Conference Publications Committee - Minutes - 2008.06

I. 

Review and Adoption of Agenda.  The agenda was approved as submitted.

(Attachment 2)

II.  

Approval of 8 February 2008 Minutes. The minutes of the 8 February 2008 meeting were approved as submitted.

III.

Opening Remarks.  In the interest of time, Mr. Varian deferred his opening comments.

IV.

Discussion Items/Reports

A.

Financial Overview.

Mr. Vasquez presented a 5-year financial summary of the conference publications business that indicated continued strong growth, due primarily to revenue from “other channels” (most notably IEL).  He indicated that the budgeted decline in revenue in 2008 is due strictly to a change in the manner in which indirect infrastructure costs are now being allocated.  Nevertheless, it is likely that the 2008 forecast will reflect revenue figures that are better than budget.  Temporary increases in expenses are expected due to increased acquisitions as a result of the recent timeliness efforts, as well as the usual annual increase in volume.  In addition, a new business model for print-on-demand is being developed to ensure the financial viability of the single sales business.  Overall, the POP and single sales segments of the business are in the mature stage of their product lifecycle.  Targeting the corporate market will help extend the lifecycle.

(Attachment 3)  

B.

Operational Issues.   

1. Staffing Update.  Mr. Vasquez reported on recent changes within the conference publications staff.  They include a merger with the Meetings & Conferences department, as well as new openings in the Sr. Product Manager, Associate Product Manager/Project Manager and Data Administrator positions.  These changes are due, in part, to an attempt to leverage experience and talents across the overall meeting and conferences business.  Interviews are currently in process for the Sr. Product Manager.(   urplus to IEEE ( Attachment 4 ).

2. Print on Demand.  Mr. Vasquez provided an update on the work being done to establish a financially viable print-on-demand (POD) business model.  A consultant has been hired to coordinate development of a new model.  Vendor selection is expected to take place in late June, with implementation targeted for year-end 2008.  ( Attachment 4 )

C.

Conference Business Items

1. Conference Author No-Shows. Mr. Vasquez reported that a new adhoc group was recently formed and charged with reaching consensus on a set of recommendations for addressing the issue of conference author no-shows.  The set of recommended actions developed by the group is to be presented to the Conferences Committee and TAB during the June 2008 Board Series( Attachment 5 )

2. Conference Presentations Online. Mr. Vasquez provided an update on a new venture aimed at enhancing the overall value of the IEEE conference business.  The concept is to capture the slides plus audio of conference presentations and make them available online during and after a conference.  ( Attachment 5 )  

V.

Action Items

A.

2009 Conference Proceedings order Plans Pricing.  

On behalf of Mr. Spada, Mr. Vasquez presented the proposed 2009 prices for the POP and POP All offerings. ( Attachment 6 )

A Motion was made to:

Endorse the 2009 POP pricing recommendations, as follows:

PRODUCT 2008 PRICE 2009 PRICE % INC.

POP (online) $27,295 $28,495 4.4%

POP All $51,495 $54,495 5.8%

2009 Conference Proceedings List Price Formula.  On behalf of Mr. Spada, Mr. Vasquez presented the proposed 2009 list (non-member) price formula for conference proceedings.   (Attachment 7 )   

 A Motion was made to:

Endorse the 2009 conference proceedings single sale pricing formula of 0.166 * ((# of articles * 5.5) + 1000).

The Motion passed.

ACTION: IEEE Sales & Marketing staff will provide a list of competitors’ single sales pricing and revenue trends.Action Item Due: Next CPC meeting.  

Mr. Varian reviewed the proposed new methodology for distributing conference publications revenues, including additional years of new data.  They reported that this will again be brought forward to TAB for a vote during the June 2008 Board Series.  ( Attachment 8 )

The Committee reaffirmed its previous support for the new algorithm.  It also acknowledged that several Societies may be adversely impacted by the new approach.

ACTION: Mr. Varian will provide feedback to the TAB Finance Committee (FinCom) on behalf of the CPC to recommend that it discuss issues related to the impact of the new algorithm on some Societies.   Action Item Due: Next TAB FinCom meeting.

VI.

Information Items

A.

Sales & Marketing Overview.  No item was submitted.

VII. 

Time And Place Of Next Meeting.  The final meeting of the 2008 Conference Publications Committee has yet to be scheduled but will be held sometime in late May/early October via web conference.

VIII.

Adjournment.The meeting was adjourned at 11:15AM.