Oceans Conference Checklists

1.1 IEEE Conference Documentation Checklist

The IEEE conference management department has developed a series of documents that assist conference organizers and serve as guidelines. Templates for these documents can be found on the IEEE web site: http://www.ieee.org

  • click on the “Conference & Events” tab
  • click on the “Running an IEEE conference” link
  • click on the “Quick links to forms and templates” link The required forms under that last link include:
  1. Business and Legal
    1. IEEE Conference Application (Online form)
      All conferences must register their conference with IEEE Conference Operations
    2. Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
      Required for any sponsored or co-sponsored conference
    3. Principles of Business Conduct Compliance Certificate and Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement POBC/COI (Online form)
      Required for the General Chair and Finance Chair/Treasurer to submit
  2. Financial
    1. IEEE Financial Reporting (Online form)
      Required to report summary of financial information
    2. Certification of Accuracy
      Required with the financial closing information (XLS, 31 KB)
    3. 1099 & 1042 Schedule of Payments
      Required each January for payments in the previous year (XLS, 54 KB)
  3. Publications
    1. IEEE Conference Publication form (Online form)
      Required for all conferences intending to publish a proceedings with IEEE
    2. IEEE Copyright form (Online form)
      Links to the online and document versions of the copyright form, required from each author

1.2 General Chair Checklist

  1. Organize LOC and coordinate recruitment of volunteers
  2. Complete the ICX
  3. Select and invite Honorary Chairs
  4. Communicate through Liaisons with JOAB and the Societies
  5. Meet with and motivate Exhibit, Technical Program, Patron, Publicity and other chairs frequently. Hold Teleconference meetings quarterly until one year out, monthly until six months out, and weekly until the Conference.
  6. Check finances with Finance Chair at regular intervals
  7. Check that timelines are met and improved upon
  8. Participate in Plenary ceremony and Award Luncheons
  9. Participate in SPC awards
  10. Report at the Hot Wash
  11. Close the Conference with disbursement of surplus to the Societies

1.3 Technical Program Chair Checklist

  1. Coordinate with LOC Webmaster to initiate a call for abstracts.
    Topic list is based on core topics and subtopics augmented with Local Additional topics as indicated in Appendix 12.1
  2. Number of Reviewers per submitted abstract
    Five reviewers per submitted abstract should be assigned since three reviews are necessary for each and some assigned reviewers are unable to complete their reviews. OES Technology Committee Chairs and MTS Professional Committee Chairs will be automatically entered into the Reviewer List by topic. In addition, local reviewers should be recruited to augment this list.
  3. Determine which topics need more reviewers
    Each TCC and TPCC will be able upon request to provide additional reviewers from his or her committee if needed. Each reviewer will be asked to rate at most 20 abstracts on a topic related to their specialty. Therefore, every batch of 20 abstracts on a given topic will need 5 reviewers.
  4. Determine accept/reject cutoff rating
    TPC should review abstracts with ratings near cutoff and make individual determinations to accept or reject after weighing reviewer comments.
  5. Group paper proposals into sessions
    No fewer than four talks should be included in each session. When papers are uploaded, re-grouping will be necessary as some sessions will fall below the critical four talks. But it is important for marketing to do an advanced program based on accepted abstracts. Align sessions on a similar topic into tracks to avoid sessions that compete with one another.
  6. Post advanced program
    Some delegates will choose to come to OCEANS based on the posted program. This program will change when papers are withdrawn and some re-binning will be required but avoid if possible changing the day a talk will be presented.
  7. Select and invite Session Chairs
    Try to select Session Chairs who are certain to attend the Conference. It is safest to select a session chair who is a presenter from the sessions preceding or following the session to be chaired. A local chair or student chair can be paired with another experienced chair. Session chairs should download the papers in their session and are expected to discover gross errors. The TPC should be alerted of these problems to be fixed. Provide gifts to session chairs.
  8. Make final program
    Ensure that each session has four or five talks scheduled but there is no conflict between sessions for speakers or session chairs. Move talks between sessions as necessary but avoid changing a speaker’s date of presentation.
  9. Generate Conference Program Booklet
    Booklet needs to be easy for a delegate to find talks, sessions, and tracks. Exhibits need to be listed with a map of the Exhibit Hall.
  10. Arrange for signage including early morning Session Chair/Speakers Coordination Meeting (Speaker’s Breakfast)
    Do a layperson walk through. Check that signs needed in the venue are in place to identify sessions. Refreshments should be provided for the Coordination Meeting.
  11. Collect completed Session Chair reports and Survey forms
    Report forms come from JOAB. They are delivered to the Registration Desk. Reports shall be presented to JOAB at Hot Wash from LOC chairs of TPs, Exhibits, General Chair, PCO, Finance, Tutorial, and Student Posters. Survey forms rating the individual talks in each session from all delegates are to be collected by volunteers and presented to the MTS Executive Director.

1.4 Finance Chair Checklist

  1. Prepare budget for Preliminary Conference Plan submission
    Use OCEANS IEEE financial reporting tool available from JOAB.
  2. Confirm conference is registered with IEEE
    Contact OES President or OES Finance Chair.
  3. Establish conference bank account
    Contact IEEE Conference Finance to request an IEEE Concentration Bank Account or MTS ED to open an MTS CBA and contact local bank to make arrangements and obtain bank signature cards if conference is not being held in the USA.
  4. Request and obtain loans from OES and MTS
    Contact OES Finance Chair and MTS Executive Director.
  5. Submit pre-conference forecast for review by OES and MTS representatives 24 months before start date
    Use OCEANS IEEE financial reporting tool and forward to OES Finance Chair and MTS Executive Director.
  6. Submit pre-conference forecast to IEEE by November 30 of each calendar year
    Complete the IEEE Financial Web form using the most recent pre-conference forecast.
  7. Review insurance coverage required to ensure adequate covers are in place
    Contact IEEE Insurance to request additional coverage if required.
  8. Review tax information to ensure IRS and international compliance – VAT and HST/GST
    Contact IEEE Tax Compliance & Administration.
  9. Submit pre-conference forecast for review by OES and MTS representatives 12 months before start date
    Use OCEANS IEEE financial reporting tool and forward to OES Finance Chair and MTS Executive Director.
  10. Complete any and all forms and reports as required by IEEE such as W-8 & W- 9s, 1099 & 1042 Schedule of Payments and annual report on foreign bank accounts
    Contact IEEE Conference Finance.
  11. Complete and submit application for publications rebate
    Go to IEEE Website of contact IEEE Conference Publication Product Management.
  12. Submit pre-conference forecast for review by OES and MTS representatives 6 weeks before start date
    Use OCEANS IEEE financial reporting tool and forward to OES Finance Chair and MTS Executive Director.
  13. Request real time reporting and monitor registration and conference budget daily during conference
    Expenses must be tracked as they are incurred before they are invoiced. Receipts for payments are required subsequently for the audit trail.
  14. Clean-up Registrations and Exhibits 20 days after conference
    Web tool for registrations tracks revenue from delegates but revenue from exhibits is more complex.
  15. Process outstanding bills
    Receipts for payment are required for auditing trail.
  16. Submit post-conference forecast for review by OES and MTS representatives 2 months after conference
    Use OCEANS IEEE financial reporting tool and forward to OES Finance Chair and MTS Executive Director.
  17. Repay all loans 2 months after conference
    Send checks to the attention of the OES Finance Chair and MTS Executive Director.
  18. Submit application for any tax rebates which may be available
    Contact local tax authority.
  19. Distribute surplus no later than 3 months after conference
    Send checks to the attention of the OES Finance Chair and MTS Executive Director.
  20. Close conference bank account, submit proof of account closure and destroy unused checks no later than 4 months after the conference
    Send proof of account closure to the OES Finance Chair and MTS Executive Director.
  21. Prepare and submit all audit material to independent auditor no later than 4 months after the conference
    Contact OES Finance Chair and/or MTS Executive Director who will assist in assigning an independent auditor.
  22. Submit final audit report and final financial report no later than 6 months after the conference
    Submit to the attention of the OES Finance Chair and MTS Executive Director and complete the IEEE Finance Web Form.

1.5 Liaisons Check List

The expectations of a liaison are a two-way communication, both from the Societies through JOAB and to the Societies through JOAB from the LOC. Thus the Liaison represents JOAB when collecting information from the LOC but reports concerns and needs from the LOC back to the Societies through JOAB. The Liaisons should highlight Checklists 1.1-1.4 to the General Chairs and LOCs early. A check list for Conference Liaisons is shown below.

  1. What commitments have been made to the venue and other suppliers?  What are the due dates?
  2. How many booths have been sold?  How many booths are still likely?
  3. Have Student Poster grants been applied for? Have they been approved?
  4. How many abstracts have been uploaded?
  5. How many papers have been uploaded and registrations paid? In which categories are the registrations?
  6. What has the LOC spent on travel? How much more travel cost is likely (match to budget)?
  7. Caution: have any loans been sought or taken? (This is not to be done; only sponsoring societies provide loans.)
  8. Has the PCO been hired and what is the fee? How much has been paid? What is the estimate of the rest of the PCO cost? Has the information been sent to the Societies?
  9. How many patrons are signed up? How much money has it brought in?  Are there other sponsors? What is the savings or value of their sponsorship?
  10. Is there VAT or other tax that needs to be considered?
  11. Are there any competing conferences in this venue within 2 months?

Reports are required quarterly up to one year out, monthly out to six months out, bimonthly out to three months out and weekly after that. See Appendix 12.12 for Liaison Report.