You Get the Speaker & I’ll Get the Room Event Planning Karen Copper Career & Professional Development Committee Chair

B.S. Civil Engineering – Structures Who Am I? B.S. Civil Engineering – Structures 37+ Years in Aerospace Engineering (McDonnell Douglas/Boeing) AIAA member since 1998 St. Louis Section Arrangement Coordinator (1998) STEM Outreach Officer (1998 – Present) Section Chair (2004) Publicity Chair (2007 – Present) AIAA Standing Committee - STEM (2002 – 2008) AIAA Standing Committee - CPDC (2008 – Present)

Executing a Successful Year Some (or Much) Assembly Required! Set program goals – start now! Delegate – engage your membership Select topics of interest to your membership Focus of the event Intended audience Seek input from Section Advisors & past council members Realize it will take time, and plan ahead

Gather Your Team Fill the Committee Chair positions Encourage the Committee Chairs to develop a committee > 1 Programs/Arrangements Career & Professional Development Education Historian Honors & Awards Membership Newsletter Pilot Education STEM K-12 Public Policy Publicity-Internal Retirees/General Public Service Projects Technical Specialist Webmaster Young Professional Strategic Planning

Define Goals & Objectives for Year Look at past successes What works for your Section? Is it time to change? Look at history… is it time to repeat a past program? Consider distribution of activities Dinner programs of general interest Technical Specialist programs of specific interest Career & Professional Development event Young Professional focus STEM event Education event Family event

Event Planning – The Nuts & Bolts Audience Date Venue Price Publicity Event Post Game

Who is the focus of the event? Format Audience Who is the focus of the event? Format Presentation Dinner with Speaker Panel discussion Formal or Informal Networking Class Fair Are there other groups with a common objective Opportunity for joint sponsorship

Topics of more general interest Dinner Program Topics of more general interest Pilots Astronauts Program Directors/Managers Government Leaders in Aerospace Public Policy on Aerospace AIAA Distinguished Lecturer Program Aerospace History Local Historians Museum Sister Societies

Technical Specialist Event Technical Topic with Detail Focused Presentations/Discussions Professors Corporate Technical Experts Laboratory Tours AIAA Technical Activities Committees

STEM K-12 Outreach School Visits Scout Badge Camp School Science Fair Community Fairs & Festivals Paper Airplane Contest Rocket Contest Sponsor EAA Young Eagle Day Meet & Greets

Young Professional Event Networking Social Education Skill Development Leadership Technical Management Recognition

Career & Professional Development Event Seminars, workshops, forums, panel discussions, lunch-and-learn programs, special celebration activities, symposiums, and use of videos or career related topics such as: Time Management Career Transition Stress Control/Anxiety Financial Planning Matters Personal Development Pension Issues Employment Outlook Mentoring Engineering Registration Ethics Pre-retirement/Retirement Planning Performance Reviews Attitude, Perception & Perspective Resume Writing Interviewing Positively Going into Business for Yourself

Special Events Historical Anniversaries AIAA Conferences in Section’s City Movie Night Trivia Night

Student Outreach Events Advocate Aerospace Support Student Paper Conference Design, Build, Fly E-Week Mentoring Networking Joint Events Resume Preparation Interviewing Skill Development Offer Live & Virtual Options

Resources Distinguished Lecture Program AIAA Standing Committees – Contact Your Deputy Director for Event Suggestions Career & Professional Development STEM K – 12 Young Professional AIAA Technical Activities Committees (Some TACs have Other Sections

More Resources E-Week, http://www.engineersweek.ie/ Local Businesses Websites with Activities http://www.aiaa.org/kidsplace/ http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/aeroact.htm http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/aero/kids/index.html

Select date as far in advance as possible Setting the Date Select date as far in advance as possible Does the Section have an established schedule? Break tradition? Define a monthly calendar format Avoid conflicts with other Section events Speaker availability Publish Section Calendar of Events

Attendance limits / Age limits Location Selecting the Venue Suitable for event Restaurant Hotel/Casino Banquet facility Airport Attendance limits / Age limits Location Central for membership Special “destination” feature of event Expenses Negotiate amenities Free parking Free bartender for Cash Bar Corporate facility Museum Park Research and create a database

Equipment Requirements Logistics Equipment Requirements Audio Visual Laptop Define a monthly calendar format Menu selection Snacks Casual Buffet Plated Speaker Arrange transportation? Provide time/location information Accommodate special needs Vegetarian options Be open to assist other needs

Costs Venue Meal Other Expenses Rental fee Parking Food/Drinks Tax (Tax exemption letter?) Tips Other Expenses Name tags Attendance prize Entertainment “Thank You” gift for Presenter

Ticket Price & Reservations Set Ticket Price at level affordable for attendees Members – break even price or price break? Non-members – offset profit? Students – price break Educator Associate members – price break? Budget for any event pricing offsets

Publicity – Check List Example - AIAA St. Louis Section Publicity Information Submittal Form Allow 4 weeks prior to event for publicity Committee sponsoring event: Co-sponsors (if non-AIAA, include logo for group): Event Contact: Date:        Time:      Location & Map (in needed):      Menu (if applicable):      Ticket Price(s):      Reservation Deadline:       Ticket Sales Contact(s) Name and Phone/e-mail:      Program Title:        Program Description (100 words or less):       Guest Speaker(s):      Speaker Bio (brief) (100 words or less):      Picture for flyer (enter file name):      (attach file)

Post on AIAA Section Calendar & Announcements Publicity Post on AIAA Section Calendar & Announcements E-mail to membership (pdf) Mail to retirees when requested E-mail to sister societies Post in local aerospace company news feeds & bulletin boards Utilize Social Media LinkedIn FaceBook Twitter 23

Ticket Sales / Reservations E-mail On-line Reservations Payment options PayPal/Credit Card/Cash/Check prepayment Advance Reservation - Pay at the Event Registration Table at Event Collect Tickets Collect Money Check in Members & Guests Name Tags 24

Greeters to meet Guests Registration Table Council Welcome Guests Event – Show Time Greeters to meet Guests Registration Table Council Welcome Guests Ice Breaker Section Announcements Introduce Speaker Presentation Thank Speaker and Guests Acknowledge members responsible for the event HELLO My Name is Karen Copper

Follow Up Thank you note to Speaker Financial Closure To Treasurer Submit ticket sales Submit receipts Report event outcome to Section Chair and applicable Region DD Publish article about event in next newsletter Record event details for year-end report

Wishing you a fantastic event filled AIAA year! Cheers!