Planning, Scheduling, Scope and Strategy

Running Head: PLANNING AND ORGANIZING AN ANNUAL CONFERENCE 0

Planning and Organizing and Annual Conference

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The selected location of the annual conference is the Washington State Convention Center. Preparations for the organization as well as successful planning of the Company’s' annual Ensuring that essential requirements and conditions are set and met is critical in eliminating inconveniences as well as possible paralysis that could emerge during the conference. There following work must be done before the conference commences;

The first and most important thing that must be done is the booking of the location of the annual conference and payment of any fees required in advance before the day of the conference. Brochures documenting in a clear manner, the various aspects of the agenda that is to be discussed during the annual conference must be prepared. The target goals that aim to be achieved through and by the end of the conference are to be pointed out in the brochure as well. A brochure is expected to guide everyone that attends the conference on the activities that are to be undertaken. The identification of the various speakers during the conference as well as the time when each is expected to speak is also to be done before the conference begins. The topic (s) that every speaker is to handle during the conference is to be established and the speaker notified in advance to facilitate efficient preparation of the speakers. Ensuring that the speaker is notified on how each topic should align with the goals and objectives of the conference is to be assured before the conference commences (Nagel, 2004).

The doing of the work of organizing the conference is to be contracted to an institution or a body that specializes in conference preparation and preparation. The details regarding the specifics of the conference are to be provided to the conference organizing body. However, a team of individuals from the company is to work closely with the organizers to ensure that important details are paid attention to and adhered to as well (Vasconcellos e Sá, 2000).

The Company’s Annual Conference is to take place over a three days period. On each day, the activities that are to be undertaken are to be pointed out. At the beginning of each day, a detailed outline pointing out that which is to be done and what roles the participants are expected to undertake is to be pointed out. The major event is to be undertaken on the third day of the conference with the closing remarks being delivered by designated experts in collaboration with the top leadership of the company (Allen, 2000).

There are a broad range of resources that are fundamental in holding the annual conference. A projector is one of the resources that is integral in the conference. Information being discussed by the different speakers is to be projected for purposes of easy note taking as well as follow-up by those that attend the conference. A sound system that ensures that the information being delivered by the speaker reaches everyone in the audience is also required to be ready, working efficiently and tested before the conference commences (Carter, & Curtis, 2010).

The selection of the location, the Washington State Convention Center, was informed by different factors. The ease of accessibility of the Convention Center is one of the factors that influenced its selection. The availability of accommodation for those attending the conference near the convention center also influenced the choosing of the location of the convention center. Moreover, the availability of quality and safe infrastructure that is to support the various needs of the conference, including washrooms and restrooms for the conference attendants further influenced the decision (Allen, 2000).

Ethical and Legal Issues to consider regarding site location

The observation of key ethical as well as legal issues is fundamental to ensure that there are no conflicts of interest or a violation of ethics. The aspects that ought to be considered include;

Ensuring that there is a contractual agreement signed between the owners or management of the convention center and company’s representatives is one of the legal issues that ought to be considered. A contractual agreement means that the management of the convention center cannot lease the location to another or a different company or organization during the period which has been agreed upon and for the number of days when the conference is to be held (Wieland, 2006).

An ethical issue that should be considered is the making of the decision of choosing the location is the contribution of the location towards the enhancement of sustainability of the environment as well as other humanitarian incentives. The chosen conference location should be that which contributes towards community development, and that provides support to facilitate environmental protection. The dealings should be between the management of the company and that of the conference location without any intermediaries being involved. These are likely to work towards influencing the decision arrived at concerning the choice of the location (Wieland, 2006).

The notification of local authorities concerning the event and the acquisition of any permits if necessary, to hold the conference should also be considered in the selection of the location for the conference. The local authorities should be notified for purposes of ensuring that there is an assurance of security provision as well as facilitation of operations that are related to the conference in a smooth manner without interference (Allen, 2000).

Actions to ensure that decision on location is done ethically

Ensuring that decision on the location is done ethically can be achieved through the documentation of the costs incurred throughout the whole process through receipts of the different costs from the players involved in planning and organizing of the conference. Payment being done through formal channels is expected to ensure that there are no cases of inflation in the amount paid or kickbacks to favor the host of the annual conference. The issuance of receipts to provide proof of payments made would also help promote ethics in the selection of the location (Wieland, 2006).

To make sure that the choosing of the location of the conference is done in an ethical manner, a requirement of approvals and permission being required from the management from either side would be done. Any changes, especially by event organizers, to include or make adjustments in the proceedings of the conference or essential requirements is to be approved by the management of the company. This is expected to deter any plans since it would not only be difficult, but it would help seal a loophole that would be easily exploited (Allen, 2000).

The decision concerning the location of the conference being made ethically would also be assured through the creation of a criterion concerning the requirements that ought to be met by the location that is selected for the conference. The selected location would subsequently be that which meets the set requirements and not one whose selection is influenced by favoritism or through a violation of ethics (Wieland, 2006).

References

Allen, J. (2000). Event planning: The ultimate guide to successful meetings, corporate events, fundraising galas, conferences, conventions, incentives and other special events. Toronto, Canada: John Wiley and Sons.

Carter, M., & Curtis, D. (2010). The visionary director: A handbook for dreaming, organizing, and improvising in your center. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.

Nagel, A. (2004). Organizing for strategic management. Long Range Planning, 17(5), 71-78. doi:10.1016/0024-6301(84)90039-6

Vasconcellos e Sá, J. A. (2002). Organizing for Planning (The Planning Department). The Neglected Firm, 124-131. doi:10.1057/9780230599291_10

Wieland, J. (2006). Business Ethics and Corporate Governance in Europe. Global Perspectives on Ethics of Corporate Governance, 157-174. doi:10.1057/9780312376192_12