On average, MPRC hosts 4 major conferences per year. To facilitate the event planning process,
MPRC has developed the following guidelines to increase the involvement of the faculty in the planning process and
to ensure an enjoyable experience for participants at MPRC-planned events. The guidelines are intended to clarify
in which activities faculty can expect MPRC staff to assist and which activities are the domains of the faculty
members involved.
1. Develop a Time-Line for Event-Related Tasks
MPRC staff will work with faculty organizers to develop an initial time-line for completing event-related tasks.
2. Coordinate Event-Related Meetings
This includes working with multiple MPRC faculty organizers across departments to schedule planning meetings, send
out planning meeting reminders, reserve rooms for planning meetings, etc.
3. Budgeting
MPRC staff can assist with setting up a budget for the event and providing rough estimates of event-related costs
such as participant travel, honoraria, venue costs, etc.
4. Distributing Event Announcements and Invitations
MPRC staff will send out and post, when appropriate, event announcements such as Call for Papers or Request for
Proposals -- we can even help you design these announcements! This also extends to sending out notices to those
people whose papers have been accepted and those people whose papers have NOT been accepted. It may even include
sending last minute reminders to event participants.
5. Design and Printing of Event Materials
MPRC staff has significant experience in designing and printing various event-related materials, including
conference booklets, folders, event take-aways and much more. Please see
Jackie Hackman in the Information Core to see about
designing specific event materials.
6. Building Event Websites
MPRC staff has significant experience in building websites for MPRC-related events. Event websites are a great way
to post important event announcements, offer travel tips, and post papers after the event. Please see
Jackie Hackman in the Information Core to see about setting
up a specific event website.
7. Venue Selection
MPRC staff have significant experience working with various venues in the metro-DC area and can help you select a
venue that best fits your needs. MPRC staff will negotiate with the selected venue and work with the University to
set up and ensure timely payments.
8. Event Registration
For larger events, MPRC staff will help you set up online registration that allows for the uploading and review of
electronic abstract submissions and much more. For smaller events, MPRC staff can track who should receive
acceptance letters and who should receive rejection notices and follow up with individual participants to
coordinate their travel and other needs.
9. Event Reconciliation
After your event, MPRC staff will work with participants to ensure timely payment of honoraria and any travel
reimbursements, if needed. We will also work to post/distribute event information such as paper presentations,
discussant comments, etc.
Faculty organizers should be prepared to do the following:
1. Contact the Administrative Core Coordinator
Barbara Hillinger, the Coordinator for the Admin Core, will
ensure that there is enough MPRC staff and time to be allocated to your specific project. She will also discuss
with you the services listed above and assess which are applicable for your event, the amount of staff time
necessary and a time line for when to accomplish various aspects of the event.
2. Provide List(s) of Participants
MPRC faculty are expected to provide as complete a list as possible of potential event invitees and/or those people
who should receive an initial event announcement. This includes providing full names and parent institutions at
minimum; as well as email addresses and other contact information to the degree they can do so.
3. Provide Content for Event-Related Items
Faculty organizers should provide content for event-related items such as text for event announcements,
accept/reject letters, invites and more. These items should be provided consistent with the time line developed
with MPRC staff.
4. Provide Timely Responses to MPRC Staff Requests
Faculty organizers must be available to give final approval on important event-related items, like the final agenda,
event handouts, etc.
Questions or concerns about event planning services should be directed to
Barbara Hillinger in the Administrative Core.
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