Conferences – Page 9 – Conference Venues Blog

Publicizing the Conference

Oct 012012

In this current series of blogs on organizing conferences, we had so far looked at the various phases of organizing a conference, how to set up a conference organizing structure and the planning phase of the conference. Today’s blog is about publicizing the conference, conference registration and recruiting presenters for the conference.

Publicizing the conference is fairly straightforward when all the attendees are members of the sponsoring organization. In such cases publicizing the conference may be limited to calls for a presenter and sending out preconference registration materials. In many instances, these steps are made even simpler by publicizing the information on a website.

In other cases more extensive publicity, over and above contacting prospective participants and posting information on the internet, may be necessary. Traditional print advertising is still a highly effective way to make information about the conference publically known. Journals and newsletter, read by the target audience or published by the sponsoring organization, should especially be targeted as means of publicizing the conference.

Another effective means of publicizing the conference is through posters placed in strategic places and announcements to organizations and institutions within the field of interest. Local and national media are excellent places to post stories, interviews and press releases regarding the conference. It is also possible to publish your press release online to specialist press release websites. Posting news about the conference to conference related blogs will also help getting the word out about the upcoming conference.

Word of mouth is an effective way to get news out of the conference on a local level. Social media sites have also made it possible for news to be spread by word of mouth on the internet. Sites like Facebook, Twitter and Linked In make it easier than ever to spread the news about a conference, both locally and internationally.

Pre-Conference Registration

It is vital to have some kind of preconference registration process in place. Requiring participants to register prior to the conference will provide the organizers with an estimate of how many people will be attending the conference. This figure will assist organizers to make sure that there will be the right amount of food and materials available. Registration also helps the organizers to plan the amount of sessions and space required for the conference. In the preregistration process, participants also receive a solid date for which to plan. Usually, for small one day conferences, an ‘I will attend card’, phone or email is all that is required.

The preconference materials should have as much information about the conference as is available. It should include a schedule of activities including workshops, keynote speakers, special events, field trips, entertainment and team building activities. Conference fees are usually paid on registration, and the preconference materials should be sent several months in advance of the conference. If possible, the forms can also be posted on the website of the sponsoring organization enabling participants to register online.

Recruitment of Presenters

If the conference presenters are from the same pool as participants, call for presenters will be similar to the preregistration process and can be largely accomplished online. Certain presenters, such as keynote speakers, should be contacted personally by the conference organizers. Presentations for academic conferences are usually in the form of scholarly papers. In these types of conferences, papers or outlines are submitted to a panel of experts for acceptance.

This concludes all the planning required before the conference takes place, in the next blog will look at the running of the conference.

Resource: Community Tool Box: http://ctb.ku.edu/

MRC Research Conference in Cape Town

Conferences in South Africa No Responses »

Sep 262012

The MRC Research Conference is taking place from the 24th to 25th October 2012 at the MRC Conference Centre in Cape Town. The Research Capacity Development of the SA Medical Research Council is hosting this MRC Early Career Scientist Conference for health–related research in South Africa.

After successful conferences from 2007 – 2011 and the interest received, the MRC Research Conference will allow for a much broader audience. These 2 days aim to recognize exceptional research undertaken at organization or institutions.

The target audience for this conference are early career researchers or scientist and MRC Interns who will be profiling and showcasing their research, and the theme for this year’s conference is “Carrying the torch for health research”. Topics covered by the MRC Research Conference include:

Public Health – epidemiology, environmental observational studies etc.
Clinical – diagnostics, disease intervention and treatment
Biomedical – basic and laboratory sciences
Translational Research – public understanding of science

Conference Venue for the MRC Research Conference

The MRC Research Day 2012 will be held at the MRC Conference Centre. Their facilities are situated less than 10 minutes away from the airport, 20 minutes from the Cape Town City Centre and the Western Cape Winelands. Surrounded by beautiful gardens, the venue have ample parking as well as 24-hour security available on the grounds. All meals served in the conference centre are strictly halaal.

Conference Keynote Speakers

Prof Salim S Abdool Karim – MBChB, DipData (Computer Science), MS, MMed, FFPHM, PhD

Salim S. Abdool Karim is Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and Director of CAPRISA – Centre for the AIDS Program of Research in South Africa. He is also Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at Columbia University, Adjunct Professor of Medicine at Cornell University and Associate Member of The Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University.

Professor Thumbi Ndung’u – B.V.M., PhD
Thumbi Ndung’u, is an Associate Professor in HIV/AIDS Research and Director of the HIV Pathogenesis Programme (HPP) at the Doris Duke Medical Research Institute, Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal. He holds the South African Research Chair in Systems Biology of HIV/AIDS. He was recently selected as one of 28 (out of 760 applications) for the inaugural Howard Hughes Medical Institute International Early Career Scientist award. From 2008 to 2011, he co-chaired the Young and Early Career Investigators Committee (YECIC) of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise and played a key role in the formulation of the Enterprise’s 2010 Scientific Strategic Plan. He is a member of the scientific advisory board of the Southern African Consortium for Research Excellence (SACORE), a research consortium of five southern African Universities and their counterparts from the United Kingdom, is a member of African AIDS Vaccine Programme (AAVP) Technical Working Group on Capacity Building and Research and serves on the external advisory committee of the Universidade Eduardo Mondlane-University of California, San Diego Medical Education Partnership.

Planning the Conference

Organizing Conferences 2 Responses »

Sep 192012

In our previous two blogs about organizing conferences, we gave an overview of the various phases of organizing a conference and looked at how to set up a conference organizing structure. In today’s blog, we will be looking at the planning phase of the conference.

Each step in the planning phase of the conference needs a clear and realistic timeline which allows time for mistakes to be corrected and for the unforeseen. It is also essential that everybody is in agreement on the purpose of the event before the planning of the conference can start. Is the purpose of the conference training, networking, providing information, advocacy, highlighting an issue, problem solving, decision making?

The Target Audience of the Conference

The target audience of a conference is mainly based on the nature of the conference and sponsoring organization. The target audience can be members of a particular profession or discipline, or share a specific political agenda. They could also be from a specific community, or the conference can be aimed at a specific population group. Other potential target audiences include public officials, members of the sponsoring organization or the general public.

The next step is planning how to get the target audience involved with the conference. Some of the ways in which this is effectively done is through surveys, telephone sampling, focus groups and informal conversation. These are also excellent ways of getting feedback on the wants and needs of the intended conference audience, which will help the organizers to adjust their planning according to the needs of the conference participants.

Conference Length and Date

Deciding on the length of the conference will depend on what needs to be done, what the participants can afford in terms of time and money, availability of target groups and the budget of the sponsoring organization. Most national and international conferences take place over several days, while, with smaller local conferences, the length of the conference is determined by the time the participants can set aside and how long the conference space will be available.

The date of the conference need to be planned, so that it does not coincide with other events that your target audience may be attending. The date should also not conflict with events of national interest or the family obligations of participants. Annual conferences usually have a set date each year, so that the participants can plan around the conference well in advance.

The Format of the Conference

The format includes the overall theme and structure of the conference. Generally, both small and large conferences will start with a keynote address. This can be in the form of a speech or presentation by a well-known or inspirational speaker. The purpose of the keynote address will be to introduce the theme and kindle enthusiasm for the conference.

A conference day may be divided into from two up to six sessions. Often lunch will be included as part of the conference fee, and some of the days may also include a dinner. Meals can include a speaker, giving of awards, organizational business, or it may just be social. It is advisable to wrap-up the conference with a final speaker that will send the participants home thinking about the topic. The wrap-up will also help delegates feel that they had a coherent experience.

Logistics of the Conference

The logistics can be seen as the nuts and bolts of the conference including where it will be held, how presenters will be found, costs involved, transport and other practicalities that need to be planned.

When planning the location of the conference, the organizer needs to consider in which city the conference will be held, and the distance participants will be willing to travel. The organizer needs to decide if the conference should be held at an exciting place to visit or rather a quiet place with little distractions.

Finding a venue for the conference will be based on how much space is needed and whether smaller rooms are required for breakout sessions. Choosing a venue will also depend on specific requirements such as outdoor space, space for meals, accommodation and privacy. Most specialist conference facilities offer catering services, and most hotels and conference centers serve lunch and breakfast every day. For other venues, a caterer may have to be hired, or organizers and volunteers may also be responsible for the catering. It is not uncommon at informal one day conferences, for participants to be required to bring their own lunch or receive a basic meal such as pizza or sandwiches.

If the conference venue is a hotel, accommodation for conference delegates are often made available at a reduced rate. For large conferences, it may be necessary that accommodation is arranged at various venues in the area. It is important to note that the conference organizer is often expected to pay for accommodation for the keynote speakers and special guests.

Other logistics that require consideration include the conference fee, signage, identification for officials and participants, and safety and security issues.

Conference Coordination and Troubleshooting

The conference coordinator is the person who is ultimately responsible for dealing with the caterers, the venue, suppliers, presenters, exhibitors and participants. The coordinator negotiates and discusses payment with exhibitors, and also handles any problems and complaints that may arise from participants during the conference. The coordinator is also in charge of any contract negotiations with the venue and other parties involved with the conference.

In the next blog in this series about organizing conferences, we will look at how to publicize the conference, as well as registering participants, and recruiting presenters for the conference.

Resource: Community Tool Box: http://ctb.ku.edu/

ThinkSales Sales Leadership Conference 2012

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Sep 132012

The ThinkSales Sales Leadership Conference 2012 will be taking place at the Sandton Sun Hotel from the 9^th to 10^th of October. The objective of the conference is to encourage, inspire and inform CEOs, Owners, Managers and Sales Leaders to develop effective, high growth sales organizations.

Sandton Sun Hotel Reception

The conference will be presenting powerful thought leadership principles and tools, featuring unique new keynote speakers and presentation formats. ThinkSales 2012 will have extended workshop sessions and structured networking opportunities, as well as an exhibition space with more than 10 sales targeted exhibitors. The conference will also feature high profile South African sales experts giving talks and hosting Q&A forums.

The ThinkSales Conference is a unique, one-of-its-kind sales leadership conference. Attendees will learn sales management lessons from local and international experts, as well as gaining exclusive exposure to best-practice, tested and proven sales strategies. The conference is an opportunity to connect with 300 peers from South Africa’s leading companies.

People, who should be attending the ThinkSales Sales Leadership Conference 2012, include leaders who are responsible for delivering top sales volumes in competitive markets. Other attendees will be executives who play a key role in defining the sales strategies of their respective companies or organisations, including CEOs, MDs, GMs, Sales Directors, Sales Managers and Owner-Managers

Conference Venue

The venue for the ThinkSales Sales Leadership Conference 2012 is the Sandton Sun Hotel situated on the corner of 5th & Alice Streets in Sandton. Elegant and distinguished, the Sandton Sun offers guests a distinguished and memorable stay. Linked to the Sandton Convention Centre and the Sandton City Shopping Centre, this hotel combines business services, modern dining and fashionable shopping, appealing to both leisure and business travellers. Located in the heart of Sandton CBD this hotel is 40 minutes by road from O.R Tambo International Airport and 900m from the Gautrain Station. The hotel offers convenience and easy access to the city’s finest amenities.

Conference Keynote Speakers

Frank V. Cespedes teaches at Harvard Business School. For 12 years, he was Managing Partner at The Center for Executive Development (CED), a company that delivered services to help companies develop capabilities, implement organisational change, and achieve results. CED won awards in the United States and Europe for its work with Fortune-1000 companies worldwide.

Steve Diamond advises senior executives and their management teams on how to improve their competitive advantage, increase their revenues, and improve their results. He is known for his ability to develop business strategies, for building support for these strategies within client organisations, and for helping his clients to achieve sustainable performance improvement.

As President and CEO of Prime Resource Group, Jeff Thull has designed and implemented business transformation and professional development programmes for companies such as Shell, 3M, Siemens, Boston Scientific, HP, Compuware and Georgia-Pacific, as well as many fast track, start-up companies. He is sought after as a thought leader in the field of sales and business strategies for companies involved in complex sales.

Justin Spratt, CEO of Quirk Agency, is responsible for the Johannesburg, Cape Town and London offices with a headcount of over 160 people. Together with the three Managing Directors of each office, James McKay, Nic Ray and Nicole Dickens, they drive over R50mn in annual revenue, in over 4 lines of business and 18 different digital services.

WasteCon 2012 Conference

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Sep 052012

This year’s WasteCon conference is organized by the Institute of waste management of Southern Africa, and will be taking place from the 9^th to 12^th of October in the Eastern Cape town of East London.

WasteCon 2012 Conference Theme

The theme of the conference is Wrestling with Waste. The word ‘Wrestling’ brings about feelings of the difficulty and the challenges experienced when managing waste and related issues in situations/municipalities/communities with limited resources, knowledge.

The WasteCon conference theme can be broken down in the fowling topics:

Employment
• Waste to wages
• Job creation
• Societal benefits
• Partnerships for community improvement
• Upliftment
• Recycling and reuse

Environment
• New waste act
• Licencing
• Minimizing and monitoring of environmental impacts
• Waste as a resource not an output
• Groundwater monitoring

Engineering
• Landfills
• Linings
• Waste transfer stations
• Disposal

WasteCon 2012 Conference Exhibition

The WasteCon conference also has an exhibition component, providing an opportunity for all industry orientated companies and organizations to promote their services and products. The main exhibition space will be in the down stairs exhibition rooms of the East London International Convention Centre. Outdoor exhibition space is also available outside the convention centre entrance.

WasteCon 2012 Conference Venue

East London International Convention Centre (ELICC) is the venue for the WasteCon 2012 Conference. Positioned on the Esplanade the ELICC has magical views of the Indian Ocean and is only a 15 minute drive from the East London Airport, the Industrial Development Zone and all major industries, and offers a fresh Eastern Cape alternative to the Business Tourism sector, locally and internationally.

Conference Organizing Structure

Organizing Conferences 4 Responses »

Sep 042012

In the previous blog of this series of blogs about organizing conferences, we discussed a few introductory points regarding the various phases of organizing conferences. In today’s blog we will look at the importance of an organizing structure and how to set it up correctly.

Compiling a team or committee to assist with the organizing of the conference has many advantages. Working with a team of people ensures that decisions can be approached from more than one perspective, resulting in a wider range of ideas. Having a team to assist the conference coordinator also means there are more hands to assist with the planning and running of the conference. The organizing committee will have to work closely with an individual coordinator, and the members of the committee need to have the time, energy, desire and ability required for the organizing progress.

The organizing committee will often consists of members of the sponsoring organization’s board. For annual conferences there is, usually, already a standing committee that meets year round; and it usually includes the coordinator of the previous conference. With annual conferences, it is also sometimes necessary to set up subcommittees to handle specific parts of the organizing process.

Appointing a coordinator is one of the most critical parts of the conference organizing process. The coordinator will carry out the team’s decisions and is the first line of communication with suppliers, participants, presenters, site providers and exhibitors. With annual conferences, the coordinating function is often automatically part of someone’s job such as the director or chair of the conference committee. In other cases, the coordinator will be a volunteer, staff or board member with the experience and enthusiasm to do the job. If it is a particularly large conference, it may be necessary to hire an event planner to coordinate the conference.

The conference coordinator is the one person that knows what is going on in every area of the events planning and implementation progress. The coordinator ensures the efficient operation of the conference organizing process. Having an individual coordinator heading up the organizing of the conference, simplifies communication and accountability.

Now that the organizing committee is in place, and a coordinator has been appointed, we can start with the planning phase of the conference. The next blog will take a closer look at what goes into planning both small and large conferences.

Resource: Community Tool Box: http://ctb.ku.edu/

Tyres & Rims Conference

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Aug 302012

AMRE and SACEA, in association with IIR, have developed a one-day conference to discuss the key hazards, associated risks and strategies for improving safety when handling tyres and rims. The Conference will take place on the 3^rd of October 2012 at The Wanderers Club in Illovo, Johannesburg.

The theme of the Tyres & Rims Conference is: “Ensuring the safe handling and maintenance of industrial tyres and rims to prevent accidents and fatalities”.

Tyres, rims and wheel assemblies are safety-critical items that must be maintained and used correctly to achieve acceptable levels of risk. Inadequate tyre and rim maintenance carries considerable risk of personal injury and death, as has been confirmed through several tyre and rim-related fatalities in recent years. The conference is designed for safety managers, engineers, foremen, transport, operations and plant managers from all industries who deal with tyres and rims on a regular basis. The aim of the conference is to equip participants with the knowledge needed to minimise the risk of accidents and fatalities.

Key topics of the conference include: the history of rubber and tyres, an overview of rims and wheels, how to service tyres correctly and safely, examining pyrolysis in tyres and the pros and cons of air versus nitrogen in industrial tyres.

The Tyres & Rims Conference is the only event of its kind dedicated to improving safety in tyres and rims handling and maintenance. Attendees will benefit from the knowledge and experience of leading tyres and rims safety experts, and take away practical information and advice that you can implement in your daily operations.

Key speakers at conference include:

Jan de Wet, Technical Product & Services Manager AIM, Michelin
Ian Grant Ray, Director, Rimex SA
Wilco Uys, Industry Sponsor, Milestones on Occupational Health and Safety Transport and Machinery Initiative, South African Chamber of Mines
Malcom Reeve, Managing Member, Thandi Solutions
Andre Bode, General Manager, Otraco Southern Africa
Hennie Klopper, Senior Mechanical Engineer, Anglo American
Brian P. O’Connor, Senior Principal Engineer, Anglo American Platinum

Who should attend the conference?:

Safety Manager/Officer/Supervisor
Chief Safety Officer
Safety Health and Environment (SHE) Manager/Officer/Supervisor
SHEQ/SHERQ Manager
Occupational Health and Safety Officer
Behaviour Intervention Assessor
Behavioural-Based Safety Manager
Operations Director/Manager
Risk Manager
Risk Control Manager
Mining Manager
Plant Manager
Chief Engineer
Foreman
Fleet Manager
Transport Manager

The Conference Venue
The Wanderers Club is situated in Illovo in the heartbeat of the corporate mecca. This conference venue provides a beautiful, sophisticated and elegant environment for any type of function. Their conference facilities offer everything in the finest style. They have 12 versatile function rooms available for Conferences, Banquets, Cocktail and Weddings. They also have ample field space to host corporate events, fun days and sufficient space to erect marques. The Wanderers Club embodies warm hospitality and service excellence.

How to Organize Conferences – Introduction

Organizing Conferences 5 Responses »

Aug 292012

In the previous blog, under the category “Organizing Conferences”, we looked at reasons why people organize conferences. In the next series of blogs, we will be taking a closer look at the process of organizing a conference. We have divided the process into various phases namely: setting up the organizing structure, planning the conference, publicizing the conference, running the conference and evaluation of the conference and organizing process.

When organizing a conference, whether it is a small regional conference or large international conference, it is particularly crucial to pay attention to the details that make up the conference. There are details that need to be considered when organizing a conference such as; how the conference will be publicized, how will the delegates be registered, choosing the right location, finding the right venue etc.

Each conference has its own unique challenges and organizing a small regional conference is different to organizing a large international conference. Smaller regional conferences are often easier to organize as many of the participants are already known to the conference organizers and to each other. Organizing international or national conferences that usually extend over three or more days require a lot of man power and financial resources.

Organizing a conference requires a lot of work and requires months or even years of planning in advance. Before your start organizing a conference, ask yourself if you should be the one organizing this conference and is your organization or company the right entity to organize this conference. Is there enough resources, financial and manpower, to organize this conference? Is there someone else or some other organization that is better equipped to organize it? Consider if there are other, better, ways of achieving the goals of the intended conference.

As the organizing process goes along it will be necessary to maintain control of the various conference details, this is best accomplished by keeping a list of each phase of the planning process that needs to be completed. The list will include tasks that need to be done and dates by when they need to be finished.

Organizing a conference may be intimidating at first but remember to utilize the help of your fellow workers or team members, the more tasks that you can delegate the better. Our next blog will cover the process of setting up an organizing structure to help with the planning phase of the conference.

Resource: Community Tool Box: http://ctb.ku.edu/

GISSA Ukubuzana 2012 Conference

Conferences in South Africa No Responses »

Aug 282012

GISSA Ukubuzana 2012 Conference will be taking place from the 2nd to 4th of October at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg, Gauteng. This conference and exhibition of geo-informatics, ICT, surveying, remote sensing and location-based business, is organized by the Geo-Information Society of South Africa and EE Publishers.

GISSA Ukubuzana 2012

GISSA Ukubuzana 2012 is primarily aimed at leaders, academics, professionals, technologists, technicians, students and companies in the public and private sectors involved with or interested in geographic information science (GIS), information and communication technology (ICT), global positioning systems (GPS), surveying, remote sensing, and location-based applications and business.

Interested parties are invited to the conference to network with local and international experts and professionals. This is an opportunity to understand the technologies, benefits, solutions and challenges of the field. The conference aims to raise awareness on how geographic information science, surveying and location-based business are becoming pervasive in all aspects of society and the economy. The conference is also an opportunity to identify and monetize business opportunities through understanding the technologies and applications, and meeting key suppliers and customers.

Emperors Palace at Jones Road in Kempton Park is the conference venue for GISSA Ukubuzana 2012. The exhibition and conference centre at Emperors Palace provides a diverse range of exciting, multi-purpose venues, as well as small executive breakaway rooms. The entire venue has extensive technical resources and is equipped with state of the art facilities including Wi-Fi connectivity. Emperors Palace excels in three key ingredients of successful conferences and entertaining – superb cuisine, impeccable service, and an elegant atmosphere.

2012 Annual Research Conference of the South African Institute for Computer Scientists and Information Technologists – SAICSIT

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Aug 232012

The SACSIT 2012 conference will be taking place 1 – 3 October 2012 at the the Irene Country Lodge, Centurion. This year’s conference is hosted by the School of Computing and the Centre for Software Engineering (CENSE), UNISA . The theme of the SAICSIT 2012 conference is “Contemplate. Connect. Collaborate“.

SAICSIT Conference 2012

SAICSIT is the annual research conference of the South African national computing society of the same name. The conference provides researchers with a forum for presenting research in computer science, information systems, information technology, software engineering and computer engineering. SAICSIT is an international conference and contributions from all parts of the world are warmly welcomed.

Full research papers accepted for SAICSIT 2012 will be included in the ACM Digital Library as part of the International Conference Proceedings Series published by ACM, subject to the ACM’s copyright approval process.

The conference programme will include technical paper sessions, plenary keynote addresses, panel discussions and workshops – to cater for a broad audience of participants. The first day – Monday 1 October 2012 – is devoted to tutorials, workshops and an all-day Master’s and Doctoral Symposium. The main conference will be held from Tuesday 2nd October to Wednesday 3rd October 2012.

Keynote speakers at the conference include:

Benjamin B. Bederson is a Professor of Computer Science and a past director of the Human-Computer Interaction Lab at the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies and iSchool at the University of Maryland. An ACM Distinguished Scientist, his research is on human computation, mobile device interfaces, interaction strategies, digital libraries, and children’s education. He is also Co-founder and Chief Scientist of Zumobi, a premium mobile app network.

Umberto Straccia holds a PhD in Computer Science, obtained at the University of Dortmund in 1999. He is currently a researcher at ISTI – CNR, Istituto di Scienze e di Tecnologie dell’Informazione (ISTI) del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR). His research activities are in the areas of the Semantic Web, Knowledge Representation and Reasoning, and Distributed Information Retrieval based on ontologies (defined in RDFS, OWL and RIF).

Chris Wendt graduated as Diplom-Informatiker from the University of Hamburg, Germany, and subsequently spent a decade on software internationalization for a multitude of Microsoft products, including Windows, Internet Explorer, MSN and Windows Live – bringing these products to market with equal functionality worldwide. Since 2005 he is leading the program management and planning for Microsoft’s Machine Translation development, responsible for Bing Translator and Microsoft Translator services. He is based at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington, USA.

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