Plant Science Bulletin 58(3) 2012 biggest cost variables: we don’t hit our guaranteed hotel room nights for the conference, or we spend less than the minimum on food and beverage. That can cost us tens of thousands of dollars, and we only find that out after the conference.
also hear: “We need more chairs here, it’s too cold in there, can we have 5 more for this lunch, I lost my banquet ticket, I didn’t know I had to pre-order audio speakers for my session, the projector is not showing the correct reds in this session room, the coffee is out and there is 5 minutes left in the coffee break session, can I print 50 copies from your computer, someone told me to come to the office and pick up my check.” The list of items goes on for the next 5 days. Hopefully, we keep everything running smoothly and everyone is as happy as possible. Next time—come on in and say “hi!”
Panic mode, 2 weeks before the conference! That’s when we realize we planned for 800 attendees, and now 1,100 have registered online. So we scramble and double-check everything—making sure we have enough bags and program books, making sure the session rooms are big enough. Did we order enough coffee for the continental breakfast? We may need to relocate a session room, but the program book and
The conference has evolved over the past few years to be more than just a scientific meeting. We have added new events, more networking opportunities, and more fun! We have been working to expand and enhance the exhibit hall. We have made the poster session more of an event and social time. We have included more students in the planning process to be sure they have a voice and presence at the conference. And this year, we expanded the opportunity for the BSA incoming president to reach more people by hosting the talk before the banquet on Wednesday evening. If you would like to watch the presentation by Dr. Toby Kellogg, “Speaking of Food,” it is at the BSA’s YouTube channel (http://www. youtube.com/watch?v=j1Fm0oEbW54&feature=plcp).
Hands-on learning activities in the exhibit hall were a hit.
Another exciting event in the past two conferences has been the “Botany in Action” Program. This opportunity started as a way to give back to the communities that we visit. This year, about 30 eager botanists went to a local community garden, in the massive heat of July, and harvested, weeded, planted, gardened and helped with this local project (see the following page). This event will continue at Botany 2013 as we will look for another local New Orleans organization that might benefit from eager volunteer time.
schedule are already being printed. We are constantly revising and changing BEOs, to make sure everything is perfect and runs seamlessly. Friday afternoon before the conference starts, we sit down at the hotel/conference center with the head of each department and walk though the BEOs. It’s like the conductor going through the music right before a concert. Everything is set, and then we open the doors. And then someone comes up to me and says that the room for speaker Dr. X is just not big enough….so now we have to move a session. That’s ok—we can do it! It’s only 2 more signs to make on top of the 275 we already planned to place around the conference. On Friday evening, registration opens and the real magic begins. Botany 2012 is alive and takes on a life of its own!
Currently, the most challenging and potentially costly part of conferences is WiFi. Hotels and conference centers have farmed those services out to third-party internet suppliers, and they all know that with the explosion of personal devices, WiFi has grown to be a profit center for them and a huge cost and item to negotiate for us. You may get your home internet service for something like $39/month. For the Botany 2012 conference, the initial price quoted was in excess of $28,000. We negotiated downward
The real hub of the conference is the office…. We are always there to answer questions, make snap decisions, or offer you a leftover cookie. We
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