GUIDELINES FOR ORGANIZING THE CPS ANNUAL MEETING

1. General and Scheduling

The Canadian Phytopathological Society organizes an Annual Meeting either individually or in collaboration with other societies. The proportion of program planning and responsibility in a joint meeting may vary with the relative size of the participating societies. With input from the Future Meetings Committee and approval by the CPS Board, the dates and venues of the Annual Meetings are normally established five years in advance. Allow some flexibility to accommodate possible joint meetings with other organizations. Preferred time is in late June, although other considerations such as joint meetings or availability of facilities may take precedence. Also, national or local holidays should be considered. For example, June 24 is an important holiday in Quebec, July 1 nationally, and the first Monday in August in some provinces.

An additional source of information to help in planning is a publication, "Guidelines for planning conferences - Agriculture Institute of Canada".

The committee with chair person should be appointed or elected preferably three years in advance to enable booking of facilities. This is the responsibility of a local or the Regional Group. The members of the Local Arrangements Committee should familiarize themselves with the CPS By-Laws as they pertain to the Annual Meeting.

Duties

2.1 Choose an appropriate venue and arrange affordable accommodation. A University site usually offers some advantages in costs and help in planning, coordination, mailing, etc. through their conference facilities.

2.2 Arrange for fund raising. Begin about two years in advance to have an estimate of the funds available at the time registration fees are established. Consider agri-related businesses, local tourism and promotion boards, local governments. The Sustaining Associates may be a useful resource for funding leads.

2.3 Choose a program theme. Communicate with Subject Matter Committee chairs and the Vice-President for input and arrangement of special symposia.

2.4 Prepare first mailings of relevant information about six months before the meeting. It would be useful to make a general announcement in CPS and Phytopathology News, eighteen months to one year in advance. Determine dates for advance registration.

2.5 If appropriate, arrange for field trips - an ad hoc committee may be solicited to sponsor and organize.

2.6 Arrange for or prepare registration materials, including ‘souvenir bags’, etc.

2.7 Arrange for social activities, mainly involving an opening mixer and a banquet or alternative that is suitable for awards presentations. Also arrange for coffee breaks and, if appropriate, a partners program. Funds from sponsors should be sought, well in advance of the meeting, to support activities. In an experiment at the 1995 meeting in Toronto, 30 minutes were allowed for coffee breaks and 2 hours for lunch. This worked out well, allowing flexibility in over-run times, social contacts, and could provide time for informal sessions over lunch.

2.8 Developing the program
- call for abstracts at the latest 3 months in advance
- schedule papers, posters and symposia
- invite session chairs
- arrange printing of programs, abstracts and other informative material (include acknowledgment of sponsors)
- arrange for audio-visual, including a slide preview area
- schedule student papers and liase with Awards Committee to arrange for judging
(normally arranged by the Awards Committee). Scheduling student papers as a block will facilitate judging.
- choose topic and invite a speaker for the plenary session if planned

2.9 Contact commercial firms regarding potential exhibitions; inform them of costs and exhibition space.

2.10 Public relations - if possible, arrange for coverage by the commercial media, arrange for general announcements and distribution of information.

2.11 Joint meetings with other societies

- both societies need to be familiar with each other’s responsibilities and the terms and
conditions, financial arrangements, etc. - obtain written agreements
- negotiations include collection of registration, proportions allotted to each society, activities covered from general funds, arrangements for profit/loss sharing
- CPS contact is the President Elect

General requirements

3.1 One large lecture room for plenary session, symposia and annual general meeting.

3.2 Two smaller rooms for concurrent paper sessions.

3.3 A well lighted freely circulating area for posters - preferably large enough so that posters can be left up for the duration of the meeting. Coffee and commercial exhibits are encouraged to be accommodated in the same area.

3.4 An area to serve as a lounge, for registration and to put up displays.

3.5 Meeting rooms - one for CPS Board meetings (normally the day before the meetings start and the last morning or P.M. if needed) and as needed for committee meetings.

3.6 Joint meetings with other professional groups - in consultation with the appropriate person(s) in the other group, arrange the facilities to accommodate all requirements several years in advance.

4.1 First evening mixer - usually this is an informal setting allowing for easy circulation and some seating space. The area should be available for the entire evening.

4.2 Arrange for a suitable forum for awards presentation - traditionally this has been as a formal banquet, but consider alternatives. Cost is normally part of registration, which encourages fuller participation and ensures that recipient of the Best Student Paper award is present.

4.3 Accompanying persons program - this is optional, but some formalized or informal listing of possible activities is encouraged.

The symposia are a major component of the CPS Annual Meeting, and involve numerous details in their arrangement. The following provide some guidelines for those involved in arranging symposia.

5.1 Topics. Normally proposed by Subject Matter Committees. Contact the CPS Board at least two years before the meeting for approval.

5.2 Scheduling. It is important that the Subject Matter Committee involved contact the Local Arrangements Committee as soon as possible to schedule the symposia into the program, and verify dates before contacting any speakers.

5.3 Speakers. Select speakers and mail letters of invitation about eighteen months in advance. Keep speakers informed regarding length of talks, instructions for preparation of abstracts or manuscripts, funding arrangements and scheduling.

5.4 Publication. Publication of full papers is optional but encouraged. The normal outlet is Can. J. Plant Pathol. Authors are encouraged to prepare their papers and have them reviewed locally, ready for submission for journal editing at the time of the meeting. The papers will be subject to the normal journal review process after submission.

5.5 Funding. 
- The symposia are expected to be self-funding. Efforts must be made by the organizers to obtain external funding from any available source. Where necessary, part of the registration fee may be allotted to cover symposia costs. Requests, including a plan for the symposium must be made to CPS well in advance so that the Local Arrangements committee can establish the Registration Fee.
- If necessary, CPS will guarantee funding up to an amount agreed to by the CPS Board. By the same token, any profits from symposia (or the general meeting) are the property of CPS.
- After the symposium, collect receipts and expenses from speakers and arrange reimbursement.
- Acknowledge sponsors.

5.6 Joint Symposia.
- Consult with participating group on number and topics for symposia.
- Arrange for funding and allocation of costs/profits.