The UK and Republic of Ireland (UKRI) Section of IEEE often agrees to be associated with International Conferences sponsored by other organisations (such as IEE, BCS, IoP, etc.). Normally such an association is limited to assistance with publicity and with the technical programme, and is without financial responsibility on the part of IEEE, although exceptions are made in appropriate cases.

Where UKRI Section agrees to association with such a conference the opportunity for technical participation in the organisation is expected (normally by accepting an IEEE representative on the Conference Organising Committee or by an IEEE member already on the Committee agreeing to take on this role). It is also expected that all IEEE members wishing to attend the Conference will be offered the benefit of any reduced registration fees or similar concessions offered to members of the sponsoring organisation. The opportunity to provide information about IEEE is welcomed.

Introduction

These notes are drawn up for the guidance of those acting as a representative of the IEEE UK and Republic of Ireland Section on the organising committee of a conference with which the Section is associated.

The representative is expected to undertake his or her fair share of the work of the organising committee and should be able to advise the organisers of ways in which the IEEE can assist (especially with publicity).

Because the IEEE is transnational, it does not sponsor conferences which are clearly national in character and the literature concerning the conference and the intentions behind it or behind any associated activities such as an exhibition, must not suggest that preference will be given to any particular country.

The main contribution which the IEEE can bring to conferences is that, as a transnational organisation, it can make the conference known to a large proportion of its 320,000 or so members through the world. This wide coverage can be used to attract both authors and delegates.

The IEEE UKRI Section Conference Co-ordinator maintains a database of all co-sponsored conferences and with the assistance of the IEEE representative on the Conference Organising Committee provides this information to the following publications:

IEEE Technical Activities Guide (TAG)

Offers regularly updated listings of all IEEE (co-)sponsored conferences over the next several years, organised by region and sponsoring technical society, including master lists of future and past conferences. The TAG is published in print twice a year, in June and December. An up-to-date version of the TAG is available electronically on the World Wide Web and can be reached either through the IEEE home page or directly at the IEEE ConferenceSearch page. Additionally information about all IEEE sponsored/co-sponsored conferences can be obtained from the Internet via return e-mail to fileserver@ieee.org with message text info.tag.all . A selection of conference details can be obtained similarly by specifying an IEEE society "acronym" or "region#" instead of "all" in the message text.

IEEE Region 8 News

This publication is mailed quarterly to thousands of English-speaking IEEE members in a large number of countries in Europe, the Near East and Africa. It is also available electronically on the Internet. Region 8 News provides a "Conference News" section, announcing IEEE sponsored events, and space for reporting the activities of individual sections and chapters, including technical co-sponsorship of international conferences, symposia and workshops.

UKRI Section Newsletter

The UKRI Section Newsletter is currently published on the Internet. Conferences, workshops and exhibition, supported through the technical co-sponsorship of the UKRI Section, can be promoted by including up to date information in this electronic publication.

IEEE Spectrum

The IEEE's monthly publication for a general readership within the electrical engineering and related professional communities. Normally the conference should be automatically listed in IEEE Spectrum if it is in the TAG, provided information is submitted sufficiently in advance to the event. However, the conference organisers could send information directly to IEEE Spectrum.

IEEE Society/Section Journals and Newsletters

The format and frequency of publications varies considerably. Many are monthly or quarterly and are sent mainly to society/section members. Some journals are subscribed to by most technical libraries. Their specialised readership makes them very suitable for conference publicity, and their editors are normally pleased to include such material if relevant to the interests of the membership.

The IEEE representative on the Conference Organising Committee should be able to provide information on these possibilities, and details about editors, addresses, etc.

Co-operation With IEEE Societies/Sections

If the particular interest or co-operation of a specific IEEE Society/Section is wished for, the president of the Society/Section, should be contacted. Information about societies and sections can be obtained centrally from the IEEE Service Center, 445 Hoes Lane, P. O. Box 1331, Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331, (732) 981-0060 or from the respective society/section publications. The Internet home page of the IEEE is a direct source of information for most contact points relevant to the IEEE societies and sections.

General

Representatives should advise their organising committee that the IEEE is able to provide the services described above. (The IEE Conference Department is fairly familiar with these arrangements.) Representatives having any queries about the role of the Section as a sponsor, including implementing the arrangements mentioned above, should contact the Conference Co-ordinator.

In addition to publicity responsibilities, the IEEE representative will be expected to:

• seek concessions for IEEE Members
• promote membership at the Conference
• provide liaison with the respective IEEE Section and Region 8
• contact the respective IEEE Societies
• advise on conflicting events
• ensure proper use of the IEEE name and logo

Representatives should ensure that the Section is appropriately represented among session Chairs, and at social functions connected with a conference; for instance, if officers of sponsoring institutions are invited.

Post Conference

It would be helpful if IEEE representatives would send a short report to the Conference Co-ordinator following conferences which the UKRI Section of the IEEE has co-sponsored. This report should cover such points as:

• Numbers attending, broken down into UK and overseas totals if possible
• Is there a further conference planned on the same subject?
• Did the IEEE provide the publicity/support required, and if not, what was the nature and cause of any deficiencies?
• Did the sponsoring body provide support for IEEE involvement?

Notes drawn up: 31 October 1999
Links updated: 27 February 2004