The first meeting of the 2008 Conference Publications Committee (CPC) was held at the IEEE Operations Center in Piscataway, NJ, USA on Friday, 8 February 2008. Karl Varian, Committee Chair, called the meeting to order at 9:15 AM. A list of attendees is attached. (Attachment 1)

I.	Review and Adoption of Agenda. The agenda was approved as submitted. (Attachment 2)
II.	Approval of5 October 2007 Minutes. The minutes of the 5 October 2007 meeting were approved as submitted.
III.	Opening Remarks. In the interest of time, Mr. Varian deferred his opening comments.
IV.	Discussion Items/Reports
	A.	2007/2008 Financial Overview. Mr. Vasquez reported on the preliminary 2007 actuals and the 2008 budget for the Conference Publications Program (CPP). The 2007 year-end net of $21,834k was $2,719k better than 2007. This was primarily due to revenue increases, especially from the IEL and other online offerings. Expenses, however, increased significantly over 2007. This increase was due to three factors: 1) typical annual growth in acquisition volume; 2) additional acquisition growth due to timeliness efforts; and, 3) greater than expected charges for print on demand (POD). The preliminary 2008 budget reflects a significant reduction in revenue, due to the new manner in which infrastructure costs will be allocated. In addition, expenses will likely exceed budget due to continued timeliness and POD efforts. A new, financially-viable POD model is being investigated for implementation in 2009 (see item IV.B.1 for more information). 2007 year-end distribution results were also presented. ( Attachment 3)
	B.	Operational Issues. Print on Demand (POD). Mr. Vasquez reported on the recent history of single sales. The transition to POD in 2006 was a new venture for IEEE and presented unexpected challenges. In particular, costs have far exceeded expectations, resulting in a significant deficit in this part of the overall business. A project team is being launched in February 2008 to investigate the feasibility of a new business model that would potentially return a surplus to IEEE ( Attachment 4 ). Citations for Conference Content. Mr. Moore provided an update on the work done by Thomson Scientific to analyze citations to IEEE conference papers. From 2001-2005, citations to this content set more than doubled. However, citations to journal content continue to exceed this level. Actions are needed to further improve citations to conference content. In addition, next steps are being considered with Thomson to establish a formal means of gathering and reporting conference citation data. (Attachment 5 ). Conference Publications Revenue Distribution Methodology. Mr. Varian presented an overview of the work being done to develop a new method for distributing conference publications revenues. Potential solutions continue to be analyzed, with a proposed new algorithm scheduled to be presented in May/June 2008. ( Attachment 6)
	C.	Strategic Issues Timeliness of Posting of Conference Content to IEEE Xplore. Ms. Sinauskas provided a progress report on the efforts to reduce the amount of time from the end of a conference to when the content appears in Xplore. Significant improvements were realized in the second half of 2007 (as compared to the same timeframe in 2007). Several challenges continue to be addressed ( Attachment 7) Technical Program Develpment. This was addressed as part of item IV.C.3 below. Other Key Issues for 2008. Mr. Vasquez provided a prioritized list of issues being addressed in 2008. Assistance with technical program development and the creation of a standard for conference metadata are major areas of focus, with implications on several other key items. ( Attachment 8 )
V.	Action Items
	A.	Policy on Conference Author No-Shows. Mr. Varian presented an update on the work being done by the No-Show Ad Hoc Committee. The adhoc committee developed several motions that are planned for presentation at the upcoming IEEE Board Series. The CPC members raised several concerns about the wording and impact of the motions. They suggested that the motions not be brought forward without better clarification and a stronger consensus. (Attachment 9 )
VI.	Information Items
	A.	Sales & Marketing Overview. Mr. Spada submitted an update on sales and marketing activities. (Attachment 10)
VII.	Time And Place Of Next Meeting. The next meeting of the 2008 Conference Publications Committee has yet to be scheduled but will be held sometime in late May via web conference.
VIII.	Adjournment.The meeting was adjourned at 3:00 PM.