Nuts & Bolts of Event Planning Karen Copper Career & Workforce Development Committee Chair

My AIAA Background 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 - CWDC (2008 – Present)

Executing a Successful Year Set program goals – start now! Delegate – engage your membership Select topics of interest to your membership 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 Workforce 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 & Workforce event  Young Professional focus  STEM event  Education event

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

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

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

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

Career & Workforce 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 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 & Workforce Development  STEM K – 12  Young Professional Other Sections

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

Venue Suitable for event  Restaurant  Hotel/Casino Banquet facility  Airport Attendance limits / Age limits Location  Central for membership  Special “destination” feature of event Expense Negotiate amenities  Free parking  Free bartender for Cash Bar  Corporate facility  Museum  Park

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 Meal  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?

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/ 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)

Publicity Post on AIAA Section Calendar & Announcements to membership (pdf) Mail to retirees when requested to sister societies Post in local aerospace company news feeds & bulletin boards Utilize Social Media  LinkedIn  FaceBook  Twitter 22

Ticket Sales / Reservations Reservations   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 23

Event 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!

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