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.
