Basic Timetable
The generic timetable for organizing the conference, from which a specific one can be built (months in advance of the conference)
CC = Coordinating Committee; LC = Local Chair; GC = general chair; PC = program chair(s); SC = sponsorship chair
A detailed schedule prepared by the General Chair Shuly Wintner for EACL 2014 can be accessed here: EACL_14_schedule.pdf
Year -3
Months Out |
Who |
Activity |
Notes |
38 |
CC |
Constitute committee, which will typically be the EACL Board; useful to have a chair of the committee, eg EACL Chair or Chair-Elect |
|
37 |
CC |
Finalize Call for Bids |
|
36 |
CC |
Issue Call for Bids (send to Priscilla for ACL posting; post to Corpora list and any other relevant mailing lists) |
|
30 |
LC |
Deadline for draft bids |
keep date away from major conference submission deadlines |
28 |
CC |
Give feedback to bidders and decide who to put through to Stage 2, requesting a final bid |
|
26 |
LC |
Deadline for final bids |
|
25 |
CC |
Notify bidders of result; provide informative feedback to all bidders |
|
Year -2
Months Out |
Who |
Activity |
Notes |
24 |
CC |
Announce venue at business meeting of EACL conference; announce on ACL mailing list and ACL website; select a General Chair (see criteria-for-general-chair); Local Chair to prepare workplan (duties); set up basic conference website including venue and dates |
|
21 |
CC |
Select Program Chair(s) (in consultation with the GC) (duties) |
|
18 |
LC |
Finalize location and dates, negotiate contracts for meetings and accommodations |
|
|
GC |
Select Student Workshop Chair (duties), Faculty Advisor (duties), Publications Chair (duties), Tutorial Chair (duties), Workshops Chair (duties), Demo Chair (duties). |
|
|
LC |
Set up email aliases |
|
|
GC |
Begin to set up the conference management software, eg approach Softconf to confirm use of the START software |
|
|
LC |
Select Exhibits Coordinator (duties), Publicity Chair (duties) |
|
15 |
LC |
Identify Local Arrangements Committee: one or two people who would be able to take over in case something happens to the local chair; one or two admin-level people; someone dedicated to audiovisual (AV) and space management; (possibly) webmaster (see Webmaster) |
|
|
LC |
Make contact with EACL Sponsorship Committee, identify local sponsorship chair to serve on this committee |
|
|
LC |
Collect preliminary local info (describe meeting place and accommodations, travel info, visas, weather, etc.) |
|
|
* |
General, program, local, and publicity chairs create and issue initial conference announcement; include theme, general outlines, location and dates, pointers to details, organizer contact info; publicize widely (duties) |
|
|
GC/LC/Webmaster |
Establish website; include general conference announcement; preliminary local info; stubs for calls for papers, etc. |
|
|
SRW advisor |
Set up guidelines for the Student Research Workshop: elicit work in progress/thesis plans/completed thesis work?; posters and oral presentations?; joint authorship with advisors allowed? |
|
14 |
LC and GC |
Virtual meeting, eg over skype, of general chairs and local chairs |
|
|
GC, LC, Priscilla |
Prepare preliminary budget with approximate registration costs |
|
T-12 months
[General and local chairs] Organise site visit by the GC in the next few months; a representative from the EACL Board may also attend
[General and local chairs; Priscilla] Create and disseminate Call for Participation; design posters and fliers with Call for Participation; print and distribute them (web, email, hardcopy, posters, etc.)
[General and local chairs] Design conference logo for program, posters, etc.
[General, program, local, and publicity chairs] Create and disseminate Call for Papers (see SampleConferencePaperCalls)
[General, program chairs] Identify invited speakers
[Sponsorship committee] Begin to identify possible sponsors
[GC, Webmaster] Update website with the names of people involved in the conference
[General and program chairs] Make sure the software submission software is set up
T-11 months
[Program chairs] Assemble program committee: determine program committee structure and review process; establish major topic areas and likely submission distribution; decide on whether to have separate submission dates for long and short papers
[General and program chairs] Get in touch with Softconf (if using START) in order to get the submission software set up.
[Tutorial, workshop, student, demo, and program chairs] Solicit tutorials, workshops, and demos; create Calls for Bids and papers (see Sample Tutorial calls for proposals, Sample Calls for Workshop Proposals, and Sample workshop calls for papers); issue them (website, publications, email, etc.)
T - 10 months
[Local chairs] Sign contracts with any PCO.
T-9 months
[Student workshop chairs] Issue call for papers; liaise with local chair for space needs and scheduling
[Exhibits chair] Locate and sign up exhibitors
[Sponsorship chairs] Start to approach potential sponsors
[Program chairs] Create review forms for START
T-8 months
[General, local and sponsorship chairs] Update financial picture: update budget; project financial needs and make plans to meet them
[Local chairs] Sign contracts with accommodation providers
T-7 months
[Program chairs] Distribute submitted papers to area chairs; area chairs assign papers to reviewers
[Program chairs] Finalize invited speakers; create basic plan of program; reissue Conference Announcement: Web, newsgroups, mailing lists, ACL (Priscilla), and other related communities; update webpages
[Local chair] Confirm venues: confirm arrangements with meeting venue: rooms, spaces, lunches, etc; confirm arrangements with accommodation venues
[Local chair] Arrange conference social program: confirm arrangements with banquet and other social event providers; arrange reception; arrange banquet: location, transport, etc; book room for EACL Board meeting
[Tutorial, workshop, general chairs] Select tutorials and workshops: select tutorials, taking into account coverage and recent past tutorials; select workshops (see ACL policy on workshop support); liaise with local chair for space needs and scheduling; issue instructions to tutorial teachers and workshop chairs about printed material, agenda/time management, payments, fees, etc; update webpages
[Workshop chairs] Issue workshop calls for papers (see SampleWorkshopCallsForPapers): liaise with local chair for space needs and scheduling; liaise with general chair about printed material, agenda/time management, payments, fees, etc; liaise with sponsorship chair for funding applications; create and disseminate Call for Workshop Papers (see workshop-calls-for-papers and student-calls-for-papers); update webpages; liaise with ACL Office for registration form
T-6 months
[Demo chair] Call for demos: create and issue Call for Demos (see Sample Calls for Demos & Posters)
[General chair] Update website: contact all chairs to collect their info for the website; liaise with Priscilla for registration form (make sure all attendees who are not ACL members join ACL as part of the registration process)
T-5 months
[Program chairs] Process reviewed papers and, based on the area chairs' reports, decide on the accepted papers; start to create the program (remember time for EACL Business meeting, banquet, reception, etc.); send out accept and reject letters with reviews; update conference announcement and redistribute; update webpages; (some of this will happen later for short papers if later submission deadline)
T-4 months
[Workshop and student chairs] Process workshop submissions: decide on which papers to accept based on reviews; send accept/reject letters
[General, program, workshop, tutorial, exhibits chairs] Collect Proceedings descriptions: collect from tutorial teachers, workshop organizers, exhibitors, etc. short descriptions, for proceedings; provide them to webmaster and general and program chairs
[Exhibits chair] Set up exhibit: locate exhibit company for pipe-and-drape stands, signage, etc.; buy insurance, if needed; liaise with exhibitors, local committee, and venue about display needs; work with program and sponsorship chairs on exhibitor fees
[Demo chair] Arrange demos: select demos; work with selected demo-ers for AV needs;liaise with local chair for AV needs; liaise with program chairs for scheduling and proceedings; update webpages
T-3 months
[General and sponsorship chairs] Update financial picture: update budget; seriously go after corporate sponsors, now that logos are being put onto signs, publications, etc.
[Local chair] Confirm local events: confirm meeting venue: rooms, spaces, lunches, etc.; confirm accommodations; confirm social events: banquet, reception, entertainment, etc.
[Program, tutorial, workshop, demo, student, exhibits chairs] Confirm invitees: confirm attendance of invited speakers and panelists; confirm attendance of paper and demo presenters; confirm tutorials and workshops; confirm exhibitors
[Exhibits chair] Finalize exhibit spaces: finalize payments of all exhibitors; complete design of exhibition space(s); complete arrangements with pipe and drape rentals, etc.
[Local chair] Set up demo AV equipment: determine AV requirements of demo and paper presenters and other speakers; link up with venue
[General, program, tutorial, workshop, demo, exhibit, sponsorship, student chairs] Receive final papers and create (electronic) Proceedings: accept final camera-ready papers; create Proceedings (main volume and any accompanying ones); front matter: title page, ToC, foreword(s), list of authors, etc.; body; covers; update webpages as needed; (assumption here that no printed proceedings will be made, only electronic ones, distributed via the web and/or on USB stick)
[Tutorial, workshop, and student chairs] Create tutorial and workshop material; collect material from presenters; create proceedings
T-2 month
[Program chairs] Assign session chairs: send out instructions to session chairs and speakers about time and place, as well as time management for the talks
[Local chair] Finalize on-site admin: assemble team of assistants for registration, gophering, etc.
[General, program, tutorial, workshop, student, exhibit, local chairs] Create conference registration material: create program to be included in conference registration package; gather all other material, incl. any freebies
[Priscilla, local, and sponsorship chairs] Give registration update: update EACL Board on conference registration, venue and accommodation bookings, financial status; update webpages, especially local and travel conditions (check the travel instructions, local weather, medical and political conditions, etc.)
T-1 month
[General and publicity chairs] Perform local outreach: start local advertising; contact press, TV, etc.
[Program, tutorial, workshop, student, exhibit, demo chairs] Finalize all (electronic) Proceedings and tutorial material: check proceedings (papers, students and other workshops, demos, etc.); check final tutorial materials
[Local chair] Finalize demo AV equipment: finalize AV requirements of demo-ers
[Priscilla, local and sponsorship chairs] Give registration update: update EACL Board on conference registration, hotel and dorm bookings, financial status
[Local chair] Finalize registration package: assemble all materials into registration packets: local maps, local events, conference program, freebies, etc.
Original Author: Eduard Hovy, 1998, from timetables of previous AMTA conferences, AAAI conference schedule and notes by Marie Meteer. Updated by Stephen Clark for EACL, October 2013, with suggestions from Shuly Wintner