These are meant to be of assistance; it should be understood that for every “rule” created, there may be some circumstance in which it is appropriate that said rule should be modified.

These are also meant to change and grow with the times. The last edit of this set of guidelines occurred on September 26, 2002 by Christine Shupla.

What is the Western Alliance
For several years, the planetarium regions in the western USA have committed to having joint conferences. This increases the number of planetariums and vendors participating, allowing for a bigger variety of talks and technical demonstrations.

The Western Alliance consists of four planetarium regions in the United States:

• Pacific Planetarium Association (PPA)
• Rocky Mountain Planetarium Association (RMPA)
• Southwest Association of Planetariums (SWAP)
• Great Plains Planetarium Association (GPPA)

A potential conference host for a Western Alliance conference should extend the invitation to the president of each of these regions, at least a year (and preferably two) before the conference so that it may be discussed during the business meetings of the conference. The invitation should be a formal one, in writing, and signed by the President/Director/Manager of the host institution. [Additional regionals may also be invited if appropriate.]

Selecting a Conference Site:

• The presidents of the various regions will share their information, insights, and concerns about potential future hosts for each conference, before the business meetings in which each region will vote on their choice for conference host.
• It is up to the presidents of each region to work out any differences in selections; if they are unable to work out a single solution, it is up to the presidents of the regions, along with the potential hosts to determine the best course of action. No region should be bound by the decisions of the other regions.
• Items that the regionals should consider in the selection of a host site:
  • Has that region hosted more conferences recently than the others?
  • Does the potential host have a reasonable familiarity with conference procedures? (Have they attended many conferences recently, and have they been in the planetarium field for a little while?)
  • Does the host facility have the support staff necessary for a large conference, or the support of additional planetariums in the region?
  • >Is the host site located at a reasonable travel location to encourage the most members to attend?
  • Are there other attractions in the area that would be particularly appropriate for visiting during the conference?
• If a selected host withdraws the invitation, another site should be selected as quickly but soundly as possible, again by the vote of each region.

Conference Dates
In general, the conference is held in the fall each year (September-October). Care should be made to avoid other conference dates, particularly those selected by theGreat Lakes Planetarium Association (GLPA) and the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC), so that vendors and conference participants may attend both if desired.

THINGS TO DO BEFORE THE CONFERENCE:

• As soon as a conference site has been approved, the conference host should begin working closely with the Presidents of the four regional societies for ideas on activities, sponsorships, acceptable fees/expenses, and so on. Professional advice should be sought out in this manner, beginning with the Presidents and then ideally with a committee of experienced conference hosts. Currently (2002) there is a Western Alliance listserv to help with this.
  
  
• Create your local team and delegate separate tasks; you are welcome to ask other planetarians to assist as well. Some possible positions:
  • Conference Webmaster
  • Vendor Soliciter and Contact
  • Conference Registrar (mail out and collect registrations)
  • Scheduler (solicits and confirms speakers, papers, posters, workshops)
  • Hospitality (works with caterers to select menus, makes all meal and snack arrangements)
  • Proceedings Editor (Alan Gould has volunteered to perform this task for the past several years)
  • Proceedings Publisher (print & distribute to all members)
  • Assign staff, volunteers, and willing conference participants to perform various tasks during the conference:
    • running the registration table
    • watchdogging audio-visual needs
    • gofers--especially to assist in the vendor area
    • session moderators
    • transportation specialist (bus driver?)
    • Prepare calendar of when to accomplish all the wonderful things tasks below.
      
      
• Conference Facilities
  • Determine how much of the conference (talks, vendor area, etc.) you may be able to hold at your own institution. This could cut down on conference costs, by cutting the costs of room rentals, av equipment rentals, and catering.
  • Reserve space at hotel(s)
  • Consider hotel proximity to the rest of the conference: will buses be needed regularly to transport attendees to and from the hotel?
  • Ask about room rates and special benefits such as hospitality room.
  • Ask about additional charges for any needed meeting rooms and use of A/V equipment. Sometimes meeting rooms are free with meals. Check out quality of A/V equipment and, if deficient, arrange to bring in your own, if hotel permits.
  • Get competitive bids from 3 to 5 hotels, giving estimated size of conference (usually 100-160) and number of meals at the hotel.
  • Find out whether the hotel will provide transportation to and from the airport.
  • Reserve room space & times at your institution. Be sure to allow space for exhibitors booths/tables, planetarium, general meeting room(s), and a coffee break space. An additional nice touch is a private room vendors can use to carry on conversations with clients.
    
    
• Conference Schedule
  • Planetarium conferences are generally expected to have time for paper talks, workshops, demonstrations, and certainly planetarium shows. Recent additions have included poster sessions and panel discussions.
  • Arrange for field trips to local places of interest to conference attendees, and if possible, other possible trips for accompanying spouses and children. (If the schedule is tight, some of these can be optional pre- and post-conference trips.)
  • Encourage presentations from vendors.
  • Plan on ample break time for schmoozing among members and for members to visit exhibitors booths, preferably with at least one exhibit time unapposed by anything else.
  • >Make arrangements for any audio-visual equipment needed for any of the presentations.
  • Conferences typically open with an evening reception, and have at least one dinner (banquet); lately, they have been known to include breakfasts and more than one dinner, as well as lunches.
    
    
• Conference Registration
  • Obtain a mailing list from previous conference hosts and incorporate additional lists from each of the regionals participating, if possible.
  • If time and finances permit, mail a preliminary announcement to members-- up to a year before the conference.
  • The registration packet should be mailed at least 3 months before the conference (and 6-9 months before the conference is preferred.)
  • >Prepare information packets for mailing including:
    • tentative conference schedule, including any pre- and post-conference trips
    • >hotel name(s), phone numbers for reserving rooms, room costs
    • >recommended airlines and provisions for ground transport
    • climate info and appropriate attire
    • general info on host institution
  • Prepare registration forms for mailing including:
    • conference fee sheet, where to send checks, & who to make checks out to
    • a place for the registrant to indicate which region(s) he belongs to, and the opportunity to pay for dues (note: in order to attend the conference, attendees must be a current member of one of the regions)
    • menu preferences (none/no red meat/vegetarian…as applicable)
    • call for papers. Encourage paper presenters to hand in written papers (with computer diskette if possible) to the registration/information table at the conference, to be published in the conference proceedings.
  • Prepare a conference website, if possible with on-line registration, to be available at least by the time the registration information is mailed. Information on the website can be kept up-to-date more easily, and should make the local committee’s job easier in the long run.
  • Prepare registration packet for distribution at reg/info table. It should include
    • Complete conference schedule
    • List of Attendees (if possible)
    • Paper abstracts are nice
    • Meal tickets (if necessary)
    • Info on restaurants, local attractions in the area
    • List of conference sponsors and door prize donors
  • Print up and assemble name tags.
    
    
• Conference Finances and Vendors
  • Set up a fund for conference separate from regular host institution funds. Some organizations can set up a separate "activity" account. If necessary make a separate bank account in your own name.
  • Place a written request to each participating regional for “seed money” -- in the past, $200 has been collected from each regional and returned after the conference.
  • Notify vendors (by telephone or mail, as appropriate); get the vendors list from prior conference host(s) and feel free to add your own contacts.
  • Identify and contact any special local contributors you can think of.
  • Seek contributions for conference fund. Contributing vendors should be given appropriate thanks and recognition; usually, vendors are said to “sponsor” various events during the conference based on the amount of their contribution.
    • The largest contributors (banquet hosts) usually contribute $1000. [remember these are 2000 dollars...]
    • Other large vendors (such as lunch hosts) usually contribute $500. [2000]
    • Small vendors are required to submit membership and registration fees, and may contribute as much as they’d like; sometimes they are said to host a small breakfast or the snack breaks.
    • Contribution of a door prize is also requested of the vendors.
  • Keep an eye on finances and be sure to charge enough in registration to balance the conference. The policy for some of the regions has been that if the conference runs into the red, the host institution is responsible for the overruns, but if there are excess funds, they are split among the participating regionals.
    
    
• Conference Transportation
  • Obtain info on airport connections and ground transport to & from airport. If the conference hotel provides transportation to the airport, include that information in the registration packet.
  • Arrange transportation for field trips and all conference events.
  • Arrange for transportation to & from the hotel, if it is not within easy walking distance of the conference site.
    
    
• Conference Hospitality
  • Arrange for food and meals including such things as welcoming buffet, banquet(s), lunches, dinners, snacks for coffee breaks, continental breakfasts, box lunches on field trips.
  • If possible, try to have allowances made for those with restricted diets; some attendees will avoid red meat, others will be vegetarian, and one or two may be vegan.
  • One or more of the vendors may wish to sponsor a hospitality suite at either the hotel or at the conference site. It should be included in the schedule, and efforts should be made to assist the vendor find local reasonably-priced sources of snacks and drinks.
  • Allow for spouses at banquets. (Usually, for an additional fee.)
    

DURING THE CONFERENCE:

• Be prepared for announcements regarding last-minute scheduling changes.
• Post signs outside of sessions with names, titles, and times of presentations.
• Maintain sanity and the illusion that you are in complete control of everything. Maintain a stately and dignified air amidst chaos and confusion.
  

AFTER THE CONFERENCE:

• Give conference schedule, list of conference supporters, and door prize donors to the Proceedings editor. Also, it's a nice touch to give the editor any photos appropriate for publication to document the conference.
• Send thankyous to conference supporters if you have not already.
• Upon completion of the conference, it is the host’s responsibility to provide an accurate accounting of all monies, including incoming and outgoing funds, to the Presidents of the four regionals within 90 days of the completion date of the meeting. Along with this, any surplus funds shall be divided up evenly and distributed back to the regional societies.