NATIONAL NETWORK
OF
HEALTH CAREER
PROGRAMS
IN
TWO-YEAR COLLEGES
GUIDELINES FOR PLANNING
THE
ANNUAL MEETING
National Network of Health Career
Programs in Two-Year Colleges
714 Harsh Road
Marblehead, OH 43440
1-800-592-1299, Pin #50
www.NN2.org
Revised 2005, Revised 2006, Reviewed 11/2007
NATIONAL NETWORK OF HEALTH CAREER PROGRAMS IN TWO-YEAR COLLEGES
GUIDELINES FOR PLANNING THE ANNUAL MEETING
TABLE OF CONTENTS
GUIDELINES FOR PLANNING THE ANNUAL MEETING………………………. 3
GENERAL CONFERENCE INFORMATION………………………………………. 3-8
PLANNING TIME LINE…………………………………………………………….. 9-10
ANNUAL MEETING CHAIR……………………………………………………….. 11
FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY……………………………………………………. 12
PUBLICITY CHAIR…………………………………………………………………. 13
PROGRAM CHAIR………………………………………………………………….. 14
REGISTRATION CHAIR……………………………………………………………. 15
EXHIBITOR COMMITTEE….……………………………………………………… 16
SOCIAL CHAIR……………………………………………………………………... 17
CONFERENCE EVALUATION……………………………………………………. 18
FINAL CONFERENCE REPORT…………………………………………………… 19
APPENDIX
· FINANCIAL WORK SHEETS…………………………………………….. 21-23
· SAMPLE CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT…………………………... 26
· SAMPLE PROGRAM MATERIALS
-Sample Speaker Agreement/ Data Collection………………………………… 27
-Sample Technical Set Up Needs……………………………………….... 28
-Sample Speaker Presentation Guidelines………………………………… 29
-Sample Confirmation Letter……………………………………………… 30
· SAMPLE EXHIBITOR/SPONSORSHIP MATERIALS
-Sample Application and Contract for Commercial Exhibit Space……… 32
-Past Exhibitor List………………………………………………………. 33
-Sponsorship Categories…………………………………………………. 35
-Exhibitor Benefits………………………………………………………. 35
· SAMPLE EVALUATION FORMS
-Overall Evaluation………………………………………………………. 39
-Breakout Session Evaluation……………………………………………. 41
· SAMPLE REGISTRATION FORM ……………………………………….. 42
NATIONAL NETWORK OF HEALTH CAREER PROGRAMS
IN TWO-YEAR COLLEGES
GUIDELINES FOR PLANNING THE ANNUAL MEETING
These guidelines were developed to assist individual(s) who have responsibility for planning/hosting the annual meeting the National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges (NN2). Additional information can also be obtained from the previous hosts of the annual conference. If the annual meeting is to be held in an area with multiple community colleges, a committee from the different schools can be used to divide up the responsibilities. If the meeting is to be sponsored by one college, then an internal committee should be formed.
GENERAL CONFERENCE INFORMATION
I. Responsibilities of Host College
1. Work with NN2’s meeting planner and assist with the determination of *meeting dates and location: Hotel, Meeting Rooms, etc.
2. Determine evening social events: location, activity, and menu.
3. Find local speakers for topics suggested by the Conference Program Planning Committee.
4. Provide A/V equipment and technical assistance throughout the conference.
5. If possible, cover cost of: mailing announcements, programs and other items to the membership; duplicating and printing announcements, programs, and other documents as needed; binders for meeting materials.
6. Produce documents for meeting announcements, programs, reminders, and other mail outs.
7. Arrange for the College President or other College official to open the annual meeting with greetings and remarks.
8. Register and maintain records of attendees.
9. Prepare and maintain a budget.
10. Prepare a written report for the NN2 board detailing budget, evaluations and recommendations for the next annual meeting.
*Dates of Meeting
The annual meeting is usually held the last two weeks of September or during the month of October. The event includes a reception on Wednesday evening and meetings all day Thursday, Friday, and half a day on Saturday.
II. Required Sessions
The program should include the following:
Annual Business Meeting
This is usually a luncheon meeting with 30 or so minutes for lunch and an hour for the Business Meeting. This is an extremely important meeting as all of the official business of NN2 is conducted at this meeting.
Norman L. Clarke National Issues Lecture
This is a central focus of the annual meeting and can serve as the “Keynote” address. It is to be a central theme of the meeting and set the tone for other activities, speakers, etc. It is up to the meeting coordinator to select a strong figure for the address. The purpose of the presentation is to present a lecture of national scope on a relevant, evolving trend or issue that will stimulate thought and/or create new visions for healthcare education.
CAHL Presentations (if funded)
The graduates of the Coalition of Allied Health Leadership will make at least one presentation during the annual meeting. This is usually a roundtable format, but can also include poster presentations. Often the roundtables are offered at the same time as the roundtable presentations for best practices.
Best Practices Presentations
A call will go out soliciting proposals for “best practices in healthcare education”. These presentations usually take the format of roundtable discussions, with the presentation being given several times during the allotted time. ( For example in a one hour time slot, a presentation can be given two or three times.)
Committee Meetings
Adequate time must be set aside for the NN2 committees to meet and conduct business, invite new members, etc. It is recommended 60 minutes be set aside for these important meetings. These meetings must be scheduled following the annual business meeting. The same room that was used for the annual business meeting should be used for the committee meetings, if at all possible.
Pre Conference Board Meeting
The Board typically meets the afternoon prior to the opening reception on Wednesday night. The conference coordinator(s) should arrange for a room at the hotel/conference site for the Board to meet. This meeting usually last 2 ½ - 3 ½ hours.
New Member Session
A new member orientation session should be scheduled during any scheduled breakout and/or concurrent sessions. This session is usually conducted by the President of NN2. Plan for 10-20 people for approximately 30 minutes to an hour.
Conference Greeting
It is customary for the host institution or institutions to have a formal greeting by the College President or his/her representative. Likewise, a local figure such as the mayor should be invited to greet the conference to the host city. The NN2 President will also make a brief welcome to the participants.
Networking Time
As the National Network was created to allow members to share ideas, curricula, etc. a central theme of the annual meeting should be time for participants to truly Network together. It is very important to build into the conference agenda adequate time each day for member Networking. The networking time does not always have to be totally free time. It can be associated with time set aside for other activities such as vendor time. As long as there are multiple, strategically placed periods for Networking, the conference is usually very successful.
Vendors
Vendors have been a central segment of our annual meetings. If vendors are invited, please make sure adequate time and exposure is made available. In some instances, Vendors have also made presentations at the meeting and may be willing to help sponsor some activities (opening reception, social event, etc.). Likewise, any vendor who sponsors any conference activity should be invited to the opening Reception and be offered an exhibit table free.
Highlight Host Institutions
If time in the agenda permits, special time can be set aside for a tour and highlight of the host institution(s) and their health related programs. This is usually a very attractive option for many NN2 members. If it is included in the agenda, it should be well organized and all participants (from the host colleges) should be well prepared. It can be an optional activity.
Social Events
It is customary to have a Wednesday evening reception for participants. Thursday or Friday evenings should also have an event that consists of an evening activity including dinner. This is the major social event of the conference and should not be optional but included in the conference registration fee. Events have ranged from a barbecue at the home of a host dean to a dinner theater event. Social events on other evenings are up to the conference coordinator.
III. Hotel Selection and Considerations
President’s accommodations
The hotel room for the President is usually complimentary and should be connected to a room that can be used for Board meetings, if available.
Conference Locations
It is the belief in the National Network that the site of the annual conference need not be extremely exotic and/or resort like. Two-year college budgets usually do not support expensive
travel to meetings, so the conference site (hotel meeting areas, etc.), do not need to be exclusive and very high cost. The National Network recognizes that rates are escalating, but has always tried to be cognizant of our membership and fees their employer can or will pay. We would rather have an affordable conference that is well attended than one that is located at some very exclusive and/or remote site. Our conferences are not being
conducted to impress; they are grass roots, network laden, take home events that expose
our membership and other attendees to a tremendous amount of useable content that clearly supports our focus on “Networking”.
National Conference Sites
The National Network is interested in moving the annual conference all over the nation. In particular, we feel very strongly that by moving to a broad variety of sites we can interest and expose more people to NN2. In addition, it affords us the opportunity to see how other colleges operate their health programs. Our intent is to “spread the word” about this organization as much as we want to create a useful meeting for our membership. Typically, we try to schedule our meeting in the East, Midwest and far West with Northern and Southern sites in those areas also being considered on a rotation basis. While ease of travel to the sites is important, it is not paramount. We would rather visit a less accessible area with good exposure than to limit our travel to major metropolitan areas only.
IV Other Conference Ideas
· Make color coded badges for new members (list of current members obtained from Executive Director).
· Make sure names printed on badges are printed large enough to be easily readable.
· Have a conference registrant list available for all attendees with name institution.
· Be sure to include evaluation forms for all sessions and an overall impression evaluation.
· Ribbons-Be sure to attach ribbons to the badges for (ribbons obtained from Executive Director):
-Officers of NN2 (President, Secretary, Past President’s, President Elect, Treasurer).
-Executive Director
-Board members
-Speakers
-Any other individual you feel warrants recognition (planning committee, host, etc.).
· Be sure to make the vendors feel very welcome. NN2 wants to encourage their continued attendance at our meetings.
· Complimentary Registrations-Consult with the President in regards to any requests for complimentary registration and/or hotel accommodations.
· Print enough “voting cards” for distribution at the annual Business meeting. Work closely with the NN2 Executive Director and Chair of the Membership Committee to coordinate this activity.
· T-Shirt/Sweat Shirt Exchange – Encourage registrants to bring a T-shirt, sweat shirt, hat, etc. with their institutional logo on it for an exchange session. People always enjoy this activity.
· Food – The eating arrangements are totally up to the Conference Coordinator (s). However, past experience demonstrates that the following meals should be planned:
-Business Meeting Luncheons – This is a must. Food can be served or done as a
buffet.
-Breakfast – Most conferences have a “continental” set up with coffee, pastries, fruit,
etc.
-Breaks – Food can be very light here. There does need to be at least one (1) morning
break with beverages and one (1) afternoon break with beverages and possibly
light food (cookies, crackers, chips, etc.).
· Dinner – At Least one (1) evening should have a conference social event with dinner. It does not have to be at the conference site. Typically, the event has been at a colorful, local attraction for informal eating and an evening of fun. A second evening dinner is recommended especially to showcase a local site.
· Free Time – While our membership seems to enjoy action-packed, full meetings, there should be (1) late afternoon and evening that is free. This way participants can do their own thing….shop, relax, see the area, etc.
· Pre Conference Workshop – This is an option for the conference coordinator(s) in concert with the Board of Directors. Numerous topics could be presented here such as leadership issues, budgeting, curriculum issues, collaborative ventures, HRSA and federal policy and grants, to name a few. It would be expected that the pre-conference workshop(s) would have an additional fee associated with attendance.
· Room Blocks – When negotiating room rates and room days with the hotel, please remember the following:
- Some individuals and organizational leaders will want to come in Tuesday. A
pre-conference workshop would probably require this and the Board of Directors
does meet on Wednesday afternoon prior to the conference.
- Some conference attendees stay over Saturday night for better travel rates and
meetings (the Board of Directors does meet Saturday afternoon).
· Meeting Rooms – We recommend the general meeting room be set up with tables, table cloths, and chairs. Long, straight tables are preferred as people like to take notes and spread their materials out. Only chairs as a set up, is very undesirable and is not recommended. The breakout rooms for concurrent or individual sessions do not have to have tables, although it is usually more comfortable for the participants.
· AV Support – It is recommended that AV and computer presentation equipment/materials be brought from the host college(s). Hotels will usually allow this arrangement. Hotels usually charge exorbitant fees for these needed items. In addition, it is recommended that the college provide an AV technician for the meeting to troubleshoot problems faster and easier.
· Activities – Plan to provide an activity to involve people who come in early or stay over Saturday. It does not need to be elaborate or cost anything. People like to be included in group activities even if it just planning going to dinner as a group.
· Conference Notebook – While there are many types of conference packets for participants, NN2 has found that small 3-ring binder notebooks work well. The notebook allows for daily organization with all of the needed materials, handouts, etc,
· and is easy for participants to add other materials and keep the conference materials together for future reference later. If notebooks are used, the following is suggested:
- Overall conference agenda for all days be in front.
- Separate each day with tabs. Include behind the tabs: