USACM - Thematic Conferences

Background and goal: The Executive Committee of the USACM believes that there is a need  to promote smaller events, such as workshops and thematic conferences.

Finances: The USACM will provide up to $30,000 in seed money to local organizers for up to three thematic conferences per year.  The maximum amount of seed money per conference will be $10,000. This money will support the initial costs of setting up a workshop or conference and will be returned to USACM after the event.  USACM will then become a sponsor and be actively portrayed as such.

Services provided: The USACM will provide administrative services, in addition to the seed money. Expenses for running the conference, such as the registration system support, online abstract support, travel expenses, etc. will be entered as expenses of the conference. In addition, 10% of the total gross conference income will also be retained by USACM.  The details of service charges and other financial arrangements will be negotiated and documented in the Memo of Understanding (MOU) between USACM and the organizers.

Sponsorship: The USACM will advertise the event on the USACM website, in the USACM Newsletter, at other thematic conferences and by direct email to the membership.  In return for our sponsorship and services, the organizers agree to offer USACM members a discounted registration fee to the event, list USACM on all advertising of the event, and provide USACM a list of all the attendees at the event.

Accounting: The USACM will maintain all financial records.   Income from registration fees will be processed through USACM.  At the end of the conference, a thorough reporting of all expenses and income will be made.  The profit/loss sharing between USACM and the conference organizers can be individually arranged and documented in the MOU.  The following services will be provided:

•        Consultation and experience sharing to the local organizers
•        Abstract and submission management by means of a web-based information system
•        Online registration (fees paid directly to USACM)
•        Dissemination of mailings
•        Maintenance of the correspondence with organizers, invited speakers and general contributors
•        Setting up an online program
•        Advertising (print and electronic)
•        Negotiations for accommodations
•        Staff support during the event
•        Management of the financial issues

Procedure for Sponsoring a USACM Thematic Event

1.  Qualification. Any regular member of USACM in good standing may apply for support from USACM for the following events:

•        Student symposia
•        Workshops < 100 participants
•        Short courses, <150 participants
•        Thematic conferences <200 participants

2.  Timing.  No thematic conferences will be supported by USACM that are held one month  prior, the same month, or one month after the U.S. National Congress.  Typically, the U.S. National Congress is held in July of odd-numbered years; therefore no conferences would be supported that are held in June, July, or August of those years.

3.  Memorandum of Understanding.  A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) must be agreed upon and signed by both the organizers and USACM regarding costs and income.  This includes financial responsibility for events whose income does not exceed expenses.  The MOU must also articulate the disbursement of funds for events whose income is greater than expenses.

4.  Submission. Proposals are to be submitted to the USACM Secretariat in Austin, Texas either by mail or email using the form available on the website (http://www.usacm.org/Miscellaneous/thematicConferences.pdf).   A committee comprised of members of the Executive Committee will review the proposals every two months.   Recommendations will be made to the EC officers for final approval.

The proposal should be submitted to the USACM Head Office, PO Box 8137, Austin, Texas,  78713-8137.  Questions regarding the proposal should be addressed to Ruth Hengst, 512-529-7333, info@usacm.org.

The proposal should include:

1.  Introduction.  This section should contain the event type, title, theme, dates, location, venue, anticipated number of attendees and target audience.

2.  Relevance.  This section should answer the question, “What is the relevance to the computational mechanics community?”  This will be a strong factor in deciding whether USACM will support the event.

3.  Budget.  The budget should indicate expected income and expenditures.  It should include a general overall budget that shows how much the entire event will cost and how much income will be anticipated.  In addition, it should also indicate if and/or how much
funds from other sources are also being contributed.  USACM can provide helpful guidelines and USACM service charges for developing a budget if needed.

4.  Request.  This item should indicate the level of support [seed money] being requested from USACM. 

5.  Requester/Contact Person.  This is the person who will work with USACM to develop a MOU and will be responsible for abiding by the rules of the agreement.