IEEE Policies

10.0   Types of Meetings 

IEEE conducts three basic types of meetings:

1. The first type includes Conferences, Symposia, Workshops, Tutorials, Short Courses, Expositions, Conventions. Throughout Policy Section 10 the term “conferences” is defined (for the purposes of this document only, and with the exception of Standards meetings defined in Part B of 10.0), as technical or professional meetings that have a budgeted income or expense of greater than USD $25,000. Conferences can be Symposia, Workshops, Short Courses, Expositions, Conventions, and/or Tutorials. Appropriate guidelines for naming conventions for conferences can be found in the IEEE Conference Organization Manual, Section 3. Conferences are generally attended by both members and non-members of the IEEE. Attendees generally pay to attend. Conferences are typically self-supporting and frequently generate a surplus. Conferences are sponsored by one or more IEEE organizational units and/or other not-for-profit organizations (Policy Section 10.1 for details).
   
   
2. The second type includes Standards Meetings. Standards meetings are run under the auspices of the IEEE Standards Association. These meetings are dedicated to the development of IEEE draft standards, which are collaborative documents subject to rigorous consensus balloting prior to approval. More details on Standards Meetings are found in the IEEE Standards Association Operations Manual and the Standards Board Operations Manual.
   
   The term "standards" encompasses recommended practices and guides as well as standards documents that establish requirements and technical specifications.
   
   
3. The third type includes Other Meetings. There are various other types of meetings held by IEEE organizational units. They include organizational unit administrative meetings and small technical, professional, educational and social meetings. These meetings may have a mix of administrative and non-administrative content. Most of these meetings are free (or minimal fee) to members and sponsored by an IEEE organizational unit. Policies governing such meetings can be found in the related organizational unit’s operation manual.

Administrative Meetings:
The main purpose of administrative meetings is to conduct normal IEEE business.  Administrative meetings include governance, committee and editorial meetings.  These meetings are sponsored by one or more IEEE organizational units.  The costs of such meetings are generally supported by the operating budgets of involved organizational units.  Organizational units are required to post administrative meetings in IEEE Administrative Calendars.  Posting requires the date, time and place of each meeting as well as any attendance restrictions.

Section/Chapter Meetings:
Section and Chapters frequently hold small technical, professional, educational and social meetings throughout the year.  Many of these meetings involve guest speakers and other events designed to meet member needs.  These meetings are sponsored by the related organizational unit and are open to all members and often non-members.  The costs of these meetings are generally supported by the budgets of the involved IEEE organizational units.  Occasionally members may be asked to pay for meals and entertainment.  Donations or grants may also help support these meetings.

Student Activities:
Student Branches, Sections and Regions frequently hold student conferences, Congresses, Competitions, Student Professional Awareness Conferences, Leadership Training meetings and other diverse activities throughout the year.  These activities are frequently supported by significantly large budgets generated by a combination of fund-raisers, industry contributions and Region and Section grants.  Industry funding, in many instances, comes with the stipulation that advertisement and career fairs be included in the events.