Delegating responsibilities

Press, 1 May 1981, Page 15

Delegating responsibilities

Most of the initial planning tor a convention can be accomplished by committees with specific responsibilities. Small conventions may be .iandled by one executive 20mmitt.ee, with each member assigned certain responsibilities but larger conventions call for a pyramid of committees.

At the top may be a prestige group known nationally within their specialised field. It is useful to have representatives of major allied .industries or government departments among them, and they and their companies should have some personal interest in the success of the convention. The. idea is to use the influence of this patron committee when problems arise Jhat can be settled only at a senior level. Simply having [he names of these people on the convention letterhead is a help.

Next there is usually an executive “steering” committee to co-ordinate the total effort. The chairmen of the various working committees answer to this: in fact, their chairmen often form its membership. Many problems can be avoided by clear definition, from the start, of the duties and authority of each committee.

The extent of the authority granted to each should be clearly stated in writing and include whether or not there is the power to commit expenditure or engage staff without prior approval from elsewhere.

Under-worked committees are as much of an embarrassment as over-worked ones, so workloads need to be carefully distributed throughout the committee structure.

A person or committee is

needed to deal with each of accommodation, administration, catering, exhibits, public relations, tours and transport. Administration covers a wide field, including the programme continuity, reception, departures and protocol. It also includes registration and finance, so a good accountant or audit sub-com-mittee is advisable.

Where exhibits are involved, it is worthwhile to have help in the design and layout of stands to make the best use of the space available. There are firms which specialise in this. If the convention is likely to attract news representatives, an adequate press room is desirable. Prominent personalities attending will be sought for interviews and this can help focus attention on aspects of the gathering. Some conventions have

daily news sheets for distribution to delegates, highlighting activities or reviewing proceedings. This can be the responsibility of an information officer and the cost of publication can be off-set by display advertising.

Tour programmes widen the scope of the convention and enhance the satisfaction of the delegates. In addition, most conventions organise activities to ensure that spouses of delegates have an intereting and enjoyable time while sessions are in progress. The size of committees needed to handle aspects of the organisation are determined by the complexity of the responsibilities. Many activities are best dealt with by groups of about three people, and in some specialist fields it is most efficient to leave the control to one person.

In preparing for a large convention, there comes a point at which it is necessary to establish a nucleus of fulltime staff — usually at least a year before the convention is'to be held.

If the budget does not run to the employment of fulltime staff, it is sometimes possible to obtain suitable people from interested organisations with the resources to help.

In any case, it is important to have a dedicated volunteer around whom to build the organisation. It is virtually impossible to organise even a small convention without many meetings, discussions and telephone calls during business hours.

Only the successfully selfemployed person, or one with a very understanding employer, can undertake such a task and see it through satisfactorily.