Technical Chapter Chair Quick Start Training

After you’ve selected a topic, you’ll need to organize the meeting and decide what will work best to present the speaker.  You’ll need to determine a facility, a meeting time, and whether to include refreshments or a meal. 

Meeting Time
Options include lunchtime or after work meetings and dinner meetings.  Make the time suitable for the subject.  For example, a Distinguished Lecturer will often fit best with a dinner meeting. 

Meeting Location
There are also many location options.  A first option that is often easy for the new Chapter Chair is to host the meeting at your workplace.  This makes for easy planning and an informal atmosphere.  Libraries often have community meeting places and are conveniently located.  Talking with other Chapter Chairs can provide some ideas that work in your Section. 

Meal/Refreshments
Including a meal requires additional logistics, which may include arrangements with restaurants, requiring reservations, and in some cases, guarantees with a minimum level of attendance.  Simple refreshments (e.g., cookies and soda) are easy, and you may be able to secure funding from the Section to support some meetings of this type.  With a restaurant meeting, there’s more opportunity to have a networking time with a cocktail period prior to your meal and technical meeting.

Holding the Meeting/Reporting
These topics are covered in more detail in sections below.

Key Points:

• Considerations in physical meeting planning
• Options for meeting times, locations, and food arrangements
• Types of Chapter Activities
• Availability of resources for program content

Once you have the program and facility taken care of, you want to publicize the activity.  There may already be a proven method for publicizing meetings in your Section.  Check with the Section Secretary or SAMIEEE coordinator for support with reaching out to your Chapter members.  Check with other Chapter Chairs about how they have publicized their activities.  Some of the options include:

• E-mail - This is likely your most attractive option, as the timing can be optimized for your meeting and can be targeted or focused
• Section Web site - This is a passive approach and may not provide many attendees
• Newsletters - There may be both printed and electronic newsletters available.  The time table for printed newsletters must be compatible with your meeting time
• Local Newspaper - Some newspapers will publish meeting notices for non-profit organizations.  For a general topic, this may be an option.
• e-Notice - IEEE has an electronic newsletter service that can be used to publicize meetings.  This is useful, but may be an option to postpone until you have more time in your position
• v-Toolsmeeting - a tool for managing section and chapter meetings. Officers can create meeting announcements with no dependence on webmaster availability and show them on your website. Members and the public may see and register for the upcoming meetings.

Who do you want to have at the meeting?  Is this a highly technical topic that you believe will only appeal to members of your Chapter?  Will it be of interest to the general Section member?  Will the general public be interested?  Is your meeting room capacity limited?  Consider all of these options when deciding on publicizing.  Often, particularly in smaller Sections, the Chapter will at least publicize to the entire Section, as there may be people with interest that are not members of your Society. 

Learn More:

• What is e-Notice?
• How can I create a meeting announcement, without a Webmaster, using vTools.Meetings?

Key Points:

• Considerations for publicizing a meeting
• Options for distribution of meeting information

There are many options for the first meeting depending on what meeting type and program you’ve selected (Topics 3 and 4 above).  There are, however, some general guidelines for hosting successful meetings.

Setup
Arrive before your meeting with sufficient time to set up any equipment that may be needed for the meeting.  This may be standard AV equipment or specialized demonstration equipment for a technical meeting.  It is great peace of mind for a host to not be working on equipment setup when attendees arrive, and it sets a good impression as well.  Also, make sure the room is set up to be compatible with the type of program or presentation that will be given and is compatible with the expected number of attendees.

Networking
Have attendees sign in as they arrive and collect any admission as they arrive.  It’s a good idea to provide name tags.  Note whether attendees are IEEE members or not, as this is needed for your meeting report.  Allow social interaction time.  An important aspect of IEEE activities and membership is networking.  Allow at least 10-15 minutes at the start of the meeting for members and guests to interact before starting the formal program.

Welcome
Start off the meeting with introductions.  Assuming you, as the Chapter Chair, are hosting the meeting, introduce yourself and then introduce any other members of the Chapter or Section Executive Committee members that may be in attendance.  Depending on the number of attendees and meeting format, you may be able to have the meeting attendees introduce themselves and provide some of their background. 

Refreshments or Meal
If you have a dinner meeting, the restaurant or caterer will take over for this portion of the program.  If you have time, allow for most attendees to be completed with dessert before starting the program.  Allow for the extra commotion of clean-up.  This is satisfactory for opening remarks, but not for the main presentation.

Technical Program
Before introducing the speaker, you may want to make short announcements about housekeeping or upcoming programs while you have the full attention of the audience.  These items shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to avoid infringing on the speakers time.  Obtain introductory information about the speaker prior to the meeting and present the speaker and topic to the attendees.  This is the reason everyone came to your event so this is the time to make a great introduction.  Now you can relax while your speaker takes over!

Wrap Up
After the speaker finishes, thank them for their presentation and invite a round of applause.  Some Chapters and Sections provide speaker gifts at this time.  Thank the attendees for coming and, if planned, remind them of your next meeting.

Key Points:

• Elements of the IEEE meeting
• Importance of providing networking opportunities
• Focus on the speaker and presentation
• Gather information for your meeting report
• Use this opportunity to advertise your next meeting

To ensure you get credit for holding a Chapter meeting, a Meeting Report Form, L31 must be filled out.  This is a simple process that can be completed online.

Information required is straightforward:

1. Meeting date
2. Attendance - IEEE members and guests
3. Whether the meeting involved a Student Branch or Distinguished Lecturer
4. Paper title
5. Speaker contact information

Understanding how meetings are counted is worth understanding.  Meetings will be categorized as administrative, technical or non-technical.  Normally you will have mostly administrative or technical meetings for a Technical Chapter.  If you hold a joint meeting, either with another Technical Chapter, or with the Section, the meeting will count for both Subunits.

At your meeting, you should have identified members vs. non-members and the total number of attendees.  After completing the form, copy the Section Secretary and anyone else that your Section has identified by entering their e-mail addresses in the appropriate location.  Finish by clicking on “submit.” 

Learn More:

• How are meetings counted?
• Where do I learn more about and find the L31 Meeting Report Form online?
• How can I complete a meeting report form if I used the vTools.meeting tool?

Key Points:

• Information required to submit an L31 Meeting Report Form
• Types of meetings and how they are counted
• Where to find the L31 form online