Guidelines for Sponsored Events
In this section, the term 'Sponsored' includes 'Co-Sponsored'
Introduction
As the diversity of agricultural engineering increases, the need for events in which people can meet and exchange information also increases. The number of conferences, workshops and other events has significantly increased in recent years. However, this can cause a problem when different events attract primarily the same group of people, thus creating competition among events.
One of the ways in which EurAgEng promotes activities for the benefit of members is by sponsoring appropriate events. Where several events cover the same topic, EurAgEng is unlikely to grant sponsorship to them all. Where events on certain topics are clearly needed, EurAgEng will encourage organisers to hold them. In all cases, only events of high professional and organisational quality will be sponsored.
Principles of Sponsorship and Co-Sponsorship
These principles apply equally to sponsored and co-sponsored events.
To achieve sponsorship, an event must be a high quality Conference,
Symposium, Seminar, Workshop or other activity with the purpose
of disseminating scientific results and knowledge. Sponsorship
will generally be restricted to events organised and held in Europe.
Organisers of activities outside Europe should seek sponsorship
through CIGR.
EurAgEng sponsorship will normally consist of:
- the right to use the EurAgEng logo in connection with the event. The use of this logo signifies that the organisers have undertaken to provide an event of high quality. The logo must not be used without approval from the Council of EurAgEng;
- promotion of the event by listing it in the EurAgEng newsletter. Single sheets of information may also be distributed to members with the newsletter at the advertiser's expense;
- promotion of the event on the EurAgEng web site;
- access to a network of experts for establishing an international scientific committee, board of referees etc.
A condition of sponsorship is that reduced registration fees must be offered to members of EurAgEng and CIGR. Also a short report on the event should be supplied to the EurAgEng Secretariat for submission to the Newsletter.
Applications for EurAgEng Sponsorship (or Co-Sponsorship)
Applications for EurAgEng sponsorship should be made to EurAgEng
Council on the accompanying form. Council will wish to be confident
that the event will be of high quality and broadly adhere to the
recommendations given below.
Recommendations for EurAgEng sponsored (or co-sponsored) events
These recommendations draw attention to items which have been important
in previous events. They should not be regarded as exhaustive but
as a helpful guide.
- The organiser (or convenor) should be in charge of the entire
arrangement. He or she should rely on an organising committee to
do much of the actual work, thus reducing the convener's tasks
to overall control and monitoring.
- A programme (or scientific) committee should be formed. Its task
will be to ensure that high scientific standards are maintained.
This will involve selection of presentations, refereeing papers
etc.
- For large events, the practical arrangements involving such items
as registration, hotels, transport, accompanying persons programme,
social programmes etc can often be contracted to companies dedicated
to such jobs.
- When selecting the venue, it is important to take into consideration
the availability of rooms, audiovisual aids, space for poster
sessions, internet connections, logistics, catering facilities
etc. Also, consideration should be given to timing the event to
coincide reasonably closely with complementary events nearby.
- Authors of papers presented at the event are invited to submit
them for publication in a refereed journal such as Biosystems Engineering
(formerly the Journal of Agricultural Engineering Research).
The convenor may wish to consider whether the papers from the entire
event should be published as proceedings of the meeting.
- The standard of accommodation should be kept at a moderate, though
adequate level. Preferably different levels should be available.
In particular, accommodation should be available for students
at low prices.
- The language of the event may be the national language of the
organising body as long as English is included in the programme,
the calls for papers and the visual displays.