1). INTRODUCTION
Scientific meetings of the British Inflammation Research Association
are held 3-4 times a year. They are organized by members of the
Association, and their colleagues, and not exclusively by Committee members.
It is an explicit policy of the Association to give "local" organizers
every possible freedom to decide the detailed arrangements and style of
their meeting, so that a variety of formats can be included in the programme.
However, it has been felt by some previous organizers that some outline
"policies" within which a meeting should be organized would be useful,
and these are summarized in this document. It is important to recognize
that these are not intended to be inflexible prescriptions and variations
are welcome, where they add to the benefits registrants at the meeting
would gain from their attendance.
2). INITIATING A SCIENTIFIC MEETING
It is the responsibility of the Association's Committee to select a programme
of scientific meetings that will attempt to cover the broad field of inflammation
research with the emphases appropriate to the interests of the members.
In order to allow booking of lecture halls, etc., the Committee
elected by the AGM one year (e.g. Autumn 1996) is responsible for the
meetings planned for the calendar year following their term of
office (e.g. the 1998 programme).
While Committee members may identify areas of research warranting a meeting,
and contact potential local organizers to ask them to arrange a suitable
meeting, individual members of the Association are strongly encouraged
to suggest ideas for meetings, to volunteer to organize or to contribute
to the organization of meetings, or to suggest the names of speakers.
One of the main aims of BIRAs
is to encourage a productive and stimulating dialogue between the industrial
and academic facets of the inflammation research community. This is often
best achieved where the meeting is organised jointly between an Academic
and industrial researcher. If required, the Committee may be be able to
suggest suitable joint organisers. However, this is not a requirement
and should not put off potential organisers. The same aim can be achieved
by the choice of speakers.
Such suggestions should be relayed to any member of the Committee, at
any time of the year.
It is helpful if at least one of the meeting organizers is a member of
the academic department/ institution/ pharmaceutical company at whose
site the meeting will be held, as this greatly facilitates some of the
more mundane but critical tasks involved in setting up a meeting.
3). LIAISON WITH BIRAs
Most contacts between the Association's Committee and the organizers
of an individual meeting are the responsibility of the Meetings Secretary.
Organisers should thus work closely with this individual.
However, in some cases, another Committee member, with particular familiarity
with the field covered by the meeting, or who is local to the venue of
the meeting or who is also acting as a local organizer, may be assigned
as the liaison.
4). FORMAT OF MEETINGS
As stated above, local organizers should not feel constrained by too
inflexible a format for Association meetings.
LENGTH: Most meetings are single-day
events, and it is therefore useful to start the first session at a time
in the morning that allows registrants to travel on the day of the meeting.
The Association has held or planned several "overnight" meetings. Overnight
accommodation for registrants must be considered by the local organizers
as an integral element of organizing such a meeting: adequate information
or pre-reservations will be necessary, and discussed with the Committee.
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5). MEETING VENUES
Meetings can be held in academic departments or institutions, or at the
sites of UK pharmaceutical companies. Lecture theatres capable of accommodating
50-100 registrants should be available, and preferably with nearby space
or rooms for on-site registration, tea and coffee and other opportunities
for registrants to meet each other and discuss their research.
BIRAs aims to attempt to achieve a reasonable geographic spread of meetings
across the UK. However, the site of a meeting has a significant impact
on audience size. For example meetings held in London, or close by, are
easier to travel to and arrive early at while many of the classical Pharmaceutical
Industries are based on the South East, as are many of the new Biotech
companies. So are many of the academic research groups. Meetings in other
parts of the country may provide more problems for travelers, especially
if they have to first journal into London and then out again to arrive
at the site. Direct access by trains and parking are also an important
issues that need to be considered, as do the perennial problems of weather
and travel in the UK!
The last scientific meeting each year (usually Winter) is immediately
followed by the Association's Annual General Meeting, and, currently,
is held as part of BSI Annual Congress. It is felt that having the BIRAs
Winter meeting at the BSI offers the potential for attracting the most
members of BIRAs, and thus permit a maximum attendance of BIRAs members
at the AGM.
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6). PROVISION OF ACCOMMODATION
Where meetings run over two or more days, or are held in parts of the
country that require lengthy or difficult journeys, then provision of
overnight accommodation for registrants and speakers should be considered
by local organizers as an integral element of organizing such a meeting.
Provision of accommodation, and associated costs, will initially require
approval by the BIRAs committee as part of the proposed budget (see below).
If the organizers wish to do so, they can pre-reserve a number of rooms
for conference registrants, but the Association cannot accept any charges
or responsibility for overnight accommodation except by prior and explicit
agreement with the Committee.
Provision of adequate information to registrants in sufficient time to
allow pre-booking will be required. It is suggested that meeting organizers
provide such information when the meeting is first advertised by mail
shot and (through the Meeting Secretary) the web site.
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7).
CONTENT & SPEAKERS
It is an explicit policy of the Association to give "local"
organizers every possible freedom to decide the detailed arrangements
and style of their meeting, so that a variety of formats can be included
in the programme. However, some suggestions and observations are given
below that Organisers may find helpful.
CONTENT: It
is an integral feature of the Association that a productive and stimulating
dialogue should be encouraged between the industrial and academic facets
of the inflammation research community. Thus any meeting programme needs
to be designed with this is mind.
Apart from the conventional
style of plenary lectures, meetings can usefully include posters, workshops,
debates or any other format judged to be stimulating and productive for
the purpose of the meeting.
Please feel free to look
through the programs of previous meetings for examples or ideas. They
can be found under previous
meetings
SPEAKERS: The
choice of speakers has a major impact on the audience attending, both
in type and numbers, and thus on the success of a meeting. Their selection
must thus therefore be a matter of careful consideration.
- As stated previously, the main aim of BIRAs
is to encourage a
productive and stimulating dialogue between the industrial and academic
facets of the inflammation research community. Thus, ideally,
each meeting will have a
mix of speakers from of both academic
and industrial backgrounds, and thus have equal appeal to both audiences.
Similarly it is also useful to have a clinical flavour where relevant.
- It is usually common for the Host department to field a least one
member of its staff as a Speaker. However, including more than one must
be undertaken with caution!! The meeting may be perceived as being a
"local " meeting and thus put potential registrants off, or,
in the case of Pharmaceutical company hosted meetings, may be seen to
be too much of a "propaganda" or "marketing" exercise.
Similarly, meetings where too many of the speakers come from the local
area are also to be avoided as again these may be perceived as "local"
and are unlikely to be able to field sufficient speakers of note or
appropriate quality to attract a good sized audience!
- Thus speakers should be chosen to have good "audience appeal".
However, this does not necessarily mean that they should be the most
prominent figures in the field!
- It is a good idea to have at least one USA or European speaker. BIRAs
will pay for travel and accommodation for at least one overseas speaker.
Industrial speakers may be sponsored by their own company to attend
the meeting. Similarly, it may be possible to obtain sponsorship from
industry for one or more additional speakers.
- Speakers should be asked
to bear in mind one of the primary aims of the Association - that of
encouraging dialogue between researchers working in different sub-fields
of inflammation - and therefore include in their presentations an introductory
section for non-specialists. Alternatively, this can be accomplished
at longer length by the initial speaker of the day.
POSTERS & SHORT PRESENTATIONS:
It is consistent with the aims of the Association to encourage younger
researchers to present their work and their views of the field. Short.
e.g. 10 minute, presentations, possible selected from Posters/abstract
submitted (as at the BSI meeting), are also a good idea.
8). REGISTRATION & OTHER COSTS
It is a primary aim of the Association to provide meetings of broad appeal
to the inflammation research community in the UK at minimal cost. Registration
fees are therefore normally limited to modest levels, with non-members
usually paying higher registration costs. Bona fide Ph.D. students
are exempt from registration fees, but (a) they must pre-register if the
particular meeting format requires this (as it usually does at company
sites), and (b) they must still pay for refreshments and catering.
Where a meeting is held in London, or other venues where there is ready
accessibility to outside facilities for lunch, it is suggested that registrants
are left to make their own arrangements at midday. However, where a meeting
is held elsewhere (e.g. at a pharmaceutical company site), this may not
be feasible, and local catering will have to be considered. Again, the
costs should be kept at a reasonable level. These costs should be charged
directly to the registrants without attempts to "subsidize" other elements
of the meeting (e.g. speakers' expenses), and without recourse to the
Association for supplementation. The same philosophy should be adhered
to for evening meals during "overnight" meetings.
It is useful, both in terms of reducing the queues at registration desks
at the beginning of the meeting itself and in order to allow some assessment
of the likely numbers attending, if pre-registration is encouraged. Pre-registration
forms should be addressed to the local organizers. In the case of meetings
held on pharmaceutical company premises, pre-registration is usually mandatory,
because of security considerations. It has been the Association's standard
practicenot to send receipts or acknowledgments of registration
to people who pre-register, although they can request this by enclosing
a stamped, self-addressed envelope with their pre-registration form. Depending
on the location, capacity, etc., of the meeting venue, additional
registration "on site" may be feasible.
If on-site registration is acceptable to the local organizers, provision
should be made for the desk to be manned by local people: this aspect
of the arrangements is the responsibility of the local organizers, although
Committee members attending the meeting may be able to help. The Association's
Treasurer should be contacted before the meeting for help in providing
a receipt book in case it is required on the desk. It is important that
non-member registrants paying the higher fee complete a membership form,
so that they can be added to the mailing list for the following 12 months.
Copies of this form can be obtained from the Secretary or the Treasurer.
9). MEETINGS EXPENSES
Host department costs: The Association will meet the costs of
booking lecture rooms, rooms for on-site registration and tea and coffee
breaks, rooms providing poster space if necessary, and the provision of
standard visual aid facilities. Members of the speakers' laboratories
who are not official ‘helpers’ are expected to pay registration and other
charges in the same way as any other registrant.
Travel expenses: Please note the comments elsewhere on keeping
speakers' costs to a minimum. Speakers' and chairpersons’ expenses should
normally be limited to travel (2nd class rail fares, or realistic alternatives)
and overnight accommodation where travel on the day is unreasonable. Note
travel from overseas should always be via the most economical route.
The maximum that it is possible to pay speakers who travel from USA is
the equivalent of $1,000 dollars. The above should be made clear in the
first invitation letter to speakers. If a prominent and relevant speaker
from abroad is in the UK on company-associated business at the time for
which the meeting is being organized, it is hoped that the Association
can take advantage of paying only for local travel and accommodation costs.
The speakers and chairpersons are, of course, exempt from registration
and catering charges. The Association does not pay speakers or
chairpersons an honorarium.
A member of the BIRAs committee should be made aware of any problems
relating to speakers costs, as soon as they arise.
10). BUDGETS
As early as possible a budget should be drawn up for the meeting and
submitted, via the Meeting Secretary, to the BIRAs committee for approval.
It is expected that meetings will normally be self financing and, in fact,
most meetings make a profit.
11). PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY SUPPORT
It has been agreed, as a policy of the Association, not to seek
direct sponsorship of individual meetings by pharmaceutical companies,
even if the meeting is held at the company's site. Sponsorship will be
accepted provided the meetings are free from any constraints on their
content, and to emphasize this freedom to all members of the Association.
No advertisement or presentation of the Host pharmaceutical company interests
(e.g. drugs pertinent to the subject of the meeting) is allowed. Commercially-orientated
displays, such as those by publishers of scientific or medical text-books,
are permissible where they offer a genuinely useful and un-biased service
to the researchers likely to attend the meeting.
A secondary advantage of this policy is that potential meeting organizers
from academia or small companies are not put in a position where they
feel disadvantaged in arranging a meeting by having to make comparisons
with "plush" meetings organized elsewhere at company expense.
Exceptions to this policy can, obviously, be made where it is clear that
the independence and atmosphere of the meeting is not jeopardized. Thus,
for example, it is hoped that companies will not charge for the use of
their local lecture theatres.
12). PUBLICITY FOR MEETINGS
As soon as possible a poster/programme should be drawn up and submitted
to the BIRAs committee for approval and circulation. The Meeting Secretary
is responsible for Organising a mail shot to all members and ensuring
that the details are placed on the web site.
All other publicity is the responsibility of the local organizers. However,
a list of places to advertise the meeting is available from Association's
Meetings Secretary, who has a list of "standard" contacts, such as journals
producing regular meetings calendars (Trends in ... series, etc.)
and sister scientific societies willing to advertise the Association's
activities. In addition, a list is also available through the web site
(see main index above).
It is the usual practice to notify Association members of forthcoming
meetings at 3 levels of detail:
(i) Advance notice, usually very far in advance (six -12 months) and containing
only meeting title, venue and date information on the web site and sent
to members;
(ii) "Provisional programme" stage, usually on the web site at least three
month before the meeting date;
(iii) Final programme details, with all attendant pre-registration forms,
maps, catering and accommodation information, sent out to all members
at least one month before the meeting date.
Local organizers are encourage to produce posters to distribute to other
institutions and display locally. Samples, logos, etc. can be downloaded
from the part of the site indicated in the main index above as can samples/templates
of other paperwork for meetings.
13). MEETING REPORTS
It is intended that all Meeting Report will be produced for each meeting
of the Association, summarising the meeting for the benefit especially
of members who were not able to attend the meeting. Such reports are also
good advertising for BIRAs itself, drawing the attention of interested
individuals to the Association's activities. It is the responsibility
of the local organisers to arrange for colleagues to prepare this Report,
or to do it themselves.
The Reports are factual summaries of what was presented, and not critiques.
However, any critical review of what is presented at an Association meeting
is welcome, and can be published as a Viewpoint article on this website
or elsewhere (further details to be provided).
Meeting reports should take the format of Inflammation Research
and are normally published both on the website and in Inflammation Research.
They should not exceed 2000 words and need not be accompanied by a summary.
Manuscripts should be sent as both printed text and on computer disk,
both as Microsoft Word (*.doc) and text (*.txt) files, to the BIRAs website
editor, and a duplicate copy sent to the UK Inflammation Research Editor.
The title page should consist of the name, dates and site of the meeting
together with the name and address of the reporting author. The text should
begin with a statement explaining the aim of the meeting. Further subdivisions
could be included covering the major themes of the meeting. When citing
a specific communication, the city and country from which the cited person
comes should be given in brackets.
It is mandatory that publication of the Meeting report in Inflammation
Research does not occur until all speakers and chairmen have approved
the text. It is also essential that speakers formally agree to the publication
of their work in this manner: this is most simply achieved by asking their
agreement in principle at time that they are asked to contribute to the
meeting.
However, experience has shown that the drafting of a Report and the receipt
of all comments back from the authors can take several months. In order
to encourage prompt reporting of Association meetings to the membership,
if the speakers feel it is essential that they confirm the final draft
before publication in Inflammation Research then a draft can be sent for
publication in the Newsletter. If a speaker then feels that a Report appearing
in the Newsletter contains significant mistakes because of this attempt
to ensure timeliness, a correction can be published in the following Newsletter.
So far, this has not happened.
Publication of the Meeting, as a book or supplement, should be discussed
with the Association's Committee. Parallel publication of the Meeting
Report in another journal is not normally acceptable to the publishers
of Inflammation Research, nor to the proposed parallel publishers.
Inflammation Research, and all subsequent correspondence with the journal
(proofs, purchasing reprints if desired, etc.), are the responsibility
of the authors of the Report.
Manuscripts should be sent to the UK Editor for 'Inflammation Research'
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MEETINGS CHECKLIST
To help to ensure that the major elements of a meeting are covered at
the appropriate time, the Association has produced the following check-list.
The local organizers of a meeting should agree whose responsibility each
item is with the Meetings Secretary.
At least 9 -12 months in advance:
- Agree topic
- Identify organizer(s)
- Identify possible venue (at this stage, simply London vs provincial
and company site vs University/hospital)
- Agree possible date
At least 6 months in advance:
- Outline programme with indication of speakers and topics
- Definite date and venue: indication of maximum number (normally aim
for a theatre that will accommodate 50-100)
- Anticipated budget/ costs: including items such provision of lunches
(if required); exceptional costs (e.g. foreign speaker) to be agreed
with Committee
- Adverts/Posters produced for initial announcement and placed/circulated.
At least 3 months in advance
- Definite programme with confirmed speakers
- Maps and travel arrangements where appropriate
- Confirmation of lunch arrangements
- Details of expected costs with any exceptional items. This will allow
the Committee to decide whether the normal registration fee is adequate.
- Details of all of above for inclusion in the website
- Continue advertising activities.
In advance of the meeting:
- Identify individuals to write Meeting Report.
- Identify local people who can set up and run the registration desk
well in advance of the likely first arrivals on the day of the meeting:
contact Treasurer for receipts book for those registrants requiring
them
- Check details of projection facilities: check whether venue handles
this
- Organise local signs
- Organise name badges and spare copies of Programme: contact Secretary
for assistance
- Obtain membership form to allow recruitment of new members and advertising
material to promote BIRAs.
- Obtain BIRAs logo for meeting welcome and speakers slides (may need
to send this to speakers to incorporate into their own "intro"
slides and slides of details of next BIRAs and IAIS meetings to advertise
at the meeting.
After meeting:
- Forms for new members (higher registration fee) to be sent to Treasurer
- Meeting Report to be prepared and sent to speakers as soon as possible
- Preferably after approval by speakers, Meeting Report to be sent
to website and Inflammation Research editors.
- Confirm all speakers' expenses and other meeting costs paid and liaise
with Treasurer to complete financial accounting. A final budget should
be submitted to BIRAs within one month of the meeting.
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Pagese created
by Dr. Neville Punchard.
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