National Convention Guidelines

National Council will form a National Convention Advisory Committee every year, no sooner the new President takes over.

The National Council Advisory Committee will invite offers from its chapters to host the forth-coming national convention sometime in the month of July/August.

The Chapters willing to host the forth-coming national convention will forward their written willingness to the head office by the end of September every year. Following points should be kept in mind before sending their offers:

1. Main Theme
2. Sub-theme – 20
3. Venue
4. Day & Dates
5. List of various committees and its Chairmen
6. Detailed Budget
7. Chief Guest for inauguration & valedictory
8. Key note speaker
9. Cultural programme
10. Detailed convention module (Programme)

Main Theme

It will be the privilege of the host chapter to select an appropriate theme for the national convention. Due consideration should be given to the prevailing circumstances, requirements of the Society, ISTD Objectives etc before deciding the main theme for the national convention. Atleast 3 main themes should be decided and the list in order of preference sent to the national office.

Sub-theme

Atleast 10 to 20 sub-themes should be selected along-with the main theme. These should have their bearing with the main theme.

Venue

A hall suitable to accommodate 50 persons should be selected. This hall should as far as possible be centrally located that it is easily approachable.

Transport facilities should be available near to the venue of the convention.

Market should also be near to the venue.

Hotels, guest houses and such other places where the delegates attending the convention should also be as far as possible be in the close proximity of the venue.

The venue should be neat and clean, having good surroundings, open spaces, parking place and should also have atleast 6 small halls to accommodate 50 to 80 persons for the syndicate work.

The hall should have good acoustics

The hall should have good interior lights

Enough toilets, bathroom should be available in the complex of the venue hall with running water.

The venue should have place to have dining hall where lunches, dinners, and tea breaks can be organised.

The hall should be able to accommodate a stage measuring 24’x18’ so as to accommodate 15 to 20 persons in the first raw, besides rostrum, black boards, overhead projector, front table and back table.

The audio system organised for the hall should be very high standard. There should be atleast 4 miles on the stage and two miles with long leads to reach all the corners of the hall.

If an air-conditioned hall is available, it should be preferred. The air-conditioning equipment should be in working order, otherwise make sure that coolers, fans etc. are in working order and not producing disturbing noise.

The chairs should be comfortable for continuous sittings. Please also ascertain that they do not produce noise while being occupied. The hall should be carpeted to avoid such noises. Pure and cold drinking water should be readily available.

Day & Date

The convention should be planned for two and half working days as far as possible it should be inaugurating of Friday morning to be concluded on Sunday afternoon with a parting lunches.

List of various Committees & its Chairmen

Steering Committee

A steering committee comprising of Chairman & secretary along-with 3 to 4 permanent members of the local chapter should be formed to monitor the day to day planning and execution of the national convention. The advisory committee members of national convention will be the members of this steering committee. The national president, vice president, the immediate past president and the executive director of the national office will also be the ex-officio members of this committee.

The following committees should be formed to make a national convention a successful event:

a) Reception Committee
b) Program Committee
c) Souvenir Committee
d) Editing Committee
e) Transport Committee
f) Venue Committee
g) Catering Committee
h) International Communication & Delegates Promotion Committee
i) Cultural Program Committee
j) Tours & Travels Committee
k) Local Hospitality Committee

There should be one Chairman for each Committee along-with three to four members in that Committee. The local Chairman and the Secretary of the Local Chapter will ex-officio member of all these Committees.

Detailed Budget

Detailed budget estimates should be made and forward to the national office with the offer for hosting the national convention. The budget should have the following heads of account:

INCOME

a) Registration Fee

i) Non ISTD Members
ii) ISTD Members
iii) ISTD Students
iv) Institutional Members
v) Spouses
vi) Advertisement & Donations
vii) Exhibition

b) EXPENDITURE

Following heads of expenditure should be made:

i) Food – Lunch, tea, dinner, cold drinks etc.
ii) Delegates’ kit
iii) Memento
iv) Advertisement/publicity/press conference
v) Lighting and sound systems
vi) Tent house materials
vii) Entertainment expenses
viii) Printing & Stationery
ix) Postal expenses
x) Course materials
xi) Travelling and conveyance
xii) Transportation for delegates
xiii) Tele Communication expenses
xiv) Photographs and Videos
xv) Lodging expenses for guests
xvi) Rental charges for halls (venue)
xvii) Secretarial expenses
xviii) Misc. expenses

At attempt should be made to see that tea, coffee, breakfast, lunch, dinner, gift articles etc are obtained through sponsor.

Chief Guest for Inauguration and Valedictory

It is customary to have the national convention inaugurated. It will be the privilege of the local chapter to invite a person of importance to inaugurate the national convention. Similarly we should have a prominent person for the valedictory. It will be appropriate to have the concurrence of the national office in this regard.

The inaugural function should be of one and half -hours duration, and should be followed by a tea/coffee break.

Key Note Speaker

It is desirable to have a keynote speaker to start the deliberations of the convention; therefore, a suitable key note speaker should also be selected.

Cultural Programme

On the opening day it is desirable to have 1and half hour cultural programme before the dinner.

Detailed Convention Module

A detailed convention module should be planned dividing the day into 3 to 4 segments. It will be preferred to have tea/coffee breaks between the segments.

Post Decision Work

No sooner the national convention confirms the host for the next national convention; it is recommended that the chapter so selected should do the following activities:

a) A letter announcing the dates and days of the national convention should be sent to all members of ISTD, business houses, Government Undertakings, Universities, Training Institutions and Industries who can be the prospective delegates for the forthcoming convention.
b) After the preliminary announcement, a second letter giving the details of theme, sub-themes, hotel accommodations with tariff, Railway, Air time-tables, venue, sight seeing places should be sent to all the prospective delegates.
c) Another letter giving details of the names of the probable speakers, Chief Guest, registration forms and other such materials as the local chapter may found suitable may please be sent to all prospective delegates.

Papers and Articles

A list of theme and sub-themes should also be circulated amongst those persons who are expected to contribute papers for the National Convention. A note should also be circulated giving details about the papers etc. i.e. each paper will not be of more than3000 words. It should be duly typed on one side of the paper in double space. A DTP floppy should be always preferred.

All the papers received by the host chapter will be subjected to Editing Committee.

The decision of the local chapter in this regard will be final for accepting or rejecting the paper. No remuneration may be payable to the contributing author. The local Chapter’s decision with regard to the papers to read in the national convention will also be final. The rejected papers will not be returned to the author. An author will be entitled to receive 10 prints of the article without any payment

Delegates’ Fee

The delegates fee should be so decided as to attract more number of delegates. It should offer discount to the students, group delegates and spouses. To make it more attractive, persons registering early should be given discounts.

Gift Pack

The Gift Pack should be very attractive. The value of a gift pack should be atleast 25% to 30% of the delegate fee. It must contain invitations, detailed programmes, list of various Committees, steering Committee, sight seeing places and such other information as the Chapter may find it necessary.

Lunches & Dinners

As the National Convention is a non-residential programme, it should have atleast 3 lunches and 1 dinner and as many tea/coffee/cold drinks breaks as the number of sessions.

Speakers

As a Convention, the host Chapter will be free to invite any person of eminence as a Speaker on a particular subject directly connected with the theme or sub-themes of the national convention. Such speaker will be guest of the national convention and will not be charged the delegate fee. He will be looked after by the host chapter. No honorarium will be payable to such a speaker.

DOS for the National Office

The national office along-with a confirmation letter with regard to the chapter hosting the forth-coming national convention will also send 4 copies of the duly catagorised mailing list to the Chapter. Such a confirmation will not be deemed to be a confirmation unless and until it is accompanied by such a list.

An upto date mailing list of the Chapter Chairmen, Secretaries will also be made available to the Chapter.

The National Office will publish free of charge the announcement of the national convention alongwith the theme, sub-themes in the ISTD Journal and other publications.

Though the host Chapter will be free to select the speakers, guests etc. it is desirable that the national office suggest and helps the local Chapter in selecting such speakers and guests.

The National Office will also help the host chapter in procuring gift articles, advertisements for souvenirs and other such helps the chapter may require from time to time.

The National Convention Advisory Committee shall visit the Chapter immediately after October to work out all the needs and assistance required by the Chapter and get a PERT prepared for follow up. The cost of the visit by this Committee should not be burdened on the Chapter but shall be borne by the National Office. In one of its National Council meetings, it may agree to form such guidelines for the expenditure on the visit and participation in various deliberations at the Chapter level.