By: JCI Mem. Allan M. Licera, CLT
2000 LOM President
When I received a text the other day from IPP Rey Burgos asking for any suggestions & comments with regards to our hosting of the 2009 Area Conference, I decided to again share this in my blog (Off-side), which remains inactive for more than 17 months now. This would be my only way of supporting this event considering the schedules I am putting into my present job. Hopefully members can pick up something they can make use in preparing for the forthcoming Area Conference.
While I have detached myself from any JCI Activity for more than two years already, I was surprise to know that our LOM, the JCI General Santos “Twin Star”, is once again, hosting a Mindanao Area Conference. The 1st time our LOM hosted this type of gathering was in 1988 with JCI Sen. Tony Baltazar as President and JCI Sen. Lars Sevilla the Conference Director. The second one is after 12 years and that was in the year 2001. JCI Mem. May-ann Baltazar, the chapter’s first lady and youngest President, and Past President & JCI Mem. Nestor Nolasco, CPA , as Area Conference Director played host to that very memorable event.
Our LOM hosted successfully those two conferences. Stories with regards to the organizing committee’s sacrifices, learning experiences, fun and excitement were told over and over to the next generation of JCI members. That string of successes will be the benchmark of future LOM hostings of similar activities in which the incoming Organizing Committee will have to contend with.
As one of those who helped organized the 2001 area conference, and having attended eight (8) JCI National Conventions, eight (8) Mindanao Area conferences and countless Area Council meetings and other JC functions and since you have ask for any suggestions, allow me to share my experiences with you.
The following tips are meant to serve as your guide in planning for the forthcoming hosting of the Area Conference.
1. Conduct an inventory of possible JCI members to help in organizing the conference. By JCI members, include regular & Baby Jaycees, Past Presidents, JCI Senators, associate members. Get their commitment to help. You can consider some inactive members; maybe they have their reasons for cutting short their membership and will think of helping now.
2. Form an Area Conference Organizing Committee- Every event starts with the creation of a Committee. Begin by forming a core group of dedicated and enthusiastic members who are willing to go the extra mile to ensure a successful Conference. Your organizational structure should always consider the number of members committed to help. Ensure that a committee should be given to the right member; otherwise you will experience delay or worst no progress in their assigned task.
Visit the JCI Philippines by-laws & Policy manual, review the Area Conference program as suggested, and then draw up your organizational structure.
a) Elect/appoint an Area Conference Director who will arrange and direct meeting agendas. The Areacon Director will eventually lead all other sub-committees that will be created as it may deem necessary.
b) Appoint a Committee Chairman to oversee finances. Formulate a projected financial statement base on the activities you have lined up for the conference.
c) Appoint a Secretariat and Administration Committee Chairman- this committee will handle all administrative and secretariat functions before, during and after the conference. Better to have somebody who is a Past President or an experience past LOM officer as this committee serves as the back bone of the entire organizing committee. It is not advisable to appoint the incumbent LOM Secretary-General to chair this committee so as not to hamper her LOM official function.
d. Create a Promotions Committee- The best time to jump start promoting the conference is during the 1st Area Council Meeting. Historically, the 1st ACM have the most number of attendees as incumbent LOM Presidents are eager to hear updates and directions from the National Organization. This is also where you should promote your incoming Areacon activities and campaign for attendance. Always remember that one of the barometers of a successful hosting is the number of registered delegates to the event.
Beyond these four major committees, a lot of sub committees can be created to give focus to every aspect of the hosting preparation. It is advice that you generate as much member-volunteers who can actively participate and be assigned to work on various conference tasks. Don’t underestimate the work involved. Share the work to as many who are willing to offer their help. There are many details and arrangements that have to be taken care of. Successful conferences are the result of successful committees. Committees that are active and well organized will be positioned for success.
3. When to start organizing- Some committees begin forming and start planning at least one year .The amount of lead time you need really depends on the Areacon activities you are planning but generally speaking the more time you give the committees the better.
The Draft Schedule of activities, Organizational structure, projected financial statements should have been ready even prior to bidding for the hosting. If it is not ready as of this time, this should be given priority as this is the blue print of what the committee wants will do. Your success depends on you’re well laid plans. Always bear in mind the dictum “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”.
Don’t expect to have a successful Areacon if you start planning just 6 months before the event, as the shorter time you have the more expensive it will become. Another consideration is the venue and other services you need during the conference that may require advance booking.
4. Schedule of Meetings – The Areacon organizing Committee should plan to meet at least twice a month. But so much work has to be done that you may even consider augmenting some of your meetings by using yahoogroups mail or message boards. This can be a convenient and inexpensive way of discussing some of the finer details of every assigned task and make it easy for regular members and non-members of a committee to participate and contribute.
To be continued…
(We will divide the activities of the four major committees into sub-committese or work groups on the 2nd part of this blog. I will be giving you also some of the task that you need to consider.)
Suggestion, comments and/ or reactions are welcome in this blog.
