November 20, 2002
The conference
planning committee is neither encouraged nor discouraged from seeking
corporate sponsorship or vendor participation at SIGUCCS conferences.
However, if the conference planning committee wishes to solicit
corporate sponsorship to help defray the cost of the conference, the
committee must insure that vendors do not interfere with the regular
technical program, that the conference environment does not change to a
formal trade show atmosphere, and that all attendee interactions with
vendors are voluntary.
For example, the
conference planning committee may ask vendors to:
-
Sponsor breaks
-
Sponsor luncheons,
dinners, and/or special events
-
Sponsor the
hospitality room
-
Provide equipment
needed for the execution of the conference
-
Provide prizes for
attendees (in which case the SIGUCCS Board members and the conference
committee members should not be part of the drawing.
-
Provide funding to
defray printing costs of the program and/or other materials.
-
Provide funding for
other materials to be made available to attendees (e.g., bags, pens,
note paper).
-
Provide funding
that the conference can use at its discretion, in exchange for an
opportunity to provide information concerning the company’s products.
Corporate representatives may occasionally be asked to
participate in some aspect of the technical program. While it is
anticipated that they will portray their products or services in a
favorable light, speakers may not promote or sell their products or
services as part of their presentations. It may be acceptable, however,
for such representatives to be available during breaks to discuss
specific products or services with interested attendees. Distribution of
business cards, literature, promotional materials, or sample products
may also be allowed as long as attendee participation is voluntary.
Corporate
sponsorship should be recognized in the final program and be mentioned
by the conference chair in one of the plenary sessions. Depending on
the amount of sponsorship, vendors should be encouraged to provide
information about their product(s) in a forum that allows those
interested an opportunity to discuss issues with the vendors and obtain
information about their products.
To insure
that the conference does not move towards a trade show atmosphere,
vendor participation should be limited in the following ways:
-
Large,
elaborate booths will not be permitted.
-
Participation by the attendees will be voluntary.
-
Exhibits or
demonstrations will not be held at the same time as the technical
program or during conference events (unless the vendor sponsors the
event and the conference committee concurs with the vendor’s exhibit
or demonstration.)
-
The
conference committee will retain all decision making in terms of
events, food and materials that are distributed to attendees.
-
Mailing
list of attendees, including email addresses, will not be made
available (unless the vendors are paid registrants of the
conference, in which case they will receive the same materials that
conference attendees receive.)
Conference Planning
Committee Procedure
Vendor options and
participation guidelines for each conference should be established in
writing using the above policy. These should be circulated to
interested corporate participants early in the planning process. A
single contact person should be appointed to deal with all vendors to
ensure consistent treatment and to establish responsibility for local
arrangements (space, set-up, catering, audio-visual, striking, etc.) A
cutoff date should be established in order to accommodate publicity
deadlines and to minimize last minute planning. Conference planners
should seek advice from the SIGUCCS Conference Liaison Board member if
they have any questions or concerns about involving vendors.
Summary
Corporate
participation is at the invitation of the conference planning
committee. This can take the form of an invitation to be a speaker or
of a sponsorship for conference events or meals. When taking part in
the technical program, a speaker may not use this opportunity to market
products or services. When sponsoring conference events, the guidelines
above should be followed. All participation by conference attendees
must be voluntary.
