A. Forming a Steering Committee
An important initial stop in any symposium is the determination of interest in the proposed subject to assure a successful meeting. When a topic has been selected by the Section Executive Committee and other co-sponsoring panels/committees, a Steering Committee Chairperson should be appointed to begin the symposium planning process.

Strong leadership is very important to the success of any symposium. The chairperson of the steering committee must know how to select and organize its members as well as be knowledgeable of the symposium subject. The chairperson should be known in the maritime industry so that he/she can assist the technical committee in the selection of authors, discussers, and moderators who will be willing to participate in the symposium. The chairperson of the steering committee is frequently a past chairperson of the section, which has the advantage of being familiar with the politics and geography of the section.

The steering committee should be comprised of the symposium chairperson, the Secretary-Treasurer, all committee chairpersons, and representatives of the co-sponsoring organization(s), if there are any. The first item of Symposium planning is defining the responsibility of each member of the steering committee. The chairperson must be certain that all aspects of the symposium are covered without overlaps, nor gaps in, responsibilities. A suggested steering committee organization is shown in Figure 1.

The Symposium will require some "seed" money to cover some of the start-up items such as letterheads, a Call for Papers, printing and postage costs, and some early publicity in technical journals. The Section or the Society can advance the “seed” money on a conditional basis and when the Symposium has concluded its business, this money will be returned. The handling of symposium finances is extremely important at this stage since there are many unknowns, particularly in the number of people that will attend, the site costs in terms of public room usage, and the meal costs.

B. Approvals
Once the Section has decided to proceed with the symposium, it is necessary for the Chairperson of the Symposium (unless it is a purely local event, such as an educational seminar) to write a letter to Society Headquarters requesting official permission to hold the Symposium. The letter should define the symposium topic, budget, the date(s), any exhibitions being contemplated, any co-sponsors, and the symposium location. In recent years because of financial concerns, the Society’s Executive Committee has been very cautious in approving symposia. It is important that the requesting letter be complete and descriptive as possible. It is recommendations on the approval of the symposium, the Executive Committee may give only conditional approval subject to the reduction in certain overhead costs.

The costs of a symposium can be decreased and responsibility shared if there are other cosponsoring groups. When the decision is made to have cosponsors, the terms or the involvement must be precisely defined and a formula for sharing the fiscal responsibility and risks of the symposium agreed upon by the governing bodies of all participating organization. It might be advisable for one organization to assume all the financial risks while the other(s) lend their support in terms of the Call for Papers, publicity, and providing mailing lists of their membership. Involvement of other organizations will stimulate interest and provide additional leadership that will promote attendance at the symposium. All potential relationships with these organizations should be included in the letter to the Society's Executive Committee requesting permission to hold or to be co-sponsor of the symposium under SNAME auspices.

The steering committee, at its first meeting should appoint chairpersons to the various standing committees that it feels are needed to adequately conduct the symposium's business. The committee appointments should be offered to individuals who are interested in actively supporting the symposium and its program. Committee chairpersons volunteer their time and effort and careful attention should be given to their selection. Consideration should be given to their ability to perform assigned tanks and that their professional business or other responsibilities will allow them to perform their assigned tasks with the support and encouragement of their employers. Employer support generally means that they will be able to attend symposium steering committee meetings, the symposium itself, and possibly perform some limited symposium business during their office hours, if such activities are necessary.

Deciding on a date for a symposium, consideration should be made for national holidays, religious observances, section meetings, and other symposia being hosted in other Society sections. Events of other technical organizations should also be considered for any conflicts. With a firm date and topic and the receipt of a permission to proceed with the symposium by the Society's Executive Committee, the chairperson of the symposium's technical committee should issue a "Call for Papers" and organize a committee that will search for authors and subjects. It is recommended that the technical committee chairperson should contact society Headquarters to initiate the preparation of a Call for Papers in the Marine Technology and SNAME News or a separate mailing that will be sent to all members of the Society. However, a separate mailing is very costly and will add a significant expense to the Symposium budget and should be avoided if possible. The Steering Committee, at this point, will operate independently of the Section, but the Section will become an important advisory body and monitor the symposium progress.

C. Exhibitions
A symposium's appeal may be enhanced by the use of exhibits that visually display items that enhance the symposium's theme. It is not permissible to undertake trade exhibits or similar moneymaking activities without the knowledge and approval of the Society's Executive Committee. The use of exhibitors raises the question of commercialism and whether such practices should be continued in the future, for it could be conceived as a violation of section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 under which the Society is tax exempt. It is important; therefore, that careful consideration is provided to such activity and exhibitions are clearly defined in the proposal made to the Society's Executive Committee. Canadian sections should determine any potential tax effects in accordance with Canadian laws.

D. Steering Committee Meetings
The governing and policy-making body of the Symposium is the steering committee. Meetings should be held as frequently as possible to cover the integrated planning of the symposium’s finances, technical program, and site location. Such meetings provide the opportunity of committee chairpersons to interface with one another and discuss common problem and objectives. The majority of the meetings may be held during the formulation of the technical program when the abstracts from the Call for Papers are discussed and the first drafts of the papers are submitted by their authors.

There is no minimum number of steering committee meetings, and it in necessary for each committee to ascertain its own needs to determine the appropriate number of meetings and their timing to make the symposium a success. In addition to the "kick-off" meeting, the following are suggested:

• Discuss the Call for Paper (Symposium Theme)
• Discussion of abstract response to Call for Papers and any appropriate action required acquiring additional papers.
• Discussion of symposium finances, publicity, registration, and meeting site
• Meeting to discuss the final technical program.
• Meeting to discuss contents of the Symposium Brochure.
• Meeting before Symposium to set an action program and check lists for members of the steering committee.

The symposium budget and its publicity are two important items that should be discussed during all these meetings; the costs, fees, and announcement of the Symposium are crucial to its success. Sound financial planning will lower overhead costs and the symposium fee. The secretary/treasurer must be active in Symposium initiation and until its proceedings are published and an audit report in filed with the Section. The treasurer must have budgets from each of the chairpersons of the committees that reflect realistic estimates of expenditures and incomes. He or she must keep all records of these expenditures and incomes in a neat and orderly manner so that a final financial statement can be provided to the Section and ultimately to the Society. A final audit of the symposium finances should be undertaken by the Section.

The publicity chairperson must be an active individual who will need to cultivate an interest in the symposium. Although it is important for the Publicity chairperson to conduct an intensive advertising campaign, it is also crucial to have the active support of the steering committee in terms of ideas and sources for advertisements. Publicity should not be a one-person show; it requires the active interest of every steering committee member at all times.

Co-sponsoring societies are important and should be active in the steering committee. Each organization should have a member present at symposium steering committee meetings to report any important item requiring action. Effective communication between organizations is very important during the early stages of symposium planning.

E. SNAME Policy on Sponsoring Symposia
One of the objectives of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers as stated in its Bylaws is to advance the art, science, and practice of naval architecture and marine engineering in all their applied forms by affording facilities for the exchange of information among its members.

Sponsoring a focused symposium is an excellent means of meeting this objective. In recognition of the importance of this objective, a number of successful symposia have been conducted under the sponsorship of the Technical and Research Committees and Panels as well as by individual sections.

The Society encourages the sponsorship of symposia. The following policies have been developed and used by past successful symposia. They are listed as guidelines to assist in the planning and the management of a successful symposium:

1. Date Selection
It is essential that the date selected for a symposium does not conflict with other Society activities. Thus, any selected dates are to be cleared with the Society’s Executive Committee as far in advance as possible.

2. Budget
A preliminary budget shall be developed which itemizes anticipated expenses and incomes at several levels of attendance. A surplus revenue of 10% is to be included in all levels of expected attendance. Upon approval by the Societies Executive Committee of the preliminary budget, a request may be made to Headquarters for seed money if needed.

3. Registration Fees
A matrix of early and late registration fees should be established to cover members, nonmembers, and student members. Non-member fees are to be at least one third greater than those paid by members.

4. Authors & Moderators
Up to two SNAME member authors per paper may receive complimentary registration. Additional authors and all moderators are to be charged the applicable registration fees.

5. Social Events
Fees for social events are to be structured to make such activities self-supporting.

6. Timely Notice
It is important that timely notification of the sympo- sium be made to all members of the Society. This notification may be accomplished by an announcement in Marine Technology and SNAME News. Additional announcements are at the discretion of the symposium steering committee and any resulting costs are to be included in the symposium budget.

7. Cancellation
At an appropriate date in advance of the symposium, the Symposium steering committee should review the advance registration status with Society Headquarters. If the advanced registrations are deemed inadequate, the symposium should be canceled.

8. Financial Report
Following the conclusion of the symposium an audited financial report is to be submitted to Society Headquarters. One half of any surplus revenue will be retained by the sponsoring organization, or shared between the sponsoring organizations if more than one. It is important that this agreement be made during the initial planning phases of the symposium, The remaining revenue (50%) must be forwarded to Society Headquarters.

9. Legal Action
In the event of any legal action, the Society’s Bylaws, Section 6, Indemnification, will apply.

10. Headquarters Assistance
The Society’s Headquarters staff can provide invaluable assistance in the planning and conducting a symposium. It is strongly recommended that a member of the Headquarters’ staff attend at one or more Symposium Steering Committee meetings.

11. Sexual Harassment
It is the policy of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers to prohibit sexual harassment. Society policy specifically prohibits sexual harassment by or against any employee, member, vendor, or customer. This applies to all aspects of symposia preparation. A copy of the Society's policy will be found in Appendix E.

III. FUNCTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

A. Chairperson
1. General:
The steering committee chairperson is responsible for the overall management and organization necessary for a successful symposium. The chairperson is selected by the Section's Executive Committee.

The success of any symposia is dependent upon the ability of the Chairperson to obtain the maximum effort from each of the committee chairpersons and their committee members. The ability to manage, direct, and indirectly control all phases of the planning, operation, economics, and progress of the symposium by the Chairperson, as outlined in this Manual, will lead to the overall success of the symposium.

In general, the Chairperson is responsible for the overall success of the symposium and receives advice and counsel from the symposium steering committee. The people chosen for these positions should be active Section members in good standing with proven capabilities. Such qualities will lead to a more successful symposium and a much more pleasant and easier management situation for the Steering Committee Chairperson.

2. Selection of Steering Committee Chairpersons:
The success of a symposium will depend largely on the dedication of the committee chairpersons and the members of the their committees. Selection of the person to head a committee is important as this person will be responsible for the successful management of the Committee in completing its assignments in a timely manner, whether it be papers, registration, hotel, or other important symposium functions.

The individual committee chairpersons should be selected from those individuals who have served on Section committees, and, if possible, on a previous symposium or large Section's meeting, and who also want to volunteer, rather than be drafted to serve in the position. The following criteria should be considered when making a selection of a committee chairperson:

a. Does the individual have the time, or can they make the time necessary to perform the work required for the success of the symposium?

b. Is the person capable of organizing, managing, and completing the work involved regardless of business or other pressures?

c. Has the person any previous experience on this or other committees?

d. Will the employer of the potential chairperson understand and agree to support the person's commitment to the Committee?

e. Does the person have the ability to communicate with members of his committee as well as with the Symposium Steering Committee Chairperson?

f. Is the person a doer, and not just a follower?

g. Is the person a volunteer? If the person is drafted or pressured into being a chairperson, then the Steering Committee chairperson will need to watch and possibly replace the chairperson if he should fail to complete the work involved.

h. Which committee will be best suited to the person's talents, personality, and previous experience?

i. Will the person selected work well with the Steering Committee Chairperson and other committee chairpersons?

It should also be determined that the committee chairpersons selected will not permit other duties in the Section or National Office to interfere with his/her performance in the symposium. If other organizations are involved in the symposium, such as the "Ship Production Committee”, then suitable representation shall be made on the various committees by assigning persons as Advisory Chairpersons of the Symposium Steering committee.

The reason for choosing a chairperson within a section hosting the symposium is to maintain close control and have people locally to attend organization and regular meetings. An example of this is the 1986 Star Symposium hold in Portland Oregon, where it was necessary to have people from Seattle on the committee and to help during the symposium. The Northwest Section is spread out over some 320 land miles between Vancouver, British Columbia and Portland, Oregon, and requires the assistance of knowledgeable people from this Section to succeed in such a great undertaking. Here, the chairperson and all committee chairpersons were from the Portland area, but they were backed by vice chairpersons from the Seattle area.

3. Committees:
A symposium chairperson must maintain tight control over his committee.

Generally, the committees that are needed are as follows:
a. Papers
b. Accommodations
c. Publicity
d. Publications
e. Registration
f. Social Program
g. Exhibits
h. Facilities
i. Sponsorship

The responsibility of these committees are discussed in detail in the following sections of this Manual and should be referred to by the Steering Committee Chairperson when evaluating people to be chairpersons of a specific committee. The person selected to head a specific committee should study the requirements of that committee, detailed herein, before agreeing to chair that specific committee. It is better to have a person satisfied that they can perform the duties when accepting the position, than to later find out that they should have taken another position or rejected the request. Remember each person chosen will spend two or more years in planning and carrying out the work to a symposium. It is a commitment and if one chairperson fails to do his work, it will jeopardize the success of the symposium.

4. Setting of Milestones for Progress:
Setting of timelines and milestones for accomplishments are of utmost importance in having a successful symposium. Each committee must determine the lead-time required for all functions within their control. The Section's Executive Committee, the Society Executive Committee, or their designee(s), other participating sponsoring groups, hotels, meeting facilities, etc. must be consulted to determine all necessary deadlines, advance notices, etc. required to completely chart the progress milestones. If these are properly set and followed the symposium can be very successful, but if not followed, can mean a failure by lack of attendance, and therefore, a money-losing proposition. A symposium must be planned to generate a minimum surplus of ten per cent of the registration fees.

Information needed to complete the milestone chart must be assembled from many sources and compiled for distribution to and approval of the Steering Committee. Milestones should be set for each committee and suggested ones are shown in Appendix A (please note these time frames are minimal and longer lead time should be allowed where possible).

5. Leadership and Accomplishing Milestones:
The Symposium Chairperson is the one who leads, assists, advises, and acts as the manager to make sure that each committee chairperson and their committees are performing their tasks. The Symposium Chairperson should not do all the work for the Symposium; he is there to maintain the progress, direct, cajole, help, and assist in meeting the committee milestones tabulated in Appendix A. He or she should encourage the committee chairpersons to make their own decisions. It must be explained to all symposium management participants, the importance of meeting all the milestones and that by doing so the performance of the Symposium Steering Committee and the symposium will be a great success. Following a milestone set of goals, allowing committee chairpersons to follow reasonable guidelines, and having a small, efficient committee, the Sections will be able to have successful symposia.

If a committee milestone is missed, hopefully a new one can be set, and this goal met. Generally, most committees will build in an allowance for unexpected problems or delays, which helps when a milestone is missed. The chairperson should always have a contingency plan, which can be implemented in case of an unexpected problem, such as a fire, cancellation of a speaker, electrical power loss, non attendance of an author, etc.

B. Secretary/Treasurer
1. General:
The Secretary/Treasurer is responsible for recording the actions and decisions at the meetings of the steering committee, receipt of funds, disbursement of fund so the preparation of the budget for the symposium, and the preparation of the final financial report suitable for audit by the Section. The Secretary/Treasurer should have experience working on the Section’s executive committee and is familiar with Section finances and the format required to keep such records. In recent years with the proliferation of computers, most sections now have canned programs that will assist in the financial record keeping. A suggested milestone chart for the Secretary Treasurer will be found in Appendix A.

2. Recording Meetings - Minutes:
The Secretary is responsible for recording the minutes of all meetings held while the steering committee is active. These minutes should be typed and issued to all committee chairpersons preferably within a week of a meeting's occurrence to ensure that those involved understand what they are required to accomplish prior to the next meeting as well as important decisions that have been made in regard to the symposium. A copy of the minutes should be sent to the section chairperson.

Minutes of all meetings shall be maintained in a file for all to review at any time, including the Section Executive Committee, National Executive Committee, and any other group that has the authority to review the symposium's business. The minutes of the preceding meeting shall be reviewed and approved at the following symposium steering committee meeting and modified, if necessary.

3. Bank Account:
The Secretary/Treasurer shall open a bank account for the sole use of the Symposium. The account should be interest bearing and have checking privileges. Money-market funds, if available, should be used as these are interest bearing accounts with checking privileges and the bank notified of the Society's tax exempt status. In the latter regard, the Internal Revenue Service requires that an identification number be furnished to the banking institution that pays interest and/or dividends. The Society's Identification Number for this purpose is 13-5631379N.

A minimum of three (3) people should be used on the bank signature card with one signature required. There may be special circumstances when two required signatures are advisable. The Chairperson, Secretary/Treasurer, and Registration Chairperson are suggested as signatories for the bank account.

4. Budget and Cash Flow:
It is important that the steering committee develop a budget for the symposium that will cover all planned events and programs. A simple budget format is included as Appendix B, which has proven successful in a number occasions. The Chairperson and or Secretary/Treasurer, who will be responsible for the budget once it is approved by the steering committee, should coordinate in the preparation of the budget, along with inputs from all committees set up by the symposium steering committee.

The cash flow out will start with the printing of the symposium’s stationery. Another cash flow out item is the printing and distribution of the registration brochure informing members and the marine industry of what the symposium theme will cover. The symposium brochure should be mailed three months prior to the symposium date and within two weeks to a month later; the cash flow from Symposium registrants will commence with the receipt of registration. When this cash flow begins, the secretary/Treasurer should maintain a weekly record and consult with the Registration Chairperson on all incoming revenue from the registrations.

Ordering of items which will require cash outlay, such as badges, signs, papers, etc. should be done in advance of the symposium, but with delivery dates of one to three weeks before the meeting. When ordered this way, billing will arrive when there is cash to pay for them.

During the symposium, record keeping should be daily. It may be advisable to use a computer to assist in such a task. A tight control should be kept on the number attending the meals through the registration forms as meal guarantees with the hotel or caterer are very important and a source of potential for exceeding the budget if records are not carefully kept. Those inexperienced with guaranteeing food events should inquire of those experienced in the local area. Normally 5 to 10% of those who are registered do not show for luncheons or dinners especially if the event is two or more days! Be sure to guarantee low as extra meals can always be set out.

5. Registration Fees:
Preparing the budget and determining what should be included in the registration fee is very important to a symposium's success. The meeting room costs, special audio/visual equipment, papers brochures, authors' breakfast, coffee breaks, meals, badges, ribbons, and general operating costs are included in the base fee. Spouses, guests, and student members not registered for the symposium should be charged for all meals included in the registration and a small amount for other expenses.

The registration fee when added to hotel or motel room costs, the cost of transportation to the city where the symposium is being held, and the number of days the symposium will be held are factors in whether or not people will attend. Even with an excellent technical program, attendance numbers are price sensitive.

6. Payment of Bills:
Before invoices are submitted to the Secretary/Treasurer, the responsible committee chairperson should check the items and approve payment. Hotel billings, if handled correctly, will be verified by the Accommodation Chairperson, including the count of meals served, and this chairperson will, along with the Secretary/Treasurer, sign the invoice for payment at the conclusion of the Symposium or as arranged with the facility where the meeting was held.

The Secretary/Treasurer will prepare all checks for signature and verify that there is adequate money in the bank account to cover the check amounts. The invoice will be recorded in the Secretary/Treasurer's records.

7. Audit:
The Secretary/Treasurer shall prepare the books for audit by the local Section once all bills have been received and paid, and the canceled checks returned. The audit report for the symposium shall be made by the secretary/treasurer and the records audited by representatives appointed by the Section's Executive Committee. This audit report shall be included with the Chairperson's Report to the Section's Executive Committee and sponsoring bodies, if any. It is important to repeat the guidelines that all profits from the symposium are to be divided up so that 50% of these is provided to Society Headquarters. All remaining profits are to be divided as previously agreed between the cosponsoring parties.

C. Technical Program
The Technical or Papers Committee is, perhaps, the most important function of the symposium since the development of a strong program is the key ingredient to the attendance and overall success of any symposium. Many different approaches are possible to attract authors.

1. Committee Size and Formulation:
A small committee is easier to focus; a larger one has the advantage of broader distribution of the workload. The committee must perform a myriad of tasks, which includes soliciting papers, editing, and monitoring authors' progress.

The members of this committee should be chosen to represent a broad coverage of the technical areas addressed in the symposium and come from geographical areas where papers and registrants will be solicited.

2. Call for Papers:
The Call for Papers should highlight the goals of the symposium and define as closely as possible the type of papers that are desired. It should be issued far in advance of the symposium to allow time for potential authors to decide on whether they will participate and develop the requisite abstract; for selected authors to develop their papers; for reviewing, assembling, and printing of the manuscripts; and most importantly for the extra time required to make sure that the authors complete their manuscripts. Extra time should be allowed after the abstract due date so that there is still enough time to supplement and strengthen the program. This can also be envisioned as a publicity device to alert the membership of a subject matter they may be interested in.

The Call for Papers should be published wherever possible (Marine Technology, ASNE Journal, Naval Architect (RINA), or other technical magazines where appropriate to the symposium theme) and sent out with local Section notices. This type of distribution has less financial impact than separate mailing. Such publicity also serves to announce the subject and date(s) of the symposium to potential registrants.

Do not expect the Call for Papers to be your sole source of abstracts for a focused, high-quality program! A major function of the Technical Committee members will be to search out potential subjects appropriate to the symposium theme and the authors to write these. It will take some persuasion on the part of the committee members to get those abstracts submitted, but this is why it is important to have an active and experienced Technical Committee. Letters enclosing a Call for Papers should be sent to potential authors or organizations where authors can be chosen to write an appropriate paper. A telephone call is often required to set a commitment.

3. Committee Review of Abstracts and Program Development:
The set of abstracts received can be evaluated by the entire Technical Committee as well as by the Symposium Chairperson(s) to determine interest and quality. A simple consistent scoring system is useful to simplify the process for a large committee. Each member should evaluate each abstract and score it. The summary of these results is a good method to prioritize the abstracts. A straight cut-off, based on the system of scoring is not desirable. Some weaker abstracts may provide balance needed or complement certain areas of the program.

It is difficult to have a large committee assemble often. There should be one meeting to discuss the abstracts shortly after the date set for submittal has passed. Personal knowledge of the authors by a committee member can contribute much to a paper's evaluation. The meeting can also identify where the program is weak and potential authors, not yet identified can be discovered through group discussion.

Other possibilities for the symposium program could be panel discussions, skits, evening workshops, and various other program possibilities to round out the program and provide maximum interest in the subject areas of the symposium. A draft program should be developed with the understanding that additional abstracts and possibilities could be developed.

4. Author Notification and Progress Monitoring:
Authors of Abstracts that are deemed acceptable should be notified immediately that their abstracts are accepted and here are the criteria for submittal of draft and final format including dates for submittals. A contract person for the author to communicate with on any problems, questions or other items which concern the author. The contract person should maintain a dialog with the author to insure the paper arrives on time and in the form requested.

5. Review of Paper Drafts:
In addition to Committee members being responsible for regular contact with the author(s), several members should be assigned to each paper for review and development of comments. Copies should be sent as quickly as possible to the reviewers with firm dates for response.

The reviewers should ideally have expertise in the subject area of the paper, striving to provide editorial comments for more meaningful and easier to read papers. They should suggest missed areas of discussion inaccuracies, and potential co-authors if they could assist in improving the quality and content of the manuscript.

Generally, there will be time for a first draft and commentaries should be made then. This will be followed by a final camera-ready manuscript where changes other than grammar or spelling errors will be difficult to make. If language or other difficulties are recognized at an early stage an intermediate draft should be requested to allow time for more extensive editing. This may be particularly true where English is not the primary language of the author.

6. Panel Discussions:
Panel Discussions can add some excitement to symposium and help focus topics of importance. If done early in the program (on the first day, for example) and followed by a social hour, it can lead to better mixing of symposium participants.

The choice of a well-known and personable moderator can be an important ingredient to a successful panel. Some stimulating topics or controversial material should be included. Generally, panelists should be well known and willing to speak freely on the subject chosen for them. Very high level panelists are appropriate at times but may not be the best when high interaction with other panelists or the audience is desired.

Panelists should be given only five to ten minutes, at the most, for an opening statement. Those should be focused. Questions should be developed ahead of time by the moderator and provided to the panelists so they will give answers that are well thought out and effectively delivered. Short responses should be encouraged to allow more time for questions from the floor.

Some of the prepared questions can be used by the moderator to start discussion on a particular subject followed by a question and answer session from the floor before moving on to other areas of discussion.

With large audiences, questions for the panel can be solicited with the registration materials provided as the symposium participants sign in. These can be collected before the panel discussion or at the registration desk. Such an approach needs to be carefully orchestrated with the Registration Committee if the participants are to develop questions that will be useful.

The moderator should be instructed to solicit questions from and interaction with the audience. This is the aspect of most value for making an effective panel discussion.

7. Keynote and Luncheon Speakers:
A keynote speaker positioned at the commencement of the Symposium is a good way to begin the program. With a keynote speaker followed by some significant papers, the audience will be more likely attending at the beginning of activities. With the scheduling of lesser papers at the beginning of the Symposium, some registrants may not be as prompt to arrive and an excited focus of everyone on the purposes of the symposium may be more difficult to achieve.

The keynote speaker should attempt to concentrate on the issues' of interest at the Symposium and deliver some thought provoking ideas for consideration. He will also set the tone for the event. Therefore, the "keynoter" needs to be someone recognizable to the majority of the audience, either by reputation in the field or by position in a related field.

Choice of luncheon speakers should be deferred until the technical program is well planned. These speakers should be carefully selected for their impact on the entire program and it would be prudent to provide them with a copy of the technical program to develop their remarks. Generally, very high-level speakers can be obtained for a luncheon engagement. However, it would be prudent to have some last-minute alternatives in case the speaker can not attend due to delayed flights, change in plans, etc.

The luncheon speakers, while often suggested and scheduled by the Technical Committee, should be invited personally by the symposium's Chairperson(s) with the assistance of other members of the Steering Committee to assure that the sneaker shows and is met with proper dignity and timing. Certain protocols are required if these speakers are well-known politicians, for example. Suggested topics should be noted in the request letter and there should be a good description of the symposium program.

8. Finalizing the Technical Program:
The goal for finalizing the program, including the keynote and luncheon speakers, is the date on which the pre-registration materials must be sent to the printer. These materials will form the nucleus of the publicity program for the symposium in the months just before the Symposium is held. Having a luncheon speaker or paper "to be announced" will draw very few people. Such an approach also casts a negative impression on those reading the Symposium announcement.

The makeup and finalization of the program should be done with care. A two-day meeting scheduled on a Monday or Tuesday should be arranged differently than for a Thursday and Friday. The audience will be more likely to stay to the end of a Monday-Tuesday symposium, whereas a Thursday-Friday symposium concludes on one of the busiest travel days of the week, making it more difficult to hold an audience. The technical program can also be closely related to the social one. The only way to develop a really successful program is to be aware of all possible considerations, making a few alternatives, visualizing the program as a participant, and enlisting a "crystal ball" to predict what could happen at various stages of the program.

A reception on the first day of the symposium can have tremendous benefit. It serves as a mixer that can transform the second day into a technical and social event that can be valued throughout a lifetime. It can also be a financial dud if it is poorly attended.

Evening sessions or workshops are not a regular event in our Society, but could add a mixing ingredient and technically meaningful magic to a program. These sessions normally can consist of a group of scheduled evening sessions, each having a distinct, advertised topic area. People interested in a topic will meet at an appropriate time and discuss it. A pre-appointed leader of the discussion should be prepared with several alternatives that the discussion group could focus on. People will meet each other more informally and in smaller groups allowing for further interaction than during the normal paper sessions. A verbal report or the group activity to the entire attendance might also be appropriate.

Papers starting the second day can often be poorly attended. Strong popular subject matter is suggested to stimulate the draw.

When parallel sessions are involved, care must be taken to create those that will minimize the number of persons that will want to switch from one tract to another. Times for breaks should be coordinated diligently. Generally, papers of equal interest should be placed against each other, also to minimize switching. If a paper is significant and clearly of interest to both tracts, then consideration should be given to not scheduling anything concurrently.

The success of the overall program depends upon much thought, planning, and consideration of the individuals attending as well as some intangibles.

9. Assuring Lively Discussions and Other Moderator Considerations:
Generally, a presentation by the author(s) should not take more than 45 minutes. This will include the introduction of the author(s) and leave some time for discussion. The latter could be a problem, if the paper is of high interest to symposium registrants.

In general, at least one discussion should be developed ahead of the meeting by a reviewer who is knowledgeable in the technical area of the paper and who has had the opportunity to thoroughly read the paper. To assure there is at least one discussion, three or more copies of the paper need to be sent out to potential discussers identified by the author(s) and the Technical Committee Chairperson through interaction with the Committee. This is best accomplished by the member of the committee who was chosen to monitor the progress of the paper and/or the session's moderator.

Questions and discussion from the floor are a necessity to make the session a vibrant, meaningful event for those present. If several written/prepared discussions are received, those presenting them should be directed to sit close to the podium and to read excerpts if time is a factor. The moderator should also prepare some provocative questions to try and stimulate some discussion from the floor.

The moderator's function is like a manager charged with setting up a proper forum and getting a quality job done on time. One effective way to ensure success of a session is to have both a moderator and an assisting moderator present. One of the two can be chosen from the Technical Committee (preferably the individual chosen to monitor the paper's progress) and another from the Symposium Steering Committee for his knowledge of the program.

Each moderator should be provided with an event sheet showing times and activities so that the program will not be slowed. This is particularly important with the problem of coordinating parallel sessions where registrants may desire to switch from one session to the other.

10. Keeping the Program on Time:
The key to keeping a program on time is to select conscientious and effective moderators who have a good set of instructions (verbal and written) to give to the presenters. The major difficulty encountered in past symposia and technical meetings of the Society is the author presentations. Many presenters figure that they must give an impromptu style, personable presentation to be effective. Often, however, they will fail to practice sufficiently and can take from two to three times as long as specified! Knowledge of a particular author's approach from previous experiences can help in instructing them properly. A very clear statement that the moderator will cut them off after an allotted time can be effective.

Sometimes it will be apparent that some papers will have extensive discussions, while others may have few. Some adjustment in time needs to be made although it may be difficult to know what will take place at the podium or on the floor. If necessary, additional discussions can be deferred until all the papers of the session have been presented or possibly to evening work-group sessions as mentioned in a previous section. Another approach, where a session has papers that are very close in subject area, is to hold the presentations of each paper without a break (mini-panel discussion style) followed by a group discussion of all the papers.

11. Post-Symposium Activities:
The activity of the Technical Committee does not conclude with the Symposium. After the sessions have concluded, the chairperson and his committee (or specially designated ones) will have to collate the discussions and monitor the authors’ responses. The Technical Committee Chairperson must set a date for authors’ responses, which ideally should be within 60 to 90 days after the event. It will take some persistence on the part of the Chairperson to gather the discussions and the authors' responses, plus any other write-ups, speeches, panel discussions, or summary session transcriptions to make sure that the second volume of the symposium or a single volume including the papers as well are to be published within 6 months of the Symposium. At this stage there needs to be coordination with the Publications Committee for typesetting and printing of the Proceedings of the Symposium.

D. Publications Committee
The Publications Committee can be part of the Technical Committee or a separate function. It was determined from the 1987 Now York Met Symposium on Ship Operations, Management, and Economics that two separate committees were better; however, they had to work closely together to make sure that the printing necessary for this symposium was done in a timely manner. It also allowed the Papers Committee Chairman to focus more on the technical Program. The major responsibilities of a separate Publication Committee then would be the assembling and printing of the publications.

1. Proceedings’ Formal Decisions and Budget Costs:
The printing costs for the symposium ' proceedings are second only to the catering costs at most symposia. They are also a fixed cost that does not go away if there is a low attendance. Symposium planning committees often chose to minimize this cost selecting a softbound cover and having the authors provide the camera-ready materials. Therefore, only the addition of page number and typeset titles and author headings are required before printing.

The proceedings should be available to symposium registrants either at or before the symposium. Sending them out before hand will involve mailing costs and it is suggested that if this is the procedure to be followed that the recipient be charged for handling and postage. Having the complete proceedings ready far in advance to facilitate mailing in often a problem because of late-producing authors.

Post-symposium proceedings that include any late papers and written discussions, or transcriptions of the discussions or panel meetings can also be provided. This can be expensive and take considerable time and effort to complete. This is primarily because of the problem in collecting the discussions and authors’ replies after the symposium has concluded.

One option to provide the capture of the technical value of the discussions without the cost of recording and transcription is to tape all the sessions and have a set of tapes available for purchase. The expense of this approach is negligible.

Normally, authors should be instructed to use the two columns, reduced formal standard by SNAME in preparing their papers. The two columns are only slightly more difficult to prepare, make a professional presentation, and combined with reduction when printed make a high-quality document at very reasonable costs. If the symposium is a recurring one, the results of the last symposium with pictures, etc. can provide useful material in the pre-symposium or symposium proceedings of the next event.

Printing costs are directly related to the number of papers in the document, their size, extent of photographic material to be included, and the type of cover. The number of copies to be printed is of lesser importance.

2. Collection and Assembly of Proceedings:
Effective guidance from the Technical Committee to the authors and committee member monitoring of the progress for each individual paper is the key to getting the document ready for the printer in a timely manner. The period between the submittal of camera-ready work and the need to have a bound-copy of the proceedings for the symposium is crucial.

Typesetting of titles and authors' names for loaper headers and a title page and forward can usually be accomplished through a service the printer often uses or can be done elsewhere. The person collecting the papers for reprinting must be careful to note any changes in the titles and authors in the final manuscripts and reflect the same in the typeset titles and table of contents.

The final estimate of printing costs usually must wait until the entire manuscript is assembled so that the printer can estimate his costs from the number of camera-ready pages and number of photographs and graphics to be handled. Ideally, two or more printers should be available so selecting the lowest bid can minimize that price. This in difficult to accomplish unless ample time is made available for all papers to come in. Usually one or more authors are very late in responding to whatever date is chosen by the Symposium Steering Committee. It in also desirable to start a cover early since more lead-time in required to set it up.

3. Printing and Distribution of the Proceedings:
The actual time required for printing and binding by the printer is quite small. The queue time for the printer is something to consider, however. In heavy months, wait time can be significant. Generally, no problems should be encountered if a one-month period is allowed between the time when everything is given to the printer and to that when the final product is delivered.

A use of SNAME’s printer who can produce bound volumes and CD ROMS is recommended but a local printer is also very desirable. The option to pick up and deliver the proceedings to the symposium meeting facility in the case of delays may be helpful. Express delivery provides good service but in costly for the needed volume of materials.

E. Accommodations committee
1. General:
The Accommodations Committee is responsible for the physical and contracting arrangements necessary for a successful symposium. It in also responsible for the final location of the symposium since it is this committee to recommend the sites to the symposium Steering committee.

The committee should be of sufficient size to insure that all necessary arrangements and activities before and during the symposium can be conducted in an efficient manner, and that assistance is always available.

The Accommodations Committee must arrange for a suitable site, meeting rooms, catering and meals, hotel/motel, transportation, registration facilities, communications, audio-visual requirements, as well as budget and economic controls. The control, operation, and economics of the symposium requires detail planning and attention to at least the items outlined in this section of the manual. In this regard, this Committee must work in concert at times with the Registration Committee, particularly in the days prior to and during the symposium.

2. Site Selection
Site selection is done in concert with the desires of the Symposium Chairperson and the Steering Committee. Many factors are involved in the site selection and there must be a careful methodical collection of key information, such an the anticipated number of registrants, available catering facilities, affordable hotel/motel housing, proper size of meeting - rooms, costs, transportation, and the general atmosphere of the site. In the selection of the location, consideration should be given to both commercial and non-commercial self-contained locations where there is little competition for people's time and the site will have availability to airports and/or train stations. Commercial establishments, such as hotels, generally have good meeting facilities and staffs to assist in the planning of the meeting; however, they are generally more expensive due to labor costs and profit requirements. The Accommodations Chairperson and any members of the Committee should explore several locations and report back to the Steering Committee with their recommendations.

Non-commercial sites, such as schools, associations, government facilities, and private clubs vary in the amount of assistance and space. Some facilities, such as schools and private clubs, are often better choices because they are more suited for the type of meeting that SNAME holds and can charge lower fees.

3. Hotel Negotiations
The Accommodation Committee has to become very familiar with the rack rates of the hotels under consideration and must make some projections about the kind of group rate that it hopes to negotiate. Rack rates are hotel’s official, posted rates; group rates, also known as net rates, are discounted prices given to organizations for bringing large pieces of business to the facility. The Committee may wish to negotiate for a single group rate, called a flat rate, for all its business or it may chose a sliding scale of group rates, based on the number of quest rooms (single, double, twin, etc.) that will be used by the Symposium. There are other plans such an the Full American Plan in which three full meals are included in the room charge; the Modified American Plan that Includes breakfast and dinner; and the European Plan in which no meals are included in the room rate.

When negotiating with the Hotels make a checklist of questions including the original rates quoted and the price flexibility at each property. Keep in mind, however, that hotel executives look at each piece of business individually, and there are many significant variables influencing the prices they quota.

Much has been written about the art of negotiation, but the Accommodation Chairperson must have this intimidating mystique. He must do painstaking research and time-consuming research so that he can bargain from a position of knowledge about the Hotel is price structure, its group rates, its marketplace, and most importantly the dollar value of the business he would like to receive. These negotiations should be viewed as a collaborative process among professionals.

The Accommodation Chairperson should dicker first for the best possible group rate and then ask the hotel representative about its complimentary room policy. Securing complimentary accommodations for a Symposium is an important factor in maintaining budgeted costs. There are various methods used by hotels in their offers of complimentary space. Hotels may offer one complimentary room per block of room night. For example, 50 rooms occupied for three nights would be fifteen room nights. They also may be based on the highest number of rooms occupied on any specific night of the Symposium. Thus, it is important to under-stand how a facility figures its complimentary room policy.

After room rates are settled, try to obtain reasonable price quotations for the luncheons, banquets, cocktail parties, and other functions to be hold in this hotel. It may take the Accommodation Chairperson and members of his committee several sessions to make a decision on a facility and its offer.

It may be possible to bargain extra service on the hotels part as well as extra meeting or exhibition space that will compensate for the price offered.

The details agreed upon during the bargaining sessions with the hotel should be put into a contract. During the final site inspection, anything agreed upon with the hotel should be made part of the contract. The Accommodation Chairperson should not accept anything that he is not comfortable with because it may be impossible to renegotiate an amendment to the contract.

4. Contractual Arrangements:
The Accommodations committee must negotiate any necessary contractual agreements regarding the facilities and catering arrangements subject to the approvals of the Symposium Steering Committee and the National Executive Committee.

The Symposium should make tentative bookings an soon as it can. The facility at which the Symposium will be held should send a proposal that outlines the understanding that have been reached during the preliminary negotiation process. If the Symposium Steering Committee is in favor of the agreement, the facility should be sent a letter of acceptance under the signature of the Section Chairman and/or the Symposium Chairperson(s). This letter should include an option date that this tentative agreement as a definite commitment. The Accommodations Committee Chairperson should be the Symposium's coordinator with the contract facility. If this Chairperson should know before the option date that any rooms will not be used, then the tentative bookings should be released.

This Chairman is also responsible for obtaining all bills and invoices for services performed, and to solve any questions, before approving and forwarding the Secretary/Treasurer for payment. Any unusual problems should be taken up with the Symposium Chairperson(s) or the Steering Committee.

5. Catering and Meal Service:
Provision for some of the following catering and meal services must be considered and made by the committee:
(a) Luncheons
(b) Dinners
(c) Receptions and Cocktail Hour
(d) Coffee and Soft Drink Service
(e) Authors' Breakfasts
(f) Special Events

Luncheons and Dinners. Consideration for lunch or dinner should be given to either a sit-down or a buffet-type meal. The decision will depend on the time available, number of people costs, service available, and the size of the dining area. In either case a, selection of a suitable menu and a guarantee for the number to dine must be developed. It should be noted that a Friday dinner for a Thursday-Friday Symposium will be a poorly attended affair and should be avoided.

Reception and Cocktail Hours. A proper reception can work to introduce people and make a symposium more interesting with better communication between the participants. Reception and cocktail hours can be arranged for a cash-bar basis. Open-bar receptions are discouraged due to legal constraints unless the Steering Committee is willing to obtain insurance coverage that will cover any contingency. Symposia should avoid any involvement with the dispensing of alcoholic beverages. That function should be the responsibility of the facility where the meeting in being held. Even this step, however, may not afford complete protection from liability, particularly where it is obvious to the Symposia Steering Committee that an individual has become impaired due his/her alcoholic intake during the Symposium.

Physical arrangements and a decision on snacks or other food service during the cocktail hour must be reviewed. The time allocated for such activity and means of control should be decided in advance. Such an event could be held the night before the Symposium is commenced to start or on the first day instead of or prior to the dinner.

Coffee and Soft Drink Service. Consideration of coffee, danish, donuts, cookies, and soft-drink service at the opening morning session and at both the morning and afternoon breaks should be made. Arrangements for the time and place of each service must be decided upon consultation with the Symposium Steering Committee, as it will affect registration costs.

Authors’ Breakfast. A meeting place with continental style breakfast for the authors, speakers, and moderators should be held each day of the Symposium. The papers and meetings, Chairperson inform all the participants of any special instructions, make sure all needs of authors have been looked after, have pictures taken and any final instructions have been given both in writing and verbal.

Social Events. Any social events such as banquets, dinner dances, or field trips must be given special attention and shall be handled by the Social Committee. A tour company should be hired to handle tours or trips over viewed by the Social Committee.

6. Guarantees:
All catering facilities generally require a guarantee as to the number of meals that will be served or attendance at any receptions or events so that they can plan for food and service requirements. The time for those guarantees vary with each facility, generally requiring a rough estimate at the first negotiation, a firmer number some weeks before the event, and a guaranteed paid number a few days before the actual event.

Depending upon the facility, it in often wise to underestimate the guarantee to allow for no-shows. Most catering facilities will agree to serve a small percentage above the guarantee (usually about five per cent) and can often spread the food to serve a limited number beyond this figure or provide different meals if space and service is available. A buffet-style affair may be attractive for some occasions.

The action on the guarantee can often assist in the economics of the symposium by not paying for no-shows at some of the catered events even if registration has been made. An important function of the Registration Committee is to provide the Accommodation Chairperson with information on registrants, attendance of luncheons, dinners, etc.

7. Hotel Accommodations:
In using a site that provides hotel accommodations or a facility that requires off-site hotel accommodation, arrangements must be made for a block of rooms to be set aside, the date when these rooms will be released and the rate structure for registrants. Hotels, at times, may supply complimentary rooms prorated on the number of room booked by the symposium registrants. If registrants at the hotel will help the Symposium in terms of rental fees of the public spaces where the sessions will be held, this can be noted and stressed in the symposium registration brochure.

Data on hotel registration procedures and information for inclusion in the symposium announcements should be supplied to the Registration Committee for their action.

There are several types of meeting room’s setups that have been used successfully in various SNAME functions:

• Theater or Auditorium Setup - Features a stage and podium with chair seating. This is used for lecture sessions with limited note taking.
• Schoolroom or Classroom Seating - Features a stage and podium with tables and chairs. It is used for lectures sessions and note taking.
• Hollow Square - This is ideal for an idea-exchange type meeting and will accommodate up to 40 people. Could be used for group workshops.
• Conference Style - This is used for small meetings and idea exchanges.
• “U” or Horseshoe - This is very useful for idea exchange meetings or workshops where audio-visual presentations are used. Excellent for Seminars.

8. Registration Area:
As noted in the section on Registration, arrangements must be made for a suitable location fitted with necessary chairs and tables for the registration purposes. This area should, have telephone service and a message center bulletin board. Arrangement must also be made for receipt and storage of technical papers and registration materials prior to and during the Symposium. Signs, as required, should be provided. Members of the Accommodation committee should work closely with the Registration Committee in making the final arrangements.

9. Meeting Rooms:
The size and number of meeting rooms depends on the number of registrants and technical sessions. The Committee must arrange for the type of seating and room arrangement, and insure it will be adequate to provide for a professional environment. Each room must be arranged for the necessary audio-visual requirements as well as any flags or banners to be displayed. The Accommodations Chairperson should check with the hotel to determine what number of rooms by registrants will reduce the fees of public spaces used.

10. Audio-Visual Requirements
In consideration of the speaker, as well as the audience, careful attention to all required audio-visual requirements should be made. This involves the speaker system, microphones for the speaker and. moderators, and the audience, if required, type of projectors required screens and their locations, blackboards, and easels. The symposium may be required to use the hotels or banquet hall’s equipment or service to meet its audio-visual needs. The contract with the hotel should be carefully examined to understand possibilities and complications. One advantage of holding the symposium at a university or college is that costs for audiovisual may be small.

The Accommodations Committee should determine the type of projector, computer and video equipment compatibility should be determined by the Accommodations Committee.

If any audio or video recording devices are to be used, their location and the size of the screen should be determined beforehand. Particular attention needs to be given to the control of these devices from the podium for activation by the presenter.

Be sure to check with facility to insure they have extra or spare extension cords, adaptors, slide trays, bulbs for all projectors, and pointers.

Controls for lighting and dimmers should be located and made known to the moderators of the session. The Technical or Papers Chairperson should stress to authors that they be prepared with their visual needs in advance of the session where they are presenting their paper and go over these needs with the moderators of the session.

11. Budgets:
The Secretary/Treasurer and the Registration Committee should be provided with estimates of the cost of the facility, catering, audio-visual requirements, taxes, VIP accommodations, and any other costs involved, so they can be covered by the registration fee. Estimates should include necessary contingency requirements to ensure that no surprise costs develop.

12. Seating Arrangements:
Special head table and reserved seating at the luncheon and dinner functions should be considered. If such arrangements are desired, name and reservation cards should be prepared placed on the tables before the event.

A head count control and ticket collection at all paid functions must be performed to insure that every one attending the event has paid the necessary fee, and that the number is in agreement with that given to the caterer. This is a function of the Registration committee who will give the Accommodations Chairperson the information so he can plan on the number of meals the caterer, hotel, or restaurant should prepare.

13. VIP Arrangement:
It VIP treatment is to be provided for any special speaker or author in regard to transportation or hotel accommodations, the Accommodations Committee should arrange for such service and provide a reception committee.

14. Transportation:
Instructions for both public and private transportation to the symposium should be provided for inclusion in the symposium literature. Transportation cannot be provided directly by the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers due to liability problems. If there is a question with this policy, the Symposium Steering Committee should contact Society Headquarters for guidance and a ruling from the Executive Director.

Parking arrangements at the symposium site and any special signs should be arranged with the facility and clearly denoted in the brochure.

If special event transportation or bus service is requires, the Accommodations Committee should arrange for such service under the guidelines discussed above.

15. Check List to Avoid Problems:
The following check-off list is suggested as a means for the Accommodations Committee to provide its functions:

a) Site Selection
Commercial or Non-commercial
Catering Arrangement
Guarantees
Contracts
Hotel Accommodations
Number and Size of Meeting Rooms
Registration Area
Audio-Visual Arrangements
Receipt and Storage Facility
Communications Arrangements
Parking Facilities
Transportation

b) Catering and Meals
Dining Facilities
Costs
Tax and Service Charges (Remember Society Exempt Status)
Guarantees
Room Size
Seating Arrangements
Menus
Service
Reception Area
Liquor Service
Coffee Service
Control - Ticket Arrangement
Head Count

c) Housing
Hotel Locations
Number of Rooms
Special Rates
Release Date
Reservation Method
Complimentary Rooms

d) Meeting Rooms
Number
Size
Type Seating
Arrangement
Audio-Visual Arrangements
Lighting
Signs
Flags and Banners
Speaker and Moderator Locations
Podium and Podium Lights

e) Registration Area
Space
Tables and Chairs
Communication Connection
Bulletin Board
Storage
Signs
Displays
Literature Distribution
Coat Racks and Check Room

f) Audio-Visual
Speaker System
Microphones
Projector Types
Electrical Connections
Lighting Controls
Recorders
Video
Screens
Accessories

g) Signs
Registration
Meeting Rooms
Bulletin Boards
Traffic
Parking
Meals and Reception
SNAME
Directions

h) Budget
Facility costs
Catering costs
Audio-Visual Costs
Tips
Tax (should use tax-free number where accepted, some states will not allow non-payment of sales taxes)
Security
Signs
VIP Accommodations

i) Transportation
Instructions
Local Transportation
Airport and Train Station Locations Parking
Special Bus Requirements
VIP Transportation
Signs

F. Publicity Committee
1. Calendar Events:
The Publicity Committee requires a very active and dynamic chairperson with salesmanship abilities who will sell the symposium to the membership and other interested parties through Society and symposium-related publications.

A symposium can have the best program, but if it is not adequately publicized, it will simply fail. The Publicity Chairperson must start a campaign once the initial conception or the symposium theme has been formulated and approved by the Executive Committee of the Society. He or she must plan his or her strategy (a suggested calendar of events is provided in Appendix A) and submit the plan or action to the Symposium Steering Committee for approval. The approved plan or action shall be renewed until the Symposium is held.

2. Press Releases:
The first step in the publicity process is the Call for Papers, which should be published in the Marine Technology and SNAME News and on the SNAME Web site. The Call for Papers is generally prepared by the Papers Committee once the symposium theme has been established. However, it is important for the chairperson of the Publicity Committee to work in concert on the final draft of this document so that it will have maximum appeal. Starting some eighteen months before the scheduled date or the Symposium, the Call for Papers should be issued in all appropriate SNAME publications: Marine Techno1ogy, Journal of Ship Research, Journal of Ship Production, and as part of the seventeen section news releases on SNAME activities. An overseas mailing of the Call for Papers should be sent to all international members of SNAME, as it is important to spread the announcement of the upcoming symposium worldwide if it is of interest. This effort should be worked through Society Headquarters.

3. Magazine and Other Media Coverage:
a) A condensed version of the call for Papers could be sent to other maritime journals, some will charge or do exchange of advertising for distribution of their magazines at event, such as:

• Marine Log
• Marine Engineering Log
• Maritime Reporter and Engineering News
• U.S. Naval Institute “Proceedings”
• Fairplay
• Maritime Research Institute at Kings Point
• Journal of Commerce

This is a way of attracting audience as well as soliciting authors. Society headquarters will supply an updated released mailing list that is helpful.

The Symposium Steering Committee must have a budget for the Publicity Committee as to where and how it should be spent.

b) The News Releases Publicity Chairperson must draw up his news releases (see sample at back) which will advertise the latest developments in the symposium, in terms of authors, subject, keynote speaker(s), and luncheon speaker(s). These news releases have to be periodically updated so that as the symposium evolves and the technical program is formulated an audience can be attracted.

c) Websites:
Design a website such as www.FAST99.com and have a link on the SNAME Website and others such as ASNE. The website can be designed to have call for papers, registration, booking of accommodations, list papers as accepted, etc. The site can be viewed worldwide and is a good tool in promoting your symposium.

4. Letter and Special Appeal:
The Publicity Chairperson must choose a committee to work with him on his plan of action as well as create new ideas or just where advance notices and press releases are to be sent for the most benefit.

Many sections that have given symposia should have prepared a report that listed the names, addresses and email addresses of past registrants. This list should be updated for the proposed symposium so the Publicity chairperson can send out a special bulk mailing announcing the symposium as soon as the Technical Committee has formulated its program. The bulk mailing would also include any last-minute changes to the program, but this must be weighed with the cost of printing and mailing versus the number of prospective registrants that it might attract. The mailing is a judgment decision, which should be carefully considered. It is likely that people who attended a previous symposium in a section will be interested in the next.

Emailing on an individual basis or mass (if you use a commercial program) emailing is not expensive and should be used where feasible.

5. Photographic Coverages:
One of the prime members of the Publicity Committee is someone in the Section who is talented at photography and may have means to develop and enlarge photographs at cost. The Society's Marine Technology and SNAME News, other magazines, and newspapers require 8.5 x 10-inch glossy black and white photographs. The use of color photography is discouraged because black and white imaging film will give more striking contrast.

The Publicity Chairperson must draft a program for the photographers to follow so that there will be maximum coverage for all major events of the symposium. At the conclusion of the authors' breakfast each morning of the symposium, the authors and moderators should be gathered for pictures in reporting the symposium after the event. Photographic coverage includes the keynote speaker(s), principal organizers of the symposium, and luncheon speaker(s). All of this must be carefully coordinated.

6. Press at Symposium:
The use of the press at a symposium should be discussed with the Symposium steering Committee and Society Headquarters. If the press are to cover the luncheon speeches or that of the keynote speaker, money should be set aside in the publicity budget to cover their meal costs, badges, and other incidental expenses that could arise. At the luncheons, the Publicity Chairperson should be provided with a table(s) where the press, magazine, SNAME, and the photographers can sit together. In this way the Publicity Chairperson can direct the coverage deemed necessary.

The Symposium theme is important in getting the press to the event. If the symposium is similar to the one held by the New York Metropolitan Section in 1987, an important part of that theme was the state of the marine industry and its needs. For such a topic, the Publicity Chairperson should invite to the luncheon speeches, members of major newspapers and TV along with some important trade papers and magazines that will convey important changes necessary to revitalize the American Merchant Marine. Letters should also be sent to the local congressmen and senators on the importance of the symposium. The duty of the Publicity Chairperson is to carefully develop the details of the invitations and must also weigh carefully who should be invited to publicize the important messages and ideas that the symposium has to offer. The list should be discussed at symposium committee meetings to decide on a strategy and who should be invited.

7. Post Symposium Dates:
At the conclusion of the symposium, the Chairperson of the Publicity, Symposium and the Technical Committee should put together a final press release complete with photographs that will be sent to maritime publications, Marine Technology and SNAME News, and publications of other participating organizations in the symposium. It should be remembered that the publication of the symposium papers, authors, and other events might mean additional sales of the Symposium Transactions and, thus, extra sources of revenue for the Section.

The Publicity Chairperson is one of the most important appointments made by the symposium chairpersons and the steering committee. As the symposium develops the status report on media coverage and publication of the symposium in various journals should be constantly updated and reviewed by all members of the steering committee.

G. Registration Committee
The Registration Committee has an important function to perform during the period just before and during the symposium. It must prepare the symposium registration brochure some 6-7 months before the scheduled date of the symposium and then mail this out to the Society membership. Once the registrations are returned, they must be tracked in terms of lodging meals, and attendance at symposium events. The University of Michigan has developed a program that will assist a Registration Committee that has access to an Apple-type computer. This program will not only keep track of the names of registrants, but their addresses, business affiliations, Section, and other important information. If your Symposium Steering Committee is interested in using this program contact:

Professor Michael Parsons
University of Michigan
Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
E-mail parsons@engin.umich.edu

1. Organization of the Symposium Brochure:
The Registration Chairperson must prepare the symposium brochure and provide a good estimate of its reproduction costs to the Secretary/Treasurer. It should contain the following information:



• Attractive covers and colors (if any).
• Location of Symposium and dates.
• List of papers and authors, as the program will be presented. This list may include the moderators as well, but this is optional.
• Hotel or motel information
• Luncheon and keynote speakers
• A brief stated purpose of the Symposium signed by the Symposium chairpersons.
• A Symposium logo along with SNAME logo.
• Participating societies or governmental agencies, if any.
• Registration costs.
• List of Symposium Steering Committee and principal committee chairpersonships.
• Discussion information preprints, name and address of Technical Chairperson, brief information on format of discussion, and date discussion should submitted.

All or the above information has to be gleaned from the symposium committees and then once the brochure paste-up is ready to go to the printer, the Symposium Chairperson should review this rough draft with all the Chairperson’s to verify accuracy of the brochure activities. Camera-ready copies of the Society's logo can be obtained from SNAME Headquarters.

It in important that the Symposium Chairperson(s) compose its theme by stating its objectives, scope and rationale. It should embody a synopsis of important symposium events so that potential registrants will have an idea on the intents of the symposium.

The Accommodation Chairperson needs to supply the following for the brochure:

• Name of facility for meeting, convention center, trade center etc.
• Name of hotel, or motel for accommodations
• Addresses of meeting and accommodations
• Directions to facilities
• Telephone number for room registration
• Hotel/motel rates
• Parking or transportation information
• Hotel/Motel registration forms

Based upon this information, the Registration Chairperson should provide a registration form in the brochure that also can be mailed to the hotel or motel. This form should also be included in the web site for the symposium with direct link to Hotel/Motel if available.

The symposium cannot enter into contractual agreements with the airlines, railroads, bus companies, or any other types of transportation per direction of society Headquarters since this will involve questions of liabilities. You can have an airline be a preferred carrier who gives a discount if you mention a specific number as we do with Hotels. It is permissible for the Registration and Accommodation Chairpersons to research and provide information on airports, train stations, taxis, as well as bus or limousine services to the symposium site. Such information will be of benefit to the registrants of the symposium.

The registration brochure is often made from paper, or card stock in a four or six-part folded form. It should ultimately form a booklet in the form of a business-sized envelope that can be mailed at a bulk rate to Society members and other special interest groups. The Registration Chairperson should allot a number of brochures to other cooperating societies or agencies to distribute to their membership.

The format of the registration brochure for a Symposium should in essence contain the following:
A. Cover Fold


1. SNAME logo
2. Symposium logo
3. Symposium title
4. Symposium location
5. Dates of symposium
6. Sponsoring organizations and logo’s if participating

B. Cover Fold (Rear)


1. Return address (SNAME Headquarters or Symposium)
2. Non-profit organization permit
3. A note that this is "Dated Educational" material
4. Space in the center for an address label

C. Technical Program (Input from Technical Committee)


1. Paper Titles and Authors
a. Moderators
b. Time and day of paper presentations
c. Room or location of paper presentations


2. Special Events and Keynote Speakers


a. Time and location of each event
b. Plenary session
c. Keynote speech
d. Luncheon speeches
e. Summary session
f. Panel discussions
g. Workshops
h. Social events & tours
i. Dinners or other events

D. Registration Form
1. Symposium title
2. Dates of symposium
3. Provide space to be filled in by registrants for:


a. Name & SNAME membership number
b. Company or Affiliation
c. Mailing Address
d. Telephone number (email, business & home)
e. Early registration :fee (Member/Non-Member)
f. Regular registration fee (Member/Non-Member)
g. Late registration fee
h. Student member fee (with conditions)
i. Spouse fee (include space for name)
j. Special events and tours
k. Extra luncheon and dinner tickets needed

4. Method of Payment


a. Check, money order, bank draft, or travelers check
(in U.S. funds only) b. Government or company purchase order
c. Credit card
d. State cancellation policy

5. Total cost included
(Note: It a credit card is to be used you will need a number, company and the card's expiration date plus authorization signature)

The brochure should also state that payment be in U.S. funds (it based in the United States) or Canadian funds (it symposium is hold in Canada). Other information such as Society membership (it multiple organizations are involved) and mailing instructions for registration form and payment.

The brochure will include registration information for lodging it symposium in being hold in a motel or hotel. This will also help to track where registrants will be staying during the symposium, in case urgent messages need to reach them.

The final draft of the registration brochure from the printer should be reviewed at a meeting of the Symposium Steering committee so that other chairpersons can make changes. The printing and mailing of the brochure are important issues that the Registration Chairperson must consider at this point in the symposium process. He or she has to maintain close liaison with Society Headquarters and the advisory chairpersons of contributing societies (if they’re any involved in the symposium). SNAME Headquarters handles the printing and mailing and the symposium will be billed for the cost incurred or the symposium can be arrange for the mailing.

2. Budget
The Registration Chairperson has to prepare a budget for the Secretary/Treasurer so that, the symposium fee can be established. Some temporary items that should be allowed for:

• Typewriters
• Computer rentals (especially if using University of Michigan registrant program) or hiring of local firm to do registration duties
• Name tags and badges
• Volunteers, paid temporaries, or commercial firm to handle registrants during days of symposium

3. Mailing of Brochure
The mailing of the symposium registration brochure should follow these steps:

• An International Symposium that is an approved by the National Executive Committee can be mailed through arrangements with the Printer by bulk mail by Society Headquarters.
• Section-Sponsored Symposium - this will be accomplished by the Section's Executive Committee through arrangements made by that Section with its own printer.
• Special Symposium - Will take care of its mailing through. arrangements made by its own steering committee.

4. Receiving and Processing Registration
Record keeping of symposium registrants begins with the return of the first response. It is important that record keeping of registration be performed in a timely and efficient manner to maintain a current list of registrants. These records may be maintained manually, although this is a tedious and error-prone way of accomplishing the task. The beat method is using the computer, particularly the Registration Program mentioned earlier. Several other alternatives are possible such as the use of a word processor, personal computers (Apple, PC, etc.) or a company computer. It is recommended-that the registration information be as simple as possible for several reasons:

• Accuracy - the more information recorded, the greater the possibility of error.
• Keep the recording and information retrieval time to a minimum.
• Simplicity tends to expedite the contemporaneous input of information for status reports on registration progress.

Brochure information from the registrants may exceed that necessary for the use of the Registration Committee. Such details as Society memberships (if more than one Society in involved), the registrants’ accommodation locations, requests for papers, etc., should be kept separate for use by other committees. One method is to assign a number in sequential order as each registrant's registration brochure is received. This numeric code can be used for future control of all documentation regarding luncheons, dinner, special event tickets, registration packages, distribution of preprints, etc. All registration brochures, as they are received, should be dated and retained for future reference if necessary along with copy of checks, etc.

Registration information to be recorded by the Registration Committee might include all of the following:

• Name or Registrant
• Company/Affiliation
• Mailing Address
• Type of Registration and fee paid (check, money order, cash, or voucher)
• Special Events Registration.

The primary use of recorded registration material is to have a summary of the total and type of registration, special event registration, and the total money collected, owed or refunded. If this information in recorded in a computer, interim printouts can be made for interested parties such as the Symposium Chairperson(s), Secretary/Treasurer, Accommodation Chairperson, and Technical Chairperson. If there are any problems with registration, then the Symposium Chairperson(s), the Section Chairman, and the Publicity Chairperson should be notified immediately.

5. Bank Deposits
All checks, money orders, Traveller's checks, and cash should be turned over promptly to the Secretary/Treasurer for deposit in the Symposium's bank account. Similarly, purchase orders and credit card payments must also be given to the Secretary/Treasurer for processing and collection. It is suggested that a photocopy of each check or other form of payment be attached to the registration form received from each of the registrants.

It may be convenient for the Secretary/Treasurer to provide a number of deposit slips and a special stamp to allow the Registration Chairperson to make direct deposits of incoming funds in the Symposium's bank account. Copies of these slips with bank receipts must be provided to the Secretary/Treasurer for accounting purposes and the audit that will be accomplished by the Section once the Symposium has concluded all its business transactions.

6. Cancellations
Cancellations and associated refunds should strictly adhere to the policy that had been established by the Steering Committee and the words printed in the registration brochure. Upon receipt of an acceptable cancellation, the registration records should be amended and refund sent by the Secretary/Treasurer with a letter of regret. Payment receipts, however, shall be part of the Symposium's financial records for audit purposes If the cancellation is a government or private purchase order; the name of the registrant can be deleted and the Secretary/Treasurer so informed.

Cancellations may be made over the phone and the individual who cancels may have made a stop-order on the check. If this should happen after the official cancellation date, the registrant may still be liable for the luncheon, dinner, and Symposium proceedings costs. This liability must be clearly written in the registration brochure. Pursuit of costs associated with the cancellation then become the responsibility of the Symposium Chairpersons and the Secretary/Treasurer.

7. Registration Day Procedures
On the first day of the Symposiums the Registration Committee should set up their registration facilities complete with the following:

• Computers with printers
• Registration name badges in alphabetic order.
• Blank name badges for on-site registrants
• Badge holders
• Ribbons - Identification by color of steering committee, authors, chairpersons, speakers, or honored guests.
• Signs (Directions to Registration Area, if necessary).
• Message Board
• Receipts (for those who pay in cash or wish to have a copy of their payment).
• Typewriter with a typist.
• Papers bounds, and 3 hole punched with binder or CD ROM

To assist in setting up the table and registration area, it would be wise to have the following miscellaneous stationary items:

• Paper Pads
• Scissors
• Stapler and Staples
• Paper Clips
• Rubber Bands
• Ball-Point Pens
• Pencils
• Felt-Tip Pens
• Tape (Scotch and Masking)
• Push Pin or Thumb Tacks
• 3 x 5" Index Cards

The registration name badges should be preprinted or be computer output on white or light pastel medium stock paper and should feature the Symposium title, dates, and logo. The registrant's name, title, if appropriate (Dr., Captain, Admiral, etc.) and affiliation will be typed or printed in reasonably large lettering for ease in identification by other symposium registrants.

Several types of name badge holders appropriate for symposium use are available, including clip, stick on, and pin. Holder colors may be used to signify different types of registrations, if desired. For example, red may be used to signify a member of SNAME, while yellow would indicate a non-member. This will allow the Section's Membership Committee to discuss with this individual the benefits of joining the Society during the Symposium. Other codes may be used to identify authors, VIPs, or Steering Committee members, thereby eliminating the need for ribbons although they can add special status and/or conversation starters if used sparingly.

It is very helpful to assemble all the registration materials into a single package, which can be an 8.5" x 11" envelope or more desirably a folder, printed with the symposium title, dates, and logo. A typical package would include the following:

• Name badge and holder
• Ribbon or color scheme (if appropriate)
• Event tickets
• Program and schedule
• Maps (if necessary)
• Membership information and application (for non-members)

The registration packages, marked with the registrant's name printed at the top, should also be marked to indicate if any payments are required. The packages should be placed in some form of box or holder in alphabetic sequence with the names at the top of the envelopes for ease of retrieval. It may be desirable to have the registrant's name printed on a card stapled to the outside of the registration package which would be signed by the individual accepting the package. The card would be retained as a receipt verification.

The on-site registration desk should be located in a reasonably spacious area at the entrance to the symposium. If there is a large attendance then more than one table should be set up with an appropriate division of names by alphabetic sequence. Additionally, it is advisable to allow for a separate table for walk-in registrants since they will require special attention. Also, this will be a way to note the extra fee for late registration.

The first day of the symposium, both the Registration and Accommodations Committees must work together so that the registration process in a quick and non-confusing affair. The registration desk will also be used by the Technical Committee to distribute the Symposium Transactions and collect late discussions for the authors. A list of symposium registrants with any other last-minute changes should be distributed at the registration desk as this in the focal point of the symposium during the morning hours of each symposium day.

It in important for a members of the Registration Committee to make sure that registrants of the symposium pay in U.S. funds (in the United States) or Canadian funds (if Canada). Besides being a lengthy process, most U.S. banks charge a substantial collection fee for cashing a check drawn on a bank in a foreign country (including Canada). If the registrant has no other means of payment, then a surcharge should be added to account for this collection fee, which ranges from $6 to $25 in U.S. currency. In addition, all payments should be checked to confirm that they are properly signed. If there is a problem with the registrant's prepayment, it should be returned to him or her with instructions for proper payment.

Please note that a check returned and marked with “insufficient funds" should be handled by the Secretary/Treasurer. The registrant should be held responsible for any bank fees incurred when a check bounces.

There may be mitigating circumstances for a cancellation death in a family, job transfer, layoffs, or severe illness and funds could be returned. The cause of a cancellation should be determined through correspondence between the registrant and the Secretary/Treasurer.

8. Final Report
The final report of the Registration Committee is primarily used by the Secretary/ Treasurer to confirm final registration receipts. It will also be useful to the Publicity committee and Secretary-Treasurer in developing reports of the symposium for publication in marine journals or accounting purposes. The report should contain the details of the total attendance, including guests, speakers, students, and authors. In recent symposia, it has been the practice to charge authors half the symposium fee to cover some of the meal and facility costs.

H. Special Events
Special events such as banquets, dinner dances, or field trips must be given special attention and a committee should be formed to deal with these. It should be noted here that field trips could add to the excitement of a symposium and reinforce the subject theme-of the symposium. However, such events must be carefully planned because of the financial and liability aspects.

SUGGESTED COMMITTEE MILESTONES

Committee Milestones
(Note these times are months before Symposium) and are the minimum estimated times.

1. Accommodation Committee

a. 20-24 months - Select 2-4 hotels as potential meeting sites.
b. 20-23 months - Request pricing, guarantees, accommodations, etc..
c. 20 months - Receive proposals.
d. 19 months - Inspect all facilities.
e. 18 months - Select meeting site and sign contract after approval by the Society’s Executive Committee.
f. 6 months - Provide publication committee with Hotel reservation forms and hotel information.
g. 6 months - Reconfirm hotel reservation, check on availability of meeting rooms, etc..
h. 2 months - Check on hotel reservations, etc..
i. 4 weeks - Ask for count of reservations.
   2 weeks - “ “ “ “ “ “ “
j. 2 weeks - Reconfirm all hotel functions.

2. Registration Committee

a. 12 months - Develop registration plan of action .
b. 10 months - Develop registration and record-keeping plan.
c. 7 months - Preliminary draft of brochure.
d. 6 ½ months - Return with comments on preliminary draft.
e. 5 ½ months - Final rough draft of brochures for preparation of printers draft*.
f. 5 months - Printer’s draft sent to Symposium Chairman.
g. 4 months - Report to Symposium Chairman on registration status.
h. 4 ½ months - Brochure sent to printer.
i. 4 months - Printer to complete and deliver brochure for labels.
j. 3 months - Report on registration status.
k. 3 ½ -3 months - Mail symposium brochure and place announcement in .
Marine Technology and SNAME News.
l. 2 months - Report on registration status.
m. 1 month - Confirm registration personal.
n. -1 month - Prepare report on symposium registration.
o. -2 month - Submit final report to Secretary/Treasurer.

(*) In many cases a simpler announcement format will be used. ( See Appendix A)
The Minus (-) means months after the symposium

3. Technical or Papers Committees

a. 24 months - Appoint committee members.
b. 20 months - Solicit potential authors and issue Call for Papers in Marine Technology and SNAME News after approval of Symposium granted by National Executive Committee.
c. 18 months - Develop plan of action.
d. 12 months - Submission and review of abstracts.
e. 10 months - Notify authors of acceptance of abstract.
f. 6 months - Draft manuscripts due.
g. 4 months - Authors to provide camera-ready copy for printer and audio/visual requirements for their presentation needs.
h. 4 months - Determine discussers.
i. 3 months - Camera-ready copy to printer and preliminary copies of paper sent to potential discussers. Arrange for audio/visual needs for meeting site with Accommodation Chairman.
j. 2 weeks - Receive papers from printer and deliver to meeting site..
Commence receiving discussers comments and send to authors
k. -1 month - Receive typed copy of authors response to comments.
l. -2 months - Assemble masters of discussers comments, luncheon or important speaker addresses, authors’ closures, and any other important.
function to be recorded in a supplementary Symposium proceedings volume to send to printer -4 months - Send supplementary volume to Headquarters and people that attend Symposium..

4. Pulicity and Publications ( See Registration Committee above)

a. 24 months - Designate committee members.
b. 18 months - Develop plan of action.
c. 1 ½ months - Develop a plan for publicity of the Symposium and establish liaison with cosponsoring groups or societies.
d. 12 months - Implement publicity plan at National and Sections meetings Develop a plan for publicity releases to trade journals, magazines and other media..
e. 10 months - Implement local Section publicity.
f. 4 months - Write local and national press releases and arrange for photo media coverage. Obtain graphics for name badges, signs, etc..
g. 3 months - Send final manuscripts for printing. Determine number of copies required for Symposium..
h. 2 months - Arrange printing of badges, signs, ribbons, etc..
i. 2 weeks - Print update of schedule, papers, social programs if there are changes in those of brochure.
j. 1 week - Reconfirm media coverage

5. Social events (optional)

a. 18 months - Choose Committee Members.
b. 16 months - Develop plan of events.
c. 14 months - Define all social events.
d. 12 months - Develop alternative social functions and sign contracts.
e. 6 ½ months - Finalize all details, make logistic arrangements and prepare a write-up for the brochure, including a firm pricing of social events.
f. 3 months - Arrange coffee breaks head tables, etc. and finalize all details and notify Accommodation Chairman..
g. 1 week - Check registration for a count of those attending each social event to firm up guarantees.

6. Secretary / treasurer

a. 24 months - Determine first budget estimate based on committee chairperson reports and open bank account.
b. 18 months - Set committee budgets-determine hotel or meeting site costs, meals, meeting rooms, tours, special functions, etc. (These are needed to finalize the budget)
c. 14 months - Establish a financial record keeping procedure and revise budget
d. Every month - Review expenditures and revise budget as necessary
e. 2 months - Set up billing method with hotel for meals, meeting rooms, coffee, etc.
f. -1 month - Audit records after receipt of all bills
g. - 2 months - Prepare and submit final financial report

7. Steering Committee

a. 24 months - Set dates and firm meeting location ( have alternate location in mind)..
b. 23 months - Develop overall framework of meeting and events. Submit a letter to National Executive Committee for approval of symposium. Site location and dates should be included in request..
c. 20 months - Propose luncheon speaker(s) and alternates.
d. 19 months - Invite luncheon speaker(s).
e. 12 months - Confirm luncheon speaker(s).
d. 10 months - Confirm luncheon speaker(s).
g. 1 month - Have meeting to finalize plans for Symposium.

APPENDIX B-F

SAMPLE SYMPOSIUM BUDGET

Contact Debbie Sirotiak @
1-800-798-2188
dsirotiak@sname.org
for Appendix B through F