Membership Desk at Conferences

Conferences, seminars, and technical meetings that are sponsored or co-sponsored by IEEE offer great opportunities to recruit new IEEE members. Professionals who attend them are willing to invest their time and money to learn about the latest developments in their fields of interest. These professionals are well aware of the need to stay informed. They make ideal candidates for recruitment to IEEE and its Societies. So, how do you recruit them?

Have a Differential Discount Offer

IEEE requires that there be a differential between the conference registration fees charged to IEEE Members versus non-members. Non-member registrants pay a significantly higher fee. Many IEEE Societies, with the approval of their conference chair and treasurer, follow the excellent practice of allowing a portion of the higher non-member registration fee to be applied toward the payment of IEEE dues for applicants who elect to join IEEE during a conference.

While it is recommended that the differential in registration fees for nonmembers should provide an incentive to join IEEE, it should not cover the full dues payment. It is important that the applicants pay some portion of the dues themselves. Why? Because personally paying some portion of the dues represents a commitment on their part toward investing in their continuing professional development through joining IEEE. If they pay nothing toward IEEE dues, they are more likely to see IEEE membership as not having any intrinsic worth when renewal payments come due.

So offer a new member discount that provides an incentive to join because that also helps to attract people who are more likely to renew later. Be sure to also make use of the MD Conference Member Recruitment (CMR) program. The CMR allows you to offer a free IEEE Society membership to new IEEE member applicants who join at a conference.

How to Organize a Membership Desk

Every IEEE Conference should plan on having a membership development desk attended by member volunteers. The MD officer for the sponsoring Society should contact their conference chairs well in advance to assure that a skirted table and display space is made available for a membership desk.

If possible, try and request exhibit space in the registration area, which is usually a high traffic area well suited for the MD desk location. Also, locate and reserve the Society’s Banner for the conference MD desk use.

If you wish, and if your budget allows, you can order an IEEE Society banner specifically for this use. Currently a standard 3’x5’ nylon banner ordered from IEEE costs USD $35 plus $2.50 for each letter embroidered to the banner listing your Society name, etc.

Email your request for the banner with the words you wish embroidered to Donna McClelland of Section/Chapter Support. The order must contain the Society account number that has been authorized by the Society MD officer or Treasurer to be charged. The banner is blue in color with the IEEE Logo printed in white.Of course, Societies are also free to use their own local vendors, but they must comply with all IEEE rules regarding use of the IEEE logo.

If your Conference does not already have a policy allowing for the differential in registration fees to be applied toward the dues payment, please ask your conference chair or treasurer to establish one. Include this information in registration kits and advertise it via posters in the registration area.

In pre-conference announcements, highlight the fact that IEEE members pay a lower conference registration fee than non-members. Be sure to include an IEEE application form in the announcement package. And if you offer online conference registration, include a link to the online application form.

Four weeks before your conference (8 weeks outside North America):

You should contact Donna Dukes at IEEE Membership Development to order membership applications, posters, and related materials for your MD desk.
Provide us with the name and dates for the conference, the expected attendance and estimated percentage of attendees who are members.
Member volunteers should be available at the MD Desk for the full length of the conference to assist applicants and members. An unattended MD desk is simply ineffective. Work with the local Section to obtain volunteers to help staff your MD desk. Local Chapter members, life member and Student Branch members often make for knowledgeable, effective and eager MD desk volunteers.

The Society’s MD officer should plan on doing an hour training session for MD desk volunteers to familiarize them with the application process, dues rates, special conference discounts in effect, and so on.

Last Details

Once the conference is finished, it is imperative that you get the applications and their payments to IEEE as quickly as possible. The applications should be submitted to IEEE MD with accompanying checks and credit card payments, and a cover sheet explaining what is enclosed. A copy of the cover sheet should also be provided to the conference treasurer. No cash should ever be mailed, but should instead be deposited with the conference treasurer.

Applications received at IEEE with cash deposited with the conference treasurer should be directed in the cover sheet to be credited against a Society MD account. This is the easiest way to assure that services for new members begin promptly, while also allowing for a proper accounting of all money received and differential discounts offered to new members.

IEEE conferences offer great opportunities to recruit new members to IEEE and your Society. Make the most of it! For MD supplies, information and assistance, contact Donna Dukes at Membership Development.

TO SUMMARIZE:

1. Four weeks before a conference (8 weeks outside North America), contact Donna Dukes at IEEE Membership Development to order membership applications, posters, and related materials for your MD desk. Provide MD with the name and dates for the conference, the expected attendance and estimated percentage of attendees who are members.

2. Ask for volunteers from your Section to help staff your Membership desk. The Society’s MD officer should give an hour training session to these volunteers to cover the application process, dues rates, special conference discounts in effect, and so on.

3. Establish a differential between the conference registration fee charged to IEEE Members and to non-members who will have to pay a higher fee. This differential can be applied towards the payment of IEEE dues for those joining IEEE during a conference.

4. In pre-conference announcements, emphasize the lower registration fee for IEEE members. Include an IEEE application form in the packets and a link to the online conference registration form if offered.

5. Make use of the MD Conference Member Recruitment (CMR) program, which offers a free IEEE Society membership to new IEEE member applicants who join at a conference. See http://www.ieee.org/ra/md/cmr.html .

6. An IEEE 3’x5’ nylon Society banner can be ordered specifically for this use at a cost of USD$35 plus $2.50 for each letter embroidery. To order a banner, contact Donna McClelland.

See a sample banner at http://www.ieee.org/ra/scs/products/index.html .

7. After the conference, all applications and payments must be sent to IEEE as soon as possible so services for new members can begin promptly. Enclose a cover sheet summarizing all payments by check, credit card and cash with the Society MD Account number to be used. All cash received should be turned over to the conference treasurer and never mailed. The conference treasurer should also receive a copy of this summary sheet Effective immediately, subscriptions to publications are no longer taxable in Florida, Massachusetts, and North Carolina. This includes print, electronic and combo packages. This also includes IEL and MDL.