San Diego Conference Updates

RFPs for Event organiser have now closed.

Conference presentation submissions have been coming at a fast and furious pace and the assessment process now commences under the leadership of program co-convenors and Board members Deborah Eastlick and Mitch Bishop.

The pre-conference training program is nearing completion and announcements about that program are underway.

We hope to see you in San Diego in September, early bird registrations are now open http://www.iap2.org/

FAQ for RFP Event Planner

1. Have you got a hotel contracted and selected for the event?
Yes we will be at the Westin, Downtown San Diego
2. Are we allowed to submit 1 or 2 attachments or appendices along with the 10 page proposal?
You can submit appendices however the capacity to communicate effectively within the guidelines will be valued.
3. Will you accept a bid for a specific element eg Audio Visual, Core Values Dinner, Monday night social event?
Yes we will be open to bids for individual elements – and then we will be looking for compatibility and fit
4. Is the registration for the event handled by IAP2 or is that to be included in my services?
IAP2 will be able to handle this
5. Will name badge preparation be required by me or is IAP2 providing?
IAP2 will be able to handle this
6. You have “identify potential funding partners and make requests for sponsorship” included. Does that mean that you are expecting your provider to research and solicit sponsors within your industry, or just coordinate with and support IAP2 staff in this effort?
A bit of both – this would be shared and there are a number of leads we are already working with, however we will be seeking additional support from a successful team
7. Approximately how many conference calls and what length with the staff, committees, etc., do you anticipate?
It is anticipated that this will be variable starting fortnightly and weekly heading into the event
8. Does the IAP2 provide some staff/volunteers to assist with on-site registration and other needs or is that expected to fall within the $25,000 allowed budget for this service?
Yes, IAP2 will have staff and volunteers on hand to support
9. Can you define “capacity to attract registrations” for me?
You may have access to networks, markets and linkages that are close to the theme, IAP2 shared interests that will assist in the generation of registrations.
10. How many exhibitors do you anticipate?
Less than 25.
11. Will the participants all be local to San Diego / CA?
No, IAP2 is an international organization – participants will be traveling from around the world to attend the event.
12. Have you ever used an event planner for past conferences?
Yes, we have used event planners for past conferences.

13. We understand that you will be needing support in the development of regular (weekly) promotions and we would like to know to what extent?
Essentially this will be providing up to date information that we can put out to our markets, suppliers and networks as necessary.
14. We would gladly coordinate all media activities. We want to make sure and find out whether or not you have any current contacts or if you have a fulltime P.R. firm working with you on this program? Can you please clarify that for us?
We have international support in this area, however will be looking for local and customised support to generate registrations and interest in USA, California and San Diego.
15. We have never gone over budget since 1978 and know we can stay within your Board’s approved budget parameters. n order to further understand the project can you please let us know how many competitive bids you would like for us to request for the services and materials? If you want to break up your bids we will consider that option, there is one overall budget parameters
16. To what extent would we need to identify potential funding partners and make requests for sponsorship as well as assist with any grant applications?
This is a shared responsibility with the Board and committee and we will be working together on this front. Identification of real leads that are congruent and value add, rather than a list of sponsors is what we are looking for. Given we are a 501 3 c there is potential for taxation benefits for donors that has not been realised previously.
17. Do you have a specific format which you would like for us to provide the regular written and verbal reports to the Executive Director or can we use the system that we have already in place? What type of information would you like to include in these reports? Verbal and Email is preferred
Report template will be agreed as part of initial discussions and will include information on registrations, advancing project elements within the workplan, identification of risks and strategies to ameliorate them; strategies to identify opportunities and take advantage of them
18. Would we be required to travel to meet in person with the Executive Director and IAP2 staff?
If travel is required it will be IAP2 staff and volunteers who would meet in San Diego.
19. In the past, our events which had participants come from around the world we had to write visa letters; would you need us to write any for this conference?
We would be able to address and support this aspect.
20. Would you be expecting any VIPs to be attending and needing any special requirements?
VIPs are expected and we would be wanting to ensure that the logistics would support their visit. A volunteer team will be recruited to support this aspect, and the event planning group would be required to brief and coordinate with the volunteers.

21. Is there a conference program or schedule of sessions and events available from a recent conference to review?
If you review the Conference Proposal for Submissions which you can find on the IAP2 home page you will see the streams planned and the call for a diversity of submissions with a strong emphasis on process rather than the traditional "stand and deliver" approach; the program will include field visits, meetings and films. Refer to the FAQ for potential conference presenters for more details to this (February 17th)
22. Are the extracurricular activities designed for the entire group? Or are there multiple events for the attendees to select from?
Both
23. Do you accept in-kind donations of goods and services in lieu of cash sponsorships and if so, what would be your top priority items?
Yes, we have a sponsorship target to meet and you will see from the conference page on our website already some sponsors and in-kind sponsors are already listed. The priority is to get financial sponsorship as we have tried to keep registrations costs as low for members as possible.

24. Do you require a comprehensive breakdown of only the management costs associated with each RFP requirement or comprehensive breakdown of ALL costs associated with each RFP requirement (such as vendor costs: designer, printing, a/v, catering, exhibits)?
We don’t require a comprehensive breakdown
25. Can you confirm is $25,000 the limit that cannot be exceeded for solely the management of the conference? If we need to hire a subcontractor (i.e. PR Firm, Onsite Staff), is this cost expected to be absorbed in the $25,000?
Any hiring done by the contractor will have to be within these parameters and absorbed into the cost
26. Will our staff be provided with hotel accommodations over the event days or does that cost need to be covered under the management fee of $25,000?
There maybe capacity for this and it is subject to negotiation with the winning bid
27. We see your website offers Spanish and French translation. As your event is attended by international attendees, are printed materials translated into other languages or are interpreters utilized at the conference
No there will be no need for material in other languages or interpreters

Calling USA Members

Democracy in Action
A program of the Harford Public Library

Would you be prepared to host a gathering with your peers and colleagues to listen to this webcast? If yes, let moira@iap2.org and we will promote to our USA members.

Opening Doors: Finding the Keys to Open Government

Public Participation in the Obama Administration’s Development of the“Open Government Directive” Friday, March 20, 200812:45 pmHartford Public Library, 500 Main Street

Co-sponsored by the Connecticut State Library and Hartford Public Library


On his first day in office, President Obama in his Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government directed his Administration to develop recommendations for an "Open Government Directive" that moves government towards being "transparent," "participatory," and "collaborative." Today’s program presents a great opportunity for the public to be involved in the crafting of this directive. Individuals who are intimately involved in formulating the Administration's policies and agendas will explain, by live web cast from Washington, DC, the initiative's goals, receive feedback from the audience, and let members of the public know how they can continue to participate.

To begin the discussion about open and interactive government, Patrice McDermott, Director of OpenTheGovernment.org and Ari Schwartz, Vice President of the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) will release a report based on the results of Show Us the Data, a web-based survey used to discover what information the public wants to get access to and use, but cannot.
The presentation will be followed by a discussion between speakers and the audience on what the Obama administration hopes to achieve, the policy issues facing this administration, the Obama administration's vision for e-government, and financial and economic transparency.
Confirmed Speakers: Dan Chenok, a member of President Obama's "Technology, Innovation and Government Reform" transition team, former branch chief for information policy and technology in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and currently senior vice president and general manager of Pragmatics, Katherine McFate, a Program Officer for Government Performance and Accountability in the Ford Foundation's Governance Unit, Beth Noveck, a professor of law and director of the Institute for Information Law and Policy at New York Law School and author of Wiki Government (Brookings 2009), and Vivek Kundra, currently Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the District of Columbia Government.


The live webcast will be followed by a moderated discussion (on-site) facilitated by Jeffrey B. Cohen of the Hartford Courant.

SCHEDULE
12:30: Participants welcome to bring a bag lunch – free beverages provided12:45: Introduction of program

1:00: Live webcast from Washington DC

2:30: Moderated discussion (on-site): Jeffrey B. Cohen, Hartford Courant

For more information call 860-695-6365.


Opening Doors: Finding the Keys to Open Government is a Sunshine Week program. Sunshine Week is a national dialogue on open government and secrecy. For more information go to www.sunshineweek.org.


Visit www.hartfordinfo.org, your gateway to information and data on issues of importance to those who live and work inHartford and the region.

UK & Ireland Gears Up

The IAP2 members in the UK & Ireland are hard at work putting the finishing touches on their plans to be an Affiliate member of IAP2. This week one of their members Vikki Hilton became a licensed IAP2 trainer and there are a couple more in the pipeline! Congratulations to all in the UK - 2009 is going to be a big year for you all as you go down the path of building more and more connections and commitment to public participation and grow membership.