Effective committee selection

Ros McLeod provides a few tips on selecting an effective conference committee for the “not for profit” sector.

Story by Ros McLeod
 

Assuming there are lots of good candidates what is it that the conference chairperson should look for to gather a strong team for the conference committee?

The ideal choice would be to have a chair who is motivating, focused, well networked and well respected. It helps if the chair has committee meeting management skills whereby meetings get to the point, deal with the issues and select realistic actions that will move the planning along at a reasonable pace. It doesn’t hurt if the chair is a driver!

People enjoy working with people they like and respect so committee members should be chosen accordingly. It is important to have members who will take responsibility for contributing to the different aspects of an organisation. This does not necessarily mean doing the work but it does mean contributing to the intellectual property that comes with industry knowledge and experience.

The really important aspects that require input from committee members are program, marketing, industry network and the history of the association as well as vision for the future.

A mixture of wise counsel and up-and-coming industry persons provides the necessary combination of wisdom preferably without resistance to change along with more youthful contributors who are the industry leaders of tomorrow.

Should there be discounts for committee members? Preferably not, remembering that it is not for profit. Committed members give of their time but should reap rewards for a job well done. Conference committees enable profile to be established and when a committee is dynamic and the conference successful it can propel members into industry board positions and even promote them into better jobs. Therefore it is an opportunity to demonstrate ability and leadership and show one’s talent.

If the committee is selected and several months later - for whatever reason - some members do not perform, what do you do? The best solution is to free the person/s to enable them to get on with their other priorities and co-opt a willing worker/s. There is no room for passengers and trouble makers should be expelled. A good chair will do this diplomatically and discreetly.

Avoid self promoters or micro managers. It takes management skills to delegate to the PCO and monitor their management and not to duplicate effort. The PCO is responsible for managing budgets, logistics, putting forward ideas and carrying out management tasks for marketing, sponsorship and the exhibition, the program and so on, while the committee is responsible for decision making, guidance and contacting their network to produce the most appealing speakers and topics.

A good partnership where the committee is supportive and appreciative and the PCO is proactive and organised will deliver a strong united effort and a pleasurable success that will be noticed by all who participate in the conference. The positive vibes filter by osmosis through the whole event.