Call for Bids to Host

From ResNetWiki

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Conference Format 3 General Host Institution Responsibilities 4 Financial Responsibilities and Budget 5 Placing a Bid to Host the conference 5.1 Phase 1 5.2 Phase 2 5.3 Phase 3 5.4 Deadlines

Introduction

In support of academic excellence and to provide richer living and learning environments, colleges and universities throughout the world are bringing content-rich, high capacity, academic, computing, and telecommunications technologies directly to student living areas. The annual Student Technology Conference is designed to bring together those who plan, implement, and support student technologies, such as networking, residence-based computer clusters and video technologies, as well as help desks, instructional technology centers, and other student-focused academic technologies. Recent conferences content has focused on ResNet support area collaboration with institutional academic offerings and future directions of technology and services. Many aspects of such services are addressed through case studies, topic presentations, focus group dialog, birds of a feather discussions, vendor participation, etc.

It is important to understand that each year's Student Technology Conference is sponsored by a single institution or closely related consortium that chooses to host the conference, as selected by the ResNet Board of Directors. The conference host, in conjunction with the conference Director and Program Chair, is responsible for coordinating conference elements, including housing options, program facilities, on-campus transportation, special events, and meal options. Financial responsibility for conducting the Student Technology Conference belongs to ResNet Inc. A conference budget is a central component of the bid to host the conference and is described in more detail below.

The Board of Directors encourages bids from institutions to host the conference either on their local campus or in a commercial facility in their area. The Board also welcomes bids from two or more institutions that wish to host the conference jointly in their region. It is essential to get support from your divisional and institutional leadership before submitting a bid due to the time and resource commitments involved in hosting. Please carefully consider all options as you review your interest.

Conference Format

While there are no rigid rules for the format of a Student Technology Conference -- traditionally, the conference has begun with an opening banquet followed by three full days of sessions, including a keynote speaker, an Information Resource Fair (Doc Fair), a Vendor Fair, and a closing banquet. A one day Professional Development Seminar (PDS) precedes the conference.

• The conference is typically scheduled during late June when most colleges and universities are not in regular session.
• The annual Student Technology Conference hosts between 150 and 300 persons each year. The number of vendors has ranged from 10-25.
• A list of past conferences is available, which includes links to some past conference sites. This will give you an idea of past conference formats.

General Host Institution Responsibilities

It is highly recommended that the host institution choose co-chairs for the conference to direct various conference and team responsibilities. Co-chairs should be sure that their institution supports the significant time commitment that will be required to plan and oversee the conference. The co-chairs will assemble a team of individuals from the host institution and most likely coordinate with various areas within the institution to help in all on-site decisions/planning.

Hosting the Student Technology Conference is a large commitment. For the conference itself, the host institution is responsible for coordinating housing, registration, vendor solicitation, vendor fair set-up/break-down, meals, meal sponsorship, conference program binder/booklet development and printing, reserving of space and equipment and many other details. It is also expected the the host institution support the various needs of the Program Chairperson and Program Committee.

Experience has shown that, depending on the level of delegation accomplished, the co-chairs should be able to dedicate a minimum of five to eight hours a week during the fall, a minimum of eight to 10 hours a week during the spring, and more time as the conference nears. Additionally, they will need to distribute some of the responsibility to current staff or may choose to supplement staff by hiring a conference coordinator (often the campus conference office). Past experience has shown that for the conference registration and vendor communication process alone, approximately .5 FTE should be allocated during the spring semester and increasing to full time at least two months preceding the conference and potentially for several weeks after the conference.

Financial Responsibilities and Budget

ResNet Inc. maintains complete financial responsibility for the conference, including any profit or loss. It is the responsibility of the bidding host to develop an initial proof of concept budget. A budget template is provided and should be followed as closely as possible, and should be filled in with estimates based on today's dollar. Because the host institution does not receive a share of the profit, it is important for the host to include an estimate of all expenses it will incur in the process of hosting, such as staff overtime and student help.

A designated member of the selected host institution will become a member of the conference Finance Committee. The host will work with the Finance Committee to develop a final budget to be submitted to the ResNet Inc. Board of Directors. The budget will be reviewed and re-approved regularly up to the conference.

More information can be found in the document: conference Finance Committee Membership and Procedures

Placing a Bid to Host the conference

The "Bid to Host" process is a three-phased process.

Phase 1

The initial phase consists of a letter of intent to bid to be submitted to the Conference Selection Committee (conference-selection@resnetsymposium.org). This letter should include the reasons for wanting to host at your institution (or other site) and a letter of support from your immediate supervisor.

Phase 2

The second phase is to submit a web based bid proposal (example). Should you win the bid, this site can serve as the starting point for the conference web site. This initial phase must be submitted to the Conference Selection Committee (conference-selection@resnetsymposium.org) by February 5, 2010. During Phase 2, the Conference Selection Committee will review the web based bid proposal and budget, and may contact the bid host with additional questions before proceeding to Phase 3.

Phase 2 of your proposal should include the following information:

High-value:

• Primary and alternate program venue information. Because the attendance levels of recent conferences have fluctuated greatly (310 attendees in 2006 to 140 attendees in 2009), campuses will want to demonstrate flexibility in presentation venues (room size, number of rooms available). Also, it is highly valued by the selection committee to have presentation venues in a single location for ease of attendance. Creative solutions to meet these needs will be considered and should be displayed by the host institution bids. Points to include:
  • Walking distance between program session locations, housing, and dining facilities.
  • Typically there are 5 - 6 concurrent sessions. Rooms should be able to seat at least 40-60 people with at least one larger ~100 seat room.
  • Opening and closing sessions, which need to seat up to 350.
  • Identification of Professional Development Seminar (PDS) venues.
  • Style of seating in presentation venues. Tiered seating is preferable, but not required.
  • Multimedia capabilities (such as audio, video, projection systems, in-room networking/power). In addition, if you have the capability and/or experience doing live streaming, please include that information in your bid proposal.

• Identification of the host committee. The selection committee will give strong consideration to campuses that have experienced and comprehensive conference service groups that have the ability to facilitate the administrative and financial aspects of the conference and ResNet members with strong leadership and planning abilities. Points to include:
  • Representation from different involved areas on campus, such as housing and conference services. Please include details about each host committee member, particularly in describing your host committee's professional qualifications to organize the conference at your institution (e.g. years of experience planning, events organized by conference services staff, ResNet involvement of particular members, etc.)
  • Time commitments of the host, co-host, and other campus entities.
  • Past experience with ResNet conferences.

• Primary and alternate housing venue information. Points to include:
  • Walking distance to session locations and dining facilities.
  • Ability to provide options for family housing.
  • Location of break room(s).
  • Size of residence hall(s) (ability to keep the majority of guests in close proximity.)
  • Ability to provide amenities (bathroom sharing, air conditioning, fans, refrigerators, linen quality)
  • Location and cost of off-campus housing.
  • Because conference attendees are encouraged to reside on campus, the quality of the residence halls is a strong consideration in the bid process.

• Preliminary dining information. Points to consider:
  • Walking distance from residence halls and program venues.
  • On and off campus catering options. Campus restrictions regarding catering.
  • Break locations (if outside, how will inclement weather be handled).
  • Alcohol regulations.
  • Special dietary needs.
  • Summer hours for dining areas.
  • Menu restrictions during the summer months.

• Draft budget ( template). Please note that while the draft budget will figure extensively in the review of the bid proposal, it is anticipated that many costs associated with hosting an event three years in advance will change between the time of the bid and the actual conference. A final budget will be negotiated between the host institution and ResNet, Inc.

Other Considerations:

• Proposed conference dates and alternates. Points to consider when selecting dates include:
  • Historically the conference is held one of the last two weeks of June. Potential for conflict with other campus activities, such as summer camps, registration and orientation events, etc.
  • Other IT/Housing Conferences
  • Holidays (US and Canadian)
  • Academic calendar of other university institutions (semester vs. quarter system, etc.)

• Vendor information.
  • Vendor opportunities
  • Vendor Fair location and amenities
  • Vendor presentation locations
• Special needs, for example:
  • Mobility needs, handicap accessibility
  • Translation for hearing impaired
• Travel options available to your campus. It is preferential that the campus be located within 2 hours of a major airport. Since the conference is annually hosted in different venues, the selection process may include consideration for alternating across geographical regions.
  • Distance to nearest commercial airport.
  • Shuttle service to and from the airport.
  • Distance to, and travel options to and from the special events.
  • Alternatives to air travel (rail, car, etc.)
• At least two support letters from your institution such as University Administration, Residential Life, Conference Services, Campus Catering, etc.
• Campus map detailing which buildings will be used
• Sample schedule ( template)
• Information about your campus and region (including potential half-day activities). We recognize that all campuses are unique and will bring their own character to the conference. The selection committee encourages the host institutions to display this character in their bids.
• A short statement (no more than a few paragraphs) of why your host committee and institution would like to host the conference.
• Anything else you feel will make your hosting site attractive to conference attendees.

Phase 3

Once through the initial bid stages, institutions advancing to the final phase will be asked to host two selection committee members for a site visit. Costs associated with lodging, meals, and local travel will fall upon the bid institution. Additional travel expenses (air, mileage, etc.) to the campus will be at the expense of ResNet Inc. Institutions should be prepared to show examples of the following during the site visit.

Travel

• Size of local Airport / availability of flights
• Transportation to & from Airport

General Campus

• Distance walked between buildings used
• Convenience of campus transportation used to address distance between venues
• Distance to local businesses

Housing

• Quality of residential rooms
• Residence Hall amenities
• Hotels specified for conference
• Lounge / BoF space

conference Venue

• Presentation rooms
• Specialty rooms (used for activities such as Geek Olympics, Jeopardy, Town Hall meeting)
• Professional Development location
• Break areas
• BoF locations
• Opening Reception/Dinner location
• Meal locations
• Keynote location
• Vendor Fair location
• Closing Event & location (list of possible locations)
• Free day activities (list of possible activities)

General Items for Review

• Draft Schedule
• Draft Budget

During the course of the site visit, it is essential that the selection committee representatives meet with potential host committee members. While not an interview, the site visit is a time for the selection committee to accurately understand the qualifications and talents of the potential host committee members. The goal is for the selection committee representatives to come away with a full understanding of the potential host committee's ability to fulfill all of the aspects of organizing and hosting the conference.

The Board's goal is to name the successful bidder as soon as practical after the site visits to allow the new host committee to attend the post-conference Board meeting. Please feel free to contact the President of the Board for more information, such as referrals to others for specific advice, as well as status updates (whether this be your particular status or the Board's projected decision making schedule). The Board attempts to work with time pressures (requesting deadline extensions or expedited decisions) as best possible without endangering the overall selection process.

These associated Hosting & Program Documents will provide you with additional information on the bid process, hosting the conference and the host and program committee relationship.

• Hosting Bid Planning
• Host Post-Selection Responsibilities
• Host Committee Information
• Program Chair Guide

Deadlines

Conference Selection Committee
E-mail: conference-selection@resnetsymposium.org

Please feel free to e-mail or mail questions or comments about this document or the bid process to this address as well.

Thank you, ResNet Inc. Board of Directors