Preparing To Host A Sectional Asee Conference

Hosting an ASEE sectional conference can be a highlight to the membership on the local campus. The planning, organization and execution of a well run conference takes many individuals working as a team. If the planning and organizing are done correctly, then the execution will result in a conference that is enjoyed by many of the attendees. However, the planning and organization is a formidable task. The tasks of planning and organizing often fall on the Campus Representative but other ASEE members do step forward to chair this event. There are many activities to coordinate including: facilities, budgeting, fundraising, theme, layout, entertainment and housing to name a few. The program layout can be a very time consuming activity with paper solicitation, review, and generating the proceedings. Because final papers cannot be scheduled until the presenters register, there can be many last minute details to adjust in the program. This paper will describe the activities involved in hosting an ASEE sectional conference from the prospective of being the chair of a sectional conference and sitting on the sectional executive board for over 12 years and assisting other institutions who have hosted this conference. The activities that revolve around hosting and how current members can be involved will be discussed. Additionally, the sectional conference can work as a recruiting tool to showcase ASEE to nonmembers and to the upper administration at the institution.