1) Affording facilities for the exchange of information and ideas among its members and placing on record and disseminating the results of research, experience and information relative to the objectives of the Society;

2) Promoting the professional integrity and status of its members and affording facilities for their advancement in the knowledge of their profession;

3) Cooperating with educational institutions and public education authorities for the furtherance of education in naval architecture and marine engineering; and

4) Encouraging and sponsoring research and other inquiries as may be considered important to the advancement of the art and science of naval architecture and marine engineering.

A.5 Planning Guidelines

Section officers should strive to produce programs and activities that will appeal to the majority of the membership such that maximum attendance and participation is achieved. Some suggestions to accomplish this objective follow:

1. Provide a mixture of technical papers on a variety of subjects: naval architecture, marine engineering, economics, operations, management, etc.

2. Determine the meeting format (e.g., social hour, dinner and technical session) most suitable to Section members. Experience in some Sections has shown that, when meal guarantees are required, the guarantee should reflect about a 10% discount of the number of members who have indicated that they will attend in order to account for "no-shows".

3. Meetings held in a convenient and attractive setting with good acoustics and facilities.

4. Some Sections have used questionnaires to determine meeting types and other information favored by the membership.

5. Historical data of papers topics, meeting format, etc. which have resulted in successful meetings should be used in planning future programs.

6. Section meetings should not be scheduled to coincide with Society meetings (Annual and Spring meetings, special events, etc.) and every effort should be made to avoid conflicts with special local events, holidays or other activities (e.g., athletic events, tax preparation deadlines, etc.) which tend to diminish attendance.

B.5 Fundamentals of Successful Meetings

1. Develop programs and technical papers that will have maximum interest. Use variety and expand on successful meetings.

2. Plan all meeting details and make sure the preparations are secured:

• Suitable meeting place for size group

• Audio-visual aids in order; lectern; screen

• Air conditioning, lights, etc.

• SNAME banner in place

• Author(s) and paper(s) prepared

• Meeting notices mailed in sufficient time (Non-profit bulk mail can be used at considerable savings if computerized, ZIP-coded labels are utilized. These labels are available from Headquarters at nominal cost. Reply cards from members should not be pre-stamped with return postage in order to further reduce costs.)

3. Provide a greeting, or fellowship, committee at the entrance to extend special welcome to students, obvious new members and others. This can be the responsibility of the Meetings Committee.

4. Start the meeting on time, strive to keep it moving briskly and make every effort to conclude on time. The business portion of the meeting should precede the technical session and be as brief as possible.

5. Make certain that appreciation is extended to the author and others who helped make the meeting a success.

• A short note of appreciation to the author (and others) following the meeting is often a gracious gesture, in addition to public acknowledgment. Some Sections present mementos or Certificates of Appreciation to authors.

6. Extend public recognition to the President of the Society, Secretary and Executive Director of the Society, Vice Presidents of the Society, chairmen of national committees, past chairmen or other officers of the Section, other Society and industry dignitaries and notable guests who may be present at the meeting. This is an important gesture that reflects favorably on the Society and on the Section.

7. Provide sufficient time in the meeting schedule for announcements of Section and Society's or industry interest such as membership solicitation, Section's representative reports of activities elsewhere, Chairman's summary of Society's Executive Committee meetings, for summary of T&R activities and for solicitation of ideas and comments from members.

8. Many Sections have found it appropriate to ask attending members to identify themselves and their company affiliation. If there is not sufficient time for this, it is a gracious gesture to ask individual hosts to introduce their guests. These introductions tend to develop a feeling of friendliness and camaraderie among the meeting attendees.

9. Provide a bulletin board for notices, messages and acknowledgments of meeting sponsors (if any). Provide a table supplied with Society membership applications and arrange to have the Membership Committee in attendance to answer questions and accept applications.