Conferences Organization Manual – Section 11

11.0 THE EXHIBITS COMMITTEE

11.1 DUTIES
The Exhibits Committee is responsible, partially or entirely, for the following:

• Guidelines for Exhibits
• Exhibits Prospectus Preparation
• Exhibitor Contact
• Exhibit Prospectus Mailing and Follow-up
• Exhibit Technical Programs
• Promotion at Society and Other Conferences
• Exhibit Space Layout and Usage
• Drayage Firm Selection
• Exhibitor Registration
• Security
• At Conference Responsibilities
• Exhibit Guide

11.1.1 Selection of Chair
The Chair of the Exhibits Committee should be chosen on the basis of the individual's familiarity with the technical field covered by the conference and knowledge of firms which might support an exhibition in that technological area.

11.1.2 Arrangements for Exhibits
For most conferences, the Exhibits Committee will handle the sale of exhibit booth space and patron solicitations. In these instances, it is the Chair's responsibility to secure appropriate exhibition space in the conference hotel or at a nearby site. A sample hotel contract for meetings with exhibit space is in Section 16.

11.1.2.1 Space, Utilities & Access
The exhibition space should be reviewed for space and utility requirements. Adequate electric power, telephone and possibly water and compressed air service will be needed to satisfy exhibitors' displays. Provision for sufficient time and convenient access to set up and tear down exhibits should also be planned.

The Exhibits Hall may also be used for receptions, coffee breaks, and other social functions, and therefore, the hall must be large enough to accommodate the anticipated crowd, the exhibits themselves, aisle space, and space for food and beverage. These events are held in the hall to increase traffic flow, and to please the exhibitors. The hall itself should be adjacent to the Registration Area and the session rooms.

11.1.2.2 Cancellation Provision
Any arrangements for conference exhibition space should be provisional and permit cancellation without penalty up to one year in advance of the conference date.

11.1.3 Securing Exhibitors and Patrons
The Exhibits Committee should develop a list of prospective exhibitors and patrons, make the initial contacts and pursue the necessary follow-up action in order to secure exhibitors for the conference.

11.1.4 Acceptance Criteria for Exhibit Proposal
The Exhibits Committee should establish criteria for the acceptance of exhibit proposals to ensure that the exhibition complements the programs of the conference and submit them for approval to the Conference Committee.

11.1.5 Acceptance Criteria for Patrons
The Exhibits Committee should establish criteria for the acceptance of patron proposals. Generally, patrons are companies, organizations or individuals who cannot function as sponsors, co-sponsors, etc. (see Types of Conference Involvement, Section 2.0), but do desire to participate in the conference by more than just attendance or exhibiting. Patrons should be active in the conference technology or be of significant assistance to the Conference Committee. They may participate by hosting a specific function, such as a coffee break, or by performing a necessary service, such as gratis printing or mailing. The fees for hosting a function should be appropriate to the cost of that function.

11.1.6 Details of Educational Displays
When appropriate, educational displays -- such as those sponsored by educational or scientific institutions and governmental agencies -- may be set up at the conference. The logistics for these displays should be handled by the Exhibits Committee. Where exhibition space is to be donated on a complimentary basis to related educational, governmental or other non-profit scientific agencies, information concerning the availability of such free exhibition space should be widely publicized in advance.

11.1.7 Hiring an Exhibit Manager
Although the Exhibits Committee may handle the promotion and sales of exhibit space for most conferences, it may be advisable for the Conference Committee of large conferences to hire a professional exhibition manager. In such cases, all financial and contractual commitments must first be approved by the sponsoring entity.

The Committee may also hire a drayage company (also often a decorating company) which is responsible for storing, moving, and shipping exhibit equipment. The decorating company provides such items as chairs, plants, electrical needs, and signs. It is important to get bids from several companies, all of whom should cover the following items:

• Cost of storage and moving
• Shipping arrangements
• Layout, color scheme and overall arrangements
• Aisle carpeting
• Tables and chairs for a "lounge" area
• Wall drapes
• Sign-making capabilities

Decorating companies supply registration desks as well. If the hotel does not have desks to offer, it is necessary to rent them from a decorating company.

The Drayage Company and the committee must outline the set-up and tear-down times for exhibits. The committee should ask the Drayage Company for references, and follow up. Once the selection of the company is made, the contract should be reviewed very carefully, corrected, negotiated, and signed.

Approximately five months before the conference, the committee should review the packages to be sent to the exhibitors by the Drayage/Decorating Company handling the conference. The package should include comprehensive information on electrical and telephone services, shipping instructions, labor and other costs.

11.2 ADVANCE APPROVAL AND PLANNING FOR EXHIBITS

11.2.1 Budgeting - Anticipated Income & Expenditures
Approval to hold an exhibition in connection with a conference must be obtained in advance from the sponsors. A conservative and practical budget must also be approved by the sponsoring entity. The conference budget should incorporate detailed information concerning the planned receipts and expenses for the exhibition.

The detailed budget for the exhibition is a part of the overall conference budget and should include:

(1) The price schedule for booths and an estimate of the anticipated number of booth sales.
(2) The projected costs to secure the necessary exhibition area and facilities.
(3) Detailed financial arrangements regarding the commission schedule of the Exhibit Manager, if one is utilized.
(4) Expenses related to the promotion of the exhibit, including printing and mailing of brochures, exhibitors' catalogs, handling and exhibit guide printing.
(5) Anticipated travel expenses for the Exhibit Manager and staff, if utilized.
(6) Service costs that are directly related to the exhibition, such as: decoration, storage or warehouse services, drayage, utilities, special guards and insurance fees.

11.2.2 Early Initiation of Plans
Experience has demonstrated the desirability of initiating plans for a conference exhibition two to three years before the date of the conference in order to allow adequate time to obtain suitable hotel and exhibition space.

11.2.3 Coordination with Other Conference Committees
The Exhibits Committee should work closely with the Registration, Meeting Facilities and Hospitality Subcommittees in coordinating plans for the exhibit's program. Financial aspects of the exhibit will be coordinated with the Conference Treasurer.

11.3 EXHIBIT MANAGER SELECTION AND CONTRACT

11.3.1 Selection
Extreme care should be taken by the Exhibits Committee and members of the Conference Committee in the selection of an Exhibit Manager, if one is to be utilized. IEEE Conference Services can be of assistance in recommending names of exhibit managers who have satisfactory performance records.

11.3.2 Contract Approval
All contracts with a contract value of $25,000 or greater must be forwarded to IEEE Conference Services for review and execution by the IEEE Procurement Department.

IEEE Organizational Unit(s)/Conference Organizers will still negotiate their contracts based on their needs, provide their initial approval but shall not give final approval or "execute" these contracts. All contracts related to conferences are to be forwarded to IEEE Conference Services for review by subject matter experts prior to final approval and execution. If necessary staff will provide feedback to organizers for further negotiating. When all negotiations are completed the contract will be submitted to IEEE Procurement Department for execution. The executed contract will be forwarded to the vendor/contractor and a memo will be sent to the originating IEEE Organization Unit(s)/Conference Organizers.

11.3.3 Contract Specifications
The contract with the Exhibit Manager should specify that all fees for the sale of exhibit space should be sent directly to the Conference Treasurer and all checks should be made payable to the conference.

11.4 EXHIBITION PROSPECTUS
When a meeting includes an exhibit, an invitation to exhibit is usually sent to prospective exhibitors. Since the details concerning exhibits vary greatly between meetings, no standard exhibitor's prospectus can be provided. Instead, an outline giving items that the Conference Committee should consider is provided below. Additional details can be obtained from IEEE Conference Services.

The Committee needs to prepare the Exhibits Prospectus at least a year prior to the conference, so that it is ready for dissemination at the previous conference. The Prospectus consists of:

• General Information on the Conference
• Letter of Invitation
• General Instructions and Information
• Exhibit Contract
• Exhibit Rules
• Patron Application
• Exhibit Hall Floor Plan
• Registration Form (added only six months before conference)
• Advance Program (added only three months before conference)

The Letter of Invitation is written by, and under the signature of the Exhibits Chair. It should state the theme of the conference, the benefits of exhibiting, the fact that receptions or coffee service or other functions take place in the Exhibit Hall, and give an address and telephone/fax number at which the Chair can be reached. It should state whether one free registration, which includes a conference record, is part of the exhibit fee. (All other exhibit personnel receive Exhibits Only badges.)

General Instructions and Information tell the prospective exhibitor the size of the booths, that he may reserve/contract multiple booths, that space is assigned on a first-come first-serve basis, and that orders may be taken on the exhibit floor.

The Prospectus should be approved by the General Chair.

The floor plan of the Exhibits Hall should be included in the package. Other items such as copies of the Call for Papers and conference information may be included. As the conference approaches, a registration form and an advance program may be added to the package.

The importance of early preparation cannot be overemphasized. Corporate exhibit/trade show budgets are approved at least one year or more in advance. The Exhibits Committee may think one year's lead-time is sufficient in starting its selling efforts. However, companies' schedules and budgets are set by then, and it is not possible to add another show to their schedule. Another reason to sign up exhibitors as early as possible is to make future sales easier. A company is more likely to exhibit if it knows that its competition is exhibiting.

11.4.1
The Exhibit Space Application is to be used as a guide for developing an agreement with Exhibitors for space and regulations. A sample contract for Exhibit Space Application is in Section 16.

11.5 EXHIBITOR REGISTRATION
Advance registration packets should be sent to exhibitors approximately five months before the conference. They should include:

• Exhibitor Advance Registration Form
• Letter of appreciation for their participation
• List of Exhibitors to date, by name and address, and by booth number
• Hotel Layout, and Exhibits Hall layout
• List of Exhibitor action items
• Complimentary passes (if used)

The Exhibits Committee must coordinate with the Registration and Local Arrangements Committees regarding allocation of suites in the hotel.

11.6 SECURITY
It is necessary to hire security guards to control access into the Exhibits Hall, and to guard equipment in the Exhibit Hall after hours. Security is also needed during set-up and tear-down.

11.7 AT CONFERENCE RESPONSIBILITIES
It is important that at least one person from the Exhibits Committee be on duty during Exhibit hours, as well as for set-up and tear-down.

An Exhibitors wrap-up should be held on the last day of the conference, at which the Exhibits Chair thanks the exhibitors for their participation in the conference, and asks them their reactions to the exhibit. Exhibits Chairs from future conferences should be invited to the wrap-up. It may be held in the morning before the floor opens, and should include coffee and light refreshments.