities and direct people. The following is a procedural list which should assist the person(s) responsible for the production and placement of signs.
  1. Secure a list of signs from the previous committee.
  2. Visit facility. Walk through all meeting areas making notes about areas that may need directional signs to assist people in locating Exhibits, Registration, meeting rooms, hotel registration, etc.
  3. Consider special signage for disabled persons.
  4. Compile a list of signs needed. Include information on size of print, type of paperboard, method for attachment, location of sign and when it will be displayed.
  5. Check with Exhibits chair regarding needed signs. Usually the vendor signs are provided by the Exposition Service, but other signs or banners may be desired.
  6. Check with the Program Chair for sign needs. It is very helpful to have a sign posted on each meeting room listing the times and titles of programs to be held on that day. The Program Chair may be able to produce these signs using the program matrix-database, but if not, the task will fall to the Local Arrangements Committee.
  7. Listen to sign needs articulated at the Local Arrangements Committee meetings. Keep a running list at the meeting and add new signs to the comprehensive list as needed. At each meeting of the Local Arrangements Committee a sign list should be shared for people to review and make suggestions.
  8. Get cost estimates and samples from 2 or 3 sign vendors at least two months prior to the conference. Review samples and costs with the Committee.
  9. Get permission for budget expenditure from Coordinator and select a vendor.
  10. Take sign list to vendor several weeks prior to the conference for production. Have invoice sent to Coordinator.
  11. Make provisions for last minute sign making
  12. Arrange for delivery of and daily installation of signs.
After the conference take down the signs and offer them to next year's committee. Some will not be transferable of course. Provide a list of the signs to next year's committee.

TRANSPORTATION

At some conference sites transportation is not a problem, at others it is a major issue. The person in charge of transportation should be aware of: If the programs are divided among several hotels how will people get from one meeting to the next. If the weather is good and the distance is short people do not mind walking, but an alternate plan should be made in case of inclement weather.

Getting speakers back and forth from the airport is the responsibility of the Program Liaisons. Most hotels provide free limo service to the airport.

DUTIES AT THE CONFERENCE

The Local Arrangements Committee will be very busy at the conference checking on the details of room set-ups and attending to any last minute logistical problems. An efficient way to handle room checks is to assign it to the Program Liaison for each program. Several weeks before the conference notify the Program Liaison as to the room assignment and ask that person to check the room set-up, including equipment set-up, 15-30 minutes prior to the program. Any problems that are detected should be reported to a Local Arrangements Committee member. With this method the Local Arrangements Committee is doing trouble shooting rather than running around checking rooms. All members of the Local Arrangements Committee should have brightly colored ribbon (yellow is best) so that they can be recognized by conference goers and Program Liaisons who may need assistance. The Committee should have a headquarters where equipment, materials, supplies, etc. can be stored for easy access and delivery.

POST-CONFERENCE DUTIES

The Local Arrangements Chair should submit a final report to the Conference Coordinator within 30 days of the conference. The information in this report will be incorporated into the Final Conference Report of the Coordinator which is due to the WLA Board of Directors 90 days after the conference. The Coordinator can advise on the content of the report, but it should include information on how the conference facility met the needs of the conference, any particular problems that should be documented for a future conference at that site, and any recommendations for policy or procedure amendments to the conference manual.

html version by: peter.j.gilbert@lawrence.edu
html version created: 28-Nov-1995