The
following Code of Practice applies specifically to the biennial plenary
congress of the Association of Exploration Geochemists (AEG) or its successor
organizations. In any subsequent mention of the AEG shall be understood to
include such successor organizations. The biennial plenary congress shall be
otherwise known as the International Geochemical Exploration Symposium (IGES),
International Exploration and Environmental Geochemistry Symposium (IEEGS) or
other title. This Symposium is the most important event organized by the AEG,
which shall encourage all members to attend, particularly those in the host and
neighbouring countries.
At the discretion of the AEG Symposium Committee, the guidelines may be utilized, with or without necessary amendments, for other symposia sponsored or co-sponsored by the AEG.
AEG and its successor organizations expect the organizers of any Symposia, organized under their auspices, to make every effort to adhere to the terms of this Code of Practice. The members of the Executive Council of the Local Organizing Committee will be required to affix their signatures to a printed document in which they commit to do so; in particular, with regard to timely submission of financial and logistical reports. However, the Symposium Committee will consider, on its merits, any proposal or policy that departs from them. The Council and Symposium Committee of the AEG also reserve the right to amend these guidelines at any time, or to depart from these guidelines if found necessary.
The guidelines
shall be reviewed by the Symposium Committee, from the point of view of
relevance and applicability, within six months of the end of each IGES.
The official title of the shall be “The ..th International Geochemical Exploration Symposium (IGES)”. A subsidiary title describing the theme of the Symposium may be added, but is not mandatory. Subsequent changes to the title may be considered, to harmonize with changes in the name of the Association.
The AEG shall request proposals to hold a Symposium via the AEG’s newsletter EXPLORE, and through other formal and informal channels. Any geosciences institute, association, institution of learning or unofficial association of geoscientists may apply to host the Symposium.
Proposals should be submitted to AEG Council via the Chairperson of the Symposium Committee. The deadline for proposals shall be March 31st, three years preceding the year of the conference (e.g. January-March 2000 for a meeting to be held in 2003).
The AEG Council and Symposium Committee shall consider all proposals received before the published deadline and render its decision to the applicants within two months of the deadline for receipt of proposals; that is, by May 31st, by e-mail and ordinary mail.
The basis for selection shall include the quality of the proposed scientific program, the time and location of the meeting, the preliminary budget, and any other factors that Council and the Symposium Committee may deem appropriate. Before rendering final approval, Council may ask for clarification or amendments to proposals. The AEG and Symposium Committee reserve the right to reject all proposals, or to decide not to hold a biennial meeting in a given year.
The proposal should include the following:
· Executive Summary
· Introduction
· Description of City or Town of Choice, and surrounding region
· Experience and Expertise of the Organizing Committee
· Description of Proposed Technical Program
· Field Trips
· Social Program
· Proposed Dates, and
·
Budget
· Member without portfolio
Council acknowledges the difficulty of recruiting volunteers and the need to manage with a smaller committee, involving the doubling up of certain functions. In this case the availability of “members without portfolio” assumes increased importance.
As stated above, one Council member shall sit on the Executive of the Organizing Committee. The Symposium Organizers shall report by e-mail to the Chairperson of the Symposium Committee of the AEG at intervals not exceeding four months, until twelve months before the Symposium, at intervals not exceeding two months, until six months before the Symposium, and at intervals not exceeding one month, until the Symposium. Reports should include minutes of any meetings of the Organizing Committee. The Chairperson of the Symposium Committee shall pass on relevant details of such reports to Council within 24 hours of receipt.
Aspects to be covered in the reports shall include, but not necessarily be restricted to, the following:
· Selection of Venue
· Adherence to Budget
· Competitive Bids from Professional Conference Organizers
· Recruitment of Abstract Review Committee
· Subject matter, quality and quantity of abstracts
· Proposed registration fees
· Travel, accommodation and catering arrangements
· Numbers of Advance Registrants for Symposia and Short Courses
· Short Course Topics, Course Leaders and Organization
If a single institution, such as a University or Government Survey,
is charged with the organization of the Symposium, then any profit, or loss,
shall be split 50:50 with the AEG. Otherwise, the Symposium shall be
self-financed by the Organizing Committee through registration fees and
sponsorship. Any surplus funds resulting from the Symposium shall accrue to the
AEG, which will also be responsible for making up any shortfall in Symposium
finances.
At the time of submission of the proposal, the Organizing Committee may request seed money of up to US$10,000 from the AEG, to be repaid when the Symposium’s financial affairs are reconciled. Such seed money will not be granted until the initial proposal, and budget, have been submitted.
The AEG shall levy no interest on this loan, but its approval shall depend upon the financial resources of the Association. Furthermore, if the host nation has foreign currency restrictions that would prevent repayment, no seed money will be granted.
AEG welcomes the involvement of other learned
societies and professional associations in the organizing of its flagship
conference. In addition to the above defined situation, regarding profit and
loss of IGES events, the following shall apply:
In
general, AEG accepts to itself alone the financial risks of the IGES, and uses
these events as its principal fund raiser. It requires, therefore, that any
profits from the IGES be returned to AEG. Consequently, AEG, on behalf of the
Local Organizing Committee (LOC), underwrites any losses sustained by an IGES.
However, under some circumstances, the LOC for an IGES event may seek or accept
financial cooperation with other organizations. In this event, AEG makes the
following conditions:
iii.
All
such arrangements will be to share both risk of loss as well as profit. Any
collaborating organizations must satisfy AEG Council that they can meet their
share of any losses should they occur, and must undertake in writing to do so. The resident members of the Executive Committee (see above) shall
provide Council with a signed document committing themselves to this.
A final financial report shall be presented to the Chairman of the Symposium Committee not more than 6 months after the end of the Symposium. As stated above, the Executive Committee must commit in writing to do so.
In addition the following statistics should be presented:
·
Total Number of Registrants
·
AEG Members Registering
·
Non-AEG Members Registering
·
Pre-registrants
·
Walk-In Registrants
·
Number of Accompanying Guests
·
Registrants by Country of Origin
·
Short Course Registration
·
Field Trip registration, and
·
Attendance at lunches, Official Dinner
and other social events
Finally, a summary shall be compiled of the important technical and
administrative issues raised during the Symposium.
Insurance
The
cost of necessary insurance coverage for the Symposium, particularly
cancellation insurance, shall be investigated early in the organization process
and budgeted accordingly. Personal liability insurance is likely to be either
impossible to obtain, or prohibitively expensive. Therefore, it is recommended
that delegates be asked to sign a waiver releasing the Organizing Committee,
the Symposium Committee, Council and the AEG from liability from Personal
Injury or other misfortune that may befall them during the Symposium or Field
Trips.
If the
jurisdiction in which a Symposium is to be held imposes a Value-Added Tax, or
other tax for which non-residents are not liable, international delegates may
be tax-exempt or entitled to a rebate. The Organizers shall seek the advice of
a professional, resident tax expert in this regard.
The
balance of expenditure between events for which admission is included in the
cost of registration (e.g. Icebreaker) and for which an additional charge is
levied (specifically, the Symposium Dinner) shall reflect the desirability that
the cost of attending the latter should be affordable to the majority of
Symposium delegates.
Registration Fees
The
Organizers may set higher charges for delegates who register after a certain
date.
The
Organizers may levy all or part of the registration fees of delegates who
cancel their registration at short notice.
AEG
Members shall be offered a discount on the registration fee that makes
membership of the AEG an attractive option. At the discretion of the
Organizers, concessionary registration fees may also be set for students,
members of co-sponsoring organizations and invited speakers and leaders of
field trips and workshops.
The
possibility of sponsorship for certain materials, such as briefcases, or
individual events, such as lunches (including Short Course lunches) and coffee
breaks, shall be investigated. Offers to sponsor combination technical/social
events, such as a barbecue at a local geochemical lab or prep facility, shall
also be welcomed and encouraged. However, the soliciting of sponsorship of
overall symposia, in return for display of the sponsoring company’s name in
publicity announcements, is not encouraged.
The Organizers shall investigate the possibility of scheduling the Symposium immediately before or after related symposia in the same city, so that out-of-town or international delegates may attend both events for the price of a single round-trip air ticket.
Publicity
material shall be prepared and released simultaneously as a mailed brochure, in
the AEG newsletter EXPLORE and on the AEG Web Site. Council encourages the
Organizers to send out the First and Second Circulars, accompanied by the Call
for Papers, at least two years and 18 months respectively before the meeting
date. These should then be followed by reminders.
The
Chairperson of the Symposium Committee shall facilitate liaison with the AEG’s
Publicity Committee, who will assist in circulating the publicity material by
providing an updated digital membership mailing list, especially
e-mail addresses, as well as other lists of exploration companies, analytical
labs and other potentially interested parties, that may be useful. Such
material will remain the property of the Association, and shall not be used for
any purposes other than those directly related to the Symposium.
The
AEG will also provide free advertising space in EXPLORE, and on the Web Site.
Paid advertisements may be placed in other publications and media, at the
discretion of the Organizing Committee, in which case appropriate funds should
be set aside in the Symposium Budget.
The
Organizers shall make use of the best available reduced-rate mail service.
Any publicity circulars shall include the following information:
· Access to Host City (airlines and other public transportation) from major world centres, including cost estimates
· Accommodation available, with estimated cost ranges
· Historical, geographical and cultural background information
· Weather to be expected at time of Symposium
· Visa requirements
· Contact person or organization for more information
· Other anticipated expenses that symposium participants should plan for
Details of technical sessions, oral presentations and posters shall be made available to delegates at least one month before the Symposium, via the Association’s Web Site and mailed circulars.
If
applicable, the Organizers will advise symposium delegates that high inflation
rates, and other circumstances they may not be accustomed to, may be a factor
in the countries hosting the Symposium and Field Trips. Organizers will also
advise the Symposium Committee at once if a situation of high inflation, or
other adverse economic or political circumstances, develops.
The
limits of the Organizers’ responsibilities, as regards the financial needs,
chaperonage and entertainment of delegates, shall be clearly defined in any
advance publicity material. In particular, the word "invitation"
should be used with circumspection.
If
professional conference organizers are available in the city where the
symposium is to be held, their use is strongly encouraged. At least two competitive
bids shall be considered and reported to the Symposium Committee.
10.
Travel and Accommodation
Potential air carriers and hotels shall be requested to make seats and rooms available at a reduced “Conference Rate”. However, care shall be taken, in budgeting, not to rely overly on discounts that are dependent on the number of airline passengers, or hotel room registrations. This may require certain restrictions on delegates’ lodging options. Nevertheless, some options should be offered in terms of hotel (or other) accommodations of varying cost.
11.
Venue
Any city chosen as the venue for a Symposium shall be within two hours travel of a major airport, and possess reliable telephone, fax and e-mail links.
That the venue be a large hotel in a major city is not obligatory or even desirable, and the Symposium Committee shall consider on its merits the proposal of any city or town with suitable conference facilities, easy access to major airports and an adequate number of hotel or residential beds, such as a University town.
12.
Enrolment of New Members
All Symposium Registrants who are not members shall be handed an AEG information package that includes a membership application form.
“Walk-In” registrants shall be given the opportunity to become members of AEG at once, and thereby qualify for the Members’ registration discount.
13.
Social Events and Catering
The Organizers shall bear in mind that the Symposium dinner is the most important social event of the Symposium, and devote financial resources to it accordingly. During the symposium dinner, AEG retains the right to make such presentations as are appropriate to this event. The AEG Council representative will inform the Organizing Committee, or the Chairperson of the Symposium Committee, of any such intent early in the planning stages.
14.
Annual General Meeting & Council Meeting
During the symposium an appropriate time (at least two hours) shall be set aside for the AEG Annual General Meeting, with a short Council meeting to follow the AGM. This should be scheduled so that there are no conflicting activities, or major breaks between other scheduled events and the meetings. An example of an appropriate time for such meetings would be following an afternoon technical session.
The organization of an Accompanying Persons’ Program is not
obligatory, but the Symposium Committee will treat any proposals for such
programs on their merits. If any events are planned and announced, the
possibility that they will be cancelled in the event of inadequate support
should be clearly stated in the registration package, and in all advance
publicity material.
Not less than replace “18 months” with “6 months” prior to the conference, the Organizers shall submit the members’ names of an Editorial committee, to review and/or referee all abstracts or manuscripts submitted for the Symposium, for the approval of the Symposium Committee. All committee members shall be familiar with written, technical English but it is not necessary that they be resident in the country or region where the symposium is to be held, provided that they can be reliably reached by e-mail.
To facilitate the editing and compilation process, the call for abstracts and manuscripts shall include specifications of acceptable word-processing format, font size, layout and length.
The production of parallel hard-copy and digital versions of the Abstracts Volume is encouraged. For the latter medium in particular, authors may exercise the option of submitting extended, illustrated abstracts up to a maximum of six printed pages.
In general, abstracts and manuscripts shall comply with the requirements of the Guide to Authors of Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis.
In the Abstracts Volume, abstracts for Oral and Poster presentations shall be printed and indexed in a single alphabetic sequence by the first author’s last name.
The Association of Exploration Geochemists considers that the Proceedings, of any Symposia organized under its auspices, constitute an important component of its official journal “Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis” (GEEA). Consequently, the AEG retains the right of first refusal on the publication of these Proceedings. If this right is exercised, the production and editing of the post-Symposium Proceedings volume shall be the administrative and financial responsibility of the AEG. The editors of GEEA may engage the services of a qualified Special Editor (or Editors) for the Proceedings Volume if they consider that it will expedite the Volume’s publication.
The above does not preclude members of the Organizing Committee, or their nominees, from participating in this task if they wish.
Time is of the essence in the publication of the Proceedings Volume
and the deadline for the submission of manuscripts shall be no later than one
month after the end of the Symposium.
In general, submitted manuscripts shall comply with the requirements
of the Guide to Authors of
Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis.
18.
Workshops and Short Courses
The Organizers shall solicit suggestions for Short Course and Workshop Topics from Council, via the Symposium Committee, and from the AEG membership, via the pages of EXPLORE and the AEG Web Site.
The
language of presentation of the Short Courses shall be English. However,
inasmuch as a significant number of delegates at Short Courses may be host
nationals, in approving topics for Short Courses the Symposium Committee shall
be cognizant of prevailing moods and preferences in the country’s mining,
exploration and environmental sectors.
Short Course organizers shall attempt to provide, or at least organize, lunch for all course participants, to encourage discussion outside of the presentation sessions.
Short Course organizers shall produce copies of the notes for the all participants, for the authors of the presentations, and an additional 20 copies for purchase by Symposium delegates who did not attend the Short Course. Proceeds from the sale of these copies shall accrue to the Symposium. In the event of unexpected demand for notes, the facility to produce additional copies in digital form shall be preserved.
19. Technical Presentations
The Symposium Committee shall consider favourably the inclusion in the budget of a certain amount of funds toward the bringing in of guest and keynote speakers.
The practicality of simultaneous translation from English into the vernacular shall be investigated for symposia held in non-Anglophone countries.
Each session Chairperson shall be a recognized authority in the field dealt with by the Session. Chairpersons shall be rigorous in their enforcement of allotted times for oral presentations and questions. During Question Time, contributions from the floor shall be restricted to questions directly related to the paper just presented.
Unless
they are unavailable in the host city, audiovisual aids shall consist, at the
minimum, of radio clip-on microphones for speakers and session chairmen, two
screens, and three projectors with carousel attachments. If it can be hired at
reasonable cost, and if significant demand is anticipated, one LCD projector
for PowerPoint™-type presentations is also recommended. The use of overhead
projectors should be discouraged.
A two-hour time slot will be scheduled for poster viewing each day of the technical sessions. At least one author of each poster will be required to be available for questions and discussion for at least one of those two hours, for every day while the poster is on display. The Organizers will establish a system whereby questions can be put to poster authors by interested observers, and answered, for the periods when no author is in attendance.
Each field trip should have two leaders: one whose primary responsibilities are as Technical Leader, and another whose primary responsibilities are administrative. However, in the event of indisposition of one leader, the other shall be sufficiently familiar with his or her responsibilities to take them over.
Each field trip must have at least one leader or participant who is resident in or thoroughly familiar with the locale, in order to deal with emergencies.
Because many delegates will have to meet the schedules of international flights, the dates of the beginning and ending of Field Trips shall not be changed later than two months before the Symposium.
If a Field Trip is cancelled for any reason, participants shall be notified not later than one month before the Symposium, and their payments refunded in full.
A guide book or pamphlet should be made available for each Field Trip participant.
The Symposium Committee will evaluate the choices of Field Trips simultaneously, for acceptability based on criteria including but not limited to adequacy of technical content, and variety of scope. If a Field Trip takes place in an area with locations of exceptional non-geochemical interest (for example, world-famous archeological sites), not more than 20% (that is, one day in five) may be allocated to visits to such locations.
For field trips that are distant from the city in which the Symposium is being held, and where it is not possible to negotiate a good concessionary rate for air tickets, participants shall be given an opportunity to proceed independently to and from the rendezvous point.