AFS Final Report...rigorous, two poster sessions accommodated hundreds of poster papers, att endance was incredible, and opportunities for networking and advancing careers were plentiful

AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY 135 TH ANNUAL MEETING . SEPTEMBER 11-15, 2005

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ARTWORK BY RAY TROLL ©2004 . GRAPHIC DESIGN BY KAREN LYBRAND

CREATING A FISHERIES MOSAIC

Final Report

Number Common Name Scientifi c Name 1 Arctic grayling Thymallus arcticus 2 rex sole Glyptocephalus zachirus 3 wolf-eel Anarrhichthys ocellatus 4 Pacifi c sandfi sh Trichodon trichodon 5 big skates Raja binoculata 6 fourhorn poacher Hypsagonus quadricornis 7 king crab Paralithodes camtschaticus 8 Dungeness crab Cancer magister 9 Alaskan spot shrimp Pandalus platycerus 10 Atka mackerel Pleurogrammus monopterygius 11 North Pacifi c daggertooth Anotopterus nikparini 12 sablefi sh (black cod) Anoplopoma fi mbria 13 silverspotted sculpin Blepsias cirrhosus14 threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus 15 slimy snailfi sh Liparis mucosus 16 sheefi sh or inconnu Stenodus leucichthys 17 male kelp greenling Hexagrammos decagrammus 18 Pacifi c herring Clupea pallasii 19 Pacifi c spiny lumpsucker Eumicrotremus orbis 20 king-of-the-salmon Trachipterus altivelis 21 walleye pollock Theragra chalcogramma 22 Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha 23 wolf-eel Anarrhichthys ocellatus 24 spotted ratfi sh Hydrolagus colliei 25 salmon shark Lamna ditropis 26 sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka 27 tiger rockfi sh Sebastes nigrocinctus 28 starry fl ounder Platichthys stellatus 29 yelloweye rockfi sh Sebastes ruberrimus 30 lingcod Ophiodon elongatus 31 giant grenadier Albatossia pectoralis 32 decorated warbonnet Chirolophis decoratus 33 coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch 34 Pacifi c halibut Hippoglossus stenolepis 35 for fun

American Fisheries Society135th Annual Meeting

September 11–15, 2005

Creating a Fisheries Mosaic: Connections Across Jurisdictions, Disciplines, and Cultures

Final Report

Anchorage AlaskaApril 2006

Report Design and Layout byAndrea Medeiros

Publications SpecialistU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Offi ce of Subsistence Management3601 C Street, Suite 1030

Anchorage, AK 99503

In Memoryof

Molly O. AhlgrenNov. 27, 1957–Nov. 30, 2004

Final Report iii

Précis

Précis

It is traditional for the General Chair of each American Fisheries Society annual meeting to prepare a report on the meeting’s program and local arrangements. The annual meeting report serves as an historical summary of the events that led up to, and occurred during, each of these meetings. The Anchorage, Alaska meeting, AFS’ 135th, was held during the week of September 11–15, 2005. The meeting was AFS’ largest to date, and included some initially worrisome features including meeting in a potentially expensive location, convening the meeting for a full four days, and meeting during the early/mid September time period which, for Anchorage, could be either the end of fall or a very early winter.

But we obtained very reasonable hotel room rates, air fares were competitive with other locations in North America, and we were lucky with weather as the meeting week was warm and sunny with fall colors in full array in Southcentral Alaska. By many measures the 135th annual meeting was successful. The program was broad and technically rigorous, two poster sessions accommodated hundreds of poster papers, att endance was incredible, and opportunities for networking and advancing careers were plentiful.

The following report documents the details of planning and execution of the 135th annual meeting. An introductory section by the General Chairman is followed by details on the program and local arrangements. These sections were prepared by the Chairs or members of various subcommitt ees of the Local Arrangements Committ ee. As we greatly benefi ted from the valuable information provided in the 2003 Quebec City and 2004 Madison, Wisconsin meeting annual reports, we too hope that this document will provide insights and helpful information for future AFS meetings.

Bill WilsonGeneral Chairman

iv American Fisheries Society 135 Annual Meeting

Contents

CONTENTS

GENERAL CHAIRMAN’S MEETING OVERVIEW ......................................................................................................................9INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................................9THE ROLE OF THE COMMITTEE .....................................................................................................................................9COMMITTEE MEETINGS ............................................................................................................................................10MEETING ROOM AND A/V SURVEY ...........................................................................................................................12GENERAL CHAIRMAN ..............................................................................................................................................12MEETING FEEDBACK................................................................................................................................................13AN EXPERIMENT ....................................................................................................................................................14IN MEMORY OF MOLLY O. AHLGREN .........................................................................................................................15AT THE END OF THE MEETING ...................................................................................................................................16

MEETING PROGRAM ..................................................................................................................................................19INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS (BILL WILSON) ...................................................................................................................19MEETING THEME (BARBARA KNUTH) ..........................................................................................................................19THE PROGRAM COMMITTEE ......................................................................................................................................19PLENARY SESSION (BARBARA KNUTH AND STEVE GRABACKI) ...........................................................................................20WELCOME PRESENTATION (BILL WILSON) .....................................................................................................................21PROGRAM DEADLINES (ERIC KNUDSEN) .......................................................................................................................22DETERMINING SPACE AVAILABLE (ERIC KNUDSEN) ..........................................................................................................22SYMPOSIA PROPOSALS (ERIC KNUDSEN) ......................................................................................................................22ABSTRACT REVIEW (ERIC KNUDSEN) ...........................................................................................................................24ABSTRACTS CD (BILL WILSON) .................................................................................................................................24AFS ABSTRACTS COORDINATOR (CHRISTINE FLETCHER, ERIC KNUDSEN, MARLA HOOD) .........................................................24

Database ................................................................................................................................................................................. 24ORAL PRESENTATIONS (ERIC KNUDSEN) ......................................................................................................................26

Symposia and Contributed Papers ..................................................................................................................................... 26POSTERS (CAROL KERKVLIET, TED OTIS) .....................................................................................................................26WAKEFIELD SYMPOSIUM (SHERRI PRISTASH) ..................................................................................................................30WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT (BILL WILSON, MARY WHALEN) ........................................................................31

Recommendations ................................................................................................................................................................... 32PROGRAM GUIDE (BILL WILSON, ANDREA MEDEIROS) ....................................................................................................32

Recommendations ................................................................................................................................................................... 33BUDGET AND FINANCE ...............................................................................................................................................35

BUDGET INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS (BILL WILSON) ........................................................................................................35FUNDRAISING INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS (BILL WILSON) .................................................................................................40FUNDRAISING COMPONENTS (LARRY PELTZ) .................................................................................................................42

Financial Sponsors: ................................................................................................................................................................. 42Tote Bag Sponsorships ........................................................................................................................................................... 43In-kind Donations .................................................................................................................................................................... 43Seafood Donations (Bill Wilson) .......................................................................................................................................... 43Recommendations ................................................................................................................................................................... 44

SILENT AUCTION AND DOOR PRIZES (BOB LAFFERTY) .....................................................................................................44Overview ................................................................................................................................................................................. 44Preparations ........................................................................................................................................................................... 44Communications ....................................................................................................................................................................... 44Donations ................................................................................................................................................................................. 45Trade Show Booth Organization ........................................................................................................................................ 45Silent Auction and Booth Operations .................................................................................................................................. 46Recommendations ................................................................................................................................................................... 47

Final Report v

Contents

BUDGET AND ACCOUNTING (LARRY PELTZ) ..................................................................................................................47Income ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 47Expenses (See Appendix 5, Estimated Budget and Income) .......................................................................................... 47Recommendations ................................................................................................................................................................... 48

FINAL ACCOUNTING (BILL WILSON, LARRY PELTZ) .........................................................................................................49Disposition of Profi ts .............................................................................................................................................................. 49

REGISTRATION ..........................................................................................................................................................51INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS (BILL WILSON) ...................................................................................................................51

Name tags ............................................................................................................................................................................... 51Registration logistics ............................................................................................................................................................... 51Anticipated number of registrants ...................................................................................................................................... 52

REGISTRATION PROCESS (ALLEN BINGHAM) ..................................................................................................................52Pre-registration ....................................................................................................................................................................... 52Name badge printing and stuffi ng ..................................................................................................................................... 53On-site Registration Activities............................................................................................................................................... 54Meeting bags (Bill Wilson) ................................................................................................................................................... 54Bag Stuffi ng (Jane DiCosimo, Allen Bingham) ................................................................................................................... 55

ACCOMMODATIONS ...................................................................................................................................................57INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS (BILL WILSON) ...................................................................................................................57

Many Venues—Many Details ............................................................................................................................................... 57ACCOMMODATIONS (BILL HAUSER) ............................................................................................................................58OTHER HOTELS (BILL HAUSER, BILL WILSON) ................................................................................................................59CONVENTION VENUES (BILL HAUSER) .........................................................................................................................59MASTER SCHEDULE (BILL HAUSER, MARY WHALEN, ALLEN BINGHAM) ................................................................................61TRADE SHOW PLANNING AND LOGISTICS (KATHERINE ROWELL) .........................................................................................63INTERNET CAFÉ AND BUSINESS OFFICE (VINCE MCCLAIN, SETH DARR) ...............................................................................65MEETING ROOMS (BILL HAUSER) ...............................................................................................................................66REGISTRATION AREA (BILL HAUSER) ...........................................................................................................................66

Recommendations ................................................................................................................................................................... 67MEETING BREAKS AND CATERING (BILL HAUSER) ...........................................................................................................67

Meeting Breaks ....................................................................................................................................................................... 67Catering ................................................................................................................................................................................... 69Recommendations ................................................................................................................................................................... 69

AFS BUSINESS MEETING (BILL HAUSER) ......................................................................................................................70SIGNAGE AND MAPPING (BILL HAUSER, MARY WHALEN) ................................................................................................70

Signage for Technical Sessions (Eric Knudsen, Bill Hauser, Mary Whalen) .................................................................. 70Artwork (Mary Whalen) ....................................................................................................................................................... 70Recommendations ................................................................................................................................................................... 71

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR ATTENDEES WITH DISABILITIES (BILL HAUSER) .................................................................................72Recommendations ................................................................................................................................................................... 72

SOCIAL EVENTS ........................................................................................................................................................73INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS (BILL WILSON) ...................................................................................................................73SOCIALS (DAVE TRUDGEN) .......................................................................................................................................74

General Comment Regarding Food and Beverage Quantities ..................................................................................... 75AFS PRESIDENT AND LOCAL ARRANGEMENTS COMMITTEE SUITES (DAVE TRUDGEN) ...............................................................76

President’s Suite ...................................................................................................................................................................... 76Local Arrangements Committee Suite ................................................................................................................................. 76

SUITE COSTS AND VENDORS (DAVE TRUDGEN) ..............................................................................................................76OPENING NIGHT SOCIAL (DAVE TRUDGEN) ..................................................................................................................77TRADE SHOW SOCIAL (DAVE TRUDGEN, KATHERINE ROWELL) ...........................................................................................78

vi American Fisheries Society 135 Annual Meeting

Contents

STUDENT SOCIAL (DAVE TRUDGEN) ............................................................................................................................80ALASKA NATIVE HERITAGE CENTER SOCIAL (DAVE TRUDGEN)...........................................................................................82CLOSING SOCIAL (DAVE TRUDGEN) ............................................................................................................................852005 AFS SPAWNING RUN (DEBBY BURWEN, DAN BOSCH) ...........................................................................................85GUEST HOSPITALITY (LEE ANN GARDNER) ...................................................................................................................87

Hospitality Room Set Up ....................................................................................................................................................... 87Hospitality Room Volunteers & Attendance ....................................................................................................................... 87Recommendations ................................................................................................................................................................... 87

TOURISM AND TOURIST INFORMATION (LEE ANN GARDNER) ............................................................................................88Prior to the Meeting ............................................................................................................................................................... 88During the Meeting ................................................................................................................................................................ 88Tours and Sightseeing ............................................................................................................................................................ 88Recommendations ................................................................................................................................................................... 89

WILD SALMON ON PARADE (LEE ANN GARDNER) .........................................................................................................91Recommendations ................................................................................................................................................................... 92

STUDENT PROGRAM ...................................................................................................................................................93INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS (BILL WILSON) ...................................................................................................................93ORGANIZATION AND OUTCOMES (COURTENAY PEIRCE) ...................................................................................................93

Recommendations ................................................................................................................................................................... 94STUDENT PAPER JUDGING (MIKE HOLLIMAN) ...............................................................................................................95

Poster Judging ......................................................................................................................................................................... 95Oral Presentation Judging .................................................................................................................................................... 95Results of the Judging ............................................................................................................................................................ 95

TECHNICAL SUPPORT ..................................................................................................................................................97MEETING POSTER DESIGN AND ARTWORK (KATHERINE ROWELL)........................................................................................97T-SHIRTS ..............................................................................................................................................................99

Introductory Comments (Bill Wilson).................................................................................................................................... 99T-shirts and Committee Shirts (Bill Hauser)......................................................................................................................... 99Recommendations .................................................................................................................................................................101

VOLUNTEER COORDINATORS (LISA SEEB, JOE SULLIVAN) ...............................................................................................101PUBLICITY AND FISHERIES ARTICLES ............................................................................................................................103

Introductory Comments (Bill Wilson)..................................................................................................................................103Publicity and Media Relations (Kate Wedemeyer, Lisa Olson) ...................................................................................103Media Activities (Kate Wedemeyer) ................................................................................................................................106Recommendations .................................................................................................................................................................107

COMMITTEE COMMUNICATIONS (KATHY ORZECHOWSKI, BILL WILSON) ..............................................................................108Recommendations .................................................................................................................................................................108

A/V (STEVE ZEMKE, JERRY BERG) ..........................................................................................................................108General ..................................................................................................................................................................................108Contract Development .........................................................................................................................................................108Costs ........................................................................................................................................................................................109A/V Check in and Download of Presentations ...............................................................................................................109A/V Setup for the Rooms ...................................................................................................................................................112Speaker Practice Rooms ......................................................................................................................................................114

STUDENT EMPLOYMENT FOR A/V SUPPORT (EVELYN BROWN) .........................................................................................114Summary Data ......................................................................................................................................................................114Recommendations .................................................................................................................................................................115

TRANSPORTATION (LYNNE SANTOS) ..........................................................................................................................115Welcome Transportation .....................................................................................................................................................115Charters ..................................................................................................................................................................................115

Final Report vii

Contents

Pickups/Vans .........................................................................................................................................................................115Communications .....................................................................................................................................................................115

RECYCLING (JERRY BERG) ......................................................................................................................................116

APPENDIX 1—DIRECTORY OF PLANNING CONTACTS ....................................................................................................117APPENDIX 2—MEETING ROOM AND A/V SURVEY RESPONSES ......................................................................................125APPENDIX 3—PLENARY SESSION PLAN ....................................................................................................................134APPENDIX 4—EXAMPLE OF CONTRIBUTION THANK YOU LETTER ......................................................................................135APPENDIX 5—ESTIMATED BUDGET AND INCOME .........................................................................................................136APPENDIX 6—EXAMPLE CONTRIBUTION REQUEST LETTER ..............................................................................................140APPENDIX 7—REGISTRATION FORECAST MODEL .........................................................................................................144APPENDIX 8—PREPRINTED NAME BADGE FORM .........................................................................................................146APPENDIX 9—VENUE MAPS/ILLUSTRATIONS ..............................................................................................................147APPENDIX 10—MEETING SPACE ASSIGNMENTS—LIST FORMAT ......................................................................................151APPENDIX 11—MEETING SPACE ASSIGNMENTS—GRAPHICAL FORMAT ............................................................................155APPENDIX 12—VOLUNTEER SPREADSHEET ................................................................................................................156APPENDIX 13—A/V STUDENT ASSIGNMENTS ............................................................................................................160

Final Report 9

General Chairman’s Meeting Overview


Introduction

“I began as a child…” is one of my favorite quotes from comedian Bill Cosby. I felt like that some times when thinking about the planning that went into the 135th Annual Meeting of AFS. It was such a long time ago that we began the journey, and although it has been every adjective you can think of, all in all I think our Local Arrangements Committ ee enjoyed the work. We feel glad that it’s over, for certain, but we also feel a sense of accomplishment that the meeting was successful from many perspectives: professional quality of papers, breadth of coverage of fi sheries science, and of course the amenities that went along such as social events, a great trade show, and plenty of student activities, to name some. Of course, this meeting also benefi tt ed Alaska resident AFS members who otherwise might not be able to att end a national meeting.

We started with an idea formed in the minds of Alaska Chapter members Cindy Hartmann, National Marine Fisheries Service, Juneau, and Carol Ann Woody, U.S. Geological Survey, Anchorage. Both approached the Chapter and the idea snowballed into a full court press to bid on the 2005 annual meeting with an Anchorage location and a September time slot. September is the shoulder of the tourist season in Alaska, and hotel room rates go way down then and airplane fl ights start to have space again. The Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Anchorage Hilton Hotel teamed with the Alaska Chapter to make a bid before the Time & Place Committ ee at the 2001 Phoenix, Arizona annual meeting. The Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Hilton were outstanding in supporting our bid. They stole the show, thanks in

particular to Julie Dodds, Glee Anderson, and Jim Henderson from the Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau’s Convention Sales Department and to Diana Arthur from the Hilton.

Before going to Phoenix, the Alaska Chapter assembled a group of people into a preliminary Local Arrangements Committ ee. We identifi ed people willing to take the responsibility for various aspects of the meeting planning, and several att ended the Phoenix meeting and helped present the bid. Those folks, for the most part, stuck with it to the end. We also received some lett ers of support from various agencies in the State, and

felt we had a plan that would lead to a successful meeting, and we convinced AFS of that and received the bid.

The Role of the Committee

The initial planning for the AFS 2005 meeting started under a Local Arrangements Committ ee, a term we never quite let go. There were some interim names for our group, including “Planning Committ ee”, but as the years went by Local Arrangements seemed to stick. When Dr. Barbara Knuth, who was the AFS President in 2005, asked me to be the General Chairman, the person who would take responsibility for the overall meeting, I felt it appropriate to have under that general responsibility two main areas of activity: program and local arrangements. I always considered that my main job was to ensure the local arrangements were covered, as I knew Barb already appointed a competent and well functioning Program Committ ee. Although AFS policy now is to vest in the General Chairman overall responsibility for the meeting, in practice the General Chairman, in my view, needs to leave many of the details of

Bill Wilson, General Chairman of the 2005 Meeting.

10 American Fisheries Society 135 Annual Meeting


program development to the Program Committ ee and integrate those people and their activities into the work of the Local Arrangements Committ ee who are there primarily to ensure that the meeting activities will be placed in adequate facilities and those who att end will be comfortable and have ample opportunity to network and enjoy the meeting. The list of committ ee members is on the following page; a detailed list of committ ee assignments with phone number and e-mail address for each of our committ ee members is in Appendix 1.

In a very real way this is a three-way collaboration: local arrangements, program, and the AFS President and her/his theme and overall plan for the annual meeting. The President presides over the meeting, and thus is a very real “director” and we were fortunate to have an actively involved President in Barb Knuth. Barb gave us her overall goals and opinions when asked, and then let us develop a meeting that we felt would accomplish those goals. Barb was an integral member of the Local Arrangements Committ ee as were the co-chairs of the oral symposia and poster paper programs. I oft en looked to Eric Knudsen to provide input from the program side, and frequently asked Barb for input, advice, and direction. The lines between, and connecting, these general areas of putt ing on the meeting are not particularly clear, but it seemed to work well for me to be sure that these three were part of most major decisions along the way.

Probably the most important aspect of this triumvirate is the need to integrate program needs and expectations into the local arrangements planning. Many times during the four years of planning for AFS 2005, the Program Committ ee provided essential information to the Local Arrangements Committ ee, especially regarding space layout and function. For the 2005 meeting, we had four co-chairs: two for the oral papers and two for the poster papers. Eric Knudsen and Joe Margraf co-chaired “Program” which meant all the organized symposia and contributed oral papers, while Ted Otis and Carol Kerkvliet co-chaired the Poster Sessions. With these four were two members of the Program Committ ee that focused on scheduling, and an additional

three members who helped with the above and particularly worked on sorting through all the abstracts and helped to organize the program sessions.

Committee Meetings

Once our committ ee was formed and a group of people agreed to take on specifi c responsibilities, we started with only a couple meetings through 2001 and 2002. We secured our venues several years out, and in fact had guarantees for the main convention center and hotel space four years in advance—we had those commitments when the Chapter made a presentation to the Time & Place Committ ee in 2001.

Through 2002 and into 2003, we only met every 3–4 months. In 2004 we started trying to meet every 2–3 months as needed to be sure all the diff erent areas of local arrangements were on track. These were opportunities to bett er understand each other’s responsibilities, and to trouble shoot issues as they came up. Att endance was important, but mainly I relied on 6-8 people for most of the longer lead-time issues (social events, facilities, hotel arrangements, artwork and the meeting poster, registration, poster sessions, and trade show) and they were present at most meetings. All of the general areas of activity had multiple subgroups that eventually came into action during the last year of planning.

At the beginning of 2005, we held monthly meetings. As the 2005 AFS meeting drew near, we met every two weeks, then every week for the last several weeks. We relied a great deal on e-mail for communications, and had frequent teleconferences among smaller subgroups.

The Program Committ ee met for three days shortly aft er the call for papers closed. That was a critical meeting during which all the abstracts for oral and poster papers were reviewed, and the constraints for space were the reality check on how many oral papers we could accept. The Program Committ ee sorted, made the hard decisions, and determined the space needs for the various symposia and contributed paper sessions. This was one of the most critical decisions—what sessions to place in each meeting room.

Final Report 11


Bill Wilson - General Chairman

Program and PostersEric Knudsen - Program Co-ChairJoe Margraf - Program Co-ChairCarol Kerkvliet - Posters Co-ChairTed Otis - Posters Co-ChairJoe Hennessy - Program Technical SupportMarla Hood - Program Technical SupportChristine Fletcher - AFS Abstracts CoordinatorRich Cannon - Program Committee Hal Geiger - Program CommitteeMason Bryant - Program CommitteeBarb Knuth - PlenaryJim Long - Continuing EducationDolly Garza, Bill Wilson, Kyle Deerkop, and Brenda

Norcross - Molly Ahlgren Memorial

CollaboratorsTim Joyce - Alaska Chapter LiaisonHal Geiger - Alaska Chapter PresidentTom McMahon - Western Division LiaisonLynn Starnes - Western Division PresidentSherri Pristash - Wakefi eld Symposium

Budget and FinanceLarry Peltz - ChairmanBill Wilson, Steve Klein, and Phil Mundy -

FundraisingTim Joyce, Glenn Reed, Joe Sullivan, and Brian

Allee - Seafood DonationsSaree Timmons and Bob Lafferty - Silent Auction

Co-ChairsBob Lafferty, Saree Timmons, and Lou Carufel -

Door PrizesCasey Harthorn and Bill Bradshaw - WDAFS

Fundraising

RegistrationAllen Bingham - ChairmanMary Whalen - WebsiteSue Walker and Elaine Mayer - Registration BagsJane DiCosimo - Registration Packets

Socials and HospitalityDave Trudgen - ChairmanAllison Erickson - Hilton SocialDave Trudgen - Off-site SocialCourtenay Peirce - Student SocialKatherine Rowell - Trade Show Social

Debby Burwen and Dan Bosch - Spawning RunLee Ann Gardner - Companion Hospitality and

Options Night

AccommodationsBill Hauser - ChairmanMary Whalen - SignageBill Hauser - Hilton, Egan, PAC, Other Hotels, Master

Schedule, Box Lunches, ADA, Coho Salmon Fishing, Mapping, Shirts

Anne Grist - Trade ShowLynne Santos - Poster Session Box Lunches,

TransportationKatherine Rowell - Local Trade Show CoordinationVince McClain - Internet Café, AFS Business Offi ceJeff Childs - Facility MappingElaine Mayer - Catering

Student ProgramCourtenay Peirce - ChairMolly Ahlgren - In MemoriamCourtenay Peirce, Katherine Rowell, and Bill Hauser

- T-shirts

Artwork, Graphics, and DesignKatherine Rowell - Co-ChairMary Whalen - Co-ChairMary Whalen - Signage Design, ArtworkKatherine Rowell - Poster Design, Ray Troll LiaisonSue Walker and Katherine Rowell - Facilities ArtworkElaine Mayer, Katherine Rowell, and Sue Walker

- MemorabiliaRay Troll - Poster and Artist ExtraordinaireKaren Lybrand - Artwork Adaptation, Graphic Design

Technical SupportLisa Seeb and Joe Sullivan - Volunteer CoordinatorsLee Ann Gardner - Tours and SightseeingAndrea Medeiros and Mary Whalen - Program

GuideKate Wedemeyer and Lisa Olson - Publicity,

Advertising, Media RelationsSteve Grabacki - Plenary Coordination, Media

RelationsKathy Orzechowski - CommunicationsSteve Zemke and Jerry Berg - Audio/VisualEvelyn Brown - Student Audio/Visual Training and

CoordinationJerry Berg - RecyclingBill Hauser and Katherine Rowell - Meeting Shirts

Local Arrangements Committee MembersSee Appendix 1 for contact information



We divided the convention center into 11 sections, the smallest accommodating 40 people and the largest 130 people, all in theatre-style seating. We also were fortunate to have the Alaska Center for Performing Arts as a venue connected to the Egan Convention Center, and it had three large concert halls that could seat 350, 725, and 2000 people and a practice hall that could seat about 150. The Hilton was used for a half-day session on Monday aft ernoon (seating for 200), and then the Wakefi eld Symposium on Pacifi c Rockfi shes was convened in the Hilton for the remainder of the meeting (three full days). With the Hilton and all the other rooms, we convened 16 concurrent sessions until Thursday. On Thursday the Trade Show closed, freeing up enough space in the Egan Convention Center for two additional meeting rooms (each accommodating 150–200 theatre style), which we also used, thus convening 18 concurrent sessions on that fi nal day.

In other words—we used every available space we could locate in the core downtown area in Anchorage to accommodate what we believed would be a large turnout for the 2005 meeting. Some spaces were perfectly matched to the symposium or session popularity, while others were sparsely att ended and still others had overfl ow crowds. I haven’t been to an AFS meeting yet that didn’t experience this problem, and regardless of the planning eff ort put into trying to match anticipated popularity of a session to the room size, I doubt it can ever be done perfectly. We didn’t hear too much grumbling, but I personally experienced the crowding and wished we could have avoided it.

Meeting Room and A/V Survey

Aft er the 2005 meeting ended, we decided to e-mail a questionnaire to the oral presentation session chairs. We wanted to know if the room size and other amenities in the meeting rooms were appropriate for the actual realized turnout for each session.

We asked the following questions:

1. Was the room size too small, too large, or about right?2. Was the A/V screen appropriate for your meeting room?

3. Was the A/V set-up and management of the PowerPoint presentations good, bad, or mediocre?4. General comments.

We received responses from the session chairs or organizers of 43 of 65 oral presentation sessions or a response rate of 66 percent. We were pleased with this high return rate and we hope this information will be helpful to future meeting planners, particularly the comments about room space, screen size, and A/V procedures.

To summarize, of 43 responses, 15 reported their room was too small, 4 said the space was tight, 6 indicated their room was too large, and the remainder indicated room space was okay. Regarding screen size, 5 of 37 responses indicated the screen was too small.

A/V equipment, maintenance, and operations are always a diffi cult part of any meeting. The Anchorage meeting was no exception. Of 43 responses, 5 had a bad experience, 15 experienced some kind of problem, and the rest reported that A/V operations went well. The comments provide more detail on the A/V issue.

The full text of the responses is provided in a table in Appendix 2. We think it would be very helpful to session chairs, and particularly the local arrangements committ ee’s A/V chair, to consider some of the comments and suggestions contained in these responses.

General Chairman

I did not “sign on” to be General Chair; it just happened. In early 2003, Dr. Barb Knuth, who was slated to be President of AFS in 2005, asked me to take on this job. Given the “job description,” I needed to clear it with my employer. To quote Barb:

The General Meeting Chairman (or co-chairs) is in charge of facilities, local activities, and budgets—bridging between Program and Local Arrangements functions (really, overseeing the entire process for the meeting). The General Meeting Chairman develops budgets and subcommittee assignments, and oversees subcommittee chairs to make sure they are following an agreed-upon timeline

Final Report 13


and plans are progressing on schedule, or are being modifi ed as appropriate should the context change or new needs arise. The General Meeting Chairman coordinates interactions between the Program and Local Arrangements functions, and helps ensure the President (me) is kept informed about important elements of meeting plans, including the budget and major activities. The General Meeting Chairman also serves as the point-of-contact with the Bethesda offi ce. The General Meeting Chairman will have dialogue as needed with the AFS Director of Finance (Betsy) regarding annual meeting budgetary matters, and she will provide an oversight role in approving annual meeting-related facility contracts.

I agreed to these responsibilities, and continued to develop a committ ee structure that I thought would work best for me. Initially, I thought we would have about 5–6 people in charge of larger, general areas of activity such as registration, budget and fi nance, accommodations, etc. and I proceeded to place people who had volunteered into areas they were willing to chair. For the most part this worked, although I had intended to have a Chair of Technical Support but could not fi nd a volunteer to take it on. So I did that coordination myself. It was a time-consuming task, however, and I wish I could have fi lled that spot. Under that person would have been: tours and sightseeing, volunteer coordinators, program layout and printing, maps, publicity and advertising (and Fisheries inserts), on-site communications, A/V, computer/projector training and management, transportation, recycling, and our poster design and artwork adaptations. However, I had excellent people taking on each of these tasks, so my job coordinating these various activities was actually not a big issue.

As it worked out, we had very litt le turnover in our committ ee, and nearly all who signed up years ahead of the meeting remained on the committ ee through it all.

Meeting Feedback

I have received many comments from meeting att endees that the meeting was very successful. Comments from biologists and fi shery managers,

members of the sport and commercial fi shing industry, rural residents, educators, and students all were complimentary about AFS 2005. I think most were pleased with the quality of the scientifi c program. We Local Arrangements Committ ee members focused on the logistics of the meeting primarily, but tried not to loose sight of the purpose for the meeting arrangements—to make it comfortable and enjoyable for those att ending to hear and read scientifi c papers and to network with their colleagues and to develop new connections. We succeeded in that regard, I believe.

Barb Knuth’s theme was apropos for the state of fi sheries and particularly for the American Fisheries Society going into the early years of the 21st Century. And we tried to integrate her theme into the many facets of assembling the program and accommodating those who att ended. I excerpt below an article published in the Alaska Chapter’s newslett er as writt en by one of our Chapter offi cers:

“Successfully Creating a Fisheries Mosaic”

Scott Maclean

Anyone who attended this year’s National AFS meeting in Anchorage can testify that it was big, as suggested by the theme of the meeting and the title of this article. Many of you also know the conference was dedicated to Dr. Molly Ahlgren. Molly was remembered and honored at the Plenary session, and we were all honored when her parents received the Western Division AFS Award of Excellence on her behalf.

My hat is off to those that organized this meeting as it went off with out a hitch. Bringing over 2,600 scientists together under three separate roofs, having over 50 excellent symposia with 18 concurrent sessions, 640 poster presentations and a variety of social events certainly was not an easy task, but those involved did it. These volunteers not only succeed in their efforts but did it with enthusiasm and it showed.

The continuing education workshops offered something for everyone and were followed by an opening night social including



an incredible Alaskan seafood spread. Ray Troll’s contribution to the conference began with his art-work displayed on the program guides, brief cases, convention center walls, T-shirts, and even the wrappers for chocolate bars. Ray Troll’s contributions continued with a humorous review of fi sh and art during the Plenary Session and into the night as one of the Ratfi sh Brothers singing “Lumpsuckers of Love”. The student social was held in the historic 4th Avenue Theatre and offered students the opportunity to meet with prospective employers, and university professors while having fun in a relaxed atmosphere. It’s always a good bet that there will be students nearby when there is free food, beverages, and live entertainment. A large crowd attended the Off-site Social at the Alaska Native Heritage Center providing folks the opportunity to observe many cultural items, events, and activities that are unique to Alaska. These are only a few examples of the events that took place in which I feel fortunate to have been able to attend. I believe these social events are an important aspect to these meetings because they provide the most direct opportunity for interchange of ideas between large numbers of scientists in a relaxed atmosphere.

However, the success of the meeting is not simply measured by the fact that the attendance surpassed the old record by more than 700 people but rather by the convergence of people from across jurisdictions, disciplines and cultures. People with similar interest and issues that come from different parts of the world are able to meet and talk, each bringing with them a slightly different perspective. Sharing knowledge and experience is what these meetings are really about. Every participant gained something in Alaska this year and I am sure that they will do the same in Lake Placid in 2006.

I thank Scott for his kind words, and the entire Local Arrangements Committ ee feels the gratifi cation that comes from such remarks.

As mentioned above, the primary reason for a successful meeting is the quality of the program. Eric Knudsen and his Program Committ ee are

part of the reason for the success of the Anchorage meeting. Eric and co-Program Chair Joe Margraf, and their co-chairs for Posters Ted Otis and Carol Kerkvliet, accomplished what we thought might be the impossible—a program that would accommodate as many papers as possible, yet not overwhelm our facilities. They creatively integrated two poster sessions, and boldly set ground rules for how many oral papers they would accept.

Eric and his committ ee set up a rationale and a clear procedure for submission of abstracts, and then followed it through to the development of a program that included a record number of papers. We visibly and repeatedly informed the AFS membership and others who submitt ed abstracts that poster papers would be treated equally to oral papers, and that both methods of giving a paper were considered equivalent in “prestige”. President Barb Knuth articulated the same policy to many presenters and to their employers who needed some periodic reminders that the work that goes into a poster paper, and the weight AFS gives to this method of scientifi c communication, is equal to and carries the same “weight” as an oral paper. We think we succeeded, but future AFS meeting Program Committ ees will meet this challenge for many years into the future.

We believe it is worth the eff ort to elevate the importance of poster papers as our annual meetings grow in size. Program and arrangements committ ees must accommodate a large number of poster papers if they wish to att ract large numbers of people. In turn, by providing opportunities for larger numbers of people to present at an annual meeting, AFS meetings can grow in size without appreciably increasing the number of concurrent oral sessions. To some, a large meeting does not equate to a successful meeting; to others, a large meeting provides more inclusiveness, opportunity, and diversity in the nature of presentations and other activities. To do the latt er, AFS must devise a way to accommodate a large att endance, and increasing the numbers of posters is a reasonable way to do it.

An Experiment

One of our goals was to extend the 2005 meeting through a full four days—to the end of Thursday,

Final Report 15


September 15. If we did this, we could squeeze in an additional group of oral presentations, increase att endance, and hopefully encourage audiences to stay for the last papers. So oft en at past annual AFS meetings people get tired at the end and the temptation to leave and go home (or elsewhere) is large. Thus att endance at the last paper sessions can be grim, which we wanted to avoid.

So we very early in the planning intended to entice people to stay to the end, and we scheduled some events to keep att endance as high as possible on the last day. A closing social, with free food and beverage, worked well. Upwards of 1000 att ended, which we think kept people in the symposia and other sessions. We also “end loaded” the program, intentionally placing high-interest symposia on Thursday, the last day. We also planned a “hand off ” to Lake Placid to be a closing ceremony for Anchorage and an opening ceremony for Lake Placid. All of these summed to a somewhat successful strategy. Many Thursday aft ernoon sessions were sparsely att ended, while others were well att ended. You can lead them to water, but you can’t make them fi sh.

In Memory of Molly O. Ahlgren

As we were starting our fi nal year of preparations for the 2005 meeting, we learned of the death of one of our Local Arrangements Committ ee, Dr. Molly Ahlgren. Molly had just taken over as President of the Alaska Chapter of AFS and was in charge of planning the student program for the Anchorage meeting. Molly was also our friend and colleague, as well as a renowned teacher, fi sheries leader, humorist, and sea cucumber specialist. Molly died in a boating accident on November 30, 2004, just 3 days aft er her 47th birthday, and just weeks aft er she presided at the annual meeting of the Alaska Chapter in Sitka, Alaska. A certifi ed Emergency Medical Technician, Molly was responding to an EMS call with the Sitka Volunteer Fire Department when her boat struck a rock. Molly sustained a serious head injury, and she was gone.

I knew Molly well. We were both marine biologists, we were both active members of the Alaska Chapter, and we were both on the Local Arrangements Committ ee which planned this 135th Annual Meeting. I miss her greatly,

as do hundreds of her fi sheries colleagues in Alaska, especially the staff , faculty, and students at Sheldon Jackson College where Molly was Associate Professor of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

Molly was a vivacious and wonderful person who enjoyed every minute of life. She was enthusiastic about her profession and about her work, and particularly about her students. She was a respected and completely devoted teacher, and her excitement for learning spilled out of her classroom into the laps of everyone she encountered. Her students were a big part of her life, and she graciously accepted the challenge to coordinate Student Programs for the 2005 meeting. Molly told me oft en how awesome the challenge was going to be, but she coveted the job and had an incredible array of ideas she planned to “test” on “her students” at this meeting. Students att ending the Anchorage meeting experienced many of these ideas which Molly intended to benefi t the students and all AFS members.

The Alaska Chapter decided to set up the Molly O. Ahlgren Scholarship Fund, which will be administered by the Alaska Chapter. This scholarship fund will be endowed and invested to generate funds to support students in Alaska. Helping students was Molly’s principal mission, and hopefully this dedication will motivate her friends and others that knew her, or people who

Molly Ahlgren with Nikki.



Molly at work in the Sheldon Jackson College lab.

wished they had met her, to do something challenging and contribute to this fund for “Molly’s students”.

Molly’s parents Cliff and Isabel traveled to Anchorage and were honored at the Plenary Session. Her mother, Isabel Ahlgren, spoke for a few minutes at the Plenary and received an award for Molly posthumously. She also stunned many by announcing that the proceeds from Molly’s estate would be placed into the scholarship fund as well as half the estates of Isabel and Cliff upon their passing. This was a moving moment.

So it seems fi tt ing to close my introductory remarks by recalling the memories we all have of Molly Ahlgren. The Molly O. Ahlgren Scholarship Fund is managed by the Alaska Chapter, and more information on the fund or how to donate can be found at the Chapter’s website—htt p://www.fi sheries.org/afs-ak/

At the End of the Meeting

As they say, all good things must come to an end, and while putt ing on an AFS annual meeting might not be considered by some to be a “good thing” nonetheless it is a relief when the meeting ends. I could feel the tensions abate as members of the Local Arrangements and Program Committ ees gradually relaxed toward the end of the meeting

week. We had worked for about four years to make the meeting as successful as we could, and were now facing the let-down as the event ended.

The committ ee faced an abundance of chores that still needed completion, including the inevitable large amounts of “meeting left overs”. What to do with:

Posters and foam core board (we learned, too late, that a teacher or a school may have been able to use these)Packing materials from vendor supplies, silent auction prizes, etc.Unclaimed poster papersUnclaimed door prizes and silent auction itemsHundreds of artwork items that we had used to decorate the meeting venuesLost and found items

Thankfully our Recycling Committ ee aggressively removed recyclable materials throughout the meeting week, and they continued to clean up such items at the end of the meeting. Some items left at registration were either discarded or given away if they had some value. More personal items were retained in the lost and found storage areas at the meeting venues in case people wanted to claim their property aft er the meeting was over. Being as mercenary as we were in our fundraising eff orts, we chose to sell—actually we asked for donations of any amount—the artwork items used to decorate the various venues. These funds were contributed to the Molly O. Ahlgren Scholarship Fund, and hundreds of dollars were raised through this eff ort—thanks particularly to Randy Bailey who unashamedly obtained substantial contributions from many individuals for many such items.

I have oft en been asked why the att endance at the 2005 meeting was so large. Refl ecting on this resulted in a list, which I provide below. In 2005 this was a combination of many reasons. Obviously we were pleased with the numbers of people coming to Anchorage and the satisfaction they received from the meeting program and amenities off ered. Our local convention and visitors bureau asked us this question, and thus I produced this list.

●

●

●●

●

●

Final Report 17


Why was AFS 2005 so well att ended?

Many of our AFS members att end the national annual meeting no matt er where it is held; this is a core group upon which additional att endance was built.The special mystique of Alaska drew many people who otherwise might not have traveled to Alaska; the beauty, the lure of Alaska.I heard many state “I always wanted to go to Alaska” and this was their opportunity—the trip of a lifetime. Fulfi lling that desire—here was the chance.For many, their employer—oft en a State or Federal agency—paid their expenses, making it a no-brainer. Some of these people are in categories above.Our advertising att racted some who might not have att ended—i.e. we made the meeting more appealing through:

Articles in Fisheries, especially the June insertThe slide show presented at the Madison (AFS 2004) business meetingOur AFS 2005 meeting website

Other advertising kindled the decision to att end:

Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau and Alaska tourism websites and advertisingThe Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau presentations at the Phoenix meeting in 2001The Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau visits to AFS in Bethesda and the trickle down of enthusiasm into the membership

People did their own research into the costs and other aspects of coming to Alaska. They found it was aff ordable—hotel prices were very reasonable and fl ights were not as expensive as people had expected.The vacation tie-in; the opportunity to add a vacation: a trip to McKinley or the Kenai, or a long-desired fi shing trip made the meeting more att ractive. An opportunity

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

a.

b.

c.6)

a.

b.

c.

7)

8)

to bring the family or a spouse and take a special vacation together.Our technical program was very broad and of high quality; we off ered opportunities for almost anyone to present a paper (mostly through poster presentations), thus justifying att ending the meeting. Other opportunities off ered during the meeting week were att ractive as well: continuing education classes, special organized tours, programs for spouses, socials, and other amenities (T-shirts, posters, memorabilia).Ray Troll artwork—used in the poster, advertising, Fisheries articles, and our website—was att ractive and of interest to a fi shery biologist.

An essential part of fundraising is the process of thanking those who contributed. We chose to send lett ers to every individual or group that contributed money, in-kind supplies, and seafood. Our door prize and silent auction donors were thanked personally, by e-mail, or by lett er by that committ ee. This is a time-consuming process, but we felt it necessary to do so. Fortunately we kept track of all names and addresses of these people and groups and were able to generate several master lett ers and get the mailings out within a couple months aft er the meeting ended. A draft thank you lett er is in Appendix 4.

We also chose to thank the members of the Local Arrangements Committ ee by throwing a party. We did this several months later, and set aside funds from the meeting proceeds to pay for the party. We catered an informal dinner, purchased beverages and some door prizes, and enjoyed an evening of reminiscing.

The message: be sure to say “thanks”—perhaps several times and in a variety of ways—to all who contributed to the meeting, either by giving their time and talent or contributing goods, services, or cash.

Bill WilsonProgram ChairmanAFS 2005

9)

10)

Final Report 19

Meeting Program

Meeting Program

Introductory Comments (Bill Wilson)

The program for the annual meeting is its heart. This is why people att end the meeting—to hear papers, read posters, participate in symposia, listen to the Plenary Session, and connect and network with peers in a professional scientifi c sett ing. Other activities are ancillary to this primary purpose for the annual meeting, in my view. And the work eff ort to put on the annual meeting should not lose sight of this goal—to facilitate the program for that meeting. Our job as members of the Local Arrangements Committ ee, and the overall responsibility of the General Chairman for the annual meeting, is to ensure the program can be accommodated comfortably and with the appropriate level of technical support.

The program for an annual meeting is developed and carried out by a Program Committ ee. This group sets the nature of the program and receives abstracts, decides on program content, and then ensures the program is carried out. Dr. Eric Knudsen was co-chair of that committ ee and was the principal force behind the 2005 meeting program. It was a pleasure working with Eric as he had a vision for an outstanding scientifi c program and ably carried it out.

The program was organized around a theme chosen by President Barb Knuth. Symposia and contributed paper sessions, and two separate poster sessions, were organized around this theme. The 23rd Lowell Wakefi eld Fisheries Symposium on Pacifi c Rockfi shes was organized by the Alaska Sea Grant Program and co-convened with AFS.

Meeting Theme (Barbara Knuth)

The meeting theme should be selected at least three years prior to the meeting. The ultimate responsibility for selecting the meeting theme lies with the President. For 2005, the President discussed the “mosaic” theme with a variety of AFS leaders (offi cers, Executive Director, Section and Division Presidents) as she fi ne-tuned the language of the theme statement. In addition, Program Chair Eric Knudsen and General

Chairman Bill Wilson provided advice about wording.

The 2005 meeting theme grew from the President’s interest in emphasizing the multi-disciplinary nature of fi sheries science and management, and built on some of the characteristics of the meeting venue, Alaska (e.g., multiple cultures, multiple jurisdictions). Design of the meeting poster fl owed from the theme, as did the development of the content of the Plenary Session—including the speakers and topics as well as the “Welcome to Alaska” by the meeting General Chairman and the Native song and dance featured during the introductory portion of the Plenary Session.

The Program Committee

Eric KnudsenCo-Chair

Program and Symposium Presentations

Joe MargrafCo-Chair

Program and Contributed Paper Presentations

Ted OtisCo-Chair

Poster Paper Presentations

Carol KerkvlietCo-Chair

Poster Paper Presentations

Christine FletcherAFS Abstracts Coordinator

Marla HoodScheduling

Joe HennessyScheduling

Richard CannonHal Geiger

Mason Bryant


Meeting Program

Plenary Session (Barbara Knuth and Steve Grabacki)

Advance planning is key to putt ing together a provocative and smoothly-implemented Plenary Session, given the complexity of orchestrating the speakers, awards, and other aspects of the session. Planning for the Plenary Session began as soon as the meeting theme was selected—two to three years in advance of the meeting is not too soon to start. Plenary speakers are oft en in high demand in other venues as well, so it is important to get them committ ed to your meeting schedule.

Responsibility for planning the Plenary Session, particularly the invited Plenary speakers, is ultimately the responsibility of the President. This is the President’s opportunity to help the meeting theme come alive, and to set the stage for the technical sessions and other aspects of the AFS annual meeting. In some years, the President has only provided guidance to the Program Committ ee, and the Program Committ ee has actually put together the Plenary Session.

For the 2005 meeting, President Barbara Knuth assumed the majority of the responsibility for planning the Plenary Session. Support and advice, particularly regarding topics and speakers, was provided by the Program Committ ee Chair (Eric Knudsen) and the General Chairman (Bill Wilson), who later assigned a Local Arrangements Committ ee member to support the Plenary Session, as his sole duty (Steve Grabacki). This really helped in the last two months prior to the Plenary Session, and on-site at the meeting, to make sure someone was overseeing all the various pieces that needed to come together that morning.

From the time of the fi rst invitation until the week prior to the meeting, the President contacted the Plenary speakers periodically with information and updates about the meeting and to fi ne-tune the topics to be covered at the Plenary Session. The conference organizer (Director of Administration and Finance) at AFS is responsible for booking the Plenary speaker hotel rooms, reimbursing travel costs, and arranging for waived registration.

We made an explicit decision to not include politicians and high-ranking agency chiefs as Plenary speakers. Such individuals oft en speak

in generalities, and oft en cancel at the last minute. We aimed for diversity of ideas and of speakers. All three speakers we invited agreed to att end, with enthusiasm. Each represented a diff erent part of the overall meeting theme, “Creating a Fisheries Mosaic: Connections Across Jurisdictions, Disciplines, and Cultures.” Patricia Cochran bridged between cultures and disciplines, addressing Traditional Knowledge and its relevance for fi sheries science and management. Heather Tausig bridged between jurisdictions and disciplines, describing partnerships between industry and non-profi ts, and eff orts to use market-related mechanisms to foster sustainable fi sheries. Ray Troll bridged across the disciplines of art and science. Aft er the Plenary, many meeting att endees noted their appreciation for the diversity of the session—in terms of topics covered, as well as the demographics of the speakers.

The President, the A/V staff for the Plenary Session, other stage personnel from the venue and the Plenary Session Local Arrangements Liaison (if there is one) should plan to meet on Sunday night, in the Plenary Session venue, to review logistics (microphones, lights, timing, LCD projection, location of awards table, etc.). The 2005 Plenary was fairly complex (see detailed schedule below prepared by S. Grabacki), and required a dry-run within the theatre to make sure all knew their parts. The singers/dancers, the President, the A/V leaders, and the Plenary Session Liaison were present. It is unlikely that the Plenary speakers would be available for this run-through, so don’t plan on that.

The Plenary Session was held in the Atwood Theatre of the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, a large theatre capable of seating over 2,000 (the theatre was no where near capacity, even at the peak of att endance). Seating should be reserved in the fi rst 2–3 rows for the AFS offi cers, the Plenary Session speakers, and the award winners and their families. The Plenary Session started at 8:15 a.m. and ended at noon. There was a refreshment break at approximately 10:00 a.m.

The Plenary Session was preceded by a continental breakfast in a private room for Plenary speakers and selected VIPs, and by general refreshments in the lobby for att endees.

Final Report 21

Meeting Program

The VIPs included all AFS offi cers, and all award winners to be recognized at the Plenary Session. The continental breakfast is important – not only does it provide the Plenary speakers and VIPs with a good start to the day, but it ensures the key people for the session will be there on time. It also allows an opportunity for the President and the other offi cers (who present awards at the Plenary Session) to meet the award-winners, check on name pronunciation, etc.

Steve Zemke’s A/V Committ ee engaged IMIG Audio/Video (a local contractor) to provide and operate laptop computers, projectors, and other equipment. That arrangement worked very well. The A/V team received one Plenary speaker’s presentation two days in advance; one (on the speaker’s own computer) arrived on Sunday aft ernoon and checked out fi ne in terms of compatibility with the A/V equipment on Sunday. The third Plenary speaker brought her presentation with her on Monday morning to be loaded. The General Chairman’s presentation (slides/video of Alaska with music background) was loaded onto the computer system in advance.

In addition to the Plenary speakers, the major AFS awards are presented at various points in the Plenary Session, illustrated with a PowerPoint show. The A/V team should be prepared to work with the AFS person who puts together the Award Winners’ PowerPoint (illustrating the awards and the short bios of the winners). This is usually done by Christine Moffi tt , AFS Past-President, on her own computer. Thus, her computer needs to be able to be switched into the main projection system between Plenary speakers. Christine sits in the audience, fi rst row, and requires an electric connection as well as the ability to view the screen and the speaker lectern. Some of the award winners’ information is not available until right before the meeting, so it is usually not possible for Christine to send in the (rather large) PowerPoint fi le prior to the conference. Plan on having to connect her computer to the system just prior to the Plenary Session on Monday morning.

Ideally, all Plenary Session presentations would be submitt ed a few days in advance. Given the nature of Plenary speakers, this is probably not realistic to expect—and some speakers may need to use their own equipment, as was the case for

one speaker this year. Thus, the Plenary Session Local Arrangements Liaison and the A/V crew should be prepared to handle the loading of Plenary presentations that arrive Sunday evening or Monday morning. The continental breakfast prior to the Plenary is an opportunity to receive the PowerPoint fi le from each speaker.

All stage management was professionally done by a contractor, Crossroads Productions, who is thoroughly experienced in this theatre. This crew arranged the stage equipment (table, microphones, spotlights, stairs, etc.). The caterer arranged the breakfast and refreshment sessions. These also appeared to function smoothly.

The Unit Services Coordinator in the AFS central offi ce (Carolina Franco/Gail Goldberg) is responsible for preparing the “Plenary Session Podium Book” prior to the meeting. The Book is given to each offi cer who will be introducing award winners, and includes a detailed description of each Plenary Session activity, and who is responsible for or involved in each. The meeting General Chairman, the A/V person, and the Plenary Session Liaison from the Local Arrangements Committ ee should all request a copy of this book as a reference to help prepare for the Plenary Session, and to follow along during the session.

The AFS Unit Services Coordinator is responsible for bringing all the awards to the Plenary Session, and laying them out on two tables on stage, in the order in which they will be given. The table should be positioned so that it does not block the projection screen.

The bott om line with the Plenary Session—have fun, and be creative; plan as much as possible in advance; and stay fl exible and be ready for needs that arise at the last minute! The Plenary can really set the tone for the rest of the meeting.

Welcome Presentation (Bill Wilson)

I decided to produce a “Welcome to Alaska” presentation which we’d use at the Plenary to greet people and welcome everyone to the 2005 meeting, many of whom probably had never been to Alaska. I wanted this to highlight Alaska’s beauty and also to feature the diversity of Alaska’s fi sheries. Steve Grabacki lent his


Meeting Program

talents and connections in the fi sheries industry to acquire some very high quality photographs. We worked with Blueberry Productions, a local video production company, to develop a nine-minute series of color slides that were blended together with a music background. I provided the live narrative to accompany the photography. I was pleased with the result. My intent was to highlight the theme of the meeting—mosaics—and I used this theme in the presentation to highlight the many faces of Alaska and Alaska’s fi sheries. My intent also was to evolve this theme of faces into one face that we did not have at our meeting—the face of Molly Ahlgren, one of our committ ee members who died in late 2004. As a bridge from the welcoming slide show to Barb Knuth’s presidential address, Dolly Garza sang a traditional Tlingit song honoring “those who have gone before us” as a tribute to Molly.

The opening slide show “happened” literally the night before the Plenary. Steve and I worked for weeks gathering the photographs and working with Blueberry Productions in Anchorage to develop the presentation, and on Sunday evening I developed a narrative to accompany the slides I would present the next morning. An idea planned years before only hatched the night before the meeting began.

Program Deadlines (Eric Knudsen)

The traditional schedule for submissions was advanced by about one month in 2005 because of the belief that, with electronic management, the former deadlines did not need to be as early as they were. This proved to be workable, but we do not recommend advancing the deadlines any further until additional improvements are made in the internal management of the database, abstracts, and scheduling of outputs. A chronology of Program Committ ee activities and deadlines is provided in Table 1. The deadlines through the March 22–24, 2005 meeting were met but all deadlines aft er that slipped substantially due to internal management diffi culties and the large volume of sessions and abstracts. We recommend that future committ ees try to adhere to the deadlines noted.

Determining Space Available (Eric Knudsen)

An important aspect of Program Committ ee planning is determining exactly how much space and time is available for both oral presentations and posters. This process sets the outer bounds and determines whether some contributions might need to be rejected or directed from talks to posters or vice versa. For 2005, it was obvious from early submissions of abstracts and a large number of symposia proposals that we might not have suffi cient space for all contributors. To increase the number of speaker slots, we started the fi rst talk at 8 a.m. and ended the last talk at 5:40 p.m., adding three talks per full day per venue, relative to previous years. The committ ee then worked with the Accommodations Chair to assess the total number of rooms available per day (and their seating capacities for later use). In this process, we determined there were a total of 1,214 speaker slots. This process also needs to be done early enough so that the number of slots per half-day session can be communicated to symposium organizers as they are planning for the number of talks in their sessions.

Symposia Proposals (Eric Knudsen)

Proposals appropriate to the meeting theme and location were encouraged from several sources prior to the deadline, but numerous unsolicited proposals were received. Prior to the deadline, it became obvious there would be too many symposium proposals for the space and time available, or that they might be redundant, so several suggested symposia were discouraged.

Following the January 14 deadline, the Program Committ ee had 59 proposals to consider. Realizing that accepting all proposals would not leave room for contributed talks, the committ ee decided to allocate 265 speaker slots to Contributed Papers and 949 slots to symposia. This resulted in a decision to limit the selected symposia to 50 out of the 59 proposed and to limit all but a few symposia to one day or less.

We then divided the 59 proposals so that each Program Committ ee member reviewed about one third of the proposals and all proposals received three reviews, using uniform criteria developed by the committ ee. The reviewers ranked the proposals and then all three ranks for

Final Report 23

Meeting Program

Date Event

2004Jul Help draft fi rst call for symposia and papers

Early Aug Help draft second call for papers

Aug Program Committee attends annual AFS meeting in Madison as observers and meets with 2004 Program Committee

Early Sept Contribute to third Fisheries article for November issue

Sept Verify that abstract submission website is up and running

Early Oct Contribute to fourth Fisheries article (fi nal call) for December issue

Early Nov Contribute to fi fth Fisheries article

Early Dec List symposia titles with organizer’s contact information (if they want additional contributed papers) on the meeting website

Early Dec Contribute to sixth Fisheries article

2005Jan 14 Deadline for symposia proposals

Jany 18 Chair distributed all symposia proposals to Program Committee members and AFS President for their review

Jan 18-20 Program Committee members reviewed symposium proposals

Jan 20 First Program Committee teleconference to discuss symposium proposals (allow time to negotiate with symposium organizers as necessary)

Jan 21-25 Program Committee Chair negotiates with symposium organizers as necessary

Jan 26 Second Program Committee teleconference to decide which symposium proposals to accept/reject

Late Jan Refi ne Program website as necessary to indicate symposia needing additional papers

Feb 4 Deadline for Program Committee to notify symposia organizers of acceptance/rejection

Feb 7 Program Committee Chair gives list of symposium titles to Bethesda webmaster to update list of sessions

Feb 11 Contributed paper and poster abstract deadline

Early Feb Contribution to April Fisheries article

Feb 25 Symposia organizers submit fi nal list of presenters and titles

Mar 4 Deadline for symposia paper abstracts

Mar 9–11 Program Committee Co-chairs assign groups of abstracts to committee members for quality review

Mar 14–18 Program Committee members review abstracts for quality and assignment to broad categories

Mar 22–24 Program Committee meets in Anchorage to organize all papers into sessions and assign times and places

Early Apr Contribution to June Fisheries article

Apr 20 Send E-mail to contributors that includes time and place assignments and guidelines to presenters

Apr 20 Populate website with symposia and contributed sessions and papers

Late May Identify contributed session moderators

June 10 Tentative program info available for Program at a Glance, printed program, abstract CD, web updates, and sign committees to plan their activities

Summer Support changes as necessary, keeping web up to date as primary planning reference for Committee, contributors, and attendees

July Coordinate with registration to ID those speakers not preregistered and send reminder

Continued on next page

Table 1. Program submission deadlines.


Meeting Program

Date EventAugust 1 Second e-mail to contributors, reminding of responsibilities and Guidelines for presenters

August 25 Final submission of outputs for printed program, CDs, signs, A/V Committee

Just prior to meeting Coordinate with A/V, signs

At meeting Update signs with last-minute changes

Table 1. (Continued).

each proposal were summed. The entire list of 59 was then recombined by total rank score. The top proposals on the list were easily accepted by the Program Committ ee, but we discussed and came to agreement on the bott om half of the list to determine that we would ask several proponents to shorten their symposium and we rejected nine proposals.

Abstract Review (Eric Knudsen)

The Program Committ ee received over 1,900 abstracts for symposia, contributed papers, and posters, making it nearly impossible to review every one of them. During our 3-day March meeting, we agreed to assume that symposium abstracts were the responsibility of the authors and the organizers, so we did not review those. We did, however, review all contributed talk and poster abstracts, primarily to understand their content for grouping into topical sessions. We used this opportunity to scan for inappropriate or poor quality abstracts and rejected two on this basis.

Abstracts CD (Bill Wilson)

We chose to heed Madison’s advice and not print paper copies of the abstracts, but rather provide the abstracts on a CD. This was a great decision. It saved money, it saved paper, and it saved the backs and suitcases of registrants that would need to haul a ton of extra weight back home…or worse, would just throw it all away before leaving. We think this is a good practice for future meetings. We held out the option to print a paper copy for anyone who absolutely insisted on receiving one. Out of the 2800 or so folks who registered, we received no requests for printed abstracts.

The CDs containing all abstracts were produced in Bethesda. This practice should continue. They

produced an excellent CD that is searchable and very helpful. We provided some artwork, and AFS took it from there. Worked like a charm. We had some CDs left over, but many people contacted us aft er the meeting asking for extra copies of a CD to replace one they lost.

The downside of providing the abstracts in electronic format is the lack of a place to keep notes when listening to presentations. We printed a few extra blank pages in the Program Guide for such a purpose. I’m not sure if this was satisfactory, however. But we received no complaints.

AFS Abstracts Coordinator (Christine Fletcher, Eric Knudsen, Marla Hood)

Christine Fletcher did excellent work throughout the entire process and Danielle Hawkins provided a smooth transition when Christine departed. This position is essential in coordinating all the abstracts for consistency, for ensuring the database content refl ects the Program Committ ee’s intent, and in keeping up with the myriad changes in the abstracts and scheduling.

DatabaseThe database is central to effi ciency for the Program Committ ee and the AFS Abstracts Coordinator. It was the central repository for all information on each presentation and, ultimately, the scheduling information. The Access database is not being used to its fullest potential and needs to be redesigned by an experienced Access programmer.

Web-based Input Form—The abstract input form works smoothly. (However, we experienced a major glitch just as the abstract deadline approached, due to an error caused by the AFS internet provider—this appears to have been

Final Report 25

Meeting Program

remedied, but needs to be prevented in the future.) One major improvement in the input form and database would be to allow presenters to access their records to change things like presenter names, addresses, etc., under some kind of password protection. They could also use it to withdraw, with the system sending an e-mail fl ag to the abstract coordinator. This is done by a number of other professional organizations. It would save the Program Chair, symposium organizers, and especially the Abstracts Coordinator tremendous amounts of time and work.

Database Program Framework—The database should be revamped so that it ultimately results in a framework resembling the program, i.e., time slot, location A, B, C, etc. This organization would be extremely helpful to the Program Co-Chairs and the Abstracts Coordinator, as well as set the stage for outputs listed below. Marla Hood of USGS in Anchorage has good experience in Access and linking to websites, etc. Having created the web links for this year’s program, she now has specifi c recommendations for reorganizing the database so that it will be more useful.

Program Chair Access to Database—If the database were refi ned as above, the Program Committ ee could more easily sort the presentations into their respective slots. This would save signifi cant work and time of having to manually type the time and space into every record, as had to be done by Christine Fletcher at the March 22–24 meeting.

Outputs—The outputs from the abstract database are:

E-mails to contributors—A critical product of the Program Committ ee are the e-mails to contributors informing them of acceptance, their type of presentation, the time and place of their presentation, and providing the appropriate “Guidelines to Presenters”. If the database were upgraded, this should be possible in one communication approximately four weeks aft er the March committ ee meeting. For 2005, this step was delayed signifi cantly because of database diffi culties. Late April presenter notifi cation is important so that travelers can get approval in advance. The information on the presentation type

1.

must be produced from the database, along with the appropriate e-mail addresses, because the e-mails need to be customized according to presentation type. The recipient can be directed to the web-based abstract search engine and program to fi nd their presentation and the assigned session and time. The seven categories of e-mails sent included: symposium oral; symposium poster; contributed “oral only”; contributed “oral only” accepted as posters; contributed “oral preferred” accepted as posters (all); and contributed posters.

Program website—The initial program layout can be completed by about late April. If the database is redesigned as described above, it should be very amenable to linking to a program website that shows the days, sessions, rooms, times, speakers, titles, and links to the abstracts. This becomes the “living” program, that is, changes are updated regularly as they occur in the database. This benefi ts all participants for planning: the Program Committ ee, Abstracts Coordinator, all symposium organizers, all presenters, and all att endees who can make their decisions about att endance and travel. In 2005, due primarily to diffi culties in database design and secondarily to the large number of contributions, this web product was delayed substantially until about mid-July. It would be much more eff ective if it’s on-line beginning about May 1.

Printed program—The layout of the oral and poster presentations are printed in the program book. The information comes from the database. As it stands the oral talks are laid out in the “program grid” which is a table with venue across the top and times down the side. The process of moving information from the database to the printed format is presently done via an Excel program created by Joe Hennessey of the 2004 Planning Commitee. It’s partly automated and partly manual. As the database is updated, this step needs to be refi ned so that it is more automated – this will depend on improvements in the Access database queries (output) and a method for formatt ing to the printing soft ware. This

2.

3.


Meeting Program

product needs to be produced in time for the printed program deadline—aft er that, the database and website are the defi nitive program records, from which the program errata sheet must be generated.

CDs—The abstract CDs were produced directly from the database at AFS.

Signs—The program signs (poster size) can be printed just prior to the meeting, from the updated database. In 2005, the information was taken from the website, since there was no sign query in the database. This should be made more effi cient by developing the appropriate query from the database. Needed is a direct output from the Access database to a sign printing program.

A/V—The program framework from the database, as refl ected by the program web lay-out (same query as for signs), can be directly helpful for A/V management. This year, we used a feature in PowerPoint that allowed organization of all the presentations onto one computer for each room, by half-day session. The half-day program layout was copied to PowerPoint and each talk title was linked to the PowerPoint fi le provided by the presenter. This provided a clear organization of the sessions to the A/V contractor, and especially for the moderator and the A/V assistant, once the computer was brought to the room by an A/V runner. Since all the talks were loaded onto one computer and organized by the preplanned program outline, the transition from one talk to the next was extremely smooth. It is very important that the Program Chair coordinate with the A/V Committ ee to be sure there is an agreed-to process for uploading talks that is clearly communicated in the Guidelines to Presenters (see also the A/V report).

Oral Presentations (Eric Knudsen)

Symposia and Contributed PapersIn 2005, the Program Committ ee relied on the symposium organizers to provide a list of all their speakers, in order of appearance, at the same time that abstracts were due. Symposium organizers were relied upon to ensure their presenters met

4.

5.

6.

the deadlines for abstracts, but some prodding was necessary from the Chair to get all abstracts submitt ed. This year, all A/V presentations were submitt ed the same way, regardless of whether they were contributed or symposia. In the future, it might be preferable to ask the symposium organizers to coordinate the submission of A/V presentations within their respective sessions. (However, see other suggestions in the A/V report).

Guidelines to Oral Presenters—These are an integral part of success. They should be e-mailed to each contributor with the fi rst notifi cation and should be posted prominently in the Program section of the website. In 2005, we had to wait until the last few weeks to advertise the specifi cs of A/V management because of poor communication and lack of preparation with the A/V contractor (see A/V report).

Posters (Carol Kerkvliet, Ted Otis)

The poster program for the 2005 meeting was the largest in AFS history. Although initial planning for posters started years in advance, it wasn’t until the “Call for Abstracts” March (2005) deadline passed that detailed planning could begin (Table 2). Systematic planning by the Program Committ ee was essential because venue space was limited with respect to the number of symposia and the number of contributed oral and poster presentations the venues could accommodate. As the number of proposed symposia and abstracts surpassed historic levels, systematic planning became even more crucial.

The popularity of the meeting was realized when the Program Committ ee received proposals for 59 symposia, and there was space for far fewer. Therefore, before we could determine space requirements for symposia posters, the Program Committ ee fi rst needed to rank the proposed symposia to determine which would be accepted. Aft er a list of accepted symposia was decided, symposia organizers could then fi nalize their list of oral and poster presenters.

The second step in the planning process followed the March deadline for abstract submission. Following this deadline, eight members of the Program Committ ee met in Anchorage from March 22–24, 2005 to review abstracts. Over

Final Report 27

Meeting Program

Table 2. Poster planning timeline for the 2005 AFS meeting.

Date Activity

2003

May Visited venues to evaluate space.•

Oct Visited venues to evaluate space; made fi rst contact with Alaska Event Services; fi rst poster fl oor plan drafted.

•

2005

Jan Program Committee rated 63 symposia for acceptance to fi ll 30 time slots.•

Feb–Mar Posted Guidelines for Poster Presenters on the meeting website and included a link to the guidelines and poster updates in Fisheries.

•

Mar Program Committee met for 3 days to work on the following:Symposia SessionsDetermined the initial count of posters associated with symposiaAssigned symposia to venue spaceContributed SessionsReviewed contributed abstracts and offered oral presenters the opportunity to present their work in postersAssigned contributed oral presentations to venue space.Determined subgroupings for organizing posters. Poster Floor PlanMet with Alaska Event Services to consider poster fl oor plan alternatives for symposia and contributed posters.

••

•

••

•

Apr Distributed a Comprehensive “Poster Plan” to Program and Planning Committees.E-mailed acceptance letters to all poster presenters and encouraged them to review poster guidelines on the web.

••

May Mailed more detailed guidelines to poster presenters, also posted to web•

Apr–Sept Worked with Abstracts Coordinator to manage and update the poster list relative to deletions and changes.Recruited volunteers for poster sessions.

•

•

Aug 10 E-mailed detailed poster setup/take-down instructions and poster fl oor plan maps to all poster presenters

•

Aug 10 Floor plans for each poster session submitted for Program Guide and web posting; printed abstract numbers, signs, and maps for venues.

•

Sept 11–15 2005 AFS Annual Meeting in Anchorage•

1,900 combined symposia and contributed paper abstracts were submitt ed and there was only enough room for about 1,200 oral presentations.

The decision was made to fi nd poster space for the remaining 700 abstracts, rather than turn away any presenter, because of concerns that these individuals would not get travel funding if they weren’t presenting. This created quite a challenge for the poster co-chairs given the space limitations for posters in each of the three venues hosting the

meeting. Fortunately, we anticipated this situation and had worked with AFS administrative staff to contract with a professional event planner (Joe McLallen, Alaska Events Services) to supply the poster billboards and help lay out the poster fl oor plans. Joe’s established working relationship with the management staff at each venue and his experience coordinating similar-sized events proved invaluable. We recommend professional


Meeting Program

assistance for future meetings facing limited space and high att endance challenges.

In order to accommodate all the posters, we implemented strict size limits (32” x 46”), made use of all available carpeted wall space in each venue, and hung two posters on each side of the 4’x 8’ billboards we leased. The largest single space that was available to us (Egan Convention Center, Explorer Room) had the capacity to handle up to 250 posters at one time, while still allowing for adequate walkways. The combined space available for posters at all three venues could accommodate approximately 430 posters, far short of our initial program estimate of 700+ posters. However, working with Joe McLallen and the Program Committ ee, we developed a strategy to accommodate the 632 poster presenters who ultimately committ ed to att end the meeting (467 contributed, 165 symposium). We decided to break the contributed posters into two separate Contributed Poster Sessions, each to be held in the Egan Explorer Room. The symposium posters

were hung concurrently outside their respective symposia meeting rooms within each of the three venues hosting symposia.

To our knowledge, this multiple poster session confi guration was a fi rst for an AFS meeting, and while it did allow us to accommodate the tremendous turnout in 2005, it was not without its diffi culties. For example, it was very important to provide “equal billing” to each of the poster sessions. The featured viewing period for Session I occurred during the traditional Trade Show/Poster Social Monday evening. Thus, it was important to provide a similar “event” for Poster Session II. Since we were determined not to double book the second poster event with competing activities (e.g., technical sessions during the day or other socials in the evening), we opted to host an extended Poster Lunch Social with free box lunches provided to encourage participation. Meeting att endees had nearly an hour and forty minutes of access to poster presenters at this hosted lunch, only slightly less than the two hours

Meeting attendees view posters during one of the poster sessions in the Egan Convention Center.

Final Report 29

Meeting Program

provided at Session I. More information on the box lunches off ered during the poster sessions is provided under the socials section of this report.

Symposium posters were necessarily treated diff erently. Because these posters were associated with a variety of symposia occurring at diff erent times and locations throughout the week, we opted to give symposia organizers the fl exibility to schedule the “featured viewing times” for their session’s posters independently. Some symposia organizers held small scale poster socials (e.g., the Wakefi eld Symposium on Pacifi c Rockfi shes and Carol Ann Woody’s Sockeye Salmon poster symposium), while the majority did not. To compensate for the lack of a dedicated symposium poster social, we made the following accommodations for symposia poster presenters:

Posters were displayed near the venue associated with their specifi c symposium to increase their accessibility to their target audience. All symposia posters in the Egan Convention Center and Alaska Center for Performing Arts were displayed for four days, while contributed posters were displayed for only two days. Symposia organizers were encouraged to advertise posters associated with their session.Box lunches were available (for a fee) each day in the Egan Convention Center so people interested in posters could stay at the venues without missing lunch.

This arrangement appeared to work well, but we suspect some symposia poster presenters may have felt “short-changed” by the lack of a dedicated poster social and featured viewing time.

Given the large number of posters spread across three venues and the added complexity of holding multiple poster sessions, we decided to develop a comprehensive “Poster Plan”. The plan was intended to capture relevant details (e.g., poster session setup, takedown, and social schedules, fl oor plans/layouts for poster sessions, poster numbers and topics, etc.) associated with the multiple poster sessions so the Program and Local Arrangements Committ ees would have a document to refer to when scheduling other

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aspects of the program. We all did our best to avoid scheduling competing activities to encourage strong att endance for each major event.

Presenters were allowed to select from a list which category their paper best fi t when they submitt ed their abstract on-line. This saved the Program Committ ee from having to review all 700 abstracts in order to organize posters by topic. Posters were sorted by category and then fi rst author’s last name to determine abstract numbering within each poster session. Each poster was assigned a unique abstract number that designated it as a symposium or contributed poster, the session, the venue, and fi nally, where in the venue it was located (e.g., CP1-EEX-001 was the fi rst poster in Contributed Poster Session I in the Egan Convention Center Explorer Room). Detailed fl oor plans were developed for each venue showing where poster billboards were located and what billboards held which poster abstract number. These maps were e-mailed to poster presenters one month before the meeting so they’d know where to hang their poster. The fl oor plan maps were also posted in each venue and included in the meeting Program Guide so att endees could locate the posters they were interested in. The 2005 venue maps are included as Appendix 9.

Because there were multiple, sometimes concurrent, poster sessions spread across three venues, we recruited a number of volunteers to help us at the meeting. We generally posted two volunteers at each venue during setup and takedown times, except for Tuesday evening at the Egan Explorer when we scheduled four volunteers to help with the big exchange between Contributed Poster Sessions I and II.

Volunteers directed presenters to their poster space, provided push pins to those who forgot to bring their own (as directed), and removed “orphaned” posters when their author neglected to do so during the scheduled takedown periods. Orphaned posters were rolled up, labeled with the author’s last name, and fi led in boxes near the registration desk for pickup. Due to the large number of posters and the need for smooth transitions between poster sessions, presenters were e-mailed well in advance that they needed to adhere to the poster takedown schedules and that we would not be responsible for lost posters.


Meeting Program

Overall, the 2005 AFS Poster Program went smoothly, considering the large poster turnout and the limited space available. Substantial credit should go to Christine Fletcher and Danielle Hawkins (past and present AFS Abstracts Coordinators, respectively) for their smooth handling of the myriad changes and late cancellations made to the program leading up to the meeting. Over 150 posters were either cancelled or moved to oral presentation between April and September, and we’re aware of only one poster presenter who “slipped through the cracks” and had to be assigned a new abstract number at the meeting so they could present their work.

Wakefi eld Symposium (Sherri Pristash)

The 2005 AFS meeting co-convened with the Alaska Sea Grant Program’s annual Lowell Wakefi eld Fisheries Symposium series. For 2005, the symposium featured Pacifi c rockfi shes. The 23rd Wakefi eld Fisheries Symposium was entitled “Biology, Assessment, and Management of North Pacifi c Rockfi shes.” Alaska Sea Grant worked with the AFS Local Arrangements Committ ee to integrate the Wakefi eld meeting into the larger framework of the AFS meeting, as well as being

a major sponsor of the AFS meeting and seafood reception.

Our keynote speaker was Dr. Milton Love from the University of California at Santa Barbara. The room was packed, standing room only! I estimate we had over 220 people in att endance. Over the course of the oral presentations (48 speakers over three days), we had about 150 participants the fi rst day, 60 to 100 the second day, and down to 40 or 50 the third day. This does not happen at the Wakefi eld meetings—most participants stay to the end of the meeting since annual Wakefi eld meetings do not have concurrent sessions. Some dilution of the 2005 Wakefi eld symposium att endance occurred as a consequence of multiple concurrent sessions.

The fi rst evening, the Wakefi eld meeting hosted a poster social and book signing. A number of people came to purchase the book Rockfi sh of the Eastern Pacifi c and have it signed by Milton Love, Mary Yoklavich, and the artist, Ray Troll. Alaska Sea Grant also featured its book Guide to Rockfi shes of the Eastern North Pacifi c. The poster social had a good turnout with much att ention to the posters and lots of networking. We had some additional visitors who came for the food from

Milton Love, Mary Yoklavich, and the artist, Ray Troll sign copies of The Rockfi shes of the Eastern Pacifi c.

Final Report 31

Meeting Program

the neighboring poster session, but that was not a surprise. People do not seem to be ashamed of taking food wherever they fi nd it.

Being part of the AFS annual meeting had its positive and less positive aspects. On the positive side, Alaska Sea Grant gained some good visibility, we had the opportunity to network with the other organizers and participants, and some of those att ending Wakefi eld sessions were there in part for the larger meeting and other symposia. On the other hand, it was hard for participants to focus specifi cally on the Wakefi eld meeting, there was noticeable commotion in the meeting room when one speaker ended and the next began to speak as participants came and went, and several participants said they prefer the Wakefi eld meeting to be a stand alone event as it usually is. Also, some believe more international speakers would have been drawn if the Wakefi eld symposium were a stand alone meeting.

Overall, Alaska Sea Grant felt it was more benefi cial than not to be part of such a large, well-organized, and recognized event. It was very exciting and we learned a lot. Thank you to the AFS organizing committ ee and AFS for the opportunity to be part of such a great event!

In addition to the Wakefi eld Symposium, Alaska Sea Grant had a booth at the trade show. We wanted to show past Wakefi eld symposium proceedings, general interest books and teaching materials produced by Alaska Sea Grant. Sales were fair and enough people stopped by the booth to make it worth our while to be there.

Website Development and Management (Bill Wilson, Mary Whalen)

Mary Whalen (webmaster of the WDAFS) was our webmaster and was indispensable. Period. She designed our website about two years before we really needed it, and was ready to have it operational literally the day aft er the Madison meeting. We were asked to not make the site live until the previous year’s meeting was over. We agreed, but did have it operational immediately thereaft er.

About 16 months before the meeting, we started to serve the meeting website from the Western Division AFS website

which is hosted with One World Hosting. Mary set up the directory structure under the WDAFS website and the URL was: htt p://www.wdafs.org/anchorage2005/index.htm. WDAFS had plenty of web space and the ability to handle a decent amount of web traffi c. WDAFS did not charge us for the web space.

Mary designed the site based on the meeting poster and used some of Ray Troll’s artwork throughout the site to make it att ractive. The design was made consistent by using the same banner at the top of all pages. She used Macromedia Dreamweaver as the soft ware to develop the website.

We wanted the navigation structure to be simple so it would be easy to get around the site. The original structure included pages for registration, program, lodging, activities, planning your trip (travel info), student activities, continuing education, trade show, committ ee information, sponsors, links, meeting poster, and contact us for more information. Mary continually improved the site as the months went by.

It is important that the webmaster have plenty of time to keep the meeting website updated. This is particularly important during the last month or two before the meeting. There were continual changes that required att ention, including sponsorship additions, announcements about hotel space, and updates on events. Updates were dependent on gett ing information from other committ ee members. For the most part, updates to the website were made in a timely manner, especially as the meeting date approached.

We wanted to make the Meeting Program interactive on our website so that it could be searched and viewed in a number of diff erent formats (e.g., by session, by author). Accomplishing this proved challenging. We recruited Marla Hood, a database programmer from USGS, to help us put the program database into web format and make it interactive. Marla graciously helped us with this task. She had a number of problems converting the existing AFS database to work effi ciently with the web code because the AFS database did not utilize relational tables as well as it could have. For example, there were over 16 author fi elds (with associated fi rst


Meeting Program

names, middle initials and other info) inside the main program database. A relational table with only authors should have been made. Marla worked through the problems with the AFS database and identifi ed the way it needed to be changed to work with the web code. There were many hours spent by Marla because she had to convert the original database to a workable one for the web every time it was updated from AFS in Bethesda.

In addition to developing and maintaining the 2005 AFS meeting website, Mary Whalen also set up a website for the Local Arrangements Committ ee to use to share information. This website was operational for two years prior to the 2005 meeting website. We each had a password to access the site, and there we posted the committ ee member names and contact numbers, minutes from committ ee meetings, notices, pleas for volunteer helpers, etc. We had grand plans for using the site for meeting planning and updates, but that did not pan out due to lack of participation.

RecommendationsThe webmaster should be skilled at creating and maintaining a website effi ciently; otherwise it may take an inordinate amount of time to get necessary information on the web in a timely manner. There were times in which information HAD to be put online fast and it would be unacceptable to have to wait for someone to learn the methods.The original AFS program database should be overhauled into multiple relational tables to help web programmers pull out the data for web use and searching ability. The webmaster should att end as many planning meetings as possible because just about every subject discussed at the meetings had web implications. It was handy to have the notes from these meetings and to be able to provide input or ask questions about what can and cannot go on the website.

Program Guide (Bill Wilson, Andrea Medeiros)

This is perhaps the most important document we produced. The Program Guide contains a

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large spreadsheet of the program as well as tons of information about the meeting, socials, transportation, etc. We decided to try to print the guide as late as possible so we could minimize the number of last-minute program changes we’d have to print separately. This worked well, although our publisher required three weeks to print the guide, so the defi nition of “last minute” included this three-week period. We had to print an addendum, which we were able to produce literally the day before the meeting started. The Program Guide and addendum were both stuff ed into the registration bags. Any additional program changes were posted on the signs at the entry to each of the meeting rooms or on the easels in the poster sessions.

Andrea Medeiros provided the talent and energy to produce our Program Guide. She has incredible skills in using the computer programs we used for laying out the guide, and we really needed Andrea’s expertise to produce a high quality guide. She used some of Ray Troll’s artwork throughout the document which added to its appearance. We used our meeting poster artwork on the front cover, and opted for a fairly plain back cover that complemented the front. No other color was used in the publication to save cost.

We decided to use a fl exible spiral binding based on the type of binding used for the Quebec City and Madison program guides. These guides proved to be very user friendly because they lay fl at when opened. Using the fl exible spiral binding added about $1000 to the printing cost but we felt it was worth the extra money.

The development of the Program Guide took place over a four-month period. The process began with the identifi cation of the guide’s contents; this was based on previous meeting guides. Various people were assigned responsibility for draft ing sections of the document. The Schedule of Oral Presentations, List of Symposia, List of Contributed Posters, and the Index of Authors were all derived from the American Fisheries Society database and proofed by the 2005 AFS meeting webmaster.

The Program Guide was assembled using the desktop publishing soft ware Adobe Indesign CS2. This soft ware has Table of Contents, Paragraph

Final Report 33

Meeting Program

Styles, Master Pages, Links, and Book features that helped to manage and streamline production. Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator were used to convert photos and illustrations to gray-scale or save them in press quality format (tiff ).

The overall look of the book was established by developing paragraph styles and master pages that could be applied during the layout process. Draft s of the Overview and Schedule-at-a-Glance were provided as early as April to allow time to work on formatt ing and design ideas.

Work to assemble the book began in June with a goal of having a page count by the third week of July so publication bids could be solicited. Each section of the book was created in a separate Indesign fi le. The separate fi les were pulled together using the Book feature of the soft ware. This made managing the book easier and allowed for fl exibility in arranging the book sections. As each section of the book was completed, it was sent for review via e-mail as a PDF fi le to the person who had provided the information for the section.

The Schedule of Oral Presentations was the largest section of the book and was therefore important for establishing a page count. It was also a section that required the most last-minute changes. The fi le for this section of the book was provided in Excel format and was derived from the AFS database. The Excel fi le was converted to a PDF and placed into Indesign; this established a link to the fi le. Once the link was established, the PDF fi le could be updated which in turn would update the Indesign fi le for the Program Guide. This made accommodating last-minute changes to the Schedule of Oral Presentations relatively easy.

Once the page count could be established, bids were solicited from four publishers. This occurred during the last week of July, approximately one month before we anticipated sending the Program Guide to the publisher. One of the four prospective publishers thought the job would be too small for them to submit a competitive bid. Three bids were submitt ed and ranged from $16,000 to $25,000 demonstrating the importance of obtaining multiple bids.

On August 9, printed copies of the Program Guide were provided for review to those who

had been involved in its development. A fi nal review meeting was held on August 10 to discuss edits and ensure all participants agreed on the fi nal changes. The 135th Annual Meeting Program Guide was provided to the publisher on the morning of August 12. The publisher was to print 2,500 copies of the program and deliver them to one of the meeting venues by September 6. The publisher met this expectation.

As registrations continued to increase, we decided to do a second printing of the Program Guide, but in black and white. Several hundred additional copies were printed “at the last minute” to accommodate a larger-than-anticipated registration and to provide extra copies for the press, VIPs, staff at the convention center and hotel venues, and for people who lost their guide and asked for another. The black and white copies were very legible and were bound with an inexpensive glued tape.

RecommendationsUse desktop publishing soft ware such as Adobe Indesign to pull together the guide. Make use of the soft ware’s features to effi ciently manage production.Start formatt ing the sections of the guide as soon as text is available.Call several prospective publishers once a page count and the number of copies required has been determined to fi nd out the time frame for publishing the guide and to seek bids.

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Final Report 35

Budget and Finance

Budget and Finance

Budget Introductory Comments (Bill Wilson)

The budget for the 2005 meeting was developed over a four-year period and continually evolved as costs were fi rmed. The defi nition of “evolved” is “went up”. Preparing and maintaining this budget was the General Chairman’s responsibility, with frequent consultation with Betsy Fritz and Gus Rassam. Both periodically suggested modifi cations, but largely AFS let us prepare for the meeting on our own. I enjoyed a great working relationship with all AFS Bethesda staff , particularly Betsy and Gus, which made the fi nancial side of my job so much easier.

Early in the process we made a request to the AFS Governing Board and Gus Rassam to raise the early registration fee for AFS members from $295 to $325, and keep other fees the same as at the 2004 meeting. We had much support for this, as the fee for many of the past AFS meetings had been $295 and we felt it was time to increase the fee, partly because we feared the Anchorage meeting costs would be higher and partly because infl ation had eroded the value of the U.S. dollar and $325 would be a reasonable increase based on infl ation alone. We started discussing this in 2003 and early 2004, but Gus wanted to retain the $295 but suggested the nonmember fees go up. At the Governing Board meeting at Madison in 2004, I presented our proposed budget for their approval; it contained the $295 registration fee structure and a new $450 registration fee for early-registering nonmembers, per Gus’ recommendation. The Board approved the fee structure and the budget. I made it clear it was a planning document and the costs for various elements would likely change by the time the meeting was actually held.

The fee structure approved for 2005:AFS members registering early $295AFS members registering late $395Nonmembers registering early $450Nonmembers registering late $550Student members $95Nonmember students $125Retired AFS members $150One-day registration $150

August 5 was the cut-off date for early registration (the meeting started September 11). We charged $35 for a guest att ending each of the social events (three events were assigned this guest fee). Betsy established a special fee of $125 for staff which included our committ ee members. I gave complimentary registration to our committ ee members who did not have employer sponsorship, and negotiated reduced fees for some committ ee members and certain VIPs.

The issue of profi t was addressed early in the process. Traditionally there is a split of profi ts from the meeting, if any are realized, between the host Chapter and the Parent Society. Whenever a Division co-convenes with the annual meeting, the AFS Division that is co-hosting, the Chapter, and the Parent Society split the profi ts (10/10/80 %). This formula is based on a Governing Board motion approved in August 2003:

“... whenever a Division co-convenes its annual meeting with the parent Society, the Division shall receive 10% of the net proceeds derived from that meeting, provided the Division plays an active role in the Program planning and fund-raising to support the meeting.”

However, the Western Division, who co-hosted the 2005 meeting, proposed an alternative profi t sharing formula based on their desires to have a guaranteed return from the meeting. WDAFS was concerned that by giving up their annual meeting, they would loose some of the revenues from that meeting that they needed for expenses for the coming year. WDAFS offi cers therefore asked that they be relieved of this formula for 2005 and be allowed to keep the fi rst $10,000 raised in their fundraising eff orts, and Gus agreed to this and established a profi t split of 90/10 % to the Parent Society and the Alaska Chapter, respectively.

I started working on a serious budget in early 2003. I structured this fi rst budget and its allocations of spending into categories based partly on the budgets from the past four meetings: Madison, Quebec City, Baltimore, and Phoenix. Some of the budget categories for these meetings


Budget and Finance

were not applicable to the Anchorage meeting. Many were, however, and the general level of spending in certain main categories was helpful to know. I att ended all of those prior annual meetings, and this helped me relate to and understand some of the spending diff erences between cities that hosted the meeting.

My fi rst budget was assembled in 2003 and totaled $480,000, and as it evolved the “fi nal” working budget used just the week prior to the meeting was $708,000 (Table 3). Over the years 2003 through 2005, I continually refi ned the numbers used to estimate costs as bett er information became available. I built in a $30,000 contingency and didn’t need to dip into that until the last few months prior to the meeting. Although not surprising, but yet disconcerting, was the continual escalation in costs of almost every item or service as the last weeks unfolded. A/V was a great deal more than anticipated, and social events costs increased a fair amount in the last few months. Much of this was due to a need to accommodate the incredible registration that materialized. I buff ered those cost increases with the contingency budget amount.

We initially planned a budget based on a projected meeting att endance of 1,500 persons. During the Madison meeting, at which we had a trade show booth to advertise Anchorage and our plans for the 2005 meeting, we learned of people’s enthusiasm for coming to Alaska in 2005. And in early 2005, we started hearing from folks around the country and we revised the expected registration number to 1,700. During the summer of 2005, the on-line registrations started to build, and registrations rushed in as the August 5 date for early registration neared. Based on the numbers as of August 5, we increased our planning number to 2,000. This number continued to increase as late registrations continued to come in. Our fi nal planning number, just weeks before the meeting convened, was 2,300, although we printed programs for 2,500. Final registration was over 2,800!

Our Local Arrangements Committ ee always thought that Anchorage would be a destination that many would want to visit, and we presumed that we might easily surpass the registration levels of the past few meetings. We also were hoping we

could realize the number we used for our initial slogan for the Anchorage meeting: “2005 in 2005”. We hit that number a month before the meeting convened.

As the years progressed and more detailed information was available, I revised the budget fi gures for various categories. I wasn’t surprised to see change and expected it. Social events were our largest budget category; in the end we needed to budget nearly $300,000 for socials. This included seafood that was mostly off set by contributions obtained specifi cally for seafood products and also included an allowance for the Western Division’s and Alaska Chapter’s annual meeting luncheons. Those two events were in our meeting budget because both entities lost revenues they would have received from their annual meetings because they co-convened with the AFS annual meeting. We agreed to help sponsor both events, but required a separate lunch payment to defray part of the costs. Each lunch was supported in our budget at $15 and att endees would pay an additional $10; the $25 lunch included gratuity. Att endance at the luncheons was greatly lower than expected. Fortunately we knew the anticipated att endance early enough to reset the catering plans; we only had to pay for the numbers we guaranteed for lunch; about 125 att ended the WDAFS luncheon (we originally budgeted for up to 600) and about 50–75 att ended the Alaska Chapter lunch (we budgeted for about 200).

Our $708,000 budget included expected revenues from fundraising, the Trade Show and Continuing Education classes, and of course registration fees. As the meeting dates were upon us, we thought we’d see a registration of up to 2,300, and we thought this would adequately buff er any contingencies we would encounter during the week prior to, and the week of, the meeting. My fi nal draft budget with more detailed annotations as it existed the week of the meeting is in Appendix 5.

Finally, I was lucky to have a capable, unfl appable, competent chairman of our budget and fi nance program. I give enormous credit to Larry Peltz who kept me sane during the years of preparations. Larry’s calm way of dealing with issues was the opposite of my approach, and

Final Report 37

Budget and Finance

Categories2005 Budget

($)2005 Actual

($)Percent of Total

General Chair

General Chair Expenses 2,000.00 -1,921.88

Planning Committee Retreat 2,000.00

Welcoming CD Production 1,000.00 -1,549.50

Administrative Assistance 1,000.00 -1,000.00

Worker Breaks 3,272.00 -5,168.76

Memorabilia (to be offset by sales) 11,000.00 -10,272.47

Committee Parking 1,000.00

Committee Housing Contingency 0

Ahlgren Memorial 1,000.00 -910.00

Subtotal 22,272.00 -20,822.61 3.0%

Accommodations

Performing Arts Center 20,320.00 -2,716.50

Labor for Performing Arts Center 9,713.00 -12,162.50

Overtime Labor for Performing Arts Center 1,152.00

Labor for Egan Center 7,000.00 -9,759.60

Meeting Breaks - a.m. and p.m. 54,000.00 -69,296.65

Additional Coffee Service - 7 a.m. Breaks 9,000.00

Business Meeting Refreshments 3,200.00

Guest Services/Spouse and Companion Room 1,000.00 -1,248.00

Local Hospitality 2,000.00 -2,366.67

Communications 0

Egan Drapery Rental 1,000.00 -2,755.00

Box Lunches - Optional for 3 Days 3,375.00

Box Lunches - Catered for Wed Posters 8,106.00 -6,870.00

Tour Cost Recovery 1,000.00

Internet Café -3,715.25

Subtotal 120,866.00 -110,890.17 15.1%

Budget And Fundraising

Credit Card Fees 12,000.00 -15,368.38

Rebate AK Chapter Seed Money 5,000.00 -5,000.00Continued on next page

Table 3. Estimated budget and actual expenditures for the 2005 American Fisheries Society meeting in Anchorage Alaska.


Budget and Finance


($)2005 Actual

($)Percent of Total

Misc Fees/supplies/offi ce 2,500.00 -2,193.97

Fundraising Costs 1,500.00 -500.00

Travel - Committee 11,500.00 -6,840.63

Travel - AFS Headquarters Staff 18,000.00 -26,000.00

Continuing Ed Expenses 8,000.00 -20,693.60

Contingency 5,000.00

Silent Auction Expenses -1,624.34

Subtotal 63,500.00 -78,220.92 10.6%

Program

Program Committee Travel To Anchorage 5,800.00 -3,122.51

Travel for Plenary Speakers 6,000.00 -618.90

Honoraria for Plenary 1,000.00 -1,076.33

A/V 43,000.00 -55,928.75

Photography 1,000.00

Fisheries Insert/Publicity 9,000.00 -5,321.00

Program Printing 14,450.00 -14,499.96

Abstracts CDs 1,950.00 -2,977.10

Poster Easels and Supplies 7,000.00 -4,966.13

Signage/Displays 16,000.00 -3,527.01

Poster Artwork - Commission/troll 4,000.00 -4,000.00

Poster Logos and Other Artwork 2,000.00 -1,050.00

Poster Printing and Mailing 2,200.00 -1,991.69

Shirts for Program Committee 6,000.00 -8,022.85

Shirts for Meeting Workers 2,100.00

Interpreter for Plenary -400.00

Subtotal 121,500.00 -107,502.23 14.6%

Registration

Registration Totes 21,000.00 -26,227.50

Tote Supplement 8,500.00

Student Help (Tentative - May Increase) 6,890.00

Registration Computers 2,000.00

Registration Materials 9,000.00 -1,353.69

Lanyards and Badges 2,000.00 -1,887.01Continued on next page

Table 3. Continued.

Final Report 39

Budget and Finance


($)2005 Actual

($)Percent of Total

Convention Registration -8,323.40

Subtotal 49,390.00 -37,791.60 5.1%

Socials

Trade Show And Poster Social 55,500.00 -46,609.41

Welcoming Social 82,000.00 -89,294.85

Off-Site Social 100,000.00 -108,020.50

Closing Social 6,625.00 -8,500.00

Student Social 10,000.00 -13,690.22

Spawning Run 3,100.00 -1,835.03

Entertainment 600.00 -400.00

Entertainment Set-Up In Egan 2,500.00 -2,800.00

Local Arrangements Social 3,000.00 -3,000.00

Division and Chapter Meeting Luncheons 12,000.00 -7,384.80

Seafood Costs 24,000.00 -27,944.82

Subtotal 299,325.00 -309,479.63 42.1%

Technical Support/miscellaneous

Tech Support 4,000.00 -2,989.00

Student T-Shirts/expenses 7,200.00 -5,721.01

Wdafs Cost Recovery 10,000.00

Speaker Travel Reimbursement -5,783.88

Sea Grant Cost Recovery 10,000.00 -7,967.15

Student Labor -4,391.50

Tours -43,200.00

Subtotal 31,200.00 -70,052.54 9.5%

Grand Total 708,053.00 -734,760.00 100.0%

Table 3. Continued.


Budget and Finance

we complemented each other very well. I was frequently concerned about details, while Larry gently reminded me to get out of the way of our various committ ee chairs and let them do their job. That advice was hard to take occasionally, as I’m a person who gets into the weeds without hesitation. Larry kept the books, kept us all on task without loosing sight of the ultimate goal, and took on the huge job of paying bills and reconciling receipts and dozens of fi nancial details. His work peaked during the week of the meeting and continued at a high level for weeks thereaft er.

We opened an account at our local Wells Fargo bank and set up a checking account that required two signatures for each check. Four people were authorized to sign: Larry Peltz, Ray Hander (the Alaska Chapter treasurer), the recent past Chapter President Carol Kerkvliet, or me. This worked well, although I believe every check we wrote was signed only by Larry and me, but having additional authorized persons gave us some backup and insurance.

Fundraising Introductory Comments (Bill Wilson)

Every meeting General Chairman must face the responsibility for raising funds to help defray the costs of the meeting. This was the job I dreaded most. As General Chairman, I felt that the success of the Anchorage meeting would partly hinge on having suffi cient working funds to pay for the many logistical, social, and commercial costs we would have to incur. We were meeting in Alaska where costs would be higher than in other states or provinces, and I was sensitive to our mandate to not raise the registration fee. I knew that past General Chairs had raised upwards of $100,000, and the pressure on me to do something similar was prett y large. Some of that was self-induced pressure, as Gus Rassam our AFS Executive Director reminded me that we only needed to put on a comfortable meeting, and that making a profi t was not a major factor. I also knew that the Parent Society would raise about $70,000, and along with registration receipts, I felt that we could meet a budget for a good meeting, and thus my goal would be about the same as the Parent Society’s goal; we set that goal at $100,000 initially, but decided this might be too ambitious and reset the goal at $80,000.

The AFS 2005 meeting also was sponsored by the Western Division, whose fundraising goal was initially $50,000, but we lowered that to $40,000 to be more realistic (based on past experience with fundraising, Division offi cers suggested that $30,000 likely could be att ained, and all agreed). The Alaska Sea Grant Program also was a sponsor, since they convened their annual Lowell Wakefi eld Fisheries Symposium together with AFS 2005. Alaska Sea Grant agreed to contribute $10,000 and to help with fundraising, and particularly to help with donations of seafood for our social events. More on that below. In total, our overall fundraising goal was $200,000 (Chapter $80,000; WDAFS $40,000; Sea Grant $10,000; Parent $70,000).

We initially assembled a list of potential people and groups we would ask for support. Some would be requests for in-kind support, but for the most part this list contained groups from which we would ask for a monetary contribution including State and Federal agencies, fi shing companies, other private businesses, and the oil and gas industry given Alaska’s prominence in that area of commercial activity. We identifi ed a specifi c person in each group, obtained addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses, and wrote each a lett er.

Two types of lett ers were draft ed: one for corporate entities and one for agencies. We included in the lett er a list of potential in-kind contributions that could be made, and a form to fi ll out indicating the name and address of the sponsor, what areas they wanted to support, etc. (Appendix 6). We also included a one-page description of the meeting. These lett ers were signed by me or our Fundraising co-Chair, Phil Mundy. We added next to our signature a hand-writt en note to whom the lett er was addressed, indicating our hope that their group would contribute to help make the 2005 meeting a success.

These lett ers resulted in only two or three responses and those responses were from agencies that would have sponsored the meeting any how. In short, writing a lett er to a potential sponsor was almost a total waste of time and resources. We of course didn’t know this at the time and blissfully proceeded to send out dozens and dozens of

Final Report 41

Budget and Finance

lett ers. A copy of the draft agency lett er prototype is Appendix 6 . We did make a few phone calls to follow up, but we soon realized this wasn’t going to work, and aft er many months of waiting I decided to be more involved personally.

I have lived in Alaska for over 30 years, and felt I had enough personal acquaintances in many agencies and potential corporate sponsors that I would try another tactic. What worked for me was personally visiting the agency and its director or key person. If I didn’t know who the director or key person was, I would fi nd a contact within the agency that one of my committ ee members could talk to and fi nd out the name of the “right person”. In nearly all cases, it was the face to face contact that led to our success. I would call the contact I knew or that a committ ee member knew, or I would contact the secretary to the director of the group, and ask for an appointment to explain the upcoming AFS meeting.

I brought to each meeting a poster (the Ray Troll art work was extremely popular and this was a great icebreaker and a nice token of our hope for support to leave behind—plus it was great advertisement for the group’s offi ce walls) and a lett er addressed to the person I was meeting with expressing our wishes that the group would help sponsor the 2005 AFS annual meeting with a fi nancial donation. During the meeting, I would talk about the plans for the 2005 meeting: the program we were preparing, the theme, our plans for Plenary speakers, the various socials and other programs we had planned, and the att endance we expected. I would ask for a specifi c amount of money—usually $5,000 or $10,000.

I was successful with probably 75% of the personal contacts I made. When one agency knew that a sister agency was already on board, that seemed to help spur them to contribute. We off ered agencies the opportunity to contribute over two fi scal years, and that helped some. I didn’t “promise” any signifi cant return on their donation, although we indicated that they would receive recognition in the program, at the Plenary Session, on posters scatt ered through the venues, and on our website. I asked for their logo, in digital form, and we followed through with these promises.

Funds were primarily sent to me at my offi ce address. I recorded the amounts and then physically handed the checks to our Finance Chair, Larry Peltz, since Larry’s offi ce was just a few blocks away. Larry banked the checks and kept records as well so we both could track our successes and failures. AFS in Bethesda periodically sent me a progress report on their fundraising in the Washington, D.C. area. The Parent Society annually contacts Federal agencies and a few other groups in the D.C. area, and for the most part consistently receives donations from each of these contacts year aft er year. We in Alaska agreed to not contact any Federal agency headquarters—just local or regional offi ces—for donations. In many cases we received a contribution for the meeting from the national offi ce and the local/regional offi ce.

Our fundraising started about a year and a half before the meeting. This was a good time to start for agencies, as this gave them the lead time to spread a contribution over two fi scal years to help them aff ord it. We found that private donors were less likely to want to help this far out—the meeting just wasn’t “real” enough a year or more ahead of time. So fundraising continued for about 16–18 months, although I got more focused and active in the last 8–10 months. Since the Western Division of AFS also sponsored this meeting, they followed a similar patt ern for their fundraising, but they only contacted potential sponsors in the Western Division States and Provinces.

The eff orts to complete our fundraising intensifi ed a few months before the meeting, and although we had promises from groups that, collectively, would meet our goal, many were just not materializing. We had to make repeated phone calls or other contacts to check on the status of promised donations. The Western Division ramped up their eff orts during the last three months, and were fortunate to fi nd a sponsor willing to set up a $10,000 challenge grant and that made it a bit easier for them to raise a number of smaller donations that collectively would get them close to their target of $30,000.

In the last weeks before the meeting, Larry Peltz took over the “reminding” responsibilities as I became more and more involved in logistics. Larry successfully obtained all of the outstanding


Budget and Finance

promised donations, and we reached our goal literally during the fi nal few days before the meeting convened. We waited for many weeks aft er the meeting for some donations from the Western Division, but in total reached our goal and actually surpassed it handily.

Fundraising Components (Larry Peltz)

Fundraising consisted of four components: sponsorships, tote bag sponsorships, in-kind donations, and seafood donations. Sponsorships were used to supplement registration income and pay for general meeting expenses. Tote bags sponsorships were used to pay for the direct costs of the tote bags. In-kind donations paid for a variety of items in our budget. Seafood donations were used to buy seafood primarily for the opening night social.

Sponsorships—Sponsorship solicitation was focused in three broad geographic areas. The AFS Offi ce in Bethesda solicited sponsors at the national level. The Western Division solicited sponsors located in the geographic area of the Division. The Local Arrangements Committ ee focused on obtaining sponsors from Alaska. The following discussion only covers the activities of the Local Arrangements Committ ee.

A master mailing list of potential sponsors was developed by the Local Arrangements Committ ee. Alaska has large Federal resource management oversight in the state and numerous large corporations involved in resource development or fi sh harvest. Therefore the focal point of the mailing list was Federal and State agencies with fi sheries ties and large businesses associated with the fi shing industry in Alaska that had the potential to donate $5,000–$10,000. Our rationale was a few large donors would generate more income than lots of small donors.

As mentioned previously, of the 40+ mailings sent out only a few resulted in a sponsorship as a result of the mailing. Most sponsorships were the result of personal contacts made as a follow-up to the lett ers or contacts to an agency or business that didn’t receive a lett er. Personal contacts are by far the best mechanism to obtain sponsorships at the local organizing level. Blanket mailings are a waste of eff ort!

Sponsorship fundraising was quite successful. The Local Arrangements Committ ee raised $167,414. AFS Bethesda raised $79,400 and the Western Division raised $17,000. This totals $263,814 in cash contributions raised by the three entities. All three were “offi cial” AFS sponsors for the 2005 meeting. The Alaska Sea Grant Program also att ained their goal.

Financial Sponsors:Platinum Level ($10,000+)U.S Geological Survey – Alaska Science CenterU.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceNational Marine Fisheries Service – Alaska RegionNorth Pacifi c Fishery Management CouncilU.S. Geological Survey – Biological Resources Division (AFS)NOAA Fisheries (AFS)Alaska Sea GrantNOAA – National Ocean Service (AFS)Exxon-Valdez Oil Spill Trustee CouncilAlaska Department of Fish and Game

Gold Level ($5,000+)ConocoPhillipsU.S. Geological Survey – Western Fisheries Research Center (WD)Sustainable Fisheries Foundation (WD)Bureau of Land Management (AFS)USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (AFS)U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (AFS)Minerals Management Service (AFS)USDA Forest ServiceNOAA – Sea Grant (AFS)Kenai River Sportfi shing Association International Pacifi c Halibut CommissionMeacham FoundationNOAA/NURP – West Coast and Polar Regions Undersea Research Center (AFS)North Pacifi c Research BoardMarine Conservation Alliance

Silver Level ($1,000+)Oceana (AFS)Alaska Fly FishersAmerican Forest and Paper Association (AFS)Kachemak Bay Research Reserve – ADF&G/SFNOAA – Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (AFS)Pacifi c States Marine Fisheries Commission (WD)Colorado/Wyoming Chapter of the American Fisheries Society (WD)Golder Associates (WD)Pacifi c Southwest Research Station – USDA Forest

Final Report 43

Budget and Finance

Service (WD)

Patron Level (up to $1,000)Frigid Units (WD)HDR Alaska Inc.Aquatic Consultants Inc.

Tote Bag SponsorshipsSponsorships were solicited to pay for the tote bags that were passed out with the registration packets. Stan Moberly with Northwest Marine Technology conducted this fundraising eff ort for us. He is a persuasive person. The exterior of the bags the planning committ ee selected had room to display six logos. Based on an estimated production cost of $21,000, 6 sponsorships of $3,500 were sold on a fi rst come basis. One sponsor contributed $4,000 so the total collected was $21,500. The tote bag sponsors were:

Northwest Marine TechnologyLotekBioSonicsSmith-Root Inc.University of Alaska Fairbanks, School of Fisheries

and Ocean SciencesGreat Lakes Fishery Commission

In-kind DonationsIn-kind donations paid for planning of the meeting as well as select components of the meeting. Examples include: cell phones for communication during the meeting, storage space for meeting supplies, logistics planning, meeting planning, extra program pringing, refreshments and decorations. The in-kind donors were:

Eric Knudsen, Consulting Fishery ScientistFish Talk, ConsultingGCINorth Pacifi c Fishery Management CouncilDataFlow Alaska, Inc.BioparOasis Environmental, Inc.Glacier BrewhouseAlaska IBEW Local 1547Wild Salmon on ParadeAnchorage Hilton HotelAnchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau

Seafood Donations (Bill Wilson)One area of fundraising involved acquisition of Alaskan seafood products. Our plan was to showcase Alaska’s fi shery products at the opening social. Tim Joyce and Brian Allee, both long-time Alaskans with contacts in the fi shing industry, co-chaired our Seafood Donations Committ ee. We wanted to have the Hilton put on a seafood spread that everyone would enjoy and remember.

Initially, we contacted a number of seafood companies for donations, but didn’t get much response. I was fortunate to have a number of contacts within the seafood industry, and one individual, Glenn Reed, Executive Director of the Pacifi c Seafood Processors Association, agreed to help. Glenn’s suggestion was to raise the funds necessary to purchase seafood products at wholesale prices. Our Socials Committ ee assembled a menu for the Sunday social, and the Hilton chefs compiled a list of seafood they needed. We provided that to Glenn, and he then raised $19,000 in a few weeks, and we were able to put on an extravaganza that exceeded our hopes. We obtained the help from a local seafood broker, FAVCO, who was able to acquire the products and deliver them to the Hilton. Tim Joyce obtained Copper River sockeye salmon and rockfi sh and halibut from his Cordova fi shermen and processor sources, and Brian obtained Dungeness crab and some oysters and mussels from the Pacifi c Northwest. Joe Sullivan, our Volunteers Committ ee co-Chair, obtained Yukon River king salmon to further enhance our seafood selections. Actually pulling all this off wasn’t easy, and it didn’t really come together until days before the social. But it happened, thanks to the assistance of many individuals, particularly Allison Erickson who coordinated with the Hilton, Dave Trudgen who worked with our caterers for the Wednesday and Tuesday socials, Steve Grabacki who coordinated with FAVCO, and Tim Joyce and Brian Allee who obtained products from their sources. The eff ective value of all of this eff ort was about $80,000 in seafood we were able to procure from donated funds or product.

The seafood donors were:

Marine Conservation AllianceAt-Sea Processors Association


Budget and Finance

Pacifi c Seafood Processors AssociationOcean Beauty SeafoodsCopper River SeafoodsNorth Pacifi c Longline AssociationIcicle SeafoodsUnited States SeafoodsNorton Sound Economic Development CorporationNorQuestAlaska Marine LinesAleutian Islands Brown King Crab CoalitionAleutian-Pribilof Islands Community Development

AssociationCentral Bering Sea Fishermens AssociationLynden TransportUnited Catcher BoatsYukon River Drainage Fisheries AssociationOregon Dungeness Crab CommissionAlaska Sea Grant College ProgramAlaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory ProgramGlenn Reed

RecommendationsDon’t waste your time with mass mailings of lett ers. Personal contacts are needed to get sponsors. You need to engage your membership so that people with contacts can help line up sponsors. It is much easier to get money from people you know than complete strangers.Focus fundraising on large donors. Small donors will eat up lots of energy and result in insignifi cant amounts of money. Ten $5,000 donors are less work than a hundred $500 donors.Agency donations sometimes come with strings (lots of paperwork, fi nal report, etc.). Make sure you have adequate help to do everything that is required.

A master spreadsheet listing the donors that were contacted and the results of all fundraising conducted by the Local Arrangements Committ ee and the WDAFS is available from Bill Wilson.

Silent Auction and Door Prizes (Bob Lafferty)

OverviewEvery year AFS puts on a raffl e or other kind of fundraising event in association with the annual meeting. This event is to raise money to support several student programs. The AFS 2005 meeting

●

●

●

fundraising for the Skinner and Hutt on funds was a bit diff erent from past years’ fundraising events.

The traditional AFS fundraising raffl e was not feasible because of Alaska’s complex and restrictive gaming laws, so a silent auction was planned and implemented during the Anchorage meeting – actually there were two silent auctions. AFS members att ending the meeting were informed of the silent auctions by a single page fl yer included in their registration materials. The fl yer provided details for both silent auctions and how they would benefi t the Skinner Fund and the Hutt on Fund; the Skinner Fund was to receive the benefi ts from the primary auction and the Hutt on Fund would receive proceeds from the secondary auction. For easy recognition both silent auctions were diff erentiated by diff erent color bidding sheets. Silent Auction net proceeds were $9,252, with the Skinner Fund receiving $6,939 and the Hutt on Fund receiving $2,313.

The Silent Auction Subcommitt ee started early—about 2–3 years prior to the 2005 meeting—but in reality that committ ee’s activities are most intense during the year of the annual meeting. The 2005 committ ee developed the procedures for the silent auctions so the event could “fi t” with the meeting’s schedule and venues. The committ ee also collected door prizes which were given away as a special incentive to att ract people to the meeting and to add a litt le levity.

Preparations Committ ee participation and planning are essential throughout the fundraising eff orts. Begin as early as practical; a year in advance is not that uncommon for many non-profi t fundraisers. State non-profi t gaming laws and regulations vary, so investigate early on in the process how raffl es, drawings, and auctions are treated in local laws to ensure appropriate permits are obtained and determine if any reporting is necessary to state authorities. Fundraising reporting requirements by state agencies can be highly detailed, and defi nitely cumbersome with national non-profi t organizations.

CommunicationsIt was very benefi cial to our Silent Auction group to coordinate with the fundraising chair

Final Report 45

Budget and Finance

during Local Arrangements Committ ee meetings. Progress reports on planning milestones, budgeting, and donations were provided to that committ ee on a regular basis. Several members of the Local Arrangements Committ ee assisted with suggestions and donation contacts for the silent auction.

DonationsContributions from past Trade Show vendors as well as from local businesses provided most of the fundraising items for the 2005 silent auctions. Many AFS vendors continue a strong tradition of supporting meeting fundraising. The committ ee is extremely appreciative of Northwest Marine Technology, Mercury Outboards and YSI Instruments for their contributions and sustained support. A variety of items was contributed to the 2005 auctions from many Alaskan artists and vendors. Several AFS chapters contributed items or supporting funds. Very few items were purchased, but the committ ee felt strongly that some balance in the auction items was needed, so two small hand-made quilts were commissioned and a few items were purchased at cost. These purchases were small and thus helped to maintain a low overhead.

Soliciting for donations is a time consuming and daunting task; starting early with an introduction lett er on AFS Chapter lett erhead was very helpful. As donations are received, a secure storage area is needed and easy shipment receiving is essential. A basic understanding of shipping requirements was helpful to contributors seeking additional information. As donations arrived they were documented and organized between auctions and door prizes.

Most donated hats, shirts, calendars, and some books were utilized for door prizes. The Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau was most helpful with suggestions and provided att ractive plastic bags to hold door prizes. The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute contributed a variety of colorful and att ractive seafood posters. A couple of local fl y tying groups donated several dozen fl y boxes each full of hand-tied fl ies as door prizes. Our initial plan was to give away these door prizes at the Trade Show, or perhaps at the off -site social, or both events. We determined that

the congestion and noise levels at such events would not be conducive to announcements of prize winners, so we decided instead to distribute door prizes in a new way. Our registration chairman, Allen Bingham, developed a procedure to identify every registrant with a unique number, which was printed on every person’s name tag. Through a random numbers generator, we pre-selected door prize recipients from the universe of registration numbers. A random drawing was conducted in advance by over estimating the number of registrants. Winning nametag numbers were then posted and displayed for easy recognition. The display was in the Trade Show at the silent auction booth; this further att racted people into the Trade Show area and also att racted people to the auction area where they could view the prizes and hopefully bid on items in the auction. All children accompanying parents received a door prize poster. It took the committ ee approximately a half a day to bag and staple door prizes bags. Storing and handling over 250 door prizes can be cumbersome; using wheel totes that could be stored under auction tables was very useful to move them from storage to the silent auction booth.

Several local fi shing charters were donated for the silent auctions. And the committ ee off ered Trade Show vendors the option to underwrite a booth drawing to increase Trade Show participation. Only Northwest Marine Technology capitalized on this option by underwriting two complete sport-fi shing charter packages. Each fi shing package included overnight lodging for two and three days of car rental. Committ ee members created an advertising poster for the Northwest Marine Technology booth drawing and organized the entire drawing for the staff . The names of two winners of these grand prizes were drawn which was a highlight of the Trade Show.

Trade Show Booth Organization Some thought and consideration is needed to display donated items. Some items are best displayed on a wall, such as quilts or prints. Tables were oriented to allow people to browse freely among the silent auction items. Several small freestanding shelves and display holders were advantageous for displaying items. Providing a bit of fl exibility in the display of items


Budget and Finance

will help accommodate any donations that arrived late.

A number of prints, photographs and posters also were donated at the Anchorage meeting. The committ ee modifi ed the booth design and organized a small art gallery at one end of the booth. One concern of the committ ee was the framing of prints and how the winner would travel with an oversized item. Most of the prints were shrink-wrapped on foam core, unless the frame was included in the donation.

Coordinating with the Trade Show organizer is essential to obtain a location with a high traffi c area; booth space adjacent to the food service during the Trade Show social was benefi cial.

Silent Auction and Booth OperationsThe Silent Auction kicked off with the Monday Trade Show social and closed towards the end of the Trade Show on Wednesday aft ernoon. A tremendous amount of interest was generated during the social because the booth was adjacent to the food and beverage service. The browse-through booth design invited att endees to look through the auction items. Each auction bidder received a string of colored fi sh Mardi Gras beads as a gratuity. Many people wore their fi sh beads throughout the meeting to show their support of the meeting fundraising. One of our committ ee members suggested that we try a “buy it now” option for many of the auction items. This additional option was very successful as it encouraged people to not wait until the end of auction for their bid. Approximately a quarter of the silent auction items were purchased using the “buy it now” option. Additionally, this option helped to reduce the volume of items as the auction closed. Some of the best sellers were quilts, carved fi sh, artwork, jewelry, leather goods, art prints and fi shing equipment.

The details in operating a silent auction booth were many: the process for setup; organizing items with bid sheets; staffi ng and scheduling; cash box and credit card sales; and take down. The committ ee developed a specifi c plan for each of these aspects. At the end of the silent auction, we surprisingly had approximately 20 items that were not claimed, so we provided an opportunity

for late pick up at the registration desk the following morning.

A personal thank you to vendors that contributed was well received during the Trade Show.

Table 4. Silent Auction AccountingExpenses Postage Donation Letters ($27.00)Fundraising Flyer Printing ($200.00)Silent Auction Materials

Bidder Sheets ($50.00)Pens ($20.00)Gold Fish Bowl ($20.00)Clipboards ($20.00)Easel Lumber and Hardware ($100.00)

Quilts ($130.00)Shipping for Trolling Motor ($100.00)Fish Beads & Shipping ($250.00)Print Shrink-Wrap and Foam Core ($182.00)Ulu Knife & Wooden bowel ($40.00)Jewelry ($60.00)

Door Prize Poster Materials ($10.00)Fishing Charter Drawing

Poster material ($20.00)Drawing Tickets ($15.00)Gold Fish Bowl ($20.00)Two B&Bs (overnight for 2) ($200.00)Two Car Rentals (three days) ($300.00)

Total Expenses ($1,789.00)

ProceedsCash Donation: AFS Northeast Chapter $300.00Fishing Charter Underwriting NWMT $2,500.00Silent Auction $8,241.00Total Proceeds $11,041.00Total Expenses ($1,789.00)Net $9,252.00

Fund DistributionSkinner Fund $6,939.00Hutton Fund $2,313.00

Final Report 47

Budget and Finance

Recommendations

Consider providing some type of interactive game during the Trade Show Social; it might be well received. If the socials are at diff erent locations, consider having a small silent auction table with a few items, but this will require more planning and staffi ng. Provide business cards for local packaging and shipping service.

Budget and Accounting (Larry Peltz)

The 2005 AFS meeting in Anchorage was a huge success. Total cash income for the meeting was $1,054,572. Total expenditures were $734,760. These numbers include the silent auction expenses and profi ts that went to the Skinner and Hutt on Funds. Also included are Chapter memorabilia and T-shirt expenses and T-shirt profi ts that went to the Alaska Chapter. Net income for the meeting was $302,725.

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IncomeIncome was from numerous sources (Table 5). Registration comprised the majority (64.2%) of the income. Alaska Chapter and Parent Society fundraising activities accounted for 21.5% of the income. The remaining 15.3% came from a large number of small revenue sources.

The Alaska Chapter raised a great deal of money. The Chapter was fortunate to have numerous members with contacts in agencies and industry. It is probably unrealistic for future meeting hosts to expect to raise this much money.

Expenses (See Appendix 5, Estimated Budget and Income)The largest meeting expenses were for the socials which made up 42.1% of total meeting expenditures. The second largest expense was for meeting accommodations (15.1%). Most categories fi nished with expenditures close to budgeted levels. Total expenditures were 3.7% greater than the total amount of money budgeted (money we

Table 5. Income sources for the 2005 American Fisheries Society meeting in Anchorage Alaska.

Income Source Goal Actual

Actual as a Percent of Total

Fundraising Parent AFS $70,000 81,000.00 7.7%

AK Chapter Fundraising (Excluding tote bag $) $79,000 124,500.00 11.8%

Western Division Fundraising $30,000 14,394.80 1.4%

Alaska Chapter Seed Money $5,000 5,000.00 0.5%

Vendor Contributions For Tote Bags (AK Chapter) $21,000 21,500.00 2.0%

AK Chapter Tote Supplement Fundraising $8,500*

AK Chapter Sea Grant Fundraising $10,000*

Memorabilia Sales $9,000 10,697.00 1.0%

Trade Show $10,000 10,000.00 0.9%

Registration $567,050 677,510.00 64.2%

Continuing Ed Registration $8,000 26,805.00 2.5%

Spawning Run $2,000 5,215.00 0.5%Continued on next page


Budget and Finance

estimated we’d have as income). Considering that we planned a meeting for 2,000 people and 2,800 people showed up, the small cost overrun is not bad; note that fi nal income greatly surpassed expenses!

Several expense overruns merit discussion. Early morning coff ee and refreshments at breaks need to be closely monitored. These items are extremely expensive ($69,297) so you need to make sure you don’t order more than really needed. Since we had more people than planned at the meeting, we had to add signifi cantly to our breaks. Another large cost overrun occurred with our A/V contractor. These cost overruns occurred because pre-meeting planning was not suffi cient to detail the expected costs. Last minute A/V adjustments were necessary to accommodate the large number of papers presented.

RecommendationsUse good accounting soft ware to monitor your money. It will save you time and energy.Don’t have the General Chair be one of the check co-signers. The General Chair has enough to do without signing hundreds of checks.

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Adjust the budget as needed. Don’t draw up a budget 3 years before the meeting and try to stick to it. You need to adjust the budget as costs change or become more refi ned.There is no standardized budget for making comparisons between years. Each planning committ ee does its own thing, resulting in an inability to make direct comparisons of meeting costs. It would be benefi cial for the Parent Society to develop a standardized budget with some defi ned categories so partial comparisons could be made from year to year.Don’t accept any pass through funds! Several groups in Alaska wanted to pay speaker air travel and per diem costs for select symposia. Their administrative rules made it diffi cult for them to do that. However, they were more easily allowed to give AFS funds for the meeting so we could pay the speaker costs. This was a real hassle and resulted in extra accounting work that wasn’t essential for the meeting. I urge future meeting hosts to steer clear of any arrangement similar to this.

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Income Source Goal Actual

Actual as a Percent of Total

Student T-shirts/income $7,200 13,132.00 1.2%

Silent Auction 10,876.00 1.0%

Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau Credit - Offsets Performing Arts Center Labor $20,000*

In-kind Support $10,000*

Box Lunch Sales $10,133*

Seafood Donations $19,000*

Tours 36,770.00 3.5%

Guest Fees 14,210.00 1.3%

Misc. 2,962.00 0.3%

Total $885,883 1,054,581.80 100.0%*Actual amount included in another category.

Table 5. Continued.

Final Report 49

Budget and Finance

Final Accounting (Bill Wilson, Larry Peltz)

Aft er the meeting, and aft er all the bills were in a pile and then paid, we compiled a summary ledger reconciling all the income and expenditures categories (Table 6). Then the fi nal net income from the meeting could be determined. With the registration fees from over 2,800 people in all categories, proceeds from the continuing education classes and silent auction, and fundraising money, the 2005 meeting grossed approximately $1,050,000.00. The “fi nal” costs to put on the meeting were approximately $735,000.00. The term “fi nal” means the amounts we thought we had to cover based on receipts in hand several months aft er the meeting was over. To our surprise, additional bills came in well aft er we “closed the books” and luckily we had the ability to cover those costs aft er the above numbers were fi nalized (a few hundred dollars—totally insignifi cant). These additional costs do not aff ect the overall magnitude of the fi nal budget

numbers, and thus are not worth discussing further. But future meeting planners should realize that the fi nance work isn’t necessarily “over” many months aft er the meeting ends, and you should have some kind of contingency to be able to pay such bills—perhaps through a pre-arranged agreement with AFS Bethesda. We chose to just pony up the money to make this simpler rather than ask AFS Bethesda to write checks. This way the money was paid immediately to a creditor. Of course, if the bill were large, we would have talked with Bethesda.

Disposition of Profi tsAs discussed previously, the profi t split for the 2005 meeting was agreed to beforehand: 90/10 percent to the Parent Society and the Alaska Chapter. The Western Division, per their request, was paid $10,000. Less this $10,000, net profi ts realized were $308,360 of which $276,524 and $31,836 were distributed to AFS Bethesda and the Alaska Chapter, respectively.

Meeting Expenses Paid by AFS Bethesda$ (649.83) Poster Mailing$ (280.82) Poster Mailing$ (1,061.04) Poster Mailing$ (4,000.00) Ray Troll Contract$ (8,323.40) Event Registration$ (5,321.00) Fisheries Supplement

$ (1,802.10) CD Production$ (1,175.00) CD Mailing$ (3,002.40) Continuing Education—A/V Cost$ (2,779.20) Continuing Education—Hilton Food and Beverage$ (1,485.00) Continuing Education—University of Alaska Lab

(13,427.00) Continuing Education—Instructor Fees$ (364.00) Spawing Run—Municipality of Anchorage$ (1,076.33) Plenary Speaker—Heather Tausig$ (26,000.00) Staff Travel (Estimate)$ (4,000.00) Poster Boards (Estimate)$ (15,368.38) Credit Card Charges$ (668.00) Ribbons$ (298.13) Printing Costs


Table 6. Final Accounting (Larry Peltz)


Budget and Finance

Table 6. Continued$ (91,081.63) Total “Owed” to AFS Bethesda From Meeting Proceeds

Revenues Received by AFS Bethesda (Meeting Proceeds)$ 81,000.00 Donations to AFS Bethesda$ 677,510.00 Registration$ 26,805.00 Continuing Education Classes$ 4,935.00 Spawning Run$ 14,210.00 Guest Fees$ 36,770.00 Tours$ 2,962.00 Miscellaneous Fees (Bag Stuffi ng, etc.)$ 25,250.00 Alaska Contributions (U.S. Forest Service, USGS, Pacifi c

Corps, USFWS) Collected at AFS Bethesda$ 10,000.00 Trade Show$ 879,442.00 AFS Bethesda Revenues Received$ (550,000.00) Less Working Funds AFS Periodically Sent to Local

Arrangements Committee$ 329,442.00 Cash in Hand AFS Bethesda

Reconciliation of Meeting Proceeds$ 329,442.00 Cash In Hand AFS Bethesda$ 80,000.00 Local Arrangements Committee Cash In Hand $ (91,081.63) “Owed” to AFS Bethesda$ 318,360.37 Total Meeting Profi t

Allocation of Meeting Profi t$ 31,836.04 AFS Alaska Chapter (10%)$ 10,000.00 AFS Western Division$ 276,524.33 AFS Bethesda

These numbers include a $10,000 rebate to the Alaska Sea Grant Program and repaying the Alaska Chapter $5,000 for the seed money they contributed at the beginning of the planning for the 2005 meeting.

The net profi t of $318,360 eclipses past meeting proceeds by a large margin, and should not be expected in future meetings unless extraordinary eff orts are put into fundraising and cost control, and a very large att endance materializes.

Final Report 51

Registration

Registration


We were fortunate to have Allen Bingham step up and take on the responsibility for all registration activities. While the registration process is an eff ort that largely occurred just prior to and during the meeting, Allen was an integral member of the Local Arrangements Committ ee and helped with many diff erent aspects of meeting planning including the website, the master schedule, taking notes during committ ee meetings, posting information to the Alaska Chapter membership, helping to make decisions involving the budget, and of course advanced planning for the eventual on-site registration process.

Allen coordinated with Bethesda, as they are responsible for on-line registration, and they collect registration fees right up to the last couple weeks before the meeting starts. Then Allen took over and coordinated all of the overall registration activities during the meeting week. His subcommitt ee handled all of the pre-registrations, and Bethesda staff coordinated all the on-site registrations. Allen is a biometrician, and is familiar with numbers. Organization is his strength (although if you visit his offi ce you might question that), and he used his skills in those areas to my amazement. Future committ ees would do well to consider placing a person with such talents.

Allen had coordinated registration for another large AFS meeting in 1998, he helped the 2004 Madison meeting registration team, and thus had the experience and insights that proved valuable. I left this activity almost entirely to Allen. I like to be involved in everything, and many of my committ ee members reminded me that they were fully competent and I didn’t need to get “into the weeds” with every aspect of the meeting. I tried to heed their advice and in the case of registration, I left it in the capable hands of Allen. His report is later in this document.

One fi nal note about registration: we were very fortunate to have a last-minute volunteer join our registration team—Randy Bailey. A former Alaskan and long-time AFS active member, Randy

decided he’d off er his help in any way we could use it. And use him we did. Randy helped at the registration table throughout the entire meeting, starting with the weekend and continuing through Thursday at noon. Randy helped solve problems, spelled Allen so he could att end to issues away from the registration area, and became a catalyst that made the on-site registration process go smoothly. We were fortunate to have Randy join the team.

Name tagsThe decision was made early to provide name badges to everyone using the largest available size. We found a local source for name badge materials, but their name badges and holders were smaller than we wanted. We planned to use some of Ray Troll’s artwork on the name badges, and we needed a large name tag to accommodate not only that artwork but also to allow us to print the name of the registrant in large bold lett ers that would be readable from several feet away. One of our main concerns was the visibility of the name badge. We thus went to a commercial vendor. More on this in Allen’s report.

Registration logisticsRegistration plans initially called for a registration desk at the Hilton for the fi rst two days—Saturday and Sunday—and then move to the Egan Convention Center for Monday through Thursday. We wanted to be able to off er registration in the facility where continuing education classes were to be held and where the opening social was located. The issue was convenience for those arriving over the weekend, since the convention center would not be open until Monday morning. But we realized that space in the Hilton precluded having any registration set up there, so we moved it—aft er the program was printed—and thus had to have signs telling people to walk to the Egan Convention Center so they could get their registration packets and their name badges, which they would need for the opening social. I didn’t think this would be very convenient, but it worked very well. And in the Hilton we set up a student table, where we would provide information, and the students sold


Registration

T-shirts and a variety of other memorabilia and generally talked with early arrivers, and gave them more personal directions to the registration tables in the convention center.

Anticipated number of registrantsDuring the months before the meeting began, Allen periodically obtained the latest statistics on registrations received and converted those into a spreadsheet and forecast model that proved invaluable. Allen compared the rate at which registrations came in, and compared this to the past two AFS annual meetings. He used these data to forecast the likely eventual turnout, and we found this incredibly helpful in planning. It certainly gave us warning that we might see a very large, record-sett ing registration, and thus we planned for this as best we could using Allen’s helpful numbers. One of Allen’s early as well as his fi nal pre-meeting forecasts are presented in Appendix 7.

Registration Process (Allen Bingham)

Pre-registrationThe AFS main offi ce contracted a third party that handled the online web-based registration system. The system used in 2005 was essentially the same as that used in 2004 with some improvements. In addition to the online pre-registration system the main AFS offi ce also handled pre-registrations via regular registration forms available both online and hardcopy (e.g. published in Fisheries). The hardcopy registration forms could be submitt ed both by regular mail and via FAX. The main AFS offi ce also handled additions, deletions, and cancellations to a registrant’s selections for the meeting (e.g. adding or deleting a short course registration, etc.). Overall the online and hardcopy pre-registration process ran smoothly; however, there were some ‘glitches’ that I outline below in the hopes that future meeting organizers can avoid repeating these mistakes.

Periodic electronic reports were obtained from the main AFS offi ce with pertinent information about all registrants. These reports were used to develop the projections on the anticipated number of registrants. I worked interactively with staff from the AFS offi ce regarding information in the reports. While developing the projections

I discovered substantive instances of duplicate registrations that occurred due to a variety of sources. The overall occurrence of duplicate registrations was quite low; however, there did not seem to be any system developed by the third party contractor to identify or correct duplicate registrations.

One of the more frustrating issues related to the online pre-registration process was the design and implementation of the process for registering for the Spawning Run and ordering the associated T-shirt size for each Spawning Run registration. The soft ware allowed registrants to indicate T-shirt sizes for the main registrant and any guest regardless of whether or not they registered for the Spawning Run. This problem was a repeat of the experiences of the 2004 meeting in Madison, and was identifi ed early on as something that would be addressed during development of the 2005 online registration system. Unfortunately, the problem was repeated and not resolved satisfactorily prior to implementation of the online system.

An additional although less problematic issue caused some diffi culties related to the fi elds used to develop the name badges for the meeting. Early in the online pre-registration process, the electronic form did not exactly match the fi elds on the hardcopy forms. Specifi cally, the online form at fi rst only “asked” registrants to provide Affi liation (as it should appear on the name tag), whereas at a later date the form was revised to include the additional question Name (as it should appear on the name tag). The result was that information in the electronic data base had some records with the affi liation in the fi eld called Name (as it should appear on the name tag), and or with this fi eld as blank. Additionally, some of the Name (as it should appear on the name tag) values had just people’s fi rst names rather than how their full name should appear on the name tag. Similar issues related to the fi eld Affi liation (as it should appear on the name tag) as compared to the fi eld called Registrant Company. I ended up addressing these problems in two ways: (1) I used a variety of text-handling functions in Excel to piece together the information provided by registrants as captured by the online forms, and (2) I contacted a few select registrants for

Final Report 53

Registration

additional information for developing the name badges. The resultant name badge information was reviewed by a number of volunteers prior to printing to catch and correct additional mistakes/issues (for example ‘nonsense’ country/city combinations, repeats of fi rst name, etc.).

Another problem arose due to the structure of the online pre-registration form, in that it did not allow for registering for only a continuing education course without registering for the conference. This shortcoming mostly impacted local (Alaskan) professionals who wanted to take advantage of one or more of the continuing education opportunities, but were apparently not interested in att ending the meeting. Additionally, certain combinations of one-day registrations (e.g. Monday and Thursday) were not provided or allowed via the online registration form. Registrants that desired these “un-planned-for” combinations had to contact the main AFS offi ce to address their needs.

In addition to developing att endance projections from the periodic electronic registration database reports, information gleaned from the reports was transmitt ed periodically to the Local Arrangements Committ ee members responsible for planning the various social events, tour opportunities, as well as the organizers of the Spawning Run (including information on the numbers and sizes of T-shirts for the run). Communication to the organizers of continuing education courses of the numbers and names of registrants for each course was the responsibility of the main AFS offi ce. However, I was involved in sending out reminder-announcements to registrants and others regarding available space in continuing education courses. Cancellation of some courses due to insuffi cient registrants occurred for some of the classes and was communicated to class registrants by the main AFS offi ce.

Pre-registration name information was matched to an electronic list of names of the paper and poster presenters as well as session moderators. As late as early August a number of presenters and moderators had failed to register for the meeting. An e-mail-merged reminder that registration was required was generated to a total of 341 presenters and moderators who had not registered to date.

This reminder had been handled in previous years by the main AFS offi ce, but was handled locally in 2005 due to some “glitches” in the AFS e-mail systems at the time of need for generating the reminders (as well as my resources and familiarity with generating e-mail reminders of this sort).

Name badge printing and stuffi ngWe used a 4.25” by 3” name badge form with the Ray Troll artwork and basic meeting identifi ers preprinted by the name badge company (see Appendix 8). A total of six diff erent backgrounds were used, matching with the position on the name tag forms. A mail-merge MS Word form was used to create the name badge information for printing. The mail-merge used the information from the MS Excel registration data base (developed from reports from the AFS offi ce). Line 1 (and 2 for long names) of the name badge had the fi rst and last name of registrants, the next line indicated the affi liation for main registrants or the word “GUEST” on a grey background for guests of the main registrant. The affi liation/guest line was followed by the City, State/Country of each registrant. An additional line was used to indicate one-day registrations, which were printed on a grey background. Finally, for all pre-registrants a sequential number on a grey background was printed on the lower right corner of each name tag. This sequential number was used for the “door prizes” as described in the Silent Auction and Door Prizes section of this report.

The following describes the type face and point size used for the name badges:

Registrant name: Arial Black, 32 pointAffi liation/Guest, City, State/Country: Arial Black, 14 pointSingle-day registration information: Arial Black, 10 pointDoor prize number: Comic Sans MS, 9 Point

A total of 2,405 name badges were printed prior to the meeting. The name badges as well as social event tickets, identifying ribbons for some registrants (e.g. presenter, past President, host, etc.), and receipts were stuff ed in identifying envelopes prior to the meeting as well. A total of 2,152 envelopes were printed with identifying

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Registration

information for each main registrant using an MS Word mail merge program using the registration data base. Each envelope was stuff ed with the name badge(s), etc. for each main registrant as well as each guest for the associated main registrant. It took about 100 person-hours (very rough estimate) over a two-day period to print name badges and envelopes, and to stuff the envelopes. The preprinted envelopes and their contents were presorted alphabetically by last name and organized into envelope “banker boxes” for use during the registration desk hours during the meeting.

Meeting bag stuffi ng activities were also conducted prior to the meeting and are described more fully in the later subsection titled Bag Stuffi ng.

On-site Registration ActivitiesThe two primary “duties” for the on-site registration desk include (1) processing pre-registered att endees, and (2) handling walk-on registrants. Pre-registered att endees were processed by the local volunteer registration staff , whereas walk-on registrations as well as any changes/additions to registrations for pre-registrants were handled by main AFS staff . An additional important duty for the registration desk staff was to serve as the main “command central” for communication to all local arrangement entities as well as answering questions from any and all.

The registration desk was open from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday (September 10), 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday, 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Monday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, and 7 a.m. to noon on Thursday. Registration desk set-up began about 8 a.m. on Saturday, and approximately ½ hour before opening on the other days in the week. The busiest days for registration were Sunday and Monday. In addition to the Registration Chair the yeoman volunteer eff orts put in by Randy Bailey (as noted above) were supplemented by a large cadre of volunteers that helped hand out registration envelopes, registration bags, and answer questions, etc. During peak periods I recommend at least 6 staff working 4–6 lines (early in the week 6 lines, later in the week 2–4 lines). Later in the

week staffi ng needs at the pre-registration portion of the registration desk could be handled by 3–4 volunteers.

The on-site registration portion of the registration desk was handled by the AFS main staff . Computer and printer needs for the on-site registration, as well as reprinting name tags for pre-registrants (for name snafus, etc), included one main computer and printer capable of handling the name badge card stock. Additionally, a separate computer/laptop with internet access was used by AFS staff to access the online registration database as well as the membership database for look-ups, etc.

The registration desk used one dedicated internet access line full-time, and periodically used an additional line for periodic lookups. The on-site registration desk also needed a dedicated phone line for the credit card machine. One land-line phone line was used for central communications (supplementing the cell phones used by the local arrangements staff ).

Although most registration activities went smoothly during the meeting a few glitches in the system arose—mostly regarding printing of name badges, especially early-on in the meeting. A pre-meeting coordination briefi ng between the AFS staff and the local registration volunteers was NOT held in 2005, but is highly recommended for future meetings and would have helped avoid problems. Additionally, an additional printer would have helped alleviate the name badge printing backlog.

Meeting bags (Bill Wilson)This was quite a project. We knew we wanted to give every registrant a bag of some sort that they could use to carry around the meeting program, Anchorage visitor literature, local maps, trade show items, and other “stuff ” everyone ends up collecting at an AFS meeting. In past AFS meetings the local committ ees have given out briefcases, boat bags, small backpacks, tote bags, and even tackle boxes.

We wanted to do the same, and so we searched for ideas, and sett led on a briefcase on which we could print the name of the meeting, etc. As we investigated possible ideas for what to print on

Final Report 55

Registration

the bags, Karen Lybrand’s name emerged. Karen works with Ray Troll, our poster designer, and Karen used her incredible computer graphics skill to color Ray’s fi sh artwork prepared for the AFS 2005 meeting poster. Karen had some neat ideas for what to print on the registration bags, and we let her imagination run. To make a long story short, she used a portion of the artwork from the Ray Troll poster, and her design was colorful and att ractive. We printed it on as a “photo real” and also screen printed fi sh designs onto the cloth fabric.

The AFS 2005 registration bag became an instant hit and possible collector’s item. Although I haven’t seen it on eBay yet, I have been inundated with requests from people who did not att end the meeting but want one. We manufactured 2,450 bags, and had none left at the end of the meeting, and some people who walked in and registered on site did not receive a bag as we simply ran out. Never in our imagination did we expect to need that many.

During the 2004 meeting in Madison, I brought along some of the design ideas we were thinking about. At the 2004 Trade Show I showed the design to Stan Moberly, who immediately in his usual enthusiastic manner said he’d fi nd the money to fully pay for the bags. I estimated we’d need about $21,000 and Stan said he’d fi nd it all. He did. We agreed to print the logo of the sponsoring companies on one side of the bag, and six groups stepped up with $3,500 each (one contributed $4,000). In exchange we also gave each group who sponsored the bag about 20 bags for their employees.

The registration bags increased in cost a bit, as Karen Lybrand felt we needed to embroider some of the lett ering to give the bags greater longevity, and we raised some additional funds to pay for that additional cost. The bags eventually cost about $10 each including manufacture, embroidery, photo real screenprint, and shipping. Our initial budget estimated about $6 per bag, but then increased to about $10 per bag when we added the costs for embroidery and an additional screenprint set-up charge. We were incredibly pleased with the outcome of this eff ort. The one cliff hanger was a glitch in shipping the bags: the manufacturer told us about two months before the

meeting that they would deliver the bags the week of the meeting, which we said wouldn’t work. They reworked the production schedule and came through for us, and aft er some nail biting, the bags arrived about two weeks before the meeting started, giving us plenty of time to prepare them for the bag stuffi ng process. But we started the order for the bags about eight months ahead of time, so having it run right up to the last minute was hard given the immense amount of planning eff ort that went into the project and the amount of money we had to spend (and raise) to pay for them. I thank Jeff Anderson of PromoPeddler.com for his enthusiasm and expert assistance in making this all happen. We were particularly thankful for Stan Moberly’s successful fundraising along with some last minute work here in Alaska. The registrants essentially paid nothing from their registration fees for this part of the meeting.

Bag Stuffi ng (Jane DiCosimo, Allen Bingham)The meeting tote bag serves as a briefcase during the meeting, and has some utility aft er the meeting ends – as a backpack, briefcase, tackle box, etc. For 2005, the cordura cloth soft briefcase with Ray Troll artwork printed on the fabric worked well as a briefcase and also served as a means for fundraising.

Into these tote bags we placed a variety of items—most importantly the meeting abstracts CD, the Program Guide, and a supplement to the Program Guide with all the last minute program changes. Of course we also had a large number of other

Volunteers work to stuff meeting bags.Volunteers work to stuff meeting bags.


Registration

items to “stuff ” into the tote bags including items commercial companies paid for the privilege, local tourism information, and some seafood advertisements and recipe brochures.

Approximately 12 volunteers packed and moved the meeting material from storage to stuffi ng in approximately three hours. Approximately 25 (mostly diff erent) persons worked all or part of 1 1/2 days to collate approximately 20 inserts for 2450 meeting bags.

In addition, the Local Arrangements Committ ee decided to give every registrant a luggage tag. We used Ray Troll’s artwork printed on card stock and purchased empty luggage tags and rubberized att achment loops. We knew there could be lost and misplaced bags, and given what we thought would be the high value of the bags, registrants could immediately personalize their bag by att aching a luggage tag with their business card and the artwork card (blank on one side to allow a person to write their name, etc.). We believed this was a success (almost no bags were “lost”).

The luggage tag card that was printed with Ray Troll’s artwork and inserted into the empty luggage tag.

Final Report 57

Accommodations

Accommodations


Many Venues—Many DetailsWhat can I say about Bill Hauser? Bill took on probably the lion’s share of the work putt ing on the 2005 meeting. He was the fi rst to “sign up” to help with the planning eff orts for the meeting, way back in 2001, and has been solid since then. Even a month aft er the meeting ended, as I write this section of this report, Bill is still hard at work reconciling bills at the Hilton and writing his part of this report. Bill agreed to take on the responsibilities for all the convention facilities and local hotel arrangements. This meant coordinating all activities in the Alaska Center for Performing Arts, the Egan Convention Center, and the Hilton, our host hotel. He coordinated catering, signage, space assignment, scheduling, and other logistics in all the facilities. This was way too much for a single individual, but Bill has large shoulders and a big heart and without complaint att ended to the many details required to make the meeting a success. I’d guess he spent full time on this for months and months, and part time for many years, all on his own nickel as he is self employed. The meeting was a success largely due to Bill’s contributions, diligence, and att ention to details.

We necessarily were spread out into three main facilities, two of which were connected by a sky bridge. We feared that separation of space would be a problem, but with signage and lots of preplanning it went okay. Anchorage is now planning to build a new larger convention facility, and in 2008 or 2009 it will be ready for a convention as large as the AFS 2005 meeting! So we could do this again in the future (not me, but someone could).

When we agreed to bid for the 2005 meeting, we knew we’d be stretched to accommodate a large turnout. We knew we’d have crowded meeting rooms and people spread out in multiple buildings. But it worked – sort of; we did get complaints about crowded and stuff y rooms. The Wakefi eld Fisheries Symposium fi t into the Hilton and this worked well for them, although they were crowded on some days. This semi

self-contained symposium extended through the entire meeting, so logically we thought it could be in a more “remote” facility. The other symposia and poster sessions were centered in the Egan Convention Center and Alaska Center for the Performing Arts and required people to make a dash from one end to the other of these two buildings if they wanted to jump around to hear papers in separate meeting rooms. We counted the steps from the furthest points, and determined it could be done. We asked everyone at the Plenary to be patient and tolerant. I think everyone practiced those virtues!

When we bid for the 2005 meeting, the Anchorage Hilton Hotel sent staff to help with the bid. Probably as a consequence of their showing such interest, AFS asked the Hilton to be our host hotel. Its location was perfect (one block from the Egan Convention Center) and it gave us plenty of amenities, free meeting room space, and a staff experienced with large conventions. Diana Arthur was extremely helpful in helping get the bid, and she provided our Local Arrangements Committ ee with many helpful suggestions as our planning got under way.

The Hilton’s room rate for the AFS meeting, quoted to us in 2001 and applicable to 2005, was $115, single or double. This was an extraordinary rate and helped make the meeting more aff ordable.

We secured room blocks at the Hilton and several other downtown hotels. We needed space for students, and were successful arranging aff ordable rooms at the Howard Johnson so that people could double or triple up and save considerable money on lodging ($79 single or double, $94 triple). We also acquired room blocks at the Captain Cook Hotel (site of the AFS 1989 meeting) and the Marriott . Betsy Fritz made all the hotel arrangements, set up the contracts, negotiated room rates and blocks, asked for amenities and perks, and handled all the early questions. She also contacted other hotels and motels as space started fi lling up. We found that the entire Hilton room block fi lled very quickly aft er being posted on our website. We also


Accommodations

quickly fi lled the other hotel room blocks, and I found myself fi elding phone calls and e-mails from across the country asking for help fi nding a room. I located some B&Bs, and several smaller “boutique” hotels as well. Betsy located more rooms in smaller facilities, some 10 blocks or more away, and we posted hotel updates on the website periodically so others could fi nd space.

Free rooms were part of the contracts Betsy negotiated at the Hilton and the Marriott (if we fi lled our room blocks). We split those in half—half for Betsy and AFS Parent Society VIPs, staff , etc. and half for the Local Arrangements Committ ee. We put some of our committ ee members in “comp rooms” because they were essentially required to be on premises 24 hours a day for the week of the meeting. I also had a few VIPs I needed to house (e.g. Ray Troll), and we fi lled our comp rooms. Out of town committ ee members also were accommodated in some of the comp rooms, although those who had agency or employer support were expected to travel and get hotel space on their own.

The four main hotels were for the most part completely fi lled for the meeting, although there were some last-minute cancellations or changes that shift ed the percentages. In total, we were almost 109% fi lled about two months before the meeting, but as of the meeting week we were fi lled at just under 98%.

Accommodations (Bill Hauser)

The 2005 AFS technical program (all oral and poster papers) and Trade Show were housed in three closely-spaced, but separate, venues: the Anchorage Hilton Hotel, the William A. Egan Convention Center, and the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts. It is important to establish a good working relationship with the lead contact of each venue and it is important to understand the working vocabularies, policies, limitations and capabilities of each. The business of a hotel is to accommodate people and provide food and beverage services on a daily basis. The business of a convention center is to accommodate events that are discrete in time and unique in their needs; they are “event driven”. A performing arts center or theater is accustomed to hosting relatively brief “performances” in a carefully-controlled sett ing.

We found that personnel managing each of these kinds of facilities viewed our AFS meeting in quite diff erent ways, and to the extent that this can be learned early on the easier it will be to communicate.

Events held in the Hilton Hotel included: the AFS business meeting, continuing education classes, the internet café and AFS business offi ce, committ ee meetings, AFS section meetings, AFS Western Division and Alaska Chapter business meetings, large and small socials, various AFS planning meetings and meals, the speaker practice room, one technical session (the Alaska Sea Grant Wakefi eld Symposium), two small poster sessions, and other meetings.

Betsy Fritz negotiated other amenities at the Hilton such as special VIP amenities (fl owers, welcoming gift s), parking passes, reduced room rates for AFS staff (included with the room block), and complimentary meeting room and function space. The Hilton contract also included cut-off dates for the special room rates, a minimum order for banquet and catering, a cancellation policy, and other fairly common contractual clauses. The Hilton room block of 425 included the AFS staff and Local Arrangements Committ ee comp rooms, so in reality that number of rooms was reduced somewhat.

With the Hilton as headquarters, AFS held most functions in the Hilton including Section and other meetings, Continuing Education classes, socials for the Governing Board or AFS offi cers, and many alumnus or other socials or special meetings. For events other than AFS classes and socials, every group requesting space arranged their own catering and room set up preferences.

Two accounts were established for the Hilton: one for the AFS Governing Board activities, and one for the general AFS meeting. The former account was managed and paid by Betsy Fritz and was kept separate from the general meeting expenses. Our Local Arrangements Committ ee budget did not include any of these events nor did we pay those expenses. However, the lion’s share of the Hilton costs was borne by the general meeting revenues.

Three suites were provided complimentary by the Hilton: one with a large entertainment

Final Report 59

Accommodations

living room with two att ached bedrooms for President Barb Knuth and Program Chairman Eric Knudsen; another which was actually “traded in” for two small one bedroom suites for the General Chairman and the Accommodations Chairman; and a third for AFS Executive Director Gus Rassam.

Other Hotels (Bill Hauser, Bill Wilson)

Other hotels included the Hotel Captain Cook and the Anchorage Marriott Downtown. Both off ered room blocks and several complimentary rooms based on realized occupancy. We used these comp rooms for AFS staff and some VIPs or invited speakers or award winners. Since these hotels were several blocks further away from the main convention venues, most att endees preferred the Hilton, but it fi lled rapidly and the Captain Cook and Marriott became much desired places to stay. They also fi lled rapidly, however, and other downtown hotels were used. The Howard Johnson Plaza also provided a room block but no complimentary rooms or other amenities. It was about three blocks from the convention venues, but was popular since the room rates were lower than other hotels and it too fi lled rapidly.

The room blocks we negotiated at each hotel and the actual usage of these room blocks is provided in Table 7.

Convention Venues (Bill Hauser)

The Egan Convention Center and Alaska Center for the Performing Arts housed all but one of the technical sessions and poster sessions. Other events in the Convention Center included: the Trade Show, registration, audio/visual check in, speaker practice room, a “sign shop”, a conference room for media contacts, a committ ee work and break room, and storage.

The Plenary Session was held in the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts in addition to four concurrent technical sessions and a work station for internet access for att endees (a “Cybergarden”). The space where the Plenary Session was held had a capacity of 2100 people. This space was estimated to be about 40–50 % fi lled during the Plenary Session.

The Egan Convention Center and the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts are connected by a “skybridge” and a street-level crosswalk, but the buildings operate independently from each other. The Local Arrangements Committ ee had serious concerns about the ease with which AFS

Skybridge from the Egan Convention Center to the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts.

The Egan Convention Center with the Hilton Hotel in the background.


Accommodations

Table 7. 2005 Hotel Pickup

Room Pickup Date

Tue9/6

Wed9/7

Thur9/8

Fri9/09

Sat9/10

Sun9/11

Mon9/12

Tue9/13

Wed9/14

Thur9/15

Fri9/16

Sat9/17

Sun9/18

Totals

Hilton

Block 20 50 100 375 425 425 425 425 300 30 2575

4/25 9 19 28 106 266 373 375 373 364 197 52 21 4 2187 84.93%

5/31 13 25 36 121 304 431 434 431 423 230 58 26 5 2537 98.52%

6/7 13 27 39 118 304 431 434 431 424 244 59 26 4 2554 99.18%

Final 7 23 43 84 244 389 404 394 379 229 42 14 4 2256 87.61%

Captain Cook

Block 35 100 155 175 175 175 125 50 990

5/27 1 2 5 26 85 157 161 161 158 107 25 12 5 905 91.41%

6/20 1 2 6 38 121 234 245 245 239 164 48 24 7 1374 138.79%

Final 1 8 34 93 214 238 242 208 136 36 12 3 1225 123.74%

Howard Johnson

Block 10 50 100 100 100 100 50 510

5/23 5 6 10 20 75 118 119 120 115 62 16 4 1 671 131.57%

Final 3 3 7 23 70 122 127 125 118 61 11 3 673 131.96%

Marriott

Block 15 15 15 40 120 176 185 185 183 121 50 15 1120

6/20 4 1 3 10 40 57 59 58 58 34 16 1 341 30%

6/23 4 1 6 20 67 101 103 105 100 63 13 4 587 52.41%

7/5 5 2 9 34 109 175 185 185 183 121 29 10 1047 93.48%

7/14 5 2 9 38 111 176 185 185 184 121 30 10 1056 94.29%

Final 5 2 9 32 87 158 169 175 170 95 15 3 920 82.14%

Totals

Block 15 35 65 185 645 856 885 885 883 596 130 15 0 5195

6/23 23 36 61 196 567 884 901 901 878 533 136 58 12 5186 99.83%

7/5 24 37 64 210 609 958 983 981 961 591 152 64 12 5646 108.68%

Final 15 29 67 173 494 883 938 936 875 521 104 32 7 5074 97.67%

Final Report 61

Accommodations

att endees could navigate between and within the separate venues. We also were concerned about the distinctly diff erent appearances of the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts and the Egan Convention Center, with the former perhaps being perceived as not part of the meeting. Most of these concerns were overcome by maps and diagrams we prepared that were posted on the web site, included in the Program Guide and displayed as posters in the venues. In addition, directional signs were displayed in strategic locations and the distinctive “fi sh art” from our meeting poster was displayed widely throughout each venue’s hallways, meeting rooms, windows and the sky bridge. From observations it appeared att endees had litt le diffi culty navigating among the venues; Ray Troll’s fi sh art helped tie the facilities together.

Although all of the meeting venues were in close proximity to each other, they were separate and large enough that our committ ee could not monitor all the facilities as well as we had hoped. We did have some minor “culture confl icts” between the staff of the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts and our committ ee; the normal operations of the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts consist of hosting theatrical productions compared to our needs for hosting a scientifi c meeting. We did not anticipate the requirements for a stage manager, lighting specialists, and other technicians which resulted in unexpected personnel costs. House ushers were required, and they are trained to be sure people are seated as an event starts, perhaps surprising some att endees when they were abruptly “ushered to their seats”. Also, att endees oft en wish to linger and discuss points aft er the end of a session, but an usher is focused and anxious to clear the theater and leave.

Master Schedule (Bill Hauser, Mary Whalen, Allen Bingham)

The Master Schedule is compiled by the person we called the “Master Scheduler” although that job morphed into a series of tasks that required several people. This schedule ultimately is published in the Program Guide and on the web site as the “Schedule-at-a-Glance”, and it becomes the template for most of the meeting’s activities. The 2005 Meeting Schedule was compiled in an Excel spreadsheet, but this would probably be more appropriately and more effi ciently

accomplished in a database. As diff erent sorts of this “database” are prepared, spreadsheets diverge and multiply and any changes require individual, cumbersome updates.

We recommend that the Master Scheduler become very familiar with rooms and spaces that are available for meeting events, and understand physical and operational limitations and capabilities. We found it helpful to prepare maps for each facility—fl oor plans—and to compile information for each room or event space within each facility (room capacity by seating type, dimensions, built-in A/V equipment, lighting options, etc.). Actual dimensions may be important for events such as poster displays. Part of scheduling is being aware of the time the venue needs to reset a room from one confi guration to another; for most, this is about 30 minutes but for a large hall this can extend into hours. Most venues have maps (Appendix 9) and itemized data on room confi gurations, and merging these data into a master database proved helpful when fi elding the various requests for space from the AFS Sections, university groups, and others wanting a place to meet.

Some space requests are very predictable but some will not be known until literally during the meeting. Our strategy was to assume that events scheduled at the 2004 meeting in Madison would also be scheduled again in 2005, and at about the same day of the week and time of day. This strategy proved to be reasonably successful for events that are regularly included in the annual meeting.

We maintained space assignments in both list and graphical format. The list format is needed to develop the “Schedule-at-a-Glance” and it is important for sorting (Appendix 10). More detailed contact information for the person responsible for each of the events was listed on a separate spreadsheet.

The graphical format (favored by the “visually-oriented”) was actually a spreadsheet for each venue that showed all available spaces laid out in a half hour grid, with each day shown on a separate tab. Each event was placed on the grid for the time and space needed. The graphical format of space assignments for events in the


Accommodations

Hilton Hotel on Tuesday, September 13, 2005, is presented in Appendix 11.

Space requests and events were categorized as:Category Example Arranger & Payee

AFS Bethesda

AFS Business Meeting; Governing Board Meeting

AFS/Bethesda

Meeting Opening Social; Speaker Preview Room

Local Arrangements Committee

Continuing Education

Class AFS/Bethesda

Section Physiology; Estuaries Section President

Ancillary or Other

AIFRB; AFS Chapter; University Social

Individual

Although it is not the Master Scheduler’s responsibility to negotiate with the venue to arrange setup and catering for most small events, it is valuable to understand the meeting needs so an appropriate time and space can be assigned in a timely manner and to remind the arranger about their responsibility. Continuing Education classes are established early (February) and these are coordinated by the Bethesda offi ce with assistance provided by the local committ ee for any special needs; AFS Bethesda also has a series of space needs for the Governing Board and offi cer meetings that recur year aft er year. Contact information for Section Presidents is available from the Bethesda offi ce.

Ancillary events are more random and less predictable. Expect requests for ancillary events at any time; we identifi ed and reserved several spaces in the Hilton and in the Egan Convention Center for months prior to the meeting so we could fulfi ll these last minute requests. Even at that, requests for space came in weeks before or even during the meeting. We falsely assumed that a space reserved for Media Contacts would double as an ad hoc meeting site; in reality scheduled and unscheduled media events required this space for the entire meeting. Scheduling for ancillary meetings is a source of frustration because, although you know that these will be scheduled, you have litt le or no knowledge of who, what, or when unless someone tells you. Some requests are early, but most are during the last month or two

before the meeting. Just keep some unassigned rooms available for last-minute requests.

The Program Committ ee took responsibility for scheduling the technical sessions aft er the venues, space layout and capacities, and options were identifi ed and blocked out.

Regardless of meeting or event category, several important questions must be answered:

Event title (as to be listed in the Program Guide)? How many people? Preferred date and time (and alternate times or locations)? Space setup (e.g., theater, classroom, social)? Catering needs? Other needs (e.g., projector and screen). Arranger contact information?

Initially, we used a two-page questionnaire to obtain this information. This was eff ective, but cumbersome. We recommend a more simple “what do you need?” list of questions (above). Also, we relied primarily on e-mail communication, which was useful to maintain electronic records.

Periodically, compare your list with that maintained by the venue to identify and resolve scheduling discrepancies and to assure that all catering needs are arranged. You may need to remind some arrangers and be prepared to off er assistance.

Eventually, scheduled events must be converted into the Schedule-at-a-Glance for the June Fisheries Insert, the website, and the Program Guide.

In summary, we found that most people who requested meeting or event space were prepared with the information we needed to schedule their event. We were not prepared for all the last-minute requests, however, although we made things work. A database rather than a spreadsheet would likely work bett er for developing and maintaining the Master Schedule. And rather than vesting this responsibility in one person, consider two.

●

●●

●

●●●

Final Report 63

Accommodations

Trade Show Planning and Logistics (Katherine Rowell)

The Local Arrangements Committ ee had been expecting a lower level of participation in the Trade Show compared with past years because of the concerns vendors might have over the expense associated with traveling to Anchorage. However, 56 exhibitors registered for booths, of which 47 were paid and six were complimentary, and an additional three were for the Silent Auction. The complimentary booths went to the Alaska Chapter, the New York Lake Placid committ ee, and several sponsoring agencies. This count does not include the Parent Society’s booth (which was the equivalent in space to about four booths). Four publishing companies participated in a cooperative display (together with the AFS Parent Society’s booth which was primarily an AFS book sales booth). Thus we “used up” the fl oor space of 60 booths. In addition to exhibitors that had booths, three companies remained on the waiting list and seven companies chose to provide literature for inclusion in the registration bags in lieu of paying for a booth. We also accommodated two groups, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the American Institute of Fishery Research

Biologists, in the convention center lobby area by giving them free space; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had donated a tremendous amount to the meeting and this was our way of saying an additional thanks, and we judged that the American Institute of Fishery Research Biologists was too poor to pay for a booth.

The Parent Society had contracted a coordinator over the past few years (Anne Grist in 2004 and 2005) to facilitate annual meeting Trade Show logistics. Hence, the role of the Local Arrangements Committ ee Trade Show coordinator (liaison) was very nebulous for the 2005 meeting. It became apparent as preparation for the Trade Show evolved that the local coordinator was to be the focus of inquiries from vendors wanting registration information and to provide general liaison to the Parent Society on local Trade Show issues. A signifi cant number of inquiries were a result of publication of the local representative’s e-mail address and phone number (with permission) by the Trade Show coordinator. This information was published in advertisements submitt ed to AFS and Trade Show journals

Trade Show booth fees have been a major source of revenue for the Parent Society in past

The Parent Society’s booth at the Trade Show.


Accommodations

years. The expectation for revenue was the same for the 2005 meeting (Note: this revenue is “off budget” and was not considered part of the budget responsibility of the 2005 Local Arrangements Committ ee). A Trade Show application and instructions were e-mailed to the Local Arrangements Committ ee Trade Show coordinator by the Trade Show contractor. This information was to be forwarded to anyone that expressed interest in the Trade Show. Booths were 8’ x 10’ in size and cost $1,300 for an AFS member and $1,450 for a nonmember. The application and fee were to be submitt ed by exhibitors directly to the Trade Show contractor, not the Local Arrangements Committ ee liaison. It was very diffi cult for the Alaska coordinator to obtain updated listings of the subsequently registered vendors from the contractor. These listings would have been helpful to the Alaska liaison person so that, when Trade Show registrants were unable to reach the contractor, they would have another person from whom to obtain information, particularly verifi cation of their registration or approval for a booth, or for determining booth space requirements for Anchorage’s limited venue space.

A number of inquiries that were thought to be related to the Trade Show came from several locations around the world. The response to these contacts was an explanation that the advertised opportunity was a Trade Show by which vendors could exhibit products related to fi sheries research and management. Some of these off -the-wall e-mailed inquiries carried viruses, not exactly a welcome benefi t of the assignment.

The number of Trade Show exhibitors desiring to display their products at the 2005 meeting exceeded the number of spaces available. A registration form was made available to Trade Show applicants providing an opportunity to include their literature in the meeting registration bags in lieu of booth space. This service required a $500 fee. Another option for these vendors was to post information regarding their product on bulletin boards located in the registration area, with a time and location the company representatives would be available to display and discuss their product line. In one instance, a participant thought he had registered his

company but had not completed the procedures appropriately. Aft er discovering his predicament and because his company had contributed funding to the meeting, it was determined the issue should be sett led quietly and the individual was provided a complimentary space.

The Trade Show contractor handled the Trade Show setup. A local fi rm, Alaska Events Services, was contracted to provide the pipe and draping. The same company worked with the Poster Committ ee for their organization of the poster session. The poster papers and the Trade Show were located in the same room. The confi guration of these two events in a smaller than desired convention hall required considerable discussion and planning.

The issue of security had been discussed at the Local Arrangements Committ ee meetings. There were two issues here: one, to have people check name badges to be sure that entrants had paid their registration fees, and two, to provide a measure of physical security to vendors, and to our Silent Auction Committ ee, to protect valuable items displayed in the Trade Show area. The Egan Convention Center is a public building in which any member of the public may walk the halls, sit in the lobby or use the restrooms. The Local Arrangements Committ ee decided that the likelihood of a threat by the general public that might wander in from downtown Anchorage to meeting events, including the Trade Show and Trade Show social in the Egan Center, was not signifi cant. But as we drew closer to meeting time, we did att empt to recruit volunteers to check meeting att endees’ badges at the doors of the Trade Show, but this was largely unsuccessful. One individual volunteered to walk through the Trade Show during the social to note any strange situations that would require att ention. The building had a security staff on site that could handle any problems if contacted. Thus, the Local Arrangements Committ ee decided that professional security was not necessary. As it turned out, disruptions throughout the meeting at the Trade Show, Trade Show social and poster sessions were few. Interestingly enough, one situation occurred that the Local Arrangements Committ ee had not even considered—whether families of paid registrants would be allowed in

Final Report 65

Accommodations

the Trade Show. One family was asked to leave by the Trade Show contractor. A topic for discussion for future AFS meetings might be admission of families into the Trade Show; is the Trade Show a “free” att raction?

The success of the combined Trade Show and poster display is att ributed to constant discussion and communication between the Local Arrangement Committ ee’s General Chair, facilities chair, technical poster committ ee, the Trade Show contractor, the Local Arrangements Committ ee Trade Show liaison, and the convention center venue staff .

Internet Café and Business Offi ce (Vince McClain, Seth Darr)

The committ ee decided to combine the Internet Café with the Business Offi ce, and recruited Vince McClain, a computer scientist, to set up the room and acquire the equipment needed. Vince asked Seth Darr to be a co-chair.

The primary purpose for the AFS Business Offi ce is to supply offi ce machines and support for meeting administration and for meeting att endees to have access for last-minute computer and printing needs. The primary purpose for the Internet Café is to provide the convenience of internet access for meeting att endees to use e-mail. The space and equipment was shared, but priority use of space and computers was reserved for meeting administration needs.

We elected to house this offi ce in the Hilton Hotel because we had assumed that more att endees would be housed in this hotel than other hotels, it was the closest to the convention venues, and more traffi c was expected given the number of classes and ancillary meetings scheduled for the Hilton. In addition, as we progressed through the planning process we planned to off er wireless internet access in the Egan Convention Center, so having an internet service in the Hilton would provide more opportunity for att endees to keep connected with their individual electronic worlds.

In the Internet Café and Business Offi ce, we decided to have three stand-alone computers networked and two fl oating connections for att endees to use to hook up their laptop. The Local Arrangements Committ ee decided to put

the Internet Café and Business Offi ce together at a central location in the Anchorage Hilton. In 2001, when Anchorage bid on hosting the AFS annual meeting, the Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau off ered a variety of enticements and amenities, and as part of the bid the Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau committ ed to provide equipment for an internet café including three computers with a printer (which also had a fax and copier included). Vince coordinated with the Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau and Hilton personnel to arrange equipment and room setup. The Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau rented computers from the Hilton A/V contractor, Encore Productions. This worked out very well and all equipment was set up on time and there were no technical diffi culties. Vince coordinated with a local copier rental company to provide a copier for larger jobs.

The internet computers were set up on tables that personnel had to stand up to use, and a time limit of 5 to 10 minutes was established and signs to that eff ect were posted. Vince also obtained an extra printer and laptop so people who wanted to just print could print out their documents with out waiting for a computer.

The room was 12 x 16 ft and probably should have been larger. The total usage of the facilities for internet connection was 550 individuals over a seven-day period. Over that period of time, we used two printer cartridges. We copied 5,583 pages. The copier should be able to do two-sided copies, and collate and staple.

Some limited wireless service was available in the Hilton, and we thought we could set up service in the Egan Convention Center as well. We were told that the arrangements we needed would be simple, inexpensive and convenient. We planned to install one internet hub in the main lobby that would allow up to 250 users at one time. Finally, however, we learned that the charge rate for the access would be excessive and we cancelled this plan.

Another internet access option became serendipitously available at about the same time that we were fi nalizing the price quote for wireless access in the Egan Convention Center. A local vender, Mr. Rob Lapham, DataFlow/Alaska, Inc.,


Accommodations

off ered to install and operate a “Cybergarden” that included four computers and technical support for meeting att endees to check e-mail—at no cost. This Cybergarden was set up in the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts. Although this was poorly advertised, it was fully utilized. In exchange for this service, DataFlow/Alaska, Inc. advertised their services.

Most of the hotels off ered internet access for guests. Access in some hotels was free.

We received many good comments from att endees, with most expressing appreciation that everything needed for internet access, printing jobs, etc. were all in one place. Internet access was good and the hotel increased the band width aft er reviewing our usage over the fi rst couple of days of operation. On the down side, the room was small and could have been larger. It would have been helpful if the copy machine were capable of front and back copying, collating, and stapling. We felt that in some instances, some individuals (including Continuing Education instructors) took undue advantage of services of the AFS Business Offi ce. Future meeting planners might consider asking for guidelines from AFS for how to fi eld requests for copies in excess of several hundred sheets, or require special authorization for large amounts.

Meeting Rooms (Bill Hauser)

The Accommodations Chair needs to know and understand capacities, limitations, and options for each space within each venue and share this information with event arrangers. Fire Marshall regulations and constraints may further limit space utilization. The décor in the AFS 2005 meeting rooms received special att ention because we perceived that the ambience was boring and bland. The Artwork Committ ee utilized “fi sh art” derived from the 2005 meeting poster to decorate the walls and create a sense of connectivity with other meeting spaces.

Registration Area (Bill Hauser)

Another space that should receive special planning is the registration area. Clearly, the tasks associated with registration require special att ention and space, but there are a variety of other needs that must be accommodated in the

registration area. Several organizations, e.g. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and American Institute of Fishery Research Biologists, vied for space in the registration area. The American Institute of Fishery Research Biologists required a small table while the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requested space for a booth-sized display. Also important is space for several bulletin boards to accommodate job announcements, meeting announcements, recruitment for jobs and for graduate students, and messages. Many groups seem to pop up at the last minute and expect to be able to display a new book, posters, fl yers for some future event, and a myriad of other requests. It is helpful to anticipate these requests, many at the last minute, and if possible provide some extra space for such requests. We needed several tables upon which this “stuff ” could be placed. We also chose to not stuff large amounts of local tourist information in the registration bags, but rather place these items on tables in the registration area for att endees

The registration area in the Egan Convention Center

Final Report 67

Accommodations

to pick up if they wanted this information. This saved stuffi ng time and resulted in less wastage.

On the positive side, we were able to save some fl oor space in the registration area by using blank carpeted walls to substitute as bulletin boards. This “worked”, but not as well as expected. Bett er planning would have helped; e.g., mounting a sheet of foam core on the wall or using ribbon to outline each area would have defi ned the space bett er (areas for postings might include “jobs”, “messages”, and “college opportunities”).

RecommendationsConsider recruiting a volunteer who is tasked to organize and oversee the layout and setup of the entire registration area. Developing a comprehensive plan for the registration area, including a map or drawing of available fl oor and wall space to help plan this area, keeping in mind Fire Marshall restrictions since registration areas are usually in lobby areas where there is a lot of foot traffi c and these areas also are likely to be needed as fi re escape routes.Ask AFS Bethesda what they will require for space and equipment (phone lines, tables, etc.)

Meeting Breaks and Catering (Bill Hauser)

Meeting BreaksPlanning for coff ee breaks during the technical sessions was challenging because our registration

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numbers kept increasing, service needed to be scheduled for each of the three venues, and the planning formula suggested in the 2004 Madison meeting report (page 42) was diffi cult to apply when spreading service in multiple locations with constantly changing estimated att endance. They suggested ordering coff ee, pastries, etc. for 75% of the expected number att ending a coff ee break. Fortunately, the Egan Convention Center was also our caterer for coff ee service in the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts. We set up part of the coff ee service in the rear of the Trade Show and the Poster Session so att endees would be required to pass by the vendors and/or posters to obtain coff ee. We ordered a pre-determined amount of coff ee and other items, which were available until consumed.

Daily coff ee service included:Time/Day Monday Tuesday

Early morning Coffee, tea; juice; pastries; fruit

Coffee, tea

Mid-morning Coffee, tea Coffee, tea; juice; pastries

Mid-afternoon Coffee, tea; soda; cookies

Coffee, tea

Time/Day Wednesday Thursday

Early morning Coffee, tea Coffee, tea

Mid-morning Coffee, tea; juice; pastries

Coffee, tea; juice; pastries

Mid-afternoon Coffee, tea; soda; cookies

Coffee, tea; soda; cookies

Note 1: Monday morning is the Plenary Session

Note 2: Tuesday afternoon is the AFS Business Meeting; AFS provided coffee service for the Business Meeting which was in the Hilton. We also provided a small coffee service in the Egan Convention Center along with the Business Meeting service.

The expected number of people became a serious guessing game because not all people are present at one time and because the registration numbers for the 2005 meeting kept rising beyond our expectations. Nevertheless, we needed to make a commitment several days before the meeting; we guessed that the total registration would be 2,400 people (the actual number exceeded 2,800). I, with “peer review” from other committ ee members, forecast the number of people that would likely

Registration desks in the Egan Convention Center with carpeted walls behind them. The carpeted walls were used as bulletin boards.


Accommodations

be in each venue, based on a 2,400 person registration (i.e., most people would be served in the Egan Convention Center where most of the sessions were located; fewer would be served in the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, and we estimated no more than 250 people would be served at the Wakefi eld Symposium in the Hilton Hotel). I also assumed that some att endees would arrive too late in the morning to participate in the early morning (7–8 a.m.) coff ee service; I estimated that all registrants would att end the breaks during mid-morning and mid-aft ernoon. Further, I assumed that the largest att endance would be on Tuesday and the smallest would be on Thursday. Thus, the planning number for coff ee service depended on the time of day, day of week, adjusted registration forecast, and venue. It should also be noted that several commercial coff ee and espresso venders operated in close proximity to the venues and coff ee and espresso was sold from portable stations inside the venues as well.

Based on discussions with catering staff and experience from past meetings (via Betsy Fritz),

the per-person consumption estimates we used were:

2 Cups of coffee, early morning break1 Cup of coffee, mid-morning break0.75 Cups of coffee, mid-afternoon break0.5 Serving of juice, mid-morning break0.5 Sodas mid-afternoon break1 Pastry mid-morning break0.4 Serving of fruit mid-morning break1 Cookie mid-afternoon break

Actual consumption rates are nearly impossible to determine because it is impossible to determine the number of people present in each of the diff erent venues during each of the diff erent days and within any particular day. The costs per unit for food and beverage in each of the venues is presented in Table 8 and a summary of the amounts consumed at the coff ee services is presented in Table 9.

We heard no negative comments about the coff ee service and it appeared that no food and beverages were wasted.

Table 9. Summary of amounts consumed at coffee services.

Day Coffee (gal) Juice (bottle) Pastry (doz) Cookies (doz) Soda (each) Fruit (each)

Monday 341 450 137.5 178 890 600

Tuesday 296.5 570 174 15 75

Wednesday 365.5 570 174 190 950

Thursday 318 444 136 145 725

Total 1321 2034 621.5 528 2640 600Note 1: There are approximately 20 cups per gallon of coffee

Note 2: Does not include coffee service for the AFS Business Meeting, Tuesday p.m.

Table 8. Food and Beverage Costs per unit.

Item Hilton Hotel Egan Convention Center

Coffee (gal) $33.00 $22.50

Juice (bottle) $3.00 $2.50

Pastry (doz) $28.00 $21.00

Cookies (doz) $22.00 $15.50

Soda (each) $3.00 $1.75

Final Report 69

Accommodations

CateringCatering needs fall into three major categories: catering for AFS Meeting events; catering for ancillary events; and, catering for meeting operations (committ ee members, workers, etc.). Venue staff recognized that catering for diff erent events may be billed to diff erent accounts. It is most helpful if the event scheduler—or catering coordinator—can provide contact information for the various events—as to who is responsible for payment. It is also helpful if the event scheduler or catering coordinator receives a copy of catering requests.

Some AFS meeting events are arranged and paid for by the AFS Bethesda staff (i.e., Betsy) who have a long corporate history of catering items, amounts, and preferences for annually-scheduled events (e.g., AFS Business Meeting, Fisheries Magazine Editors Breakfast, Continuing Education Classes, Governing Board meeting, etc.).

Ancillary events are those that are not directly related to AFS, but are scheduled because of the convenience of holding an event in conjunction with the AFS meeting. At the 2005 meeting these included: Friends and Alumni of Cornell University, U.S. Forest Service All-Hands Meeting, Fisheries Conservation Foundation Board Meeting, etc. Aft er these events are scheduled, the group’s organizer is responsible for catering arrangements with the venue staff ; nevertheless, it is helpful if the event scheduler or catering coordinator maintains contact with the event organizer who may need a reminder or two during the planning process.

Catering for meeting operations includes catering for the volunteer staff and for the committ ee members (important!). Some arrangements must be made for food and beverage for volunteer workers during setup and registration bag stuffi ng, and for registration table workers and others. Typically, venues disallow “carry-in” food and beverages, but require use of their in-house catering service. Mostly, we scheduled beverage service and/or “build-your-own” “deli-lunches”.

In addition to coff ee service and other catering, our committ ee held long discussions about other special catering for att endees, particularly because

the poster session was split into two sessions. One poster paper session was held during the Trade Show Social; thus, we reasoned that the second poster paper session should also deserve something special to att ract viewers. Conceptually, we elected to off er a limited number (600) free box lunches so att endees could quickly obtain a lunch that could be consumed on-site while viewing posters. In actuality, att endees rushed to take advantage of the free lunch (which we off ered only on a single day, Wednesday, of the second poster paper session) so they could “go outside” to eat and enjoy the weather. Some att endees were quite unhappy when the limited number of free lunches ran out.

Premade and prewrapped sandwiches were available for sale at the espresso station in the Egan Convention Center on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. A total of 200 was sold on each of these days. Espresso station sales, including muffi ns, soft drinks, bott led water, espresso, sandwiches, candy, etc. ranged from $1605.12 on Monday to $364.75 on Thursday.

The pre-packaged lunch sandwiches available on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday seemed to be appreciated and well-received and served the purpose of att racting people to view posters. On the down side, our concept for providing free lunches to entice viewers for the second poster paper session proved to be inaccurate.

RecommendationsWhen you query a caterer about menus, they will send a copy of their standard menu(s). We recommend that you ask for menus in fi le format so you can forward these by e-mail.Do not hesitate to arrange catering by stating your budget limit and preferred items and ask the venue caterers “what can you off er?” within those budget limitations.Have more than one person to arrange and coordinate catering. We found that arranging for all the coff ee services and all the various catering needs is a demanding task and the time commitment for coff ee service and catering expands abruptly just before and during the meeting.

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Accommodations

AFS Business Meeting (Bill Hauser)

The AFS business meeting is a featured event of the annual meeting. As such, it requires special att ention. Assume that it will be scheduled to begin on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. and last at least two hours. Do not schedule any other events during the business meeting. Betsy will plan for the coff ee service. We scheduled a space for 500 att endees, theater style, which was fi lled to about 66% of available capacity.

Signage and Mapping (Bill Hauser, Mary Whalen)

The signage and mapping job encompasses several important components: information about technical sessions; general information for meeting att endees; and, production and printing.

We anticipated that signage and mapping would be especially important because the events and meetings in 2005 were distributed among and within three diff erent buildings and a volunteer was recruited to oversee this task. Unfortunately, this person resigned for personal reasons less than three weeks before the meeting and we lacked a comprehensive plan. However, previous site-visits with discussions about various aspects associated with informational and directional signs gave this subcommitt ee insights into what was needed.

Signs were important to notify meeting att endees about technical sessions in each meeting room and to assist them with trouble-free access to the meeting rooms.

Area and building maps were designed so one map drawing could be scaled for display on the website, in the Program Guide and as posters during the meeting. Maps and fl oor plans were available from each venue; however, these varied greatly in their usefulness and clarity for our needs.

Signage for Technical Sessions (Eric Knudsen, Bill Hauser, Mary Whalen)Directional and informational signs were planned for display in strategic locations to assist meeting att endees. Four sizes of signs were used: 40”x 60”—the size of a sheet of foam-core board; 32”x 40”—the size of a one-half sheet of foam-core board; 24”x 36”—the size of a one-fourth sheet of

foam-core board; and 8.5”x 11”. Signs mounted on foam core could be displayed on an easel or att ached to a wall. Signs mounted on poster boards could be att ached to walls by Velcro or T-pins. Small signs were displayed on tabletops with “miniature tripods”. Some signs and banners were att ached to railings by monofi lament fi shing lines.

Anticipate times and locations that require special att ention to assist meeting att endees to fi nd destinations in a timely manner by posting volunteers with hand-held directional signs and verbal instructions. This was important, for example, to assist att endees who commuted off -site by bus to a Continuing Education class and to assist att endees fi nd their way from one building to another in time for the start of the Plenary Session.

Some signs must be made on site/as-needed with a computer and printer set up in the designated “sign shop” room. “Blank signs” were pre-printed with the generic sign background, as well as “block arrows”. On-site signs were made by printing information on 8.5 x 11, 11 x 17 or 13 x 19- inch paper and pasted or taped to the generic sign background with an arrow—if needed.

Materials for the “sign shop” may include: scissors, X-Acto knives, glue, various fasteners, a straight edge, foam-core board and card stock, clear acetate, T-pins, Velcro, clear tape, double-sided tape including “repositionable” tape, small tripods, easels, printer paper, paper cutt ers, and a computer and printer with spare printer cartridge.

It is important to discuss limitations and allowances for displaying signs with venue staff s within each building and room. Most will not allow att achment with any tape. Each wall surface has unique options.

Artwork (Mary Whalen)Ray Troll did the original artwork as a drawing and then sent it to his graphics illustrator Karen Lybrand for coloring. She sent the original colored artwork to us as an Adobe Illustrator fi le which contained the drawing from Ray (as an .eps fi le linked to the Illustrator fi le) and the text and poster background done in Illustrator. Our Local Arrangements Committ ee then hired Karen to

Final Report 71

Accommodations

“isolate” some of the fi sh from the poster so we could use them for various purposes, particularly for the website, Fisheries articles, other advertising, banners, and decorative art used to “spruce up” the venues during the meeting. She sent us a number of isolated fi sh drawings in .tif format. Of the fi sh she didn’t isolate, Mary Whalen of USGS isolated them in Photoshop (erased the background around them and saved them as .tif fi les).

All the enlarging was done by Mary in Photoshop. Some of the fi sh illustrations were fairly low resolution to start with, but because of the nature of the artwork (rough drawn lines), the resolution was satisfactory for enlarging. A local oil and gas company, Conoco-Phillips, printed many of the fi sh for us on their large-format color plott ers and then Kathy Rowell and a whole host of volunteers mounted them on poster board (from a local store, Fred Meyer, at $.72 a sheet) with spray adhesive and then cut them out for hanging on the walls in the various meeting venues. A few select fi sh illustrations (those with the highest resolution) were enlarged considerably and printed (obverse and reverse) on a HP5500ps plott er on glossy paper and then mounted on both sides of foam core and then cut out with X-Acto knives. This turned out to be a great deal of work. These large fi sh were hung from the ceiling as decorations for the Sunday seafood social.

We obtained foam core, spray adhesive (Super 77), and double-sided tape (for the session signs) from a local distributor, Denali Graphics. We bought large amounts so it was cost eff ective. We used three diff erent sized foam core sheets (24”x 36”, 32”x 40” and 40”x 60”) that were cut to the diff erent sized session and direction signs. The artwork was mainly mounted on the poster boards. We felt that paper illustrations without poster board would curl when hung on the walls, so they were mounted to stiff en them. The manipulation of the artwork fi les was done in Photoshop and Illustrator.

Many meeting signs and technical session schedule signs were all preprinted at USGS on large-format printers and mounted on foam core with double-sided tape (using a special tape gun). The signs were made in Adobe InDesign (desktop publishing soft ware) to facilitate easier printing

and consistent color and size. The same banner design used on all technical session signs and sponsor logos for individual sessions was placed at the bott om of the signs. Whenever possible, technical session signs were mounted front and back for times when sessions were in the same room and same day. This minimized foam core costs.

Signs and banners for sponsors were made of various sizes. At the Sunday seafood social, very large banners (42”x 84” and 20”x 60”) were hung from the ceilings to thank our seafood contributors. A 32”x 40” poster with all the meeting sponsors was displayed at all the diff erent venues throughout the entire meeting. The logos used for the sponsors varied in resolution to very low (72 dpi) to relatively high (600 dpi).

RecommendationsDevelop a writt en and “peer-reviewed”(reality check) comprehensive plan for the signage and mapping process. A good plan would have enhanced communication within the committ ee and provided guidance to those taking over responsibility for signs and maps when the original signage and mapping committ ee chair resigned.Have a template ready for technical session signs. The amount of time it took to print the technical session signs was grossly underestimated. Even though the program committ ee wasn’t able to provide the necessary information for these signs until the week before the meeting, preparing a template in advance would have greatly reduced production time.Prepare preplanned signs far in advance to minimize time confl icts with the preparation of the technical session signs.Make a number of “generic” sign backgrounds mounted on foam core that could have another plain text sign (printed on smaller paper) pasted over the top for last-minute signs.Request high resolution (300 dpi) or vector format logos from sponsors. High resolution or vector logos are needed when

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Accommodations

preparing posters and the program guide. If high-quality images are not provided, the logos may appear pixilated when printed. Our sponsors frequently provided low-resolution logos and we had to track down higher-resolution logos which was time consuming. In some cases, we were unable to obtain a high-quality logo which resulted in blurry images on posters and in the program guide.Locate the “sign shop” in a convenient location with good access to meeting rooms, but have a closed-door policy. Our sign shop was in a convenient location, but it was visible and accessible to meeting att endees. On several occasions meeting att endees took advantage of the computer and printer for personal work which interfered with the work of the signage and mapping committ ee.

Accommodations for Attendees with Disabilities (Bill Hauser)

Special att ention was given to assisting meeting att endees with disabilities. We verifi ed that each venue was compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the registration form advertised“… Reasonable accommodations will be provided for individuals with disabilities upon request.” We also arranged to have a sign language interpreter (two persons, two hours each, $400 total for both) during the Plenary Session and coordinated with the House Manager of the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts to alert ushers that we may have att endees with special needs.

One att endee responded to say he was hearing impaired and may need a hearing-assistance device. We requested information about which sessions he may want to att end. He listed his draft plan and said that he would reconfi rm on-site, but there was no further contact. Both venue staff and audio/visual venders were willing to provide devices, but the schedule must be known before assistance can be assured.

RecommendationsWe are unsure that any att endee benefi ted from the sign language interpreter during the Plenary. However, AFS policy is to

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provide that service at every Plenary Session.Assign the responsibility of arranging special accommodations to a volunteer that is familiar with devices that are available to meet the needs of att endees.Request that registrants needing special accommodations contact the planning committ ee far enough in advance to allow arrangements to be made.

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Final Report 73

Social Events

Social Events


Our social programs were in the capable hands of my long-time friend and colleague, Dave Trudgen who was assisted by ever cheerful Allison Erickson. These two developed a series of social events that will be remembered for years. We decided we wanted to do a seafood extravaganza, and chose the Sunday opening social as the time and place for that event. The Hilton agreed to let us fi nd seafood product, but they required that we have it delivered by an approved wholesale company because of health regulations. I asked several long-time Alaskan Chapter members who had contacts in the fi shing industry to help fi nd donated seafood product. I also had contacts in the marine fi shery industry and together we were successful in raising money for products or fi nding specifi c seafood.

Tim Joyce secured a large amount of Copper River red salmon which we featured at the Wednesday night social. He also obtained donated halibut and rockfi sh, and located a source of wholesale smoked blackcod. Brian Allee located Dungeness crab from the west coast as well as a pile of mussels and clams. I contacted Glenn Reed who agreed to raise $20,000 to purchase a variety of seafood products from various companies rather than locate individual seafood products and arrange for shipping them to Anchorage. Glenn came through for us big time, and indeed raised nearly that entire amount which we used to purchase everything we needed from FAVCO, a local wholesaler. FAVCO gave us a break on the cost of some of the items we needed, and had it all delivered to the Hilton on schedule. FAVCO also received the products that Tim Joyce obtained in Cordova. They also arranged for fi lleting the red salmon so it was ready for the caterer to barbecue for the Wednesday evening social.

Dave did a heroic job sett ing up the various social events. We decided to employ a planner to help with the Wednesday off -site social since it was a very complicated event. We needed tents with heaters, electricity, and tables and chairs. We needed beverages and people to serve them. We needed a caterer who could do all the food

preparations mostly off -site as the Alaska Native Heritage Center had no kitchen facilities. We also needed a variety of entertainment, staging, sound equipment, and lighting. We asked Martin Buser to bring puppies, and needed a special place for his display. Martin has won several Iditarod dog sled races, and turned out to be a popular part of the evening’s program. Logistics, Inc. ably did the job of putt ing on that evening’s event. Dave was correct in hiring them. We feared holding such a party at the Heritage Center because we were concerned it couldn’t hold the numbers we expected, particularly if it rained that night. We had to be prepared for anything—we lucked out as the evening was clear, sunny, and crisp—and no rain. Some even were treated to a couple moose along the road as they entered the grounds of the center.

We expected that the Trade Show social on Monday night would be our largest event in terms of number of people att ending. I believe it was. We were crowded. Period. There was no way we could hold a social inside the Trade Show area with all the booths and posters also in that room. But we knew that beforehand. Also, AFS policy is to have the food and beverages inside the Trade Show area and to put the poster session in there as well. If you have such a venue, great, but our convention facility would not accommodate all that PLUS an entertainment event PLUS all the people who registered, which amounted to upwards of 2200-2300 people for that night alone. But we decided to let it happen, and we prepared for the event as best we could.

We heard from many that it was a great evening in spite of the long food lines and crowding. The highlight for many was Ray Troll’s music later in the evening. “Lumpsuckers of Love” was a hit, and the band that supported Ray’s performance —whom he’d never met until hours before the performance—quickly aligned with the beat of Ray’s music and I believe no one knew they hadn’t performed together for years! We extended the hours of this social a bit to accommodate the music and a time for Ray to sign his poster, T-shirts, or whatever at the Alaska Chapter booth.


Social Events

We had planned to leave Tuesday evening open. This would allow people the opportunity to go out for dinner or take in some local entertainment or other activity. This was the only night we could schedule the Student Social, however, which we designed to be primarily for students and professors and potential employers. While this event was included in the registration fee, traditionally it is only for students. We chose not to “forbid” anyone from att ending, but emphasized the student-only nature of the evening.

We expected that most people would enjoy a night on the town, and provided plenty of brochures and other information about Anchorage’s att ractions, and everyone had the opportunity to do something on their own. As it turned out, however, this also was the only night for many groups to hold their special event such as University alumni events, special meetings or socials, and a special symposium on sockeye salmon. Actually having a night open like this aff orded many the opportunity to schedule their particular event without coinciding with an AFS-sponsored event like the Trade Show and Poster Session social or the off -site social. Future meeting planners might consider doing something similar as it worked well in Anchorage.

Finally, on Thursday evening we decided to off er a “closing social” and we deliberately made it very casual. We off ered beer free of charge until it was gone; bars were open so that additional beverages could be purchased. A set amount of food was ordered, and when it was gone it was gone. This evening was much bett er att ended than we though it would be—perhaps upwards of 1,000. We purposely did not plan entertainment or other activities, though we did ask the 2006 Lake Placid Planning Committ ee if they’d like to make any welcoming remarks about the upcoming 2006 annual meeting in Lake Placid. They did do a brief slide show, partly drowned out by all the revelry, but the point was made and I did hear Ed Woltmann state “all Anchorage drink coupons will be honored next year in Lake Placid” so I’m presuming some people might bring any they didn’t use in Anchorage.

One more comment about drink coupons. The Local Arrangements Committ ee decided that

we’d provide each registrant (and guest) drink coupons for beverages at the socials, each good for a drink for each social event (beer or wine, or two for one for soft drinks). Thus, each registrant received in their registration packet two coupons for the Sunday night Opening Social, two coupons for the Monday night Trade Show Social, and two coupons for the Wednesday night Off -Site Social at the Alaska Native Heritage Center. We worked the cost of two beverages per person into the budgets for each social. We charged $35 for guests per social; we did not charge guests for the Thursday night Closing Social. The Thursday social was to be very informal with limited beverage availability and bars were open for revelers that wanted more. We departed from some past meetings in limiting the “free” drinks; this proved to be easier to budget, and allowed some control in the amount of “free” beverage that fl owed during each social. We used Ray Troll’s artwork on the coupons to add some festivity. An example of our drink coupons is provided above.

Now I’m turning this section over to Dave Trudgen and Allison Erickson who will provide more details on each of our social events. This will be followed by information on the box lunches served at the poster viewing sessions and the spawning run. We also provided a hospitality room for spouses and guests as well as amenities for Governing Board suite—more on these at the end of this section.

Socials (Dave Trudgen)

The Socials Committ ee responsibilities included the following functions:

Beverage coupon that was provided to registrants and guests.

Final Report 75

Social Events

Stocking of the President’s Suite and the Planning Committ ee’s Suite throughout the meeting, beginning Thursday NightOpening night social—Seafood Extravaganza - SundayTrade Show Social—MondayStudent Social—TuesdayAlaska Native Heritage Center Off Site Social – WednesdayClosing Social—Thursday

The Socials Committ ee consisted of primarily four people (including the chairman) each responsible for a social with the chairman overseeing all functions. Allison Erickson was responsible for the Opening Night Seafood Extravaganza Social and Kathy Rowell was responsible for the Trade Show Social. The Student Social was a combination of a student jobs and undergraduate/graduate school fair and a following social. Courtenay Pierce organized the Student Jobs and Graduate Fair and Dave Trudgen was responsible for the social aspects of the evening. In addition, the Socials Committ ee hired a professional logistics fi rm, Logistics Inc. (contact—Toni Walker [[email protected]]) to organize all details of the Wednesday night off site social at the Alaska Native Heritage Center. Logistics, Inc. was worth their weight in gold for the services they provided. It is highly recommended to employ such a company depending on the complexity of the socials.

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Because the Anchorage meeting far exceeded our registration expectations, the Socials Committ ee had to keep revising its estimates of the amount of food necessary to accommodate the att endees. This also increased the cost for every social from initial budgeted amounts (except the closing social). However, the increase in registration numbers also increased the registration revenue which covered any increase in the costs of the socials. Table 10 presents the budgeted vs. actual costs of each social. The table also includes costs for the suites which did not have an initial budgeted amount.

General Comment Regarding Food and Beverage QuantitiesAFS meeting att endees generally consume lots of food and beverage. Future Local Arrangements Committ ees should decide how much food they will supply at each social event. In Anchorage we knew the Opening Night Social, Student Social and the Off -site Social would be planned so that there would be enough food for a complete meal. The Trade Show Social and the Closing Social were designed to be more of an appetizer event and people were expected to get additional food from local restaurants. However, the Trade Show Social also ended up being closer to a full meal because we had to push the social later into the evening. Always keep in mind that many people will get enough food at each event to fulfi ll their hunger for the evening. Any good caterer will be able to help you determine the appropriate amount of food per person for the evening you are

Table 10. Socials—Budgeted vs. Actual Costs

SocialBudgeted Amount

Actual Amount Spent

Attendance Initial Planning Number

Estimated Final Attendance

Opening Night Social $67,500 $78,000 1500 2000

Trade Show Social $40,000 $65,000 1500 2200

Student Social $10,000 $12,500 300 600

Alaska Native Heritage Center Off Site Social $100,000 $114,000 1800 2300

Closing Social $10,000 $8,000* 500 1000

President and Local Planning Committee Suites $6,000 N/A N/A*This amount was discounted due to a credit from the opening night social.


Social Events

planning. Remember to be fl exible and be ready to make last minute adjustments for every event.

The 2004 Madison meeting report provided some great guidance for estimating food and beverage amounts. Remember to adjust the amounts based on conversations with your caterers and any other local considerations. For example people planning the Madison meeting increased the beer amount for the mid-west beer factor. We increased the food (especially seafood) amount for the Alaska factor. Future meeting sites may have unique “food-related” specialties or reputation, and thus you may need to increase those items.

The following are some numbers for planning purposes (from the Madison Annual Report):

One ½ keg of beer provides approximately 160-12 oz. beers;16 hors d’oeuvre portions per person is equivalent to a full meal;12 hors d’oeuvre portions per person is equivalent to a light meal;8 hors d’oeuvre portions per person is equivalent to a pre-meal appetizer;One bott le of wine provides about 6 4-oz pours.

AFS President and Local Arrangements Committee Suites (Dave Trudgen)

President’s SuiteThe President of AFS will arrive with the Governing Board some time during the week before the offi cial start of the conference. In Anchorage’s case, President Barb Knuth arrived on Thursday. Barb expected to host several members of the Governing Board Thursday evening aft er dinner. Initial stocking of the suite was with wine (one mixed case of red and white and some special wine for Barb), beer (mixed case of Alaska brewed beer, both light and dark), fresh vegetables, smoked salmon, crackers, chips and salsa, mixed nuts, yogurt covered nuts, chocolate candies, bott led water and soft drinks (juice and pop). All food and beverage were checked every day. The President also hosted two additional gatherings Friday and Saturday evenings. Additional food was brought in for these evenings including fresh Thai spring rolls, ham and cheese

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wraps, veggie plates, etc. Numbers for each sponsored evening ranged from 15 to 30 people. The amount of food purchased was adjusted according to the number of people. Aft er the Saturday evening event, stocking of the room was quite simple as just a few people were entertained for the remainder of the meeting.

The Socials Committ ee also purchased a welcome to Anchorage gift for Barb.

Local Arrangements Committ ee SuiteDO NOT FORGET YOUR OWN VOLUNTEERS. You all have worked very hard to get this far, so make sure you take care of all your committ ee members with food and beverage for the entire conference. The Local Arrangements Committ ee suite was stocked initially with beer, wine, bott led water, chips, salsa, fresh veggies, mixed nuts, and chocolate candies. In addition, it was the committ ee’s responsibility to arrange for food during lunch meetings and other meetings that would require more than snacks. Food varied from fresh shrimp to sandwiches to pizza. The suite could be accessed by any member of the Local Arrangements Committ ee during the conference. Keys were limited, though several were distributed to make sure members would have access to the room.

Suite Costs and Vendors (Dave Trudgen)

Most food and beverage for both suites were purchased from the local warehouse store (Costco) to keep costs down. Some of the specialty items (fresh spring rolls, pizza, sandwiches, etc.) were purchased from local vendors.

Costs for the entire conference for both suites were about $6,000. Costs for the President’s suite were paid for directly by the Bethesda AFS offi ce. Therefore, the costs for the Local Arrangements Committ ee should be kept separate from the President’s suite which we had litt le diffi culty doing. All receipts were delivered to our Finance Chair for reimbursement. If necessary a cash advance was obtained from the Finance Chair; however, our Socials Committ ee generally purchased what was necessary for later reimbursement.

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Social Events

Opening Night Social (Dave Trudgen)

Early during our planning process the Local Arrangements Committ ee decided to have an opening social that would showcase the diverse seafood available from Alaskan waters. We also knew this would not be possible unless we could get fi nancial help, either direct seafood donations or monetary contributions specifi cally for seafood. We also realized that this would not be possible without help from our host hotel, the Hilton and their staff . The Opening Night Social was going to be held in the Hilton using all three of their ball rooms. We wanted their chefs to prepare donated seafood and we requested a break on the cost per plate of the meal because of the donated seafood.

We began discussions with the Hilton early (over a year in advance) to let them know what we were thinking, and to determine their willingness to allow for such an arrangement. They were very cooperative right from the start, but early discussions cannot be over emphasized. Aft er we got an idea of the seafood that was to be donated we asked the Hilton staff to prepare a

menu including the donated seafood items with additional side dishes. We would use this menu as a basis for the cost per plate for the evening. We sett led on $35 per plate. This was based on the seafood we thought we would have available to us (this was about two months prior to the event). As we approached the date, the seafood quantities did change, and we ended up adding some items (oysters on the half shell for example) and subtracting others. The Hilton was cooperative and did not change the $35 per plate price despite the changes in product. We did learn that the cost for a social with the seafood we were able to get donated would have been on the order of $80 per plate without donations, so the savings were obviously substantial. In reality we could not have had the seafood extravaganza without the donations. Our initial planning number for the evening was 1500 people. This number was revised to 1800 one week before the event. We believe we had close to 2000 for the actual social.

Decorations for the evening were kept simple with large cut-out fi sh hung from the ceiling along with some simple “waves” (cardboard cut into wave patt erns). We also placed fi sh art on the walls. The fi sh cut-outs were from the meeting poster created by Alaskan artist Ray Troll. We had permission from Ray to use any fi sh image from the poster for any meeting-related event. Table decorations were left up to the Hilton staff and the chef. They were designed to showcase the seafood being presented at each table.

There were fi ve buff et stations with access from both sides of the tables. Comments from past meetings strongly emphasize the desire for short food lines. No one wants to wait in a long line for their food (or beverage). Based on 1800 people we should have had an additional buff et station, but space did not allow this to occur. Lines for the evening were never very long and wait times for the food were acceptable. Lines basically disappeared aft er about an hour or so, but the food kept coming. All seemed pleased with the evening – lots of seafood and good conversations.

Beverage tickets for each of the social events were included with each registration packet. Each conference att endee and their paid guests received two beverage tickets good for beer and wine only. Separate tickets were printed for each

Buffet at the Opening Night Social. Attendees could access each buffet table from both sides.


Social Events

social event. Any mixed drinks or beer or wine in excess of the two drink tickets were purchased by the individual. We set up six bars and lines were never too long at any beverage station. We also agreed that each drink ticket was “worth” two non-alcoholic beverages. Every bar had to make a minimum amount of money or there would be an additional charge. This seems to be quite typical within the industry and should be expected. Minimum dollar amounts will very depending on venue. We easily made our bar minimums. Also the drink tickets, free to att endees, obviously were not donated by the Hilton. They were valued at $5.00 each and this amount counted toward each beverage station’s minimum dollar amounts. Including the $35 per plate discussed above, and $10 per “plate” for the two “free” drinks, the per-person cost for this Opening Night Social was $45. There was an 18 % gratuity added to this. Also added were costs for decorations (which were minimal).

Entertainment for the evening was simple. Comments from prior meetings indicated that live music or other “planned” entertainment were usually more distracting than fun. The opening night is for conversation and gett ing reacquainted with colleagues from around the country. People do not like to have to talk above music and the normal din from ongoing conversations. We did have a fi sh ice sculpture carved by a local artist. He did this at the beginning of the evening and several people had an opportunity to watch him work. The carving was on display throughout the night. We also ran two projectors with photographs of Alaskan fi sh and fi shery operations to showcase the theme of the conference. These ran continuously throughout the evening.

Lastly, we hung two very large posters with the logos of the various seafood companies highlighted; this very visibly identifi ed the sponsors of the conference and in particular the Opening Night Social. We considered this critical to the success of the event. It could not have happened in such grand fashion if our sponsors did not step up with either cash donations or seafood donations. We obviously were very thankful they did and we wanted to make sure they were recognized.

Trade Show Social (Dave Trudgen, Katherine Rowell)

This was a challenging social to organize and conduct. Kathy Rowell did an outstanding job keeping up with all the nuances of the event. This social has traditionally been a tool to att ract meeting att endees to the Trade Show vendor booths, a commitment AFS makes to all vendors.

In 2005, it was held in the Egan Convention Center’s Explorer Hall. It was a packed evening with food and beverage, a band, silent auction, door prizes, and a time and place for our poster artist Ray Troll to sign posters. By direction of the Bethesda AFS offi ce, the social had to be held in the same location as the trade show. We assume it will be the same for future AFS annual meetings, so plan accordingly. The primary purpose of the trade show is to draw people to the vendor’s booths. Due to space limitations we also had most of the posters for the conference in the same area as the trade show. Therefore, the social also served as an incentive for people to view the posters. Indeed, the evening was called the Trade Show and Poster Session I Social. Poster authors were asked to be present for an hour during the social to answer questions and describe their work.

Planning for the Trade Show Social began about 18 months prior to the annual meeting. Regular meetings were held with the Local Arrangements Committ ee facilities chairperson, the Trade Show Social representative, the socials chairperson, and the Egan Center events and catering staff throughout the planning period. The convention center required that all food be prepared and provided through their catering service and informed the Local Arrangements Committ ee that donated food and drink were not permitt ed for any events. This constrained our ability to cut costs through donated or discounted food and beverage.

The timing for the event was slightly later than in previous conferences. This was due to scheduling considerations for the last paper of the day. Ray Troll gave a talk on sharks that was well att ended. As noted above he also signed posters, and Ray was a member of the band scheduled to play at the social. Ray’s talk was not scheduled to be over until 6:30; thus the scheduled starting time for the

Final Report 79

Social Events

social was 6:45. We also ran a half hour later than most past annual meeting trade show socials.

We knew from the onset that this was going to be a cramped and crowded social event. There was not enough space to set up the number of food and beverage stations to accommodate all the people without long lines. Our initial planning number of 1400 was revised to a fi nal planning number of 1900, and the actual number was estimated to be over 2100. As expected, the lines were long for both food and beverage. Most people still did not complain and used the time in line to make new acquaintances and discuss the day’s events. Still, we wished we could have had more space for more food and beverage stations resulting in shorter lines. Some food did run out, but people seemed to get enough to eat.

The menu was simple, partly because we already had planned to serve fairly expensive Alaskan seafood at other meeting socials, and because of the need to reduce the expense associated with employing the Egan Center’s catering services. The menu was fi nalized and submitt ed to the Egan Center six weeks in advance of the meeting. Any subsequent menu changes required 14-day advance notice. The menu consisted of roast beef, ham, turkey, rolls, and fruit and cheese plates. Six stations served food and eight served drinks. The menu was reviewed by Betsy Fritz and the Local Arrangements Committ ee’s socials and facilities chair people. As the number of meeting pre-registrants grew to record levels, Betsy fortuitously recommended that several orders of chicken wings be added to the menu. Knowing the habits of fi sheries biologists, it shouldn’t be a surprise that all food prepared and served at this social was consumed.

The Local Arrangements Committ ee was unable to rely on donated alcohol beverages for this social. To prevent the meeting att endees from having to pay for all of their drinks, a ticket system was devised. Two beverage tickets were provided each

att endee. These tickets were distributed in the registration packets. Each ticket was worth $5.75 a drink and was eligible to be traded for house wine and beer or soft drinks at the social. No-host mixed drinks were also available should the two tickets not provide adequate volume for some participants.

Space limitations prevented placement of food and beverage tables throughout the venue. A drink station was placed in the lobby outside of the Explorer’s Hall and in the lower lobby near the poster display.

Several other events, in addition to the food and beverage service, were scheduled to entice meeting att endees to the Trade Show and Poster Session I Social. The listing of door prize winners and the silent auction (held in lieu of the traditional raffl e) were located within the Trade Show. Poster artist Ray Troll with his band performed original selections of original “fi sh” music. Mr. Troll was available during the social and the following day to sign the meeting poster. Anne Grist, the Parent Society’s Trade Show contractor, held a drawing for prizes contributed by the Trade Show vendors. Staging the posters and the Trade Show in the same room initially created concerns regarding space and fi re regulations. However, the combined venue

The Ratfi sh Brothers play during the Trade Show Social.


Social Events

worked very well, although crowded. It is likely that this combined Trade Show and Poster Session Social drew individuals to the Trade Show and to the poster session that might have otherwise not att ended.

Having a live band at this venue worked well despite the crowded quarters; this was the entertainment for the evening. We did not have space to do anything else. The band, featuring Ray Troll, played some favorite bluegrass and some “specialty” tunes writt en by Ray. There are pluses and minuses to the live music. Many people like the music and it will have the eff ect of keeping people at the venue longer. However, the evening is also for the trade show vendors and they want to communicate with as many potential customers as possible. Music can be distracting to those conversations. Scheduling time for both can partly solve the issue. Our band did not start playing until about 7:30 giving some opportunity for conversation with the vendors. In addition, people who stay to listen to the band can talk with vendors during breaks, thus potentially adding to the number of potential customers. So make sure the band takes a break or two (usually not a problem).

Our committ ee had quite a conversation regarding security for this event. The silent auction was held during the event with the required display of many nice gift s. Our convention center is open to the general public at all hours. Even though this was a “private” event, people off the street

could enter the building. We decided not to hire a local security service. There was security associated with the convention center, but their responsibility did not cover watching our merchandise. We agreed each member of the Local Arrangements Committ ee and a couple of other volunteers would watch for people that did not belong with the conference. If noticed, we would contact the convention center security, who would then escort them from the building. We did att empt to check name badges as participants entered the Egan Center, but this proved to be diffi cult. Bott om line, we did not have any trouble. We mention this point because security is oft en an issue during conference events and must be considered

for each venue.

The social was packed with meeting att endees. People seemed to want to fi rst obtain beverages and then stand in the food lines. Though the food lines were very long, most everyone seemed in good spirits with their drinks and animatedly conversed with other individuals in line. A signifi cant number of att endees were present and Ray Troll’s band was still performing past the scheduled social 9:00 p.m. closing; hence the closing time was extended. Anne Grist informed the vendors that they could leave as desired aft er 9:00 p.m. The remaining and apparently satisfi ed crowd eventually dispersed and the event ended about 10:30 p.m. A list of Trade Show and Poster Session I Social expenses are listed in Table 11.

Many announcements were made during this social (door prizes, poster signing, the band, etc.) so obviously a good PA system was required. Also, we suggest the announcement be made with a person with a good radio voice. You will fi nd that more people will listen to the announcements.

Student Social (Dave Trudgen)

The Student Social was divided into two elements: a student jobs and university fair with undergraduate and graduate school professors and potential employers, and a social event with food, beverage and music. There was also a student colloquium held in the same location from 1:00 to 3:20 p.m. Representatives at the

The 2005 AFS annual meeting Trade Show Social.

Final Report 81

Social Events

Table 11. Expenses for Trade Show and Poster Session I Socials.

Beverage

Drink tickets, 2 per person, 5.75 each 16,409.50

Gratuity (18%) 2,953.71

Beverage and Gratuity Subtotal 19,363.21

Food

Egg rolls, $12/dozen or $1/roll = $100/100 2,760.00

Chicken drummettes $14/dozen 2,880.00

Café round of Beef $450/200 people 4,500.00

Carving Stations

Baked ham $150/90 people 1,280.00

Turkey $95/40 people 2,100.00

Cheese tray $4/order 3,840.00

Fruit tray $4/order 3,840.00

4 gallons of coffee 90.00

Vegetable tray $2.50/order 1,800.00

Food Subtotal 23,090.00

Gratuity (18%) 4,156.20

Food and Gratuity Subtotal 27,246.20

Total Food, Beverage and Gratuity 46,609.41

Equipment and Entertainment

Quantity Item

2 10 x 14 screens 200.00

2 LCD projectors 700.00

1 Video camera No operator 150.00

1 Video smart fade and splitter 135.00

Labor for video set up 600.00

Band audio system 1,800.00

Mains, monitors, processing etc.

Additional speakers for the room 300.00

Labor 750.00

Addl day for announce sound system 300.00

4,935.00

Package discount (2,135.00)

Total Equipment Cost 2,800.00

Band Contract 400.00

Grand Total Trade Show Social Expense $49,809.41


Social Events

jobs fair included Federal and state government agencies, university research centers and the private sector including environmental consulting fi rms. Though this was a good cross section of job opportunities it was not as robust as we had hoped. Advance planning and making a lot of contacts is required to pull this off .

The social was held at the historic 4th Avenue Theater in downtown Anchorage. The Theater was a great location - away from the main conference center, but still within walking distance. The student colloquium was also held at the theater. The theater routinely hosts special events and we were able to book the entire building for the entire day at a very reasonable price. The rental fee was waived if we spent the equivalent ($2,000) in catering fees. We easily made that amount. We set up the venue with tables and chairs for the potential employers around the perimeter of the main fl oor. Round tables with chairs, cocktail tables, one additional bar and the food buff et completed the setup. We also saved room for a dance fl oor near the stage and the band. We included two multi colored light trees for the dance fl oor.

Entrance to this event was monitored closely. Since alcoholic beverages were being served, identifi cation was checked at the door. If an individual was old enough to consume alcoholic beverages their hand was stamped and they were given two drink tickets good for any alcoholic beverage. If an individual was not old enough to consume alcohol they were given four non-alcoholic drink tickets (this followed the same protocols as other socials). Of course any person could choose the non-alcoholic drink tickets if they preferred. This highly simplifi ed the procedures at each bar eliminating the need to check individual identifi cations, thus reducing time in line.

We worked with the caterer who was associated with the theater. Selections were made from their comprehensive menu. A variety of vegetable, meat and fi sh dishes were selected. In addition, Alaskan salmon and halibut were donated specially for this evening. Salmon were from the Yukon River and the halibut from various Alaskan locations. Either the cost of the evening would have increased substantially or the food would have

run out if it were not for these donations. The fi sh was prepared by the catering staff for a minimal service charge. We initially budgeted $10,000 for this event and fi gured on about 300 guests. Similar to all of the Anchorage events, the planning number was raised—to 500 for this social—and the total cost of the evening was over $12,000. We think we had closer to 650 att end.

We placed hors d’oeuvres out during the fi rst part of the evening, the jobs and university fair. We also opened the bars for beverages giving people a chance to have some munchies while talking with professors and potential employers. The main course food was brought out at 7:00 p.m. and was restocked while the food lasted—until about 9:00 p.m. The buff et table was set down the center of the main fl oor. Again concerned about long food lines, we arranged the food so people could obtain their choices from both sides of the table and begin at both ends of the buff et. Two carving stations were placed in the middle of the table, so in reality we had the ability to have four lines going at once. Food lines were never very long.

We also provided live music for the evening. The band played from about 7:30 to 11:00 p.m. Though we were complemented several times on the band (not too loud, good music, good musicians), we would HIGHLY recommend a simple DJ to supply the music. Not one person danced to the music and for the expense of a band, compared to most DJs, it seemed to us that it would have made more sense to hire a DJ. Music does not play an important part of the evening for most att endees, and money can be bett er spent on food and beverage.

For those not att ending the student social, this was their free night to enjoy other activities in downtown Anchorage or the surrounding area. It was also the only night without a scheduled social event for the entire conference. As note above there were plenty of brochures handed out describing where to wine and dine in Anchorage or att end other fun events.

Alaska Native Heritage Center Social (Dave Trudgen)

This was the big one, the event that went well beyond the Local Arrangements Committ ee’s

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ability to pull off without professional help (and I do not mean mental help, though that could have been a good idea). The event was held at the Alaska Native Heritage Center, a gathering place that celebrates, perpetuates and shares Alaska Native culture, language, heritage and tradition. When we fi rst approached the Heritage Center staff , they were reluctant to house such a large event. Their facility is sized to hold about a maximum of 800 people. We said we would like to put up tents outside to handle the extra people and the costs would be borne by AFS. They agreed to this scenario, thus sett ling our choice of venue.

I would like say a few words about the value of a professional party planning organization. As noted above, we employed Logistics, Inc. to help us. They are a local fi rm (very important the fi rm being local) that help plan small to large events. They knew everyone connected with the hospitality industry, and got us very good rates on all event components, from the caterer to the busses. Toni, the owner of the company, also had a very good rapport with the Alaska Native Heritage Center staff —a plus as the event unfolded because the Center started to get cold feet only four weeks out and needed some convincing they could house the large group. Toni convinced them they could do the event, and she was right! AFS having Logistics, Inc. on board greatly simplifi ed tracking the fi nances for the evening. We wrote Logistics, Inc. one check and they paid all the vendors involved in the evening. They provided us one budget that we negotiated and approved. They also dealt with any necessary permits for the evening (especially the Fire Marshall permit). I never felt as if we were not in control of the evening, a real tribute in my view of the Logistics, Inc. organization.

The Heritage Center covers 28 acres with a lake in the center. The main building houses a stage, theater, and displays that are representative of many of the Native cultures; it also houses a gift shop and Native craft s artisan booths. Surrounding the lake are actual models of the diff erent types of Alaskan Native aboriginal lodges. Our evening was fi lled with traditional Native Alaska demonstrations: lodge accommodations and life, story telling, music, and artwork. Entertainment for the evening was

robust with what we hope was something for everyone.

Entertainment included:

Native ArtisansNative DancersNative Olympic DemonstrationsNative Story TellersTour Guides at Each Village Around the LakeDinner of Copper River Red Salmon and Reindeer StewMusic from the Carhartt Brothers (yes Carhartt like the clothes)Martin Buser and his sled dogs (four time Iditarod Dog Race champion)

The Heritage Center is about 10 miles from downtown Anchorage, a 20 minute one way bus ride, and as you would expect the greatest challenge of the entire evening were the logistics. How were we going to get 2300 plus people there and back and still have some time for food and fun? Logistics, Inc. saved our bacon and planned it all out. What we really discovered through this planning eff ort is that No Event is out of reach if you have desire and determination to make it work. Think big, plan big, get your donations and have fun. You and the conference goers will appreciate the eff ort.

The main transportation to and from the Center was by motor coach (ok BUS, but nice busses). We initially started the evening with 20 buses that picked up people from two locations in downtown Anchorage. The buses began to run at 5:30 p.m. and made continuous loops to and from the Heritage Center until all people were at the Center. The buses held 50 people max, so we

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Totem at the Alaska Native Heritage Center


Social Events

knew it would take at least 2 round trips per bus to get all people out to the Center. This spread out the departure times giving people some fl exibility as to when they wanted to go to the event. VERY IMPORTANT: We had people with signs directing conference att endees to the buses and helping to load AND we made announcements in every technical session that aft ernoon about the bus transportation and departure times. This was to try to get people moving on time. It was quite successful. We also had people greeting each bus at the Heritage Center upon arrival. All people were at the Center by about 7:15 p.m. Whew, fi rst step completed. At this point we let six buses depart and the remaining 14 began making continuous loops to return people downtown. The last bus left at 10:15 p.m. Note that we tried to get people to take the busses because parking would be limited. However, many, many people did drive their own vehicles. Drivers should be planned for in each off -site social.

Having to plan for the possibility of rain, we were limited in the number of food stations we could set out. All needed to be under cover, but we were hoping for good weather so people would spread out and enjoy the entire venue. The weather cooperated all evening and no rain was in sight! Since all the food was under a roof this caused some major lines, but they moved well and people did not have to wait long. We did serve beer, wine and soft drinks at several bars throughout the Center. As with other socials, two drink tickets were given to all participants. The beer for the

evening was donated by a local micro-brewery, saving AFS several thousand dollars. We drank all the beer (we asked for donations of enough for two beers for every one of the 2,000 expected) and then some.

As each person off loaded from the buses and entered the Heritage Center they were given a schedule for the evening events. These schedules were helpful because they identifi ed the locations and times of each of the events planned for the evening (see bullets above). We miscalculated the number of schedules we needed and ran out. This was not too troubling as people shared, but it would have been bett er to have one for each person. We spaced events out all through the evening so people had more than one opportunity to observe the festivities. For example, we scheduled the Native dancers three times during the evening, Native Olympic demonstrations were held twice, and story tellers seven times at two locations. We also had some events run continuously throughout the evening. The Native artists, guides in each village, Martin Buser and his dogs, and the Carhartt Brothers were entertaining all evening.

In a group this size you have to be fl exible and willing to make decisions quickly. We had 250 to 300 more people than our fi nal estimate. Food was beginning to run out and I was asked if we should get more. The answer was an obvious yes, but where were we going to get the food? Fortunately, our caterer had planned for this and had extra food to cook. It cost us more, but people were treated to not only Copper River Red Salmon, but also some Copper River Kings. Bott om line—make sure you have a caterer that thinks ahead (you need to also). At one point the Fire Marshall almost made us take down the very large tent we had rented for the evening because we did not have batt ery powered emergency lighting in it. We got all this worked out, but we were close to having to remove the sides of the tent to meet fi re code, a decision that was being made two hours before the event. Get ready for any eventuality, because it will happen.

Lastly, here are a couple thoughts on decorations. Keep them simple and match them to your venue. They really help with the over ambiance, but can become overwhelming to plan. It is far more

Meeting attendees board a motor coach in front of the Egan Convention Center. The motor coach took them to the Alaska Native Heritage Center.

Final Report 85

Social Events

important to have places for people to sit and eat than to have decorated tables.

Closing Social (Dave Trudgen)

We wanted the closing social to be very informal and a chance for conference att endees to gather, drink a beer and discuss the conference. We set a fi rm budget for this evening and stuck to it. Food was to be simple hors d’oeuvres, with cheese, crackers, chips and other fi nger food. A change we made for this evening that was diff erent from our other socials was to off er beer free of charge with all other drinks paid for by each conference att endee, including wine. We thought we would have about 500 people at this event, but revised the number to 800 a couple days before the social, only to have an estimated 1000 att end. We ran out of food as expected, but the beer fl owed until people headed out to fi nd more food. Closing socials have been held at some meetings and not at others. For Anchorage we thought the closing social was worth the eff ort and was appreciated by those who att ended. It was planned to not

only cap the meeting, but also as an att ractant to keep people in town for the very last papers on Thursday.

The only “organized” activity at the social was a chance for the Lake Placid, New York Local Arrangements Committ ee to give a brief and humorous presentation about the 2006 conference in Lake Placid. This went over very well. The Anchorage Local Arrangements Committ ee Chairman Bill Wilson also thanked people for att ending and helping set a new att endance record for an AFS annual meeting. We also took this opportunity to sell a few remaining items from the student booth (mugs, posters, etc.).

Hosted Box Lunch Social (Lynne Santos)

Free box lunches were provided on Wednesday during the second poster session to encourage members to view the posters. This lunch was provided on a fi rst come, fi rst serve basis. We ordered 600 box lunches and ran out of box lunches within 15 minutes. Many AFS participants were upset that we had not ordered enough for all. It appeared most members entered the poster site only to pick up lunches and then promptly left without viewing the posters. If at future meetings a ‘free’ meal is off ered, I would suggest counting on 85% + participation of paid registrants. Also, many will grab and run.

2005 AFS Spawning Run (Debby Burwen, Dan Bosch)

Take a beautiful sunrise run along Cook Inlet and see some of the highest tidal fl uctuations in the world in action! The 2005 AFS Spawning Run will start just a couple of blocks from the Hilton Hotel (our Headquarters hotel) at the start of the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. The race will follow the scenic Coastal Trail for 2.5 K to Westchester Lagoon and back. There should be great bird watching along the way for walkers and runners that aren’t that serious about winning. You may even get to see a moose. Talk about inspiration to run faster! Please join us for this “fun for the whole family” event! The race will start PROMPTLY at 7 a.m. The cost of the race is $15.00 (T-shirt included). The T-Shirt was designed by renowned fi sheries artist Ray Troll. For more

During the Alaska Native Heritage Center Social, people could have their picture taken with Martin Buser, Iditarod Sled Dog Race champion.


Social Events

information, contact Debby Burwen (907-267-2225, debby_burwen@fi shgame.state.ak.us) or Dan Bosch (907-267-2153, dan_bosch@fi shgame.state.ak.us).

The Spawning Run was held September 14, 2005 at 0700 (O-dark hundred). Three hundred sixty-seven people (13% of registrants) signed up to race and 250 people (9% of registrants) actually participated in the race. Two hundred thirty-three people pre-registered and received race packets at registration. Each packet contained a map of the racecourse and how to get to the starting line, which was about fi ve blocks from the host Hilton Hotel. Also included were a race bib and instructions (when to be at the starting line, when and where results would be announced …etc). At the registration desk we also had a large poster that included the same map found in the race packet, and pictures from along the race course. The race was 5 k and held almost entirely on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. The course ran out 2.5 k, doubled back and came back to the starting area to fi nish.

The race was held on the outskirts of downtown Anchorage and along a city bike path/trail. Because of this venue, the city required that we obtain several permits. These permits required that we have both insurance and a traffi c plan. Insurance was obtained through a local representative of USA Track and Field and a local company put the traffi c plan together. The plan then had to be approved by the Department of Health, Department of Parks & Recreation, Department of Traffi c, Police, and the Fire Department. A call for volunteers was put out on e-mail in late June, and we had no problems obtaining help. We had 14 volunteers at the registration desk to hand out packets and sign up new spawners, and 23 volunteers to handle the race itself. Race volunteers consisted of three people at the 2.5 k turn-around point to hand out water, three people with radios on the course, one person to act as a trail sweeper (when the sweeper fi nishes the race is over), two timers, two bib recorders, fi ve fi nish chute helpers, one person to handle the refreshment table, and three to crunch the timing data. For refreshments we had fi ve gallons of water at the halfway point, 10 gallons of water at the fi nish along with fi ve

gallons of PowerAde. We also had fi ve bags of oranges (18 count), ten bunches of bananas, and four watermelons. All left overs were donated to a local homeless shelter.

Timing was done with two hand held timers which recorded a place and a time. We also had a large fi nish clock to allow runners to see their approximate fi nish time as they fi nished. The timing equipment was rented from a local running club. Volunteers in the fi nish chute kept runners in place until their bib numbers could be recorded in the order they fi nished and bib tags could be removed for prize drawings. Once the race was complete, one person read out a place fi nish and time, one person looked up a bib number to go with that fi nish, and a third person found and recorded that bib number and name associated with it in the master list. Aft er the entire list of fi nishers was complete it was sorted by gender and time, and places by gender were assigned. The trail sweeper fi nished the race just aft er 0800, and offi cial results were complete by 1000. We announced these results at the Trade Show and Poster Session at noon. Small gift prizes, donated by local businesses, were given to fi rst, second and third place for both genders. We also had 11 Ray Troll T-shirts, an autographed 2006 Joe Tomelleri calendar, and a Joe Tomelleri print that were assigned by a random drawing of bib tags of competitors.

All race day assignments were sent to volunteers the week before the conference. Direction signs were placed in strategic trail locations early the morning of the race. Turn-around point refreshments and signs were handed out the night before the race. I brought the fi nish line refreshments, tables, walkie-talkies, timing clocks and timing form to the fi nish area. Finish line volunteers, course observers (with walkie-talkies), and the trail sweeper met at the fi nish line at 0630 for fi nal instructions and then dispersed to assigned locations. The start/fi nish area was set up and ready for showtime by 0630. Final instructions were given to the racers and the race started at 0700 sharp. The winner came in at 17 minutes 15 seconds, while the last person to fi nish came in at just under one hour.

The race was a success, but not without problems. The biggest problem was that we had quite a few

Final Report 87

Social Events

more people register for the race than expected. Much of this was due to two factors: the overall size of the conference, and the T-shirt factor. The Ray Troll-designed T-shirt was a much coveted trophy. This fact was evident by the number of people who signed up to race, but did not run it—more than 100. Many people told me that they signed up for the race only to get the T-shirt. As a testament to its value, a Spawning Run T-shirt sold for $50 in the silent auction later in the week.

Guest Hospitality (Lee Ann Gardner)

Hospitality Room Set UpThe Tour/Hospitality Chair worked with the Accommodations Chair prior to the meeting to book a meeting room and arrange for a continental breakfast at the Hilton Hotel location (on the fi rst fl oor level) between 7:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings. This room was provided for guests/spouses/families to have a light breakfast, to meet with others, to compare notes and plan the day, or just to get information about where to go shopping. The breakfast consisted of a basic continental breakfast buff et (sliced fruits, muffi ns, pastries, croissants, juices, and coff ee/tea) placed in the room before 8:00 a.m. each day by hotel staff . For the Hospitality Room, the Tour/Hospitality Chair purchased, and/or had donated, artwork (six posters with Alaska themes) for placing on easels for room decoration. In addition, maps, tour brochures, and general information brochures were obtained from Logistics Inc. (the meeting’s tour and logistics management company), the Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Alaska Railroad. The various informational materials were placed on tables around the room each morning for att endees to read and/or to take with them.

Hospitality Room Volunteers & Att endanceTwo wives of Local Arrangement Committ ee members (Becky Peltz and Elaine Wilson) agreed to man the Hospitality Room each day and help with its set up and takedown at the end of each morning’s session. The Hospitality volunteers provided a friendly face and answered all sorts of questions concerning the Anchorage area, shopping, tours, etc. from the perspective of a local resident. At 10:00 a.m., they then gathered up

all materials and moved them into the meeting’s storage room at the hotel for use the next day. The Tour/Hospitality Chair assisted them each morning in sett ing up the room and arranged for the hotel to deliver the left over food to the Local Arrangements Committ ee hositality suite in the late morning for further snacking by committ ee members or AFS staff . On Thursday, the artwork decorations were taken to the Closing Social and were sold by the Student Chapter or given away to individuals who att ended that last social.

We ordered continental breakfast for 40 people for the fi rst three days and cut back on that number for Thursday. This was a buff et and featured pastries, fruit, juices, and coff ee/tea. The actual numbers of guests that used the hospitality room are provided below along with the catering order (Table 12).

Table 12. Number of Hospitality Room visitors and the catering order.

DayHospitality Room

Visitors Catering OrderMonday 18 40Tuesday 20 40Wednesday 31 40Thursday 15 25

RecommendationsBased on att endance results, we recommend the following:

Hospitality Room hours be changed to later in the morning (e.g., 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.), as there was oft en no one showing up until well aft er 8:00 a.m. and we oft en had to chase out att endees who were still busy chitchatt ing and enjoying each other’s company at 10:00 a.m. Reduce the Thursday breakfast buff et order (e.g., by half). By then, guests know their way around and/or are packing up belongings to leave.

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Tourism and Tourist Information (Lee Ann Gardner)

Prior to the MeetingThe Tour/Hospitality Chair worked with the webmaster (Mary Whalen) to load the meeting’s website with general tourism and tourist information, as well as several links to other websites containing such information. Logistics Inc., a meeting and convention planning company that supported this meeting, provided much of the text that was used on the meeting website.

Specifi c tourism and tourist topics included:

Facts and Information for Visiting Alaska,Planning Your Trip to Alaska (clothing, weather conditions to expect, etc.),Transportation (rental car information, descriptions of specifi c day trips by car from Anchorage, airline information),Hunting and Fishing Information (including how to get a license), andOther helpful web links, including one to the Logistics Inc. website.

Tour and regional photos were provided by Logistics Inc., the Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Alaska AFS Chapter members (the latt er responding to an e-mail request).

The website also provided a section “Suggested Activities During the Meeting” that included information on:

The Spawning RunFishing Trips (2 fi shing trips off ered in conjunction with the meeting)Group Tours (off ered through the meeting and available for sign up on the AFS Registration Form)Other Recreational Activities/Tours (provided by contacting Logistics Inc.) that included a host of diff erent tours/activities (e.g., ATV tours, horseback riding, river raft ing etc.)The Hospitality Room (for spouses and guests)

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Optional Night: Swing dancing at a local nightclub.

During the MeetingWhile in Anchorage, att endees could also obtain information each meeting day at the Logistics Inc. booth that was located at the Egan Convention Center and whose hours approximated those of the registration desk. Att endees could sign up for a variety of tours/excursions—including those meeting tours provided on the AFS Registration Form—as well as other tours not directly associated with the AFS meeting.

Tours and SightseeingBecause of the distance our att endees were coming, it was felt that a variety of tours should be off ered, since it was thought that there were probably many att endees who would appreciate having a hosted tour opportunity, rather than venturing off by themselves, or to help them get their “feet wet” before doing travel on their own aft er the meeting. We, therefore, opted to off er day trips during the meeting as well as daylong excursions before and aft er the meeting (a total of eight options that could be signed up and paid for on the AFS registration form). These eight meeting tour options were included as check-off boxes on the AFS Registration Form and were (listed in chronological order):

Kenai Fjords National Park Wildlife & Glacier Cruise on Alaska Railroad (Sunday all day). Narrated train ride, glacier cruise, lunch on cruise. Not exclusive to AFS participants, so no minimum or maximum number of seats had to be sold to cover costs.Guided Walking Tour of Downtown Anchorage (Monday morning OR Monday aft ernoon). Historic sites and art galleries/shops.Alaska Zoo and Grizzly Junction Tour (Monday morning). Narrated motor coach ride and admission to Alaska Zoo. Lunch on own at the Sourdough Mining Company restaurant and visit the 20-foot high melted chocolate “water” fall at the Alaska Wildberry Products candy factory.

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Portage Glacier Sightseeing and Alyeska Ski Resort Tram Ride (Tuesday all day). Narrated motor coach ride, admission to Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center and Begich Boggs Visitor Center movie, tram ride w/lunch on top of Mt. Alyeska. Eagle River Nature Center Guided Naturalist Hike (Wednesday morning). Hike at Chugach State Park and visit to Eagle River art gallery/coff eehouse. Narrated motor coach ride.Bird Watching Tour of Anchorage Bowl (Thursday morning). Narrated motor coach ride with local birding expert.Kenai Fjords National Park Wildlife & Glacier Cruise via motor coach (Friday all day). Narrated ride, glacier cruise, lunch on cruise. Not exclusive to AFS participants, so no minimum or maximum number of seats had to be sold to cover costs. We would have preferred to off er another train ride tour on this day but the Alaska Railroad shut down operations for the season on Thursday of meeting week so that was not an option.Kenai River Restoration and Guided Fishing Tour (Friday all day). Narrated motor coach ride, lunch/lecture at Kenai River Center, Kenai River tour w/Kenai fi shing guide (fi shing poles provided).

All of the above meeting tours were arranged through Logistics Inc., a meeting and convention planning company, who handled all tour logistics, checked in att endees, and accompanied selected tours. All tour minimums/maximums were established to: 1) have the minimum cover the costs of the tour; and 2) set the maximum based on the vehicle (e.g., motor coach) size. The one exception, the Kenai River Restoration tour, was off ered at a lower cost to registrants because it was also sponsored by the Kenai River Sportfi shing Association who organized the river guides, provided an informational talk at the Kenai River Center, and provided/hosted a lunch buff et for participants; this was coordinated through the Tour/Hospitality Chair rather than Logistics Inc..

Following the online registration cutoff date of Aug. 31, the Local Arrangements Committ ee

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decided to make up the diff erence in cost if minimums were not met and not cancel any of the tours. This decision resulted in no participant having a tour cancelled at the last minute. Tours data are provided in Table 13.

Besides these eight tours, a ninth early morning fi shing trip was described on the meeting website but was organized by two Alaska Chapter members (Loren Flagg and Bill Hauser) who provided a more independent fi shing experience on the Kenai River (i.e., att endees had to drive themselves to the Kenai Peninsula and meet up with the fi shing guide at the river fi rst thing Friday morning). Their numbers are not presented in Table 13. Participants contacted the organizers through the website and paid them directly. The announcement on the meeting website was the Local Arrangements Committ ee’s only involvement.

During the meeting: Logistics Inc. answered a variety of questions concerning touring opportunities in Alaska at their information booth that they manned and maintained at the Egan Convention Center throughout the meeting. This booth also allowed for tour sign ups by att endees aft er they arrived in Anchorage (Table 13) and the opportunity to sign up for additional non-meeting tours during the meeting (many of them described on the meeting website). The Logistics Inc. booth hours generally coincided with those of the meeting’s registration desk.

RecommendationsFirst and foremost, have a logistics planning company (like Logistics Inc.) manage your tours. We are biologists and do not know the tour business. To provide your att endees with a professionally run set of tours, line up local experts who do this for a living and who are accustomed to dealing with tourists. You will not regret it. In Anchorage, Logistics Inc. subcontracted with local vendors they used regularly and who provided them with good service, evidence of insurance, etc. They also dealt with the vendor should problems/complaints arise.It was discovered by some registrants that the credit card provider had a $1,000

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Social Events

Table 13. Anchorage AFS annual meeting tour statistics and number of registrants. Three of the tours did not have the minimum number of registrants (marked in the table). The Local Arrangements Committee elected to make up the cost difference for those tours so that none of the tours were cancelled.

Number of Registrants

ACTIVITYBy

Aug. 31After

Aug. 31Total

RegistrantsMinimumRequired

MaximumCapacity

Day Offered Cost

Kenai Fjords National Park Wildlife & Glacier Cruise on Alaska Railroad.

101 2 103 N/A N/A Sun $2251

Guided Walking Tour of Downtown Anchorage - Morning

10 1 11 15 30 Mon $17

Guided Walking Tour of Downtown Anchorage - Afternoon

4 0 4 15 30 Mon $17

Alaska Zoo & Grizzly Junction Tour

23 7 30 30 54 Mon $602

Portage Glacier Sightseeing & Alyeska Ski Resort Tram Ride

29 2 31 30 54 Tue $87

Eagle River Nature Center Guided Naturalist Hike

20 0 20 15 54 Wed $58

Bird Watching Tour of Anchor-age Bowl

9 8 17 25 54 Thur $75

Kenai Fjords National Park Wildlife & Glacier Cruise via Motor coach

36 0 36 NA N/A Fri $175

Kenai River Restoration & Guided Fishing Tour

24 243 48 30 48 Fri $1754

TOTAL 256 44 3001 Transportation provided on railroad (common carrier)—fare based on age of passenger (adult $225;

children age 2–12 $112; under 2 free).2 Because this tour would appeal to families, a child rate of $50 (ages 2–12) and under age 2 for free was

established.3 This tour sold out by Monday and a wait-list was established. We were not able to increase the size due

to the limited number of guides we had arranged for. We would probably have been able to sell 10 to 15 additional seats on this tour if we had been able to get the additional guides.

4 Unlike the other meeting tours, the full cost of this tour was not covered even if the minimum number of registrants was met; we were able to offer it at this price because of the sponsorship by the Kenai River Sportfi shing Association who provided a speaker at no charge and who hosted the lunch buffet.

Final Report 91

Social Events

limit on credit card charges at the website. Persons purchasing tours for themselves and family members could easily exceed that limit (one registrant reported it took him almost two weeks of daily phone calls to get registered for the meeting, his continuing education class, and his tours because of this unknown limit). Find out what limit has been set for your meeting by your credit card provider and NOTE it on the registration form (along with directions on what to do should their total registration fees exceed that amount). For our Anchorage meeting, that limit should have been at least $1,500.Prepare for computer glitches. There were people that had receipts printed from the website showing they had pre-paid for a tour but Logistics did not receive their names. This was a problem with two of the tours: extra people on the Sunday train tour (we had originally reserved a block of 100 seats) and the Friday fi shing tour/trip—both of which were sold out. There was lots of last-minute scrambling to accommodate the extra registrants (or to arrange refunds for those that couldn’t be fi t in). If one of your tours is using a common carrier (e.g., cruise ship, railroad) for transportation, make sure to note on the registration form that children under two years of age must have a boarding pass and be listed by name on the ship’s manifest. If this note cannot be included on the registration form, follow-up should be done with the family BEFORE the tour to ensure children under two years of age have a boarding pass and are listed on the manifest to avoid a last-minute scramble at the time of departure. For your meeting, see if local contact information can be added to the AFS registration form and have AFS Bethesda provide that information on the lists of tour guests who pre-paid. Logistics Inc. did not have contact information for tour guests. If any of the tours were running late or were modifi ed, this would have facilitated notifying tour guests of changes (e.g., one cruise’s route was shortened due

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to choppy seas—this was known prior to departure and Logistics Inc. informed each participant of the sea conditions and the shortened route when they checked in and issued a partial refund to those who went on the cruise; Logistics Inc. issued a full refund to a party of three that elected not to go on the cruise because one of them was prone to seasickness). Logistics Inc. would have att empted to contact tour guests if they had the information to do so (hotel or a cell phone number).

Should your tours deal with Mother Nature (e.g., birds on a birding tour), be sure to emphasize that the local bird experts will take you to places where such animals regularly congregate but that it is ultimately up to the birds to decide whether or not they will be there. Our birding tour had one serious birder who was very disappointed with the common types of bird seen (fall migrants had not yet started moving through Anchorage). They also did not appreciate the large size of motor vehicle (i.e., motor coach) used to get to the birding areas. This was the only complaint registered of the 300 participants who were on tours and I understand that Logistics Inc. ended up issuing a refund to them.

Wild Salmon on Parade (Lee Ann Gardner)

Each year in Anchorage, a charity fundraiser co-sponsored by Camp Fire and the Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau is held at the Hilton Hotel in which local artists propose to make salmon art sculptures on a theme of their choosing. A committ ee selects winning proposals and the artists are then commissioned to build their fi sh around a pre-molded form provided by the committ ee. The fi nished sculptures are then displayed outdoors at various parks/sidewalks in Anchorage during the summer and then auctioned off in an annual charity gala. As serendipity would have it, the annual charity auction was held at the Hilton Hotel (our host hotel) the Friday before the AFS Anchorage meeting. To take advantage of this, the Tour/Hospitality Chair att ended the charity auction, approached winning bidders to request we keep their sculpture for display at the meeting. In return, we would have volunteers deliver them to the location of their choosing free of


Social Events

charge. Any damage while in our possession would be repaired by the artist at our expense. (Note: ultimately two sculptures were damaged/repaired but the artists and taxidermist ultimately donated their time to do the repairs). Because these sculptures were over three feet long and, with their stand, could be up to four or fi ve feet high, many of the winning bidders took us up on the free delivery off er. Working with the volunteer coordinators, we arranged for local AFS volunteers (including family members) to move the sculptures to a temporary storage room in the Hilton Hotel following the auction, and then, when the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts was available to us later that weekend, moved each sculpture there for subsequent display during the week. The Hilton Hotel bellmen (with their carts) were very helpful during the moving eff orts. Each sculpture and stand needed two to three persons to move it and we ended up with 25 sculptures on display (23 salmon and two halibut, the latt er being added for the fi rst time to the “Parade”). At the end of the meeting, we mobilized crews and vehicles to deliver the sculptures to various locations across town. As

our volunteers were removing the sculptures from the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts to vehicles for deliveries in town, several att endees came up and commented on what a wonderful addition they were to the meeting and two people said they thought they were the meeting highlight.

RecommendationsOur membership loves art, particularly when it revolves around fi sh and wildlife. Consider including a display of local artists’ work at your meeting. Check with AFS Bethesda to be sure that the meeting insurance will cover (and not exceed) damage/loss to such display items. For paperwork, be sure to have a tracking sheet for each art piece that includes the owner information on it in case the owner needs to be contacted and have the owner sign a statement that they received the art piece back in good condition. Use volunteers to make it happen. And enjoy!

One of the fi sh sculptures that was on display during the 2005 AFS annual meeting. This sculpture is titled “You Can Tune a Piano (but you can’t tuna fi sh).”

Final Report 93

Student Program

Student Program


Our plans for a series of events and activities designed specifi cally for students were changed mid-stream by the untimely death of our student program coordinator, Dr. Molly Ahlgren, a professor at Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka. Molly joined our Local Arrangements Committ ee in late 2003, and she traveled to Madison to see how students were integrated into the 2004 AFS meeting. She brought back many ideas to use for the 2005 meeting. More information about Molly is provided in the fi rst part of this report. Without Molly, our student program was shaken.

Fortunately, a fi sheries student at the University of Alaska Anchorage, Courtenay Peirce, stepped forward and agreed to coordinate student activities. As Program Chairman, I helped Courtenay and asked others to help including Dr. Brenda Norcross from the University of Alaska Fairbanks; Kyle Deerkop, a fi sheries student at Sheldon Jackson College; and Dr. Keith Cox, a new professor of fi sheries at Sheldon Jackson College who fi lled Molly’s vacant position. Our plans for students included a reduced registration fee, low cost housing options, employment as A/V assistants, a Student Colloquium, and an evening social for students.

The Student Subunit of the Alaska Chapter of AFS sponsored the student program and accomplished much of the work gett ing it organized. We wrote articles for the Fisheries magazine and a section in the 24-page Fisheries insert. We featured our plans for the student program on the 2005 meeting website. Special fi nancial incentives also were off ered. Student members of AFS could register for $95. We reminded students that this fee included meeting registration, a commemorative tote bag, att endance at all poster sessions and oral presentations, many nights of socials plus an eventful student evening. Limited employment opportunities were available to help with meeting expenses, and students giving either an oral or poster paper were eligible for awards to be given for the best student paper and poster. Accommodations were reserved at special rates at the Howard Johnson Inn and we listed

information on youth hostels in the Anchorage area in Fisheries and on the website.

We needed student employees to handle the audio-visual and lighting equipment for each room at this meeting. A wage of $10 per hour was paid. We off ered students the fl exibility to schedule work at one or more sessions, and tried to match students with sessions they were interested in att ending.

Finally, we organized a special student evening on Tuesday, the “options night”, which was called the Student Social; the social was held in the historic downtown Anchorage 4th Avenue Theatre. The evening started with a special aft ernoon “student colloquium” which featured two presentations of particular interest to students. Then later in the aft ernoon, aft er the AFS Business Meeting, students returned to the theater where we featured booths, much like at a trade show, where potential employers and universities with fi sheries programs could meet students, and students could acquire employment and college information. The evening included plenty of food and music. We think over 600 students and others att ended the student social.

Organization and Outcomes (Courtenay Peirce)

Shortly aft er the death of our friend, Dr. Molly Ahlgren, I was approached by Bill Wilson to take over Molly’s role as Student Program Chair for the 2005 Annual Meeting. Originally the idea was that Dr. Brenda Norcross and I would operate as co-chairs. Eventually I was the main point of contact for the Student Program and I had a tremendous amount of work to do. Fortunately I had the gracious help of many AFS members, but most importantly: Bill Wilson, General Chairman, contact traffi c; Bill Hauser, T-shirts, scheduling; Kathy Rowell, T-shirts, merchandise, Molly Ahlgren memorial; Evelyn Brown, Steve Zemke, Jerry Berg, student A/V employees and volunteers; Dave Trudgen, Student Social, 4th Avenue Theatre catering, planning; Larry Peltz, budgeting and fi nance; Kyle Deerkop, Dr. Keith Cox, Alaska Chapter booth, merchandise, student


Student Program

volunteers; Miranda Plumb, Katie Palof, student volunteers.

My duties started with organizing the Student Colloquium, a series of two workshops led by Michael Fraidenburg (Lessons Learned) and Todd Christensen (AFS Diversity). Teleconferences and e-mail communications established what the two workshops were focusing on, how they tied together or did not, where they would be held, the target audience and time needed for each. Bill Wilson, Bill Hauser, Dave Trudgen and I then began to plan for Big Tuesday—the main day for student events. We brainstormed which events to host and came up with this rough schedule for Tuesday that fl owed as such: Student Colloquium > AFS Business Meeting > Jobs & University Fair > Student Social.

Next, Dave Trudgen and I met repeatedly amongst ourselves and with Susan Johnson, Events and Catering Coordinator for the 4th Avenue Theatre. We developed and revised fl oor plans, event scheduling, menus and entertainment.

Over a period of months, I continually advertised for student volunteers and A/V employees through e-mails and telephone correspondence. Input to a database and contact information traffi c fl owed between me, the student volunteers and the appropriate organizational parties, i.e. A/V or Volunteer Chairs.

Articles, reports and advertisements were writt en for Fisheries, The Onchorynchus (the Alaska Chapter newslett er), and the AFS web page to describe, highlight and advertise the Student Program.

A call for participation by various federal and state agencies, colleges and universities and private companies was published online and in Fisheries. Organization of att endees, table space, lay out, purpose, and materials necessary for the Student Social evening was communicated amongst participants.

Despite much tardiness in certain situations and a few miscommunications, the Student Program ran very smoothly. The merchandise sales were quite successful, the Student Colloquium had a substantial turnout, and the jobs and university

fair was popular. Working with Dave Trudgen on the Student Social was amazing. Dave has an uncanny ability to plan a party! Planning details from the fl oor plan, to the menu and the band, were all enjoyable. Multiple AFS members rallied together to help make this meeting and Student Program eventful. Thank you!

RecommendationsResponsibility for organizing the Student Program should be assigned to a professional AFS member with a student as co-chair. Organizing the Student Program is a huge job and should be tackled by a small group of people. The chair should delegate tasks to those in charge of items such as A/V employment, volunteers, the student social, the jobs and university fair, T-shirt design and merchandise sales, etc. I recommend a main chair and two co-chairs for maximum production and effi ciency of this program. Student volunteers who are to be selling T-shirts and other merchandise should be recruited and committ ed to volunteering at the booth PRIOR to the meeting. This was a big problem at the 2005 meeting; we did not organize the booth volunteers until they came to register for the meeting. Some students did not show up for their scheduled slots, some did not even volunteer at all. This left the burden of booth maintenance in the hands of a few dedicated individuals who worked very hard to make our merchandise sales a success. Special thanks to Tim Joyce, Keith Cox and Kyle Deerkop. The job of organizing the design, ordering, advertising and sales of the meeting T-shirts would be best handled by a student in charge of only that work. It is important that each of the larger tasks are allocated to one person. This is to maintain effi ciency and productivity of the chair/co-chairs. If this does not happen it is easy for the chair to get overwhelmed with multiple tasks that all need to be done at the same time. Delegation and separation of job items are a necessary function and proved to be the most diffi cult of my tasks.

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Final Report 95

Student Program

Make sure to book your band or other form of entertainment (for the Student Social) months in advance. Sign a contract and don’t rely on word of mouth. If planning a colloquium or other form of lectures or other presentations, make sure to understand the dynamics of the presentation. Will there be one person speaking to the audience or a panel of speakers? What type of audience participation is required, i.e. small groups, individuals? Be sure to account for all of this in your fl oor, lighting and audio-visual planning.

Student Paper Judging (Mike Holliman)

The process of planning for the judging of student oral and poster papers began early in the calendar year and continued through the meeting and for some time aft erwards. The following is the chronology from the 2005 meeting process.

Poster JudgingA list att ained aft er the meeting shows that 166 student posters were presented at the 135th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society held in Anchorage, Alaska. This count includes some instances of second authors (students) counted as presenters.

A total of 122 individual judges returned evaluation sheets for the posters. This count included a category for “unknown” for 44 evaluations (counted as a single judge) that were returned with unreadable or without signatures. The average score awarded to the posters by judges was 75.1 (SD ± 10.6) points; the maximum score was 100 and the minimum was 28.

Scores were returned for 87% (145/166) of the poster presentations. Evaluation sheets indicating that some posters had been withdrawn or were not posted were also received.

About 83% (121/145) of the posters evaluated by judges were viewed by at least two judges, 17% were evaluated by only one judge. About 20% of the posters evaluated were viewed by four or more judges.

In addition to scores for posters, 34 evaluation sheets were received that indicated posters

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could not be found, were not posted, had been withdrawn, or that the judge missed the session. There were eight posters reported as not available to be evaluated, but had been evaluated by at least one other judge.

Oral Presentation JudgingThere were a total of 231 student oral presentations at the meeting. A total of 167 judges, including a category for unreadable signatures or no signature provided (n = 26), submitt ed 519 evaluations of student oral presentations.

Judging sheets were not returned for 49 of the presentations, but ~ 78% (182/231) of the presentations were evaluated by at least one judge. The proportion of the presentations not evaluated varied signifi cantly among the days of the meeting. The greatest proportion (53%) of those presentations that were not evaluated (n = 49) occurred on Thursday, the last day of the meeting (Monday ~ 14%, Tuesday ~ 10%, Wednesday ~ 24 %).

There were 29 instances of judges unable to evaluate presentations because of cancellations, the student listed was not the presenter, or an assigned judge missed the session.

Scores awarded for the presentations averaged 78 (SD ± 9.6) points with a range of 63 (high = 100, low = 37) points.

Results of the JudgingThe best papers and posters from the Anchorage meeting are listed below. Each year, two Best Paper Awards are given (one AFS, one Sea Grant). The best papers were determined through a series of fi ve “cuts” or winnowing procedures.

Judge indicated the paper was a serious candidate for an award.Individual scores 84 and below were dropped (average score for all presentations was 78).Evaluations without comments from the judges were removed.Presentations receiving negative comments were removed.Presentations without redundancy were removed (there were still at least two

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Student Program

judges indicating the presentation was excellent).Scores of the remaining four presentations were used to determine the two best and the two honorable mentions.

The following are the results from the judging at the 2005 meeting.

Best PaperBeth Gardner, J. Patrick Sullivan, Stephen J. Morreale, and Sheryan P. Epperly. CO-07-26 Spatio-temporal analyses of loggerhead sea turtle interactions with pelagic fi sheries.

Brandon J. Puckett, David H. Secor, and Se-Jong Ju. SO-26-13 Growth and recruitment rates of juvenile blue crabs in Chesapeake Bay.

Best Paper Honorable MentionKatie Bertrand and Keith Gido. SO-31-11 Interactive effects of fl ood frequency and fi shes on ecosystem structure and function.

Brian Bellgraph, Christopher Guy, and Stephen Leathe. CO-11-24 Resource overlap between sauger and walleye in the Missouri River, Montana: Implications for declining sauger populations.

Best Poster was determined through three “cuts”:

First, the 20 posters with the highest mean/median scores were determined (I e-mailed students asking for a PDF of their poster).There was considerable variation in the quality of these posters; the scores were correlated with the number of evaluations received.The number of evaluations of the individual posters ranged from one to six. Each poster receiving the highest score relative to other posters having the same number of evaluations underwent further evaluation. A single poster having six evaluations received several negative comments and was dropped from the subset.The two posters ranked as best through further evaluation (the same four judges had evaluated each of the posters in the fi nal subset) were selected as best poster and honorable mention.

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Best PosterCari-Ann Hayer and Elise R. Irwin. CP-1-EEX-220 Effects of gravel mining on detection probabilities for selected Mobile River Basin fi shes.

Poster Honorable MentionDonald Ratcliff, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, and Joseph Zustak. CP-1-EEX-070 Does grass bed planting stimulate the food web and juvenile bass abundance in a drawdown reservoir?

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Technical Support

Technical Support

The Technical Support category is an artifact of our initial organization, and contains some incredibly important tasks necessary for a successful meeting. We did not have a Chair for this group, so each of these activities reported to the General Chairman, Bill Wilson. A/V could (should) be its own committ ee; this is a critical component of meeting planning and continues to be a major expense category. Publicity and Fisheries articles also is a major category that requires continuous work through the year prior to the meeting.

Meeting Poster Design and Artwork (Katherine Rowell)

The Local Arrangements Committ ee was very fortunate to acquire the services of renowned Alaskan artist, Ray Troll, for design of the 2005 Annual Meeting Poster. Ray was given the meeting theme, and then he asked for ideas and suggested some designs, and the Local Arrangements Committ ee provided a list of Alaskan fi sh and shellfi sh species desired for display on the poster. Lett ering refl ected the combined meetings of the 135th AFS Annual Meeting, the Western Division and Alaska Chapter Annual Meetings, and the 23rd Lowell Wakefi eld Fisheries Symposium on Pacifi c Rockfi shes. We also asked Ray to incorporate into the meeting poster the multidisciplinary nature of the fi sheries fi eld and to highlight the “Fisheries Mosaic” meeting theme. Our contract with Ray was simple, specifying both a due date of May 1, 2004 and copyright guidelines. The artist was extremely generous and authorized the Local Arrangements Committ ee to use the poster artwork in any manner, either in part or in its entirety, for any application

directly related to the 2005 meeting. Mr. Troll retained the copyright and the opportunity to publish or show the artwork as he desired aft er the meeting. (Note from the General Chairman: In early 2006, Ray decided to use our 2005 meeting poster artwork on a new T-shirt. Watch for it! www.trollart.com)

Ideas for using the poster design were collectively determined, when possible, by the Local Arrangements Committ ee and AFS President Barb Knuth. Mr. Troll requested compensation of $3,500 for his work. The organizing committ ee added a gratuity of $500, bringing the contract cost to $4,000. We also agreed to pay Ray’s expenses to att end the 2005 meeting. We really wanted him to be here, and he consented to give a presentation on his use of sharks in his endeavors, particularly a shark alphabet book for young readers, at the meeting. Ray also agreed to sign posters and perform some musical tunes at the Trade Show Social.

Once the artwork was completed, Mr.Troll’s artistic designer, Karen Lybrand, assumed the responsibility of preparing the poster for printing. Under Mr. Troll’s contractual commitment, she

provided the coloration, shading and fi nal layout of the poster. Continued communication between Karen, Ray Troll, and the Local Arrangements Committ ee members ensued until the fi nal product met everyone’s approval, including that of Betsy Fritz, AFS President Barb Knuth, and Gus Rassam.

The fi nal poster was printed on glossy paper with white lett ering (palinotype). The background color was a dark blue gradient (dark-base to lighter-top). A key to Alaskan fi sh and shellfi sh species represented on the poster 2005 AFS annual meeting poster.


Technical Support

was available on the meeting website and in the program guide.

The Local Arrangements Committ ee’s webmaster, Mary Whalen, served as the Art Committ ee co-Chair. She was indispensable. Mary coordinated fi le manipulation and transfer, fi le printing, and facilitated many other vital computer related tasks. Once the poster was approved, Karen Lybrand copied the full resolution poster fi le to a FTP site created specifi cally for this purpose. The fi le was then transferred to CD by our computer specialist. The CD was sent via Federal Express to the Parent Society in Bethesda. A few copies of the poster were printed locally to ensure availability for presentation at the August 2004 Annual Meeting in Madison, Wisconsin. The Bethesda offi ce was responsible for obtaining printing bids, the subsequent printing of 1,200 copies, and the mailing of the posters to the appropriate

individuals (to the Fishery Administrators Section and to the Educators Section). The poster in banner size (42”x 84”) was printed locally for display in the three meeting venue lobbies.

Our illustrious and industrious General Chairman envisioned Ray Troll’s art decorating not only meeting T-shirts, but also

miscellaneous memorabilia, the website, meeting bags, and the walls and halls of the meeting and social event locations. The artwork was also to be used to create a meeting logo. Karen Lybrand was hired independently of the initial artwork contract to isolate the fi sh images from the large poster fi le into separate digital fi les. Again by committ ee, a list of desired species or other parts of the poster that we wanted to use for various items was developed. Some fi sh species and other parts of the poster artwork were superimposed upon others. The covered portions of the underlying

species needed to be drawn and required additional time for artistic completion, all by Karen Lybrand.

The completed individual “fi sh” fi les were posted on the FTP site. The smaller “fi sh” fi les (in *.jpg format) were then downloaded from the FTP site and provided to a local meeting sponsor for printing on a large format printer. About 200 images were printed and subsequently cut out by committ ee members and on-site volunteers. One art committ ee member also printed a large number of fi sh both on paper and clear acetate bringing the total number of fi sh decorations to over 300 individual images. The paper on which the fi sh were printed tore easily, resulting in the need to mount these decorations on a durable material such as poster board. In addition to the posterboard-backed decorations, fi sh images about fi ve feet in length and three feet across were mounted with spray adhesive on ¼” thick foam core for display at the opening social. These decorations were cut out with X-Acto knives and were hung from the ceiling with fi shing line. The mounting of fi sh on posterboard and foamcore and the subsequent separation process with scissors was extremely time consuming. During a two-week pre-meeting period, many volunteers were coerced into assisting with this task.

For fi nal display, some of the posterboard-backed decorations were pinned to the carpeted meeting room walls with “T-pins” (as required by the venue). Others were hung from the ceiling using

One of the memorabilia items, a chocolate bar, decorated with Ray Troll’s art.

On-site registration desks in the Egan Convention Center. Ray Troll art was hung on the carpeted walls as decorations.

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monofi lament fi shing line. The acetate images were mounted on windows with rubber cement for viewing from both inside and outside of the buildings. At the end of the meeting, the rubber cement was easily removed from the glass with rubbing alcohol. The building administrators for the meeting venues were very defi nite regarding method of att achment to the walls or windows of the buildings for any item. They also requested that all items and means of att achment be cleared from the venues at the meeting’s end. The decorations were removed the fi nal meeting day and sold to meeting att endees. Proceeds of the sales were directed to the Alaska Chapter’s Molly Ahlgren Scholarship Fund.

It is diffi cult to recount complete expenses for the poster and artwork display as the purchase and cost of some materials (foam core, adhesive, rolls of paper) overlapped with the meeting’s signage budget. A signifi cant expense associated with printing the artwork was also absorbed as an in-kind donation from a local corporation (Conoco-Phillips), as were printing, paper, ink and provision of acetate by another meeting sponsor (USGS).

The following represents the minimum cost of the artwork for the 2005 Annual Meeting:Poster/artwork ExpensesArtwork Contract $4,000Image Isolation/Illustration $1,050 Memorabilia $1,840*Misc. Artwork supplies $1,056**Total $7,940*Design for candy bar wrappers, tote bags, mugs, pins.**Scissors, paper towels, adhesive, X-Acto knives, trash bags, poster board, foam core board etc.

These numbers exclude the revenue recovered and put back into the budget or the Molly Ahlgren Scholarship Fund through the sales of the remaining artwork at the end of the meeting (probably around $1,000).

T-shirts

Introductory Comments (Bill Wilson)Tradition at AFS annual meetings includes off ering for sale an “offi cial” meeting T-shirt

which typically features artwork from the meeting poster. The 2005 meeting was no exception, and we ordered pale green T-shirts with Ray Troll’s poster imprinted on the back and our meeting logo on the front. We ordered about 700, and students from the Alaska Chapter student subunit sold every one by mid-way through the meeting. In hind sight, several hundred more could have been sold.

The Alaska Chapter booth in the trade show became the location to acquire T-shirts as well as other memorabilia from the 2005 meeting (more on memorabilia in a later section of this report). Keith Cox stepped forward and coordinated the Chapter booth and took responsibility for managing the cash, T-shirt inventory, and student volunteers. Keith started on Saturday morning as people started arriving at the Hilton Hotel; he set up a booth on the mezzanine fl oor and this became a hub of activity through Sunday. On Sunday evening, the opening social was held in the Hilton, off ering a great opportunity for more sales. This activity then moved to the Egan Convention Center on Monday and remained in the Chapter booth until it closed on Wednesday aft ernoon.

T-shirts and Committ ee Shirts (Bill Hauser)Three specially-designed shirts were used during the AFS 2005 AFS Meeting. Dark blue short sleeved shirts were assigned for the “core”, long-standing Local Arrangements Committ ee members; heather gray T-shirts were worn by short-term, “walk-on” volunteer workers; and, a pale-green T-shirt became the “offi cial” or “meeting” T-shirt for retail sales.

As it happened, the choice of the artwork and the shirt vendor were closely related. The artist (Mr. Ray Troll) who contributed the artwork used for the meeting poster and the meeting shirts had an established working relationship with a vendor of screen printed T-shirts (Mr. Skip Jensen, Post-Industrial Press, Tacoma, WA). Local vendors were also solicited and one tried very hard to win the bid, but could not match the bid by Post-Industrial Press.

All shirts were provided by the same vendor. This strategy off ered economy in printing because there was only one “set up” fee for the artwork


Technical Support

and because diff erent shirts could be included in one shipping order. A disadvantage is the fact that shirts did need to be shipped to Anchorage in a timely manner and stored before use. A last-minute re-order was not an option.

Local Arrangements Committ ee Member Shirts—The purpose for these shirts was to have a readily-recognizable “uniform” for members of the Local Arrangements Committ ee and one of the earliest tasks entailed designing and ordering these shirts for use during the 2004 Madison meeting where the Alaska Chapter had a booth to advertise the upcoming 2005 meeting. Lots of energy was focused in the decision-making process (everyone had an opinion) and the design included meeting poster art on the back, with the AFS and the meeting logos embroidered on the front, left chest. The number of shirts ordered per size was primarily based on the experience and recommendation of the vendor. Originally, we expected that these would be polo-style shirts; however, some committ ee members expressed a strong preference for Henley-style shirts (i.e., sports-style collar) so the original order included half of each style.

It became apparent aft er being at the 2004 meeting that one shirt for a week-long meeting was not suffi cient for many members, so a second order was made for more committ ee member shirts (with a slightly redesigned embroidered patt ern on the front).

Distribution of the meeting shirts was somewhat subjective, but included: Local Arrangements Committ ee members, AFS Bethesda staff , special-recognition gift s, and on-site volunteers who made substantial contributions in visible assignments.

In the data provided below, we report the number of shirts we actually used or needed; we also report the number left over. Those left over were sold to the public and disappeared quickly.

The fi rst order was for the Local Arrangements Committ ee members:Number purchased Size

Number not used

Number used

Percent used

Polo Shirts

3 S 0 3 100%

6 M 0 6 100%

19 L 8 11 58%

19 XL 12 7 37%

3 XXL 2 1 33%

50 Total 22 28 56%

Henley Shirts

3 S 0 3 100%

6 M 0 6 100%

19 L 12 7 37%

19 XL 16 3 16%

3 XXL 2 1 33%

50 Total 30 20 40%

Second order information (all Polo style):Size Number

Small 9

Medium 15

Large 42

X-L 40

XX-L 6

XXX-L 3

Total 115

These shirts cost (wholesale) an average of $16.50 each, depending on size and style.

Of the second order , approximately 60 shirts were distributed to committ ee members. Thus our Local Arrangements Committ ee of about 60 people used around 110 shirts.

Be aware that shirts must be stored before distribution and “left overs” must be stored as well. One hundred shirts fi ll two boxes approximately 24 x 28 x 32 inches.

Volunteer Worker T-Shirts—The purpose for these shirts was to identify and reward workers who were not members of the Local Arrangements

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Committ ee but volunteered to help for a signifi cant amount of time (nominally, a half day or more) during the meeting. This included the student worker volunteers who were paid to assist with audio-visual needs during the technical sessions. These T-shirts had the same screen-printing artwork as the Local Arrangements Committ ee Member shirts, but the base color was heather gray.

Ordering information for volunteer worker T-shirts:

Size Number

Small 10

Medium 36

Large 74

X-L 74

XX-L 6

Total 200

These shirts cost (wholesale) an average of $8.00 each, depending on size.

Of these, approximately 150 were distributed to volunteer workers.

Meeting Retail Sales T-Shirts—The number of meeting retail sales T-shirts (700) was the same as the number of shirts ordered for the 2004 meeting. In 2004, approximately 460 were sold; 2005 meeting shirts sold out much sooner than expected. It should be noted that there were other options for T-shirt purchases during the 2004 meeting.

Ordering information for 2005 meeting retail T-shirts:

Size Number

Small 30

Medium 125

Large 260

X-L 260

XX-L 20

XXX-L 5

Total 700

These shirts cost (wholesale) an average of $8.00 each, depending on size.

RecommendationsRetail sales shirts proved to be very popular and quickly sold out so there were no left overs aft er the meeting. You’ll have to make a guess and order accordingly.Aft er the retail sales shirts sold out and it became apparent that other shirts would be left over, all shirts (unused Local Arrangements Committ ee and volunteer worker shirts) were sold before the end of the meeting. So, have a plan for any left over shirts. Sort shirts by size before distribution. Anticipate a rush for pickup.Assign a volunteer to handle shirt distributions; that person will be busy 1–2 days before the meeting begins, but will need to continue distributions until they’re gone.Distribution of Local Arrangements Committ ee and volunteer worker shirts was piecemeal and ineffi cient because the storage and distribution location was physically separated from most workers. Distribution would have been more effi cient if it had been located in the committ ee “break room”.Retail sales shirts sold out sooner than expected. Therefore, if more shirts had been ordered, greater profi t could have been realized for the students.Ideally, retail sales would have profi ted (excuse the pun) with a comprehensive plan, including: intended profi t, advertising, marketing and personnel needed to handle and sell shirts.

Volunteer Coordinators (Lisa Seeb, Joe Sullivan)

The Volunteer Committ ee provided several kinds of services to the other committ ees prior to and during the annual meeting itself. Prior to the meeting, various committ ee chairs identifi ed volunteer needs by tasks, dates, times and numbers needed and provided these to the Volunteer Committ ee. The Volunteer Committ ee then organized these needs onto separate Excel spreadsheets by committ ee and began recruiting for volunteers. Some committ ee chairs identifi ed

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their needs more concretely than others and, as a consequence, it was much easier to entice volunteers for these tasks. Approximately 109 volunteers were recruited and primarily assigned to these tasks prior to the meeting. Those tasks that were less well defi ned, or undetermined and unanticipated, required the bulk of the Volunteer Committ ee att ention during the meeting itself and this eff ort was unexpectedly substantial. Perhaps two or three dozen more volunteers (some new and some “repeats”) were “instantly” recruited for these tasks.

Volunteers were recruited prior to the meeting in several diff erent ways. First, committ ee chairs made contacts with co-workers and other AFS acquaintances and they provided these names and contact information to the Volunteer Committ ee. Second, calls for volunteers were part of national and local websites and published meeting announcements. Respondents to these announcements contacted the Volunteer Committ ee, which then placed them in contact with the committ ee chairs, and their names, contact information and assignments were added to the Excel roster and committ ee spreadsheets. Third, the Volunteer Committ ee co-Chairs made personal contacts with some who had not already volunteered but whom they knew had the talents required for particular needs. This recruitment included fi nding a few committ ee chairs as well as general volunteers.

The set of volunteer spreadsheets (Appendix 12) was a key element in knowing how prepared we were for the meeting and what still needed to be done, though, as noted earlier, there were some areas that were diffi cult to fi nd recruits for and there were substantial last-minute-surprise needs. The spreadsheets were fi rst sent to the Program Committ ee about two and a half months prior to the meeting. While this ultimately accomplished the task, it increased the co-chair time commitments required in a short period of time. Having co-chairs was ultimately critical because of other personal and professional demands on their time. Even with co-chairs, starting earlier would be a bett er idea and decrease the risk of not meeting critical volunteer needs.

The spreadsheets were periodically revised and returned to the committ ee chairs to gauge how

their requirements were being addressed and for corrections and additions for the next revision. The frequency of reviews increased as the meeting approached from just over weekly to almost daily. The spreadsheets were also sent to the volunteers themselves to confi rm their commitments which probably made “no-shows” less frequent.

It was anticipated that volunteer slots during the meeting itself would be more diffi cult to fi ll than those occurring at other times and this was largely true, but not unworkably so. In part this was due to the willingness of state, federal and other agencies to allow some of their clerical and administrative staff to spend some of their normal work hours as meeting volunteers. Nevertheless, there were some of these slots for which volunteers needed to be recruited twice when people’s ability to att end the meeting itself changed.

Because some needs were identifi ed that required volunteers with uncommon skills, it was valuable to have Volunteer Committ ee co-Chairs who had a wide range of local professional fi sheries contacts. This was also valuable for instant recruiting of volunteers at the meeting itself. It is easier to call upon friends and acquaintances (who also have a sense of pride that the meeting is being held in their neighborhood) than recruiting “cold contacts”.

The Volunteer Committ ee co-Chairs thought that things would mainly be on “automatic” during the meeting itself and it would be time for them to relax. That did not turn out to be the case, principally because of unanticipated needs. In part this was because of things that simply happen and can never be anticipated, but others were due to the fact some committ ee chairs did not fully understand what their volunteer needs were going to be. While att ention to this may minimize such circumstances in the future some element of this will always be the case. Volunteer Committ ee co-Chairs should anticipate unexpected volunteer needs during the meeting and recruit a cadre of “stand-by” volunteers with cell phones who are willing and able to help on a moment’s notice. Cell phones for the Volunteer Committ ee co-Chairs were an invaluable tool for taking calls from committ ee chairs and other program members in need throughout the meeting.

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Financial support is an important issue the principles of which should be re-examined and re-established locally before each future meeting. It should be clear that in general, most of the volunteer slots are unpaid and that registration costs are not waived except for remarkable cases at the discretion of the General Chairman. One nebulous area that should get greater att ention in the future is the relationship between the Volunteer Committ ee and the Audio Visual Committ ee or any other group that, like them, actually pays students or anyone else for their time. Many people who would like to att end the meeting need fi nancial support and many volunteers for all the committ ees are oft en students. It may be that the Volunteer Committ ee should anticipate that all student volunteers should be made aware of all the potential paid positions even when these are noted in calls for volunteers in various meeting announcements. Because money is involved, coordination between the Volunteer Committ ee and the Audio Visual Committ ee needs to be stronger than it was at this meeting. The Volunteer Committ ee co-Chairs were never certain about when A/V needs were met because a schedule of work assignments was not made until the last minute by A/V. In other committ ees, there was considerable range in time contribution by volunteers based on their ability and generosity, but for those more dependent upon a stipend for their work, the number of hours they can work or even the opportunity to work at all during the meeting becomes very important.

In summary, things worked largely because of the spreadsheet-based communication among the Volunteer Committ ee, the committ ee chairs, and the volunteers. There would have been fewer surprises and need for instant recruits if some committ ee chairs had bett er anticipated their needs. That will always be the case to some degree though, and Volunteer Committ ees in the future should have a set of unassigned volunteers willing and able to meet last-minute needs as they occur. The Volunteer Committ ee needs two co-chairs whether they are currently employed or retired and should be people with many local contacts who are bett er able to fi nd those with special skills and have more “stand-by” volunteers at the meeting they can call in.

Publicity and Fisheries Articles

Introductory Comments (Bill Wilson)Our capable co-chairs, Kate Wedemeyer and Lisa Olson, handled all the publicity and Lisa’s talents in graphic arts helped greatly in designing some of the publicity items. We initially produced a fl yer (one page [two-sided] with color photos, artwork, and text about the meeting location, theme, etc.) which we took to the Madison meeting and used to advertise the 2005 meeting. We gave these to people who visited the Alaska Chapter’s trade show booth. We also used a lot of these when we returned—to give to agencies to distribute locally, for local media, and for a variety of other purposes. We printed about 1200 of these and used about 900–1000 of them. They proved useful as advertising at other fi sheries-related meetings that occurred through 2004 and part of 2005, and several committ ee members used these fl yers to alert their offi ce staff about the upcoming meeting.

We also provided all the writt en materials, maps, photographs, etc. for the monthly Fisheries articles. While Bethesda staff assembled the camera-ready layouts for these articles, Lisa and Kate provided the text and other items that went into the articles. Of course the 24-page June Fisheries insert is the biggie, and this took a fair amount of work and maybe 5-6 iterations before it was ready to send to Bethesda. Beth Beard in Bethesda was incredibly helpful with all the Fisheries articles, and generally sent to us a draft layout for fi nal editing before they went to press each month. This was very helpful and it gave us the opportunity to snag errors right at the last minute. Several committ ee members were responsible for providing information and writt en text for some of the articles—coordinating the input from a dozen people proved trying at times.

Publicity and Media Relations (Kate Wedemeyer, Lisa Olson)This committ ee was responsible for developing materials for the monthly Fisheries magazine inserts; producing other advertising requested of the Local Arrangements Committ ee; contacting the press and other media for coverage of the meeting, and to set up interviews or provide


Technical Support

information needed by local media for newspaper articles, television interviews, etc.

The main responsibilities of this committ ee were:

Monthly inserts in FisheriesContact media and set up interviews during the meeting

Additional tasks which we volunteered for because members of our committ ee were available for or uniquely capable of:

Display and volunteer sign-up at the Chapter meetingDelivering Trade Show information to potential commercial exhibitorsDeveloping the Registration Form

Fisheries Inserts—This task is probably the largest publicity eff ort a Local Arrangements Committ ee must undertake. Although the Bethesda AFS staff provide a great deal of support, the basic text and photographs need to come from the host location. Up to 16 issues of Fisheries magazine will contain announcements and information on the annual meeting. This starts with the Fisheries issue for September—the First Call for Papers. This is followed with October, November, and December issues with a Second, Third, and Final Call for Papers. These issues are also the opportunity for starting to advertise various aspects of the annual meeting such as the host hotel, the meeting venue, and local att ractions.

We found some confusion about what topics were to go into each Fisheries article, and learned that there is some fl exibility about content. We recommend that the committ ee learn early in the year which Fisheries issues have fl exibility of content, and which do not. We did not have a schedule of what materials were to be published in Fisheries, and thus we developed our own based on the previous 4 years of Fisheries. It is possible such a schedule now exists, and we recommend it be obtained early (more than a year out) and that writers be lined up for each issue’s expected article.

Table 14 lists the Fisheries articles on the 2005 meeting we or the AFS Bethesda staff prepared. The 4-page April insert and the 24-page June insert are the most important issues. The

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September–December calls for papers included a 2”x 6” box in which the Publicity Committ ee could put local information of their choice; the rest was the Call for Papers which the Program Committ ee developed. The April insert included travel information and descriptions of symposia and continuing education classes. The June insert included everything you need to know about att ending the meeting; many members use this to plan their att endance down to which symposia and continuing education classes to take and bring it with them to the meeting. The June insert is reprinted by AFS Bethesda and a few hundred will be sent to the General Chairman or others who may need them for advertising, fundraising, or other uses. The other topics for the monthly updates are up to the publicity committ ee to decide and gather information for.

Material is due to the Fisheries editor 6 weeks before the month of publication which means the publicity committ ee needed it at least two months earlier. We found it challenging to get the information for the April and June inserts by the February and April due dates simply because many of the decisions were not yet precise.

The registration form (due in February) was something no one on our committ ee had identifi ed as their responsibility. According to Fisheries editor Beth Beard, this is a common occurrence. It took much longer than one might imagine, not only for format but also to get the fi nal decision on fees for continuing education classes and tours. Make sure to fi nd out early who is going to pull the registration form together. The registration form is a key document that lays out the specifi cs of the meeting and it needs to be accurate and easy to understand. It will be published in Fisheries and also provided on the meeting web site. It is the principal information-gathering document, and the data on the form are the basis for the database on meeting att endees that is developed prior to and during the meeting, and serves to document categories of att endees, classes taken, revenues, and other data for the post-meeting reports.

If you have a good artistic person on your committ ee, keep it a secret or they will get pulled into everything else (such as the registration form) and will have no time left for putt ing the Fisheries inserts together. Fortunately, if you can provide

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Table 14. Articles prepared by the Publicity Committee and AFS Bethesda staff.

Month Length Subject

September 2004 2 pages First Call for Symposia and Papers

October 2004 2 pages Second Call for Symposia and Papers; Call for Workshops (Continuing Education)

November 2004 2 pages Third Call for Symposia and Papers; Theme of 2005 Meeting; Meeting Website

December 2004 2 pages Final Call for Symposia and Papers; Information on Tourism and Trip Planning

January 2005 1 page Meeting Update: 2005 Meeting Poster Unveiled, Artist Biography, Interpretation of Theme

February 2005 1 page Meeting Update: Plenary Session Speakers, Biographies

March 2005 2 pages Meeting Update: Anchorage Profi le, Offi cial Airline, Host Hotel, Convention Facilities, Anchorage Map; Poster Guidelines Website

April 2005 4 pages Traveling to Anchorage; Symposia List; Continuing Ed Class Descriptions and Instructors

May 2005 1 page Meeting Update: Student Program, Awards, Accommodations, Employment at Meeting

Back cover Continuing Ed Class Descriptions and Instructors

June 2005 Front Page Meeting Poster

24-page insert Comprehensive Meeting Overview: Registration, Plenary, Symposia, Cont Ed, Student Events, Trade Show, Poster Sessions, Spawning Run, Silent Auction, Socials, Trips and Tours, Transportation, Accommodations, Schedule at a Glance, Registration Form

July 2005 1 page Meeting Update: Spawning Run Details

August 2005 1 page Meeting Update: Anchorage Attractions, Map

½ page Silent Auction Overview; Guided Salmon Fishing Trip Announcement and Details

September 2005 No articles

October 2005 No articles

November 2005 1 page Director’s Line: Gus’ Article on Meeting Attendance and Trip to Halibut Cove

5 pages Summary of the Meeting: Plenary, Socials, Symposia, Business Meeting, Student Night, Spawning Run, Attendance

½ page Meeting Sponsors List and Thank You

December 2005 6 pages AFS Annual Awards: Names, Biographies, Photos; Resolutions; Western Division Awards; Section Awards


Technical Support

good writt en materials, photos, and illustrations, the Fisheries staff can create a beautiful insert.

Some of the materials writt en in the fi rst few Fisheries articles, such as continuing education, student activities, and accommodations, can be used again when preparing the April and June inserts. Don’t be afraid to reuse materials; it is easy to change photos and layout, but the June insert needs to be a comprehensive overview of the meeting, so you may necessarily repeat some information provided in earlier Fisheries issues.

Remember to get a cover photo for the June Fisheries, and be on the lookout for good photos generally—of things to do in the area, the venues, scenery, outdoor activities, etc., as these will be needed for many Fisheries articles. We sponsored a photo contest within the chapter to get some good photos to use in the inserts. If you can, try to take local seasonal photos during the meeting month the year before.

It took much more time than expected to draft 2- to 3-sentence summaries of 2- to 3-page symposia proposals and to organize the symposia and continuing education classes into categories. This however was probably one of the most important writt en items we provided. The titles spoke more to the meeting theme and less to the actual name of the symposia when members and the press were trying to get an idea of which symposia to att end so we couldn’t just use the titles of the symposia. Therefore we organized them into categories based on the meeting theme. We also organized the 15 continuing education classes into categories based on the theme.

Keep in close contact with the webmaster and send Adobe Acrobat pdf fi les of the fi nal Fisheries inserts to the webmaster.

There is a fi ne balance between copying everyone in the world with every e-mail and making sure others are adequately informed of your committ ee’s activities.

Things that went well for us included working with the Fisheries editor and graphic artists. They were available to step into the breach when we needed help with the graphics layout. We only needed to provide the writt en materials, graphics, and photos for them to use. It is certainly an

option to plan to have them provide the layout from the beginning. We felt the Alaska Chapter photo contest successfully resulted in acquiring excellent photos. We also put a lot of eff ort into successfully summarizing the continuing education and symposia descriptions and arranging them into categories.

If possible, we would change the process for obtaining writt en sections for Fisheries articles. We would send more reminders to each committ ee chair on when we needed a particular insert topic. We sent reminders early in the process, but we could have probably saved some stress by sending one or two reminders a month before we needed the information. We recommend that the committ ee start writing press release materials from the symposia proposals and abstracts while in the process of reading and summarizing them for the Fisheries inserts.

The Local Arrangements Committ ee Chairs should be informed that the registration form has to be done by February! We’d recommend that someone other than publicity committ ee members develop the registration form.

Media Activities (Kate Wedemeyer)The goal of the media eff ort was to “Get Science to the Public”. With that in mind, we identifi ed 15 well-known speakers among the large group that were presenting oral papers, and asked if they would be willing to talk to the press. We received an almost universal yes.

A media alert was sent a month to six weeks before the meeting to let the press know the meeting was imminent. It also stated that registration would be free to the press and that there was a media section on the website.

The last two weeks before the meeting, there were 1–2 media alerts per day announcing the time, topic, and experts available for each of the interview topics. One alert also identifi ed the symposia we thought would be of most interest to the press. We used diff erent fi sh illustrations (from the meeting poster) at the top of each media alert as a visual clue that they were each diff erent.

We had a section on the website where we put not only the press alerts, but also summaries of the symposia (the same we used in the Fisheries

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insert) so media would not have to wade through over 50 symposia abstracts to fi gure out what was of most interest. We still had several inquiries of what to choose out of the overwhelming lists. We mentioned the topics of the interviews as those we thought of most interest.

We concentrated on local and state media and the Fisheries editor concentrated on more national media; few national media come to annual AFS meetings, and we suspect that not many were in Anchorage because of the long travel distance.

Registration for media representatives was taken care of in the media room but we are aware that a number of reporters did not register or could not fi nd the media room. Several interviewees asked for the media room and were sent to the A/V room —a mistake easily made!

Several media alerts were accompanied by background papers which were developed by pulling interesting facts out of the abstracts for that symposium or topic. These were then sent to symposium chairs or subject matt er experts for review. They were sent out as background information, but if they could have been writt en as actual press releases that might have inspired more press articles. We received numerous unsolicited expressions of appreciation from reporters for all the information we sent out.

Because of the size of the meeting, we decided to set up specifi c times for media interviews concentrated between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Where there were a number of interviewees from several symposia, e.g., “Cool Technology”, it was challenging to fi nd a time they could all att end. Fortunately, the scientists were very fl exible and made a special eff ort to make it work .

Most interview opportunities were in the media room where it was quiet enough for recording interviews and where we had a visual fi sh background (individual Ray Troll fi sh art from the meeting poster) if we had TV coverage. We also had the interview schedule and all the press alerts on the wall and stacks on the table in case reporters needed them. We had stacks left over, though.

Publicity professionals have said that no matt er how good the media notice, you can’t control

or predict whether the media will show. So don’t take it personally if you don’t get a lot of reporters.

The overall media eff ort went very well. Reporters were very appreciative of the many press alerts we sent out. The media room worked well. It was quiet and pleasant for the interviews and was set up so interviews could be held around the conference table or with several chairs in a semi-circle for the interviewees. Both setups were used. Our media room was also used quite oft en for committ ee meetings and the Ray Troll band practice before they performed at the Trade Show. The abstract search on the website worked very well for topics like climate change that were not represented by a specifi c symposium or to fi nd additional papers elsewhere in the meeting. The webmaster was very good at gett ing the media information onto the website quickly.

Sett ing up specifi c times for interviews worked well. It would have been almost impossible to coordinate interviewees and reporters otherwise. Individual AFS members were very willing to meet with the press. The media room also was a good place where reporters could sign in and list their topics of interest. Climate change was the most listed topic.

We had assistance from public relations professionals from fi sheries related agencies; they were very helpful.

Interviewees were escorted from the Plenary or a symposium location to the media room which made a huge diff erence in gett ing interviewees to the media room on time for the press conferences.

We had the most interest from—and got the most science out to the public—through one reporter who specializes in fi sheries issues.

RecommendationsPrepare the registration form early (February).Refer to the “media room” as the “press room” to avoid it being confused with the A/V check-in room.Make the media room more visible and make sure that all the local arrangements staff know its location. Use signs if needed.

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We are aware that a number of reporters never reached our media room or checked in.Limit the number of scientists on any one topic to three.Get information on the Plenary speakers posted to the website. There was no information on the website about Plenary presenters, nor were the Plenary speakers listed in the abstract search.Identify an event of visual interest to att ract the media, particularly TV reporters. We could have highlighted the salmon dance at the beginning of the Plenary; this would have been a good visual event.Concentrate the press interviews into the fi rst two days even if the symposia topics are later in the week; then let reporters att end symposia to fi nd their interviewees. Aft er the fi rst few days of the meeting, one could almost close shop on the media room or make it available for small meetings.Emphasize local persons of interest to the media. We could have emphasized the former Alaska Lieutenant Governor Fran Ulmer.Start working up press releases while sift ing through the symposia abstracts to summarize them for the Fisheries insert. These press releases then could be sent to symposia chairs or experts months in advance (many were out in the fi eld) to get their improvements.

Committee Communications (Kathy Orzechowski, Bill Wilson)

We decided to follow the advice from the Madison organizing committ ee and obtain cell phones for our committ ee. Best thing we ever did! We recommend future committ ees do the same. Instant communications is critical, particularly when the meeting is spread around in several venues. And even if it is all in one building, committ ee members are scatt ered—in their hotel rooms, in meeting rooms, at lunch, etc. Particularly critical are cell phones for those who run errands or are responsible for transportation.

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We asked a local vendor to sponsor our cell phones. We succeeded in fi nding one of the local cell companies, GCI, who volunteered the use of 30 phones, plus minutes, for a 10-day period. We placed GCI on our web site as a sponsor, and included them in the Program Guide and on sponsor recognition posters in the venues. Kathy Orzechowski acquired the phones, programmed each of them with everyone’s phone number, and also included for those who wanted them additional phone numbers for home, offi ce, spouse, and other AFS business contacts (e.g. hotel managers, convention center security, etc.). At the end of the meeting Kathy identifi ed one location for all to drop the phones; then they were packaged back up, and returned to GCI.

On-site communications were handled using digital cell phones. Cell phone signal strength was adequate on-site (but we had some dead areas).

RecommendationsProvide two handouts with each phone: a) basic step-by-step instructions to operate the phone, i.e. gett ing to the contact list, adding a contact, turning the ring off , etc., and b) a hardcopy print-out of the contact list (name and phone number for each person who had a meeting cell phone).Assign a local cell phone to Betsy Fritz or another contact from AFS Bethesda staff .

A/V (Steve Zemke, Jerry Berg)

GeneralThe A/V objective for the conference was to provide A/V support for the 1200 or so technical and Plenary presentations, scatt ered over three venues, with signifi cantly diff erent operating procedures. The decision was made to use all PowerPoint presentations, if at all possible, and provide support needed to meet these needs. Several support scenarios were looked at, such as purchase of equipment such as computers and LCD projectors by AFS, use of loan equipments by agencies or corporations, or as it was fi nally decided, use of contract providers.

Contract DevelopmentAft er the decision was made to go with an A/V contract provider, bids were solicited from two fi rms. These were IMIG AV of Anchorage,

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Alaska and STS Productions of Woodinville, Washington. These bids were cross checked by comparing equipment unit prices with three other A/V providers. The fi nal contract was awarded to IMIG AV of Anchorage on the basis of low bid, number of larger conferences serviced in Anchorage, and their location in Anchorage in case of contingencies.

CostsAs noted within the Budget and Finance section, fi nal A/V costs were signifi cantly over costs budgeted. Final cost for A/V services were $55,928. This was a 25 % over run. The fi nal costs are detailed within Table 15.

A/V Check in and Download of PresentationsDownload of presentations and fi le management turned out to be a major concern. The session presenters were required to download presentations to IMIG AV prior to conference start. The presentations were to be mailed or downloaded to the IMIG AV website storage facility. A major problem with this year’s A/V organization was the lack of a successful protocol for using the IMIG AV website for down loading the presentations. Three primary problems occurred that prevented the successful implementation of this exciting technology. First, there was not adequate communication and planning accomplished between AFS A/V staff and the IMIG contractor that established the exacting technical requirements needed to make the download successful. IMIG should have been a dedicated server for the downloads at least a week before the deadline. Storage space on the server should have been at a minimum in the 30 to 50 Gigabyte range. The band width used for download needed to be much wider. Second, a constant change in the program, up to the fi nal day before the start of the meeting sessions, complicated the organization and fi ling of the presentations that were downloaded. Finally, the deadline for download should have been several days earlier in the process rather that the two working days provided, as 50 to 75 percent of the presenters waited to the last day to att empt to download fi les that oft en were in the 20 to 100 MB range. These technical specifi cations were not negotiated within the scope of the original contract.

As a contingency, presentations that were not received via download were to be loaded at least one day before their scheduled presentation. IMIG was responsible for loading these presentations up on a master program, and then loading them on an appropriate laptop, and then set up at the appropriate room prior to the start of the technical session. Since over 900 presentations had to be uploaded onto the room computers prior to the start of the meeting, IMIG brought in additional staff on Sunday through Wednesday to handle the additional load and had 4 staff working to load the presentations. The process was very effi cient, and generally no wait time was required. The PowerPoint agenda format was very successful in allowing IMIG staff to navigate to the right session and instantly download the presentations. The extra staff resulted in signifi cantly higher labor costs.

All laptops and LCD projectors were dedicated to a specifi c room and were identifi ed for that specifi c room. These were then brought to their appropriate rooms 30 minutes prior to the start of the session. At the end of the day, all laptops and computers were returned to the Williwaw Room. Any additional presentations that were received that day were loaded onto the appropriate computer that evening or morning to be ready to go to the correct room in the morning. Laptops and LCD projectors were locked up in this room until the next morning where they were readied to be placed out and set up in the rooms by A/V assistants. Use of volunteers rather than A/V contract labor to move all the equipment lessened the labor costs for moving the hundreds of pieces of equipment twice daily.

In cases where the presenter had not been able to get his/her presentation loaded to the laptop before it was moved out to the session room, the presentation was played off a USB memory stick or CD. A runner brought the presentation to the appropriate room. The presentation was then loaded at a break before the presentation was scheduled to be given, or as a last case played directly off the USB memory device or CD. No allowance for extra time was given. Fortunately, this was a rare occurrence.

The presenters were able to use the A/V check in rooms to have their presentation checked for


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Item Details Days No. Price Extension

Egan (11 Concurrent Sessions, Summit Hall)

LCD Projector 2500 Lumen 3.5 11 $300.00 $11,550.00

Projector Stand 3.5 11 $15.00 $577.50

Tripod Screen 3.5 11 $30.00 $1,155.00

Laptop 3.5 11 $85.00 $3,272.50

Wireless Remote 3.5 8 $25.00 $700.00

Podium Microphone 3.5 6 $20.00 $420.00

8-Input Computer/Video Switcher

3.5 1 $400.00 $1,400.00

VHS Player Wed, Room 1 1 1 $45.00 $45.00

VHS Player Tue, Room 14 1 1 $45.00 $45.00

Small Sound System 3.5 6 $85.00 $1,785.00

Egan Upstairs (2 Rooms on Thursday Only)

LCD Projector 2500 Lumen 1 2 $300.00 $600.00

Projector Stand 1 2 $15.00 $30.00

Fast-Fold Screen 1 2 $100.00 $200.00

Laptop 1 2 $85.00 $170.00

Wireless Remote 1 2 $25.00 $50.00

Hilton (1 Concurrent Session, Denali Room)


Projector Stand 3.5 1 $15.00 $52.50

Laptop 3.5 1 $85.00 $297.50

Wireless Remote 3.5 0 $25.00 $-

Podium Microphone 1 1 $20.00 $20.00

Mixer 1 1 $25.00 $25.00

Alaska Center For The Performing Arts



Projector Stand 3.5 4 $15.00 $210.00

Tripod Screen Elvira 3.5 1 $30.00 $105.00

9 x 12 Rear Screen 3.5 3 $100.00 $1,050.00

Laptop 3.5 4 $85.00 $1,190.00

Wireless Remote 3.5 0 $25.00 $-

Egan Audio Visual Room


Tripod Screen 3.5 1 $30.00 $105.00

Laptop 3.5 5 $85.00 $1,487.50 Continued On Next Page

Table 15. List of A/V equipment and costs for the 2005 annual meeting.

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Router 3.5 1 $20.00 $70.00

Thumb Drive 3.5 5 $5.00 $87.50

Egan/Hilton A/V Practice Room

Laptop 3.5 1 $85.00 $297.50

IMIG AV Website Storage

Web Storage $400.00

Additional Audio Equipment

Monday, Egan 4

Table Top Microphone 1 3 $20.00 $60.00

4-CH Audio Mixer 1 1 $25.00 $25.00

Egan 2


6-CH Audio Mixer 1 1 $65.00 $65.00

Tuesday, Egan 2


6-CH Audio Mixer 1 1 $65.00 $65.00

Egan 5


4-CH Audio Mixer 1 1 $25.00 $25.00

Wednesday, Egan 6


6-CH Audio Mixer 1 1 $65.00 $65.00

Wireless Hand Microphone 1 1 $50.00 $50.00

Wednesday, Egan 11-12


6-CH Audio Mixer 1 1 $65.00 $65.00

Wednesday, Egan 9-10


6-CH Audio Mixer 1 1 $65.00 $65.00

Labor And Expenses

Sunday

Set-Up Labor 5 7 $40.00 $1,400.00

Speaker Ready Room 1 32 $50.00 $1,600.00

Monday

Technicians 3-techs, 8-hrs. 1 24 $50.00 $1,200.00

Speaker Ready Room 1 47 $50.00 $2,350.00 Continued On Next Page

Table 15. Continued


Technical Support

compatibility. All Moderators were to report to their session rooms at least 20 minutes before the start of their session to get acquainted with lighting, microphone and computer setup. Prior to start of the session, with the aid of the A/V assistant assigned to the session, each presenter was directed to verify that the correct paper had been loaded on the computer in the session room and that everything was functioning properly. When problems arose, the A/V assistants were generally able to guide the presenter through fall-back scenarios. If not, IMIG AV provided technical trouble shooting. The reliance on cell phones for communication when technical glitches occurred was problematic. Not all rooms had cell phone access, and confusion on the proper number to dial was common. A hand held radio system would have been much simpler and practical.

A/V Setup for the Rooms A/V was provided at the three venues. The three venues were as follows: The Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, the Egan Center, and the

Anchorage Hilton. At the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts A/V was provided for the Plenary Session on Monday morning, and for the 4 concurrent sessions at the Atwood, the Laurence, the Discovery, and the Voth Theatre. A/V supported 11 concurrent sessions at the Egan Center starting the aft ernoon of September 12 and running through September 15. In addition, two extra sessions ran at the Egan Center on Thursday, September 15. A/V support was provided for the Wakefi ed Symposium at the Anchorage Hilton (Denali Room) from Monday through Thursday.

All of the over 1,200 presentations ran via Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, through laptop computers and LCD projectors. IMIG AV provided all A/V equipment, including the laptop computers, screens, projection screens, and sound systems and associated peripherals at the venues, except where specifi cally noted. They provided also the technical personnel required to download presentations, set up equipment, ensure presentations were ready to proceed prior


Operate Atwood 1 4 $50.00 $200.00

Tuesday

Technicians 3-techs, 8-hrs. 1 24 $40.00 $960.00


Wednesday



Thursday


Speaker Ready Room 1 15 $50.00 $750.00

Strike Labor

6-technicians 1 16 $40.00 $640.00

Shipping 2 1 $2,000.00 $4,000.00

Preloading Presentations 1 40 $50.00 $2,000.00

Replace Remote 1 3 $149.00 $447.00

Subtotal $59,490.50

10% Equipment Discount $(3,561.75)

Grand Total $55,928.75

Table 15. Continued

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to sessions starting, and troubleshoot situations as they arose.

AFS provided personnel needed to run the presentations. A student hire was provided to all meeting rooms; the student provided direct support for the running of the laptop computers and lighting systems for each of the rooms in the three venues. Also, student hires provided runner service for last minute download of presentations that were not loaded prior to the start of the technical session. We lacked volunteers enough to do this, and some contract A/V technicians were required to provide this service.

Setup occurred from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, September 11 at the Egan Center and the Anchorage Hilton. Setup for the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts occurred on Monday morning from 4 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. for the Atwood and 4 a.m. until noon at the other three theaters. All rooms were planned for front projection using laptop computers running Microsoft PowerPoint 2000, projecting through 2500 lumen proxima LCD projectors, except as specifi cally noted. The LCD projectors were set on projector stands near the rear of the room and projected to a freestanding projector screen. At the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts the Atwood, Discovery, and Laurence Theaters required rear projection. Projectors and screens were hung on the main stages. The Atwood required a 10’ x 14’ rear projection screen and the Discovery required a 9’ x 12’ rear projection screen. Due to the large size of these screens, 3500 lumen rear projection projectors were provided for the Atwood and Discovery Theaters. These screens were small for the size of the venues. Screen sizes were an issue, and somewhat problematic, as venue sites could not be checked until the last minute. It’s recommended that the room setup be checked beforehand if at all possible.

Laptops were placed on a small table next to the podium. A feature of PowerPoint was used to allow all the presentations to be on a single computer for each room, by half-day session. Before the start of the day, these programs were downloaded to the appropriate room computer, and then located out to the appropriate room before the start of the day’s session. Since the talks were organized by the preprogrammed outline,

transition from one talk to another was very smooth. Student technicians brought up the next presentation while the moderator was introducing the next speaker. Also, in between talks, the agenda for the day’s session was displayed on the screen. The speaker controlled the fl ow of slides via wireless remote, or in cases of malfunction with the computer’s up and down arrows. Where podiums were of suffi cient size, the laptops were placed on the podium and slides controlled directly off the laptop.

Sound was provided where necessary through a podium microphone. Students controlled the light system where necessary. At the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, personnel from Crossroads Production controlled the lights and sound systems as required by union contract. Sound was run through the house systems, except for small rooms in the Egan, where stand alone systems were required. IMIG AV was responsible for the set up, except for the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts. Here Crossroads Productions provided the light and sound systems for the four Theaters.

Also, the Plenary Session required additional equipment for the Atwood Theater. A gang switch was required to be able to bring in two laptops, one of which was Ray Troll’s G4 Mac, as well as a DVD player to play the Welcome to Alaska slide show presented by the General Chairman. Two video intensive symposia, Hydroacoustic Assessments on Wednesday in Egan 2 and Fisheries Applications on Thursday in Egan 3 ran off individual computers. Here a gang box or switch was used to connect all the individual laptops to the projector. Symposium chairs were responsible for working with IMIG AV to verify laptops were compatible with the projector and that the laptops were set up prior to the start of the session.

Panel discussions also required special setup. These rooms were set up with an adjacent table and appropriate number of chairs as requested by session moderators. Table microphones were provided at a rate of one microphone per two panelists.

Finally, overhead projectors were available at each of the venues sites, as a backup, in case of


Technical Support

catastrophic computer projection failure. Other special considerations, such as use of conventional photographic slides, was considered on a case-by-case basis, though strongly discouraged. See Table 15 for details of the fi nal disposition of equipment used.

Speaker Practice RoomsSpeaker or A/V practice rooms were provided at the Egan Center in the Redoubt Room and the Prudhoe Bay Room in the Anchorage Hilton. Hours were listed in the presenter’s guidelines. IMIG AV provided the laptop and LCD projector for the Redoubt room to facilitate the check-in compatibility. USDA Forest Service provided the laptop and LCD projector for the Denali Hilton.

Student Employment for A/V Support (Evelyn Brown)

This task required the organization, recruitment, supervision, and training of A/V student volunteers and assistance with A/V operations in general. Aft er volunteering for this task, I met with other representatives on the A/V Committ ee and discussed what needed to be done. We were able to do this via teleconference. Aft er listing and dividing the tasks amongst ourselves (Steve Zemke and Jerry Berg), I proceeded with my part. By June of 2005, I sent out an e-mail via our student assistant administrator soliciting University of Alaska Fairbanks students interested in att ending and helping out with A/V during the national meeting. A student volunteer from Anchorage (Courtenay Peirce) did the same thing at the University of Alaska Anchorage. In addition, out-of-state students who inquired about volunteering were given my address and I compiled those names as well.

From the very beginning, we off ered $10 per hour for this task (and a free volunteer T-shirt) and were able to compile a list of over 50 volunteers this way. I kept a spreadsheet with names and e-mail addresses of the combined list of UAF, UAA and out-of-state students. By late July, I had approximately 60 names. The program was near fi nal form by then and I compiled a spreadsheet of each session broken down by four periods (morning, late morning aft er break, early aft ernoon aft er lunch, and late aft ernoon aft er break). I also included the room number

and venue location and numbered these session intervals (totaling approximately 205). I sent this out to the students on my list and told them to select sessions by my assigned number to pre-assign as many as possible prior to the meeting. By late August, approximately 75% of the sessions were assigned. A draft spreadsheet of the student assignments to sessions is in Appendix 13.

Once I arrived in Anchorage (2 days prior to the start), I met with Steve Zemke and Jerry Berg and we decided to make a poster of the sessions and assignments with the unassigned sessions highlighted. This poster then served as our master list for tracking during the meeting. We also used it during the training session that was conducted the night prior to the formal start of the meeting (Sunday night). We used colored pins to mark empty sessions and to mark when equipment was checked in and checked out for those sessions. As a result, we knew which sessions needed special att ention by the committ ee members. We had an equipment check-in list so we knew which sessions had equipment returned with missing parts (e.g. electronic pointers) or problems by noting those things on the list.

To track time, we developed time sheets that each student fi lled out with their sessions and number of hours worked. A/V Committ ee members were required to sign off for each session before totals could be provided to Larry Peltz for payment.

The pre-assignment of sessions via e-mail worked very well. If we didn’t pay the volunteers, I doubt it would have been possible to get as many as we did. Everything with volunteer assignments went well; I can’t think of anything that didn’t work. The only thing we did wrong with A/V was to not have the equipment check-in sheet ready on the fi rst day. Without the check-in sheet, a devoted space, and solid procedures for equipment check-in, chaos ensued. It was impossible to track who turned in what, when and in what condition. We rectifi ed this situation aft er the fi rst day.

Summary DataWe communicated with, assigned sessions to, trained, and supervised 62 student volunteers. We used three posters total (two for room identifi cations and one for tracking of sessions, assignments, and equipment). We used ½ ream

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of paper for time sheets, equipment checking, handouts to volunteers, etc. We did not use any coff ee or other food. I ate in the Local Arrangements Committ ee break (lunch) room several times. As far as time, I think the whole task required approximately 80 hours of my time.

RecommendationsPlan to pay the volunteersPre-assign as many sessions as possibleDevelop a time sheetHold a training session for volunteersDevelop an equipment check-in procedure with a devoted room for checking out and collecting equipment each day with a sign-in / -out sheet.Work with nice people who don’t let egos get in the way

Transportation (Lynne Santos)

Transportation of people is a key element in a successful meeting. Of course, the level of eff ort under this task would vary greatly depending on how many venues are used to house the meeting, what the local committ ee decides to do about providing transportation among venues and hotels that might be spread out, and what kind of requirements the Parent Society or Governing Board place on the Transportation Committ ee for airport pickups, helping VIPs get oriented to the host city, errands the Local Arrangements Committ ee requests, and many other kinds of transportation needs.

The Anchorage meeting venues were close enough together that the Local Arrangements Committ ee declined to set up a periodic bus or other transport system; people could easily walk from one location to the others. Some hotels were up to 6-7 blocks away, but Anchorage has a bus system, and walking a few blocks during our autumn weather could be considered a desirable respite from spending time in meeting rooms.

We did, however, provide transportation on request for AFS staff , Plenary speakers, foreign visitors, and other VIPs. We also had numerous errands to run, and thus required a reliable transportation program to accommodate these needs.

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Welcome TransportationThe Transportation Chair arranged for transport of the AFS dignitaries from the airport to the hotel and provided them logistical support during the convention. Most dignitaries arrived the week prior to the offi cial AFS meetings to att end business and committ ee meetings. The schedules of arriving dignitaries were provided by the Parent AFS business offi ce and some of the Local Arrangements Committ ee chairmen. In 2005, airport and hotel transportation was provided to 19 individuals.

ChartersOne bus charter was arranged for students to att end Continuing Education Classes from the convention headquarters to/from the University of Alaska for two days. If there needs to be a charge for the bus added to the class fee, then this charter must be arranged before the registration form is printed. A second charter was arranged for an off site social for AFS dignitaries and guests to a local night club. The third charter was arranged for a business meeting held at a mountain resort. Price quotes were obtained from six separate vendors and a deposit given to guarantee prices in early spring. A cost breakdown for each event must be supplied to the local AFS General Chairman and AFS business offi ce for accurate pricing for the particular event.

Pricing quotes for car rentals, limos and charters were regularly requested by numerous AFS staff , vendors, and members for additional functions. I found it very handy to keep a rate sheet available to e-mail information to all requesting information.

Pickups/VansThe week prior to the AFS 2005 meeting we secured two covered 4 door pickups from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife for one week’s use. This proved extremely helpful to transport items stored in local warehouses and offi ces to the convention site, run errands during the convention, and transportation for committ ee chairs, VIPs, and the Trade Show social entertainment staff .

CommunicationsIt was extremely helpful having a cell phone and being physically located at the registration


Technical Support

desk. During the AFS meetings most requests for transportation and logistical support came via committ ee chairs using the cell phones and some also stopped by the registration desk for requested assistance.

Recycling (Jerry Berg)

Recycling at the 2005 AFS meeting was a challenge and required a very dedicated eff ort. The greatest benefi t was the show of support for recycling eff orts and to provide fi shery professionals the opportunity to continue to help protect the environment. It was rewarding in the end but it did require that the volunteers be “hardcore” recycling advocates to keep up with the quantity of materials for such a large event. At times it is a dirty job and felt like we worked for a garbage company. It would be worth exploring the possibilities of paying a local company to collect and haul the recycle materials away. We were not able to fi nd a company willing to do this in Anchorage.

Anchorage has a recycling center but requires participants to collect and transfer all materials to the center. Anchorage also has a “Green Star Program” that provided containers or bins for collecting the recyclables for special events. The 2005 meeting was the largest event to have a coordinated recycling eff ort supported by Green Star.

We collected and transferred recyclable materials at each of the three meeting locations as well as at each social event every night of the conference. It helped to work closely with the catering staff and know ahead of time what was going to be served at each event for potential recyclable materials.

The recycled materials collected throughout the fi ve day event were:

Cardboard 8.10 cubic yards = 810 lbsMixed paper 0.88 cubic yards = 351.64 lbsGlass 3.60 cubic yards = 2157.66 lbsClear Plastic bottles 0.65 cubic yards = 22.64 lbsAluminum 1.29 cubic yards = 97 lbsTotal Recycled 14.5 cubic yards = 3439 lbs =

1.72 tons

Also, as part of the recycling eff orts, we asked hotels to help conserve water and detergents through conservation of daily cleaning of towel and/or bed linens. This was met with mixed support from the hotels and it is not known to what degree it was actually carried through.

Final Report 117

Directory of Meeting Planning Contacts—Appendix 1

Title Last First City Number E-mail

General Chair Wilson Bill Anchorage PH: 907-271-2809FX: 907-271-2817

[email protected]

Program

Program Committee

Co-Chair (Sympos) Knudsen Eric Washington PH: 360-424-5767 [email protected]

Co-Chair (Contrib Pprs)

Margraf Joe Fairbanks PH: 907-474-6044 [email protected]

Poster Co-Chair Kerkvliet Carol Homer PH: 907-235-1891FX: 907-235-2448

carol_kerkvliet@fi shgame.state.ak.us

Poster Co-Chair Otis Ted Homer PH: 907-235-1891FX: 907-235-2448

ted_otis@fi shgame.state.ak.us

Scheduling Hood Marla Anchorage [email protected]

Scheduling Hennessy Joe Wisconsin PH: 608-267-0548FX: 608-266-2244

[email protected]

Member Cannon Rich Chugiak [email protected]

Member Geiger Hal Juneau hal_geiger@fi shgame.state.ak.us

Member Bryant Buck Juneau PH: 907-586-8811 [email protected]

Plenary Session

Knuth Barb AFS PH: 607-255-2822FX: 607-255-0349

[email protected]

Slide Show Starnes Lynn WDAFS [email protected]

Slide Show Grabacki Steve Anchorage PH: 907-272-5600FX: 907-272-5603

[email protected]

Coordinator Grabacki Steve Anchorage PH: 907-272-5600FX: 907-272-5603

[email protected]

Molly Ahlgren Memorial

Wilson Bill Anchorage PH: 907-271-2809FX: 907-271-2817

[email protected]

Garza Dolly Ketchikan PH: 907-247-4978FX: 907-247-4976

[email protected]

Deerkop Kyle Sitka [email protected]

Norcross Brenda Fairbanks PH: 907-474-7990FX: 907-474-1943

[email protected]

Continuing Education Long Jim [email protected]


Appendix 1. Directory of Local Arrangements Committee Members and others involved in planning the 2005 AFS annual meeting.


Appendix 1—Directory of Meeting Planning Contacts


Western Division

Liaison McMahon Tom Phoenix PH: 602-789-3268FX: 602-789-3265

[email protected]

Fundraising Chair Harthorn Casey New Mexico [email protected]

Fundraising Assistance

Bradshaw Bill Wyoming PH: 307-672-7418FX: 307-672-0594

[email protected]

Fundraising Assistance

Hughes Bob Oregon PH: 541-754-4516FX: 541-754-4716

[email protected]

Annual Meeting Margraf Joe Fairbanks PH: 907-474-6044 [email protected]

Alaska Chapter Annual Meeting

Joyce Tim Cordova PH: 907-424-4747FX: 907-424-7214

[email protected]

Geiger Hal hal_geiger@fi shgame.state.ak.us

Wakefi eld Symposium Pristash Sherri Fairbanks PH: 907-474-6707FX: 907-474-6285

[email protected]

DiCosimo Jane Anchorage PH: 907-271-2809FX: 907-271-2817

[email protected]

Hartmann Cindy Juneau PH: 907-586-7585FX: 907-586-7358

[email protected]

Budget and Finance

Chair Peltz Larry AnchoragePH: 907-271-1332FX: 907-271-3030

[email protected]

Overall Budget Peltz Larry AnchoragePH: 907-271-1332FX: 907-271-3030

[email protected]

Fundraising/Sponsors Wilson Bill Anchorage PH: 907-271-2809FX: 907-271-2817

[email protected]

Peltz Larry Anchorage PH: 907-271-1332FX: 907-271-3030

[email protected]

Mundy Phil Anchorage PH: 907-677-6301 [email protected]

Bechtol Bill Homer PH: 907-235-8191FX: 907-235-2448

bill_bechtol@fi shgame.state.ak.us

Hartmann Cindy Juneau PH: 907-586-7585FX: 907-586-7358

[email protected]

Seafood Donations/Corporate

Reed Glenn Seattle [email protected]


Final Report 119



Seafood Donations Joyce Tim Cordova PH: 907-424-4747FX: 907-424-7214

[email protected]

Allee Brian Fairbanks PH: 907-474-7949FX: 907-474-6285

[email protected]

Silent Auction Chair Lafferty Bob Anchorage PH: 907-267-2220 robert_lafferty@fi shgame.state.ak.us

Silent Auction/Costs/Proceeds/Permits

Timmons Saree Anchorage PH: 907-267-2518 saree_timmons@fi shgame.state.ak.us

Door Prizes Timmons Saree Anchorage PH: 907-267-2518 saree_timmons@fi shgame.state.ak.us

Woody Carol Ann Anchorage PH: 907-786-7124 [email protected]

Registration and Welcoming

Chair Bingham Allen Anchorage PH: 907-267-2327FX: 907-267-2422

allen_bingham@fi shgame.state.ak.us

On-site Registration Helpers

Love Andra Anchorage PH: 907-644-2018FX: 907-644-2022

[email protected]

Registration - General Dion Cheryl King Salmon PH: 907-246-1231FX: 907-246-4237

[email protected]

Registration - General Chilton Liz Kodiak PH: 907-481-1725 [email protected]

Website Whalen Mary Anchorage PH: 907-786-3496FX: 907-786-3636

[email protected]

Bingham Allen Anchorage PH: 907-267-2327FX: 907-267-2422


Wakefi eld Registration Pristash Sherri Fairbanks PH: 907-474-6707FX: 907-474-6285

[email protected]

Registration Packets/Inserts

DiCosimo Jane Anchorage PH: 907-271-2809FX: 907-271-2817

[email protected]

Registration Totes Walker Sue Juneau PH: 907-586-7646FX: 907-586-7358

[email protected]

Mayer Elaine Fairbanks PH: 907-456-0209FX: 907-456-0208

[email protected]

Luggage tags Lafferty Bob Anchorage PH: 907-267-2220 robert_lafferty@fi shgame.state.ak.us



Ourso Bob Anchorage PH: 907-786-7148FX: 907-786-7154

[email protected]





Socials

Chair Trudgen Dave Anchorage PH: 907-258-4880FX: 907-258-4033

[email protected]

Opening Social/Hilton Erickson Allison Anchorage PH: 907-659-4789 [email protected]

Barber Will Anchorage PH: 907-277-0929 [email protected]

Student Social Trudgen Dave Anchorage PH: 907-258-4880FX: 907-258-4033

[email protected]

Peirce Courtenay Anchorage PH: 907-317-2457 (cell)

[email protected]

Hasbrouck James Anchorage PH: 907-267-2124FX: 907-267-2401

james_hasbrouck@fi shgame.state.ak.us

Offsite Extravaganza Erickson Allison Anchorage PH: 907-659-4789 [email protected]

Trudgen Dave Anchorage PH: 907-258-4880FX: 907-258-4033

[email protected]

Sullivan Joe Anchorage PH: 907-345-0527FX: 907-345-2742

[email protected]

Spawning Run

Burwen Debby Anchorage PH: 907-267-2225FX: 907-267-2424

debby_burwen@fi shgame.state.ak.us

logistics Bosch Dan Anchorage PH: 907-267-2153FX: 907-267-2424

dan_bosch@fi shgame.state.ak.us

Assistant Mayer Elaine Fairbanks PH: 907-456-0209FX: 907-456-0208

[email protected]

Assistant - Students Dann Tyler Fairbanks [email protected]

Hospitality/Spouses/VIPs

Gardner Lee Ann Chugiak PH: 907-688-1400FX: 907-688-1400

[email protected]

Trade Show Social w/TS Chair

Rowell Kathy Anchorage PH: 907-243-7370 [email protected]

Options Night Gardner Lee Ann Chugiak PH: 907-688-1400FX: 907-688-1400

[email protected]

Whitekeys Wedemeyer Kate Anchorage PH: 907-334-5278FX: 907-334-5242

[email protected]

Accommodations

Chair Hauser Bill Anchorage PH: 907-349-7175 [email protected]


Final Report 121



Hilton Headquarters Hauser Bill Anchorage PH: 907-349-7175 [email protected]

Other Hotels Hauser Bill Anchorage PH: 907-349-7175 [email protected]

Egan Center and Performing Arts Center, Space/Catering

Hauser Bill Anchorage PH: 907-349-7175 [email protected]

Whalen Mary Anchorage PH: 907-786-3496FX: 907-786-3636

[email protected]

Master Scheduling Hauser Bill Anchorage PH: 907-349-7175 [email protected]



Trade Show Rowell Kathy Anchorage PH: 907-243-7370 [email protected]

Trade Show Manager - AFS

Grist Anne Virginia PH: 703-433-9435FX: 703-433-9436

[email protected]

Box Lunches/Egan & Performing Arts Center Catering

Santos Lynne Anchorage PH: 907-786-3544FX: 907-786-3848

[email protected]

AFS Business Offi ce McClain Vince Anchorage PH: 907-786-3886FX: 907-786-3898

[email protected]

Poster Session Logistics/Layout


Kerkvliet Carol Homer PH: 907-235-1891FX: 907-235-2448

carol_kerkvliet@fi shgame.state.ak.us

Otis Ted Homer PH: 907-235-1891FX: 907-235-2448

ted_otis@fi shgame.state.ak.us

ADA/Signer for Plenary


Signage Love Andra Anchorage PH: 907-644-2018FX: 907-644-2022

[email protected]



[email protected]

Internet Café McClain Vince Anchorage PH: 907-786-3886FX: 907-786-3898

[email protected]

Facility mapping Childs Jeff Anchorage PH: 907-334-5262 [email protected]






Student Support Coordination

Chair Peirce Courtenay Anchorage PH: 907-317-2457 (cell)

[email protected]

Ahlgren Molly In memoriam

Chapter Booth/Meeting Student Coordinator

Cox Keith Sitka [email protected]

Student Attendance Smoker Bill Juneau PH: 907-796-6444FX: 907-796-6447

[email protected]

Margraf Joe Fairbanks PH: 907-474-6044 [email protected]

Norcross Brenda Fairbanks PH: 907-474-7990FX: 907-474-1943

[email protected]

Student Unit UAF Fairbanks

Plumb Miranda Fairbanks [email protected]

Student Unit UAF Southeast

Palof Katie Juneau PH: 907-465-6328 [email protected]

Student Unit UAA Peirce Courtenay Anchorage PH: 907-317-2457 (cell)

[email protected]

Student Unit Sheldon Jackson College

Deerkop Kyle Sitka [email protected]

Offi cial MeetingT-Shirts/Sales


[email protected]

T-Shirt Orders Hauser Bill Anchorage PH: 907-349-7175 [email protected]


Student T-Shirt Sales Tanner Theresa Fairbanks PH: 907-474-7264 [email protected]

Cox Keith Sitka [email protected]

Technical Support

Volunteer Coordination Seeb Lisa Anchorage PH: 907-267-2249FX: 907-267-2442

lisa_seeb@fi shgame.state.ak.us

Sullivan Joe Anchorage PH: 907-345-0527FX: 907-345-2742

[email protected]

Tours and Sightseeing Gardner Lee Ann Chugiak PH: 907-688-1400FX: 907-688-1400

[email protected]

Program Layout/ Printing


[email protected]


Final Report 123



Medeiros Andrea Anchorage PH: 907-786-3674 [email protected]

Knudsen Eric Washington PH: 360-424-5767 [email protected]

Program Maps Childs Jeff Anchorage [email protected]

Publicity Wedemeyer Kate Anchorage PH: 907-334-5278FX: 907-334-5242

[email protected]

Olson Lisa Anchorage PH: 907-267-2219FX: 907-267-2424

lisa_olson@fi shgame.state.ak.us

Grabacki Steve Anchorage PH: 907-272-5600FX: 907-272-5603

[email protected]

Advertising Wedemeyer Kate Anchorage PH: 907-334-5278FX: 907-334-5242

[email protected]



Fisheries Insert Wedemeyer Kate Anchorage PH: 907-334-5278FX: 907-334-5242

[email protected]


[email protected]



On-site Communications Orzechowski Kathy Anchorage PH: 907-786-3645FX: 907-786-3612

[email protected]

A/V - Hilton/Egan/PAC/Outsource

Zemke Steve Anchorage PH: 907-743-9521FX: 907-743-9480

[email protected]

A/V Support Berg Jerry Anchorage PH: 907-786-3876FX: 907-786-3898

[email protected]

Computer Projection Olson John Anchorage PH: 907-271-1508 [email protected]

A/V Assistance - Students


[email protected]

Brown Evelyn Fairbanks PH: 907-474-5801FX: 907-474-1943

[email protected]

Computer Coordination - Presentations


[email protected]

Computer Support - Training


[email protected]

Transportation Santos Lynne Anchorage PH: 907-786-3544786-3848

[email protected]





Recycling Berg Jerry Anchorage PH: 907-786-3876FX: 907-786-3898

[email protected]

Poster/Logo/Theme/Décor/Ray Troll


Walker Sue Juneau PH: 907-586-7646FX: 907-586-7358

[email protected]

Mayer Elaine Fairbanks PH: 907-456-0209FX: 907-456-0208

[email protected]

Lybrand Karen Maine PH: 207-655-1014 [email protected]

General support

Carufel Lou Fairbanks PH: 907-452-6709FX: 907-455-6709

[email protected]

Klosiewski Steve Anchorage PH: 907-786-3523FX: 907-786-3895

[email protected]

Klein Steve Anchorage PH: 907-786-3605FX: 907-786-3898

[email protected]

Martin Don Juneau PH: 907-586-8712FX: 907-586-7877

[email protected]

Nielsen Jennifer Anchorage PH: 907-786-3670FX: 907-786-3636

[email protected]

Price Mary Anchorage [email protected]

Robards Martin Anchorage [email protected]

Stuby Lisa Fairbanks PH: 907-479-2679 lisa_stuby@fi shgame.state.ak.us

Woody Carol Ann Anchorage PH: 907-786-7124 [email protected]

Final Report 125

Meeting Room and A/V Survey Responses—Appendix 2

Meeting Room

Room Size

Screen Size

A/V Operations Comments

Egan 2 About right

OK Good

Egan 2 Too small

OK Good The room was marginal, crowded, poorly ventilated. A/V setup was very good, we used our own computers and it went smoothly. I would much rather have had the Wakefi eld as a separate meeting altogether. It was impossible to get over there and back without missing part of the presentation.

Egan 2 About right

OK Good A/V screen appropriate? Yes—but I was surprised by the small screen that was used in the Atwood. It was too small for me to see even when seated relatively close. A/V set-up: Imig supplied us with a switch box that handled up to 12 computers and this worked well for us. We had so many people using proprietary software and various video codecs that we allowed people to use their own computers. Most speakers took advantage of that option. General comments: Our A/V technicians were very helpful and alert throughout the session which made for smooth transitions between speakers. Additional comment from S Maxwell, co-organizer: I would recommend that the host computer have its hibernation mode and the many ways it can shut down automatically be turned off. It wasn’t something we thought about in the hectic phase of getting everything together. One of our people closed the lid without thinking and we had to stop and reboot before the next speaker could start.

Egan 2 About right

OK Good Most of the problems are best handled ahead of time and you all did a great job planning and staying on top of things. Of course the uploading of talks was a complete and total disaster, but may be useful as a good lesson. Perhaps it is best for folks to just bring and load talks. I think everyone will bring their talks anyway as they will not trust that loading them over an internet site will work. The best thing was having someone there who could help with the A/V. The students were very helpful.

Egan 3 About right

OK Poor Screen was about right size, but the podium was in a fi xed position to the side of the screen which made it impossible for people to use a pointer and still use the microphone. It probably would have been better to locate the screen and podium at either end of the long axis of the room. I hate to carp, but the A/V problems delayed talks. Speakers should have been asked to show up 15 min. before the start of their secession, or to turn in their talks to a centralized A/V room by 7:00 a.m. of the day they presented. I had people show up just before their talk, assuming that it was loaded and ready to go. (Well, may be there is no controlling folks who do that). I know many talks were not downloaded at the website and folks showed up with talks on fl ash sticks, zip disks, and CD/DVDs. I think the fi rst talk of every secession in our symposium began late due to A/V problems (so we had to rush them to keep on schedule). Because of seeming ongoing problems with running video from notebooks, there should be a spec


Appendix 2. Meeting room and A/V survey responses.


Appendix 2—Meeting Room and A/V Survey Responses

Meeting Room

Room Size

Screen Size


Egan 3 Too small

OK Good Too small for several talks, just right for most talks. We worked with Steve Z. and IMIG to accommodate our video intensive presentations. The switch box IMIG provided worked perfectly and allowed our presenters with proprietary software and video codecs to run their presentations off their own laptops. Thank you very much for helping to facilitate that Eric. It was invaluable towards allowing our presenters to fully showcase their work using video technology for fi sheries applications. I’d also give huge kudos to Steve Z. and Evelyn Brown. They did a terrifi c job of organizing volunteers, equipment, and generally holding everything together. Overall, everything was great. However, I’d echo some earlier comments that the rooms (especially our relatively small rooms in the Lower Egan) got VERY warm as a result of being overly packed with people. The noise in the corridor did not allow us to leave the doors open for ventilation. Thanks again for putting together a great program.

Egan 4 Too small

Good Standing room only for some talks, with lots of people in and out, and no place to sit. Room was very wide, which prevented moderators from seeing presentations except on laptop. A more square shaped room would have been preferable. A/V was excellent—our techs and the equipment were outstanding.

Egan 4 About right

OK Good

Egan 5 Too small

Good The use of wireless remotes to drive the projectors was a problem when they went missing—in our session and in several others, by Wednesday enough of these had gone missing that the A/V company was refusing to replace them. There must be a better way of doing this—wireless is great but if they are not going to support it when the inevitable happens.

Egan 5 Too small

Bad Mediocre We had SRO all day long, and I was told that there was a large knot of people outside the doors trying to peer in at the talks for most of the day. The projector really should be placed back farther from the screen and higher up so that (a) the whole screen was used instead of just a portion of it and (b) the top of the screen is used instead of the bottom. There wasn’t much AFS could do about this because it is just poor management of the space by the conference center management, but the projectors really should be mounted on the ceiling and well back to fi x this. Also, it would open up a lot of fl oor space for chairs. I needed to spend a fair amount of time putting **my** books under the projector just to raise its projected image up, and moving the table back. This should be pro forma for the A/V company to do.


Final Report 127


Meeting Room

Room Size

Screen Size


Egan 5 About right

OK Good The room seemed to be the appropriate size. Sometimes there were a number of people standing but most of the time there was seating available. The screen was a great size and all the equipment worked well. I think we were without a remote operator/pointer for a little while but was replaced at one of the breaks. One volunteer A/V person was less than helpful (she happen to be falling asleep, while sitting up front right next to the presenter), but the rest were great.

Egan 6 Too small

Ok Good For the most part the room was of adequate size, though like most sessions there were times of overfl ow crowds. The A/V setup was quite adequate. I had one near glitch when the A/V person didn’t arrive on time and I had a stand-in for a brief moment, but it didn’t interrupt the fl ow of the presentations. The two things that I would address in the future are the noise outside of meeting rooms (people congregating to talk while presentations were in progress) and heat. With so many bodies in a small space, the temperatures were often quite uncomfortable. However, the large crowds just outside the door made it impossible to open doors and still hear presentations. I was impressed that presenters were able to carry on with aplomb, despite hot, stuffy rooms. One poor woman from Ohio punctuated her speech by repeatedly wiping perspiration off her lip, but carried on gamely. I heard nothing but good comments about the scope and range of presentations, and appreciation for the activities and opportunities to network.

Egan 6 Too small

OK Good Most talks had standing audience; room size could have been larger. A/V was Very good. It really helped to have the “agenda” on the screen, listing all the talks for that session, then the ability to simply click on the link to get to each talk. Very smooth. Student assistant was terrifi c—particularly because he was genuinely interested in the subject matter as well as being very computer-profi cient.

Egan 6/7 About right

OK Good 1) the speaker could not see the screen. 2) Test the laser pointers before each session!


OK Good


OK Good Full house for all but the last speaker. Only thing that is hard to do is manage the in-and-out fl ow of audience when speakers go a bit short or long, thereby throwing off the 20-minute time blocs. But it’s understandable and manageable.


OK Good


OK Good Room was too small during the opening talks, about right later on.




Meeting Room

Room Size

Screen Size


Egan 10 Too small

OK Poor Room was too small for our group, which was well attended. Many folks were left standing. Still, very diffi cult to predict these attendances, although I think that surveying co-chairs in advance on what size they think they need might be good in future. This could pick up the extremes where chairs would expect small intimate gathering. In afternoon session we lost remote controller and speakers had to work off laptop. A/V folks said that the controllers were getting ripped off and they had no more to distribute. Also had no laser pointer provided in afternoon session. General comments: Given oversubscribed nature of meeting, I thought Program committee did excellent job. There was grumbling about coffee breaks, etc. but unless AFS wants to move towards the 4000+ participant venues, I think folks should be a bit forgiving here. I did not like the fact that the museum site venue was so distant from Egan—did not permit any ability to sample across sessions at either of these sites.

Egan 11/12

Too small

Bad Good A/V set up was good but the wireless advance of slides never worked. Some kind of interference we were told. Took too much time to try to get it to work so all the speakers had to forward their slides by hitting the enter button (or arrow) directly on the computer. Judging of student presentations should be planned well in advance. We had to ask for people in the audience to judge the student papers because there was absolutely nobody in the room that had already been assigned that task for the fi rst set of presentations. This is really not great because the students know who is judging them (people put up their hands to get the forms to grade the talks), as well as everyone else in the room, including their advisors. That doesn’t really matter to me personally but it obviously made others uncomfortable. Based on my experience on Monday, it is possible that some students gave presentations that were to be judged and in fact were not. I hope that this did not happen.

Egan 13 Too small

OK Good Room way too small. This was the best AFS meeting I have attended in 32 years of AFS membership. Thank you Bill Wilson, Eric Knudsen, Alaska AFS, et al. There is a lot of demand for fi sheries oceanography and ecosystem approaches to fi shery management, as shown by the “standing room only” attendance for most of our papers.


Final Report 129


Meeting Room

Room Size

Screen Size


Egan 13 About right

OK Good Room size was a bit small at times. There was a bit of confusion twice about folks whose talks weren’t pre-loaded, but the A/V people or students or someone fi xed the problems without my help, which was fortunate. The students were really on the ball and did a seamless job of keeping the presentations going. The student paper judging essentially didn’t happen in my session, as far as I know, for lack of judges, judging forms, and info in general. It is not cool to have to ask if there are two judges in the room before each student paper, and besides, it gets forgotten. Room size was my only major frustration at the meeting in general—not for my session but for many other ones I wanted to attend. All in all, I thought it was a really good, very well run meeting and I thoroughly enjoyed it. And having the artwork everywhere added such a unique ambiance. Congrats and thanks to all of you organizers.

Egan 13 About right

OK Poor Everything turned out okay, but we did not have an A/V “attendant” in our room as expected; also, it was a bit disconcerting to fi nd out on site that the company who had been contracted to collect the PowerPoint Presentations via e-mail in advance, did not have any PowerPoints for our symposium at the start of the meeting; fortunately all presenters showed up with a copy of their PPoint on CD, disk, or fl ash drive; the company was very accommodating on site; so I would rate the on-site management “good”, but the setup “poor” due to the loss of PowerPoints prior to the meeting. The room was a bit too small, but there was room for everyone to sit who attended; I think some folks peaked into the room, thought it looked tight … and moved on down the hall. Overall, it was a well run meeting; I am an old-timer that continues to feel that there are far too many concurrent sessions for one person’s good; but it certainly does lead to a large meeting and attendance; the program in its entirety was awesome.

Egan 14 About right

OK Good

Egan 14 Too small

OK Mediocre Room was way too small. A lot of people complained they simply could not get in the room. We had a few A/V problems. As with many other sessions, running videos were a problem. This needs to be fi xed before next year since so many have videos now. General comments: Our support folks were great! Dave Hewitt was the student helping out. He defi nitely was an asset. Overall, I thought the meeting was great and that things were handled pretty well given the number of attendees. I don’t think the receptions had enough food or drink stations and that was pretty frustrating to stand in line for so long, especially if the food ran out. But, to repeat the good part, you and the other organizers deserve a lot of thanks. I know you worked very hard and it showed.

Egan 14 Too small

OK Good Crowd in hallway much of time. Space planning is always a dicey thing, I imagine. Hard to plan for 2800 people when that is the biggest facility you have in town.




Meeting Room

Room Size

Screen Size


Atwood Theatre

About right

OK Good It was an excellent meeting overall. The contractor glitch with submitting the PowerPoint fi les over the internet was unfortunate, but not a major problem in our session. The student help was good and appreciated. The venues were very good and the breaks excellent.

Atwood Theatre

About right

Bad Good Room size was fi ne, although there were many empty seats. Screen was much too small for the venue. There could have been two screens, or one much larger screen in the middle. A/V ran smoothly, thanks to advance help from the A/V committee chair. We reviewed all A/V systems and timing of individual elements on Sunday night. An advance walk-through helped considerably.

Discovery Theatre

Too big OK Good Good A/V, except for those with video presentation; then, bad.

Discovery Theatre

Too big OK Good The room was really large, but I do not think there was an appropriate alternative option. I did not see another room that I thought would have worked better, that is just the way it goes. Even though, we oftentimes had 60–120 people in the room at once, it still appeared rather empty. But, it was comfortable, the acoustics were fabulous, and the ushers were very helpful in keeping everyone on the bottom level of the large theatre. People tend to want to sit in the back and the ushers helped to condense the audience in the front. The screen was great. It was very large and nice and clear for that large of a room. The lighting was also perfect. The A/V set up was good, it went very well and as long as all of the presenters had the presentations loaded on time the process was extremely streamlined. The helper students were great. They did a wonderful job of making sure everything was set up and ran smoothly, fi xing possible glitches. The only problem we had was that we did not have a pointer or a remote

Explorer-Artega

About right

Good I moderated the Conservation Genetics section the afternoon of the last day in the Explorer-Artega in the Egan Center. The room size was very generous for our group—we didn’t fi ll it, but I was glad we had the room, as we were about 2/3-3/4 full. The A/V worked great, and we had superb help from staff to keep things going smoothly. I thought the A/V setup and mgmt of the presentations was a great idea—I was skeptical at fi rst, but in the end I thought it prevented a lot of problems. I think it should be adopted in future! You guys did a really fi ne job, given that you were so overwhelmed with participants. It was a very enjoyable venue and meeting!


Final Report 131


Meeting Room

Room Size

Screen Size


Explorer-Artega

About right

OK Good A/V was mostly ok. We had some initial troubles to organize a laser pointer, but that was worked out. One of the speakers had movies which didn’t work at all, even though he had tried them in the room for uploading talks before. The student responsible for the A/V system had no idea what to do about it or who to contact. Not really her fault, but I would have thought that A/V personnel would know who to get in a crisis. Apart from the movie problem, the meeting was well planned, especially considering it’s size. Many thanks for putting it together. Thanks also for accommodating my requests for moving it away from the very last slot. The fact that there was a concurrent salmon symposium was a shame for some speakers, but I guess it’s diffi cult to stay away from salmon at an AFS meeting.

Hilton Denali

Too small

Poor Denali—small for fi rst day (standing room only for keynote presentation by Milton Love, then pretty full most of the rest of the day). OK size for the next two days as attendance dropped signifi cantly (sometimes down to about 45 or 50 participants). We were not able to set up the room classroom style. King Salmon/Illiamna—just right for posters. A/V forgot about us the fi rst morning of our symposium! No laptop, no projector, no presentations, and no tech. Had to make a few frantic calls and had everything in place just in time! The next two days were better, but we did not have consistent student help from AFS (when Bill Bechtol? was there, he was very good, but he had other presentations to see so could only be with us about 30% of the time). Luckily, I had some grad students lined up to help with our symposium so they were put on A/V tech duty. Hilton was very confused about who should set up what A/V equipment, and which equipment belonged to who. I got them to just set up what we needed an

Hilton Denali

Too big OK Poor Handling the presentations that had to be loaded at the last minute went very well and smoothly. That was good and it is expected. We had many technical problems with presentations that included video clips and/or audio clips. The presentations with video clips crashed the system that was provided. That should be investigated and rectifi ed. If you need further information, I can provide it. One of the presenters had requested speakers and an audio set-up that was not provided. However, the A/V support attempted to get something together for after the break but that didn’t work out so we ended up playing it on the computer and using the microphone to try to broadcast the sound. Not the best. Despite the technical diffi culties the session went great and was on time.

Laurence Theatre

Too big OK Good Improvements could be made in identifying student presentations which require judging and having the judging papers available. It would have also been nice to have judges available instead of “begging.” However, begging worked easier than not having the forms available.




Meeting Room

Room Size

Screen Size


Laurence Theatre

Too big OK Good This theatre was simply too big for the session, and was intimidating (to say the least) to the student presenters. Otherwise, the A/V (screen size, computer, etc.) seemed fi ne, except that the wireless remote for advancing the slides bonked out once or twice. Also, we had a mix-up and two A/V persons showed up for the session. That wasn’t a big deal, but the way the theatre was laid out they couldn’t stay up on stage to work the computer without distracting attention from the speaker. So I ended up changing the presentations, etc. and the A/V person had nothing to do. Lastly, the management for the ACPA wouldn’t let me in until like 10 minutes before starting, so we were rushing to get set up and organized with the A/V and details. I don’t know what their deal was, but they reminded me of the Sienfeld soup nazi.

Laurence Theatre

Too big Bad Good The A/V staff was generally very attentive. The building manager was also available before the 8:00 and 10:00 convening times. However, the screen was too small; bottoms of presentations were cut off (projector problem? A “fi x” was attempted a couple times without success); computer could not accommodate videos. I had two problems with my session. First, since so many presenters were students and three judges were requested for each, not enough judging sheets were provided. It would also be helpful if there were a box for collecting the sheets rather than leaving each judge to take his/her own to the Egan Center central location; the moderator could then take all sheets at once after the session. Second, only peripherally related to space issues, is that per the on-line information, I was assigned to the 8:00–10:00 segment of the morning session, for which I prepared. However, I arrived at the meeting to fi nd I had been given the second set of presenters as well, yet had no way to contact them.

Voth About right

Good Plenty of room, A/V was fi ne. Apparently on speaker’s presentation was lost somewhere between his morning upload and the session start. The A/V tech was great and fi xed any small problems, like that. The only major problem was we didn’t have student judging forms, or student judges present in the room. We eventually found volunteers from the crowd for the 2 student presenters, but again, without the standard form.

Voth Too small.

OK Good Meeting way too large; too many concurrent sessions; meeting lost effectiveness, maybe a money-maker for the society, but a disservice to the members. Thank you for all your hard work to make this happen.

Voth About right

OK Good Everything was great. The room was out of the way, but plenty of people found it

Voth About right

Good The shark symposium (ACPA-Voth) went well. The room was adequate except for a few papers in the fi rst session when we had standing room only. There were some technical problems when presenters tried to show video clips within their Power Point presentations, and one of the A/V people showed up fi ve minutes late for one session. In general I was very pleased with the facilities.


Final Report 133


Meeting Room

Room Size

Screen Size


Too small

Good While we had perfect technical performance (no glitches at all in our A/V equipment), the space we had was pretty tight. We were certainly at capacity for most, if not all, talks. At times people were three deep along the back of the room! While it made me very happy to see that many people attending the talks, speaking as a presenter, it was pretty distracting to have folks standing, shuffl ing, etc. around the outer edge of the room. It was noisy, hot and pretty uncomfortable for a lot of audience members. I would highly recommend adjusting the size of the rooms based on the number of people registered for the conference. I’d assume this was one of the larger AFS meetings, and I wish the planning would have taken that into consideration a bit more. The sheer number of attendees seemed to overwhelm the facilities during talks, social events, poster sessions, etc.

About right

Bad Good No, it was in the wrong location so presenter had trouble seeing screen. We moved the podium to make it more presenter friendly. There were also some sound issues. Overall, you did a good job of managing the conference with what you had available. The Egan Center left little to be desired for giving the presentations. It was too dark.


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Final Report 135

Example Contribution Thank You Letter—Appendix 4

[Date]

[Name, Title][Organization Name][Address]

Re: Financial support for Anchorage American Fisheries Society National Meeting, September 11–15, 2005

Dear [Name]:

The 135th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society was held in Anchorage, Alaska from September 11–15, 2005. The support provided by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game was critical to making this meeting such a great success.

The Anchorage meeting broke all previous records for an annual American Fisheries Society Meeting. Att endance for the meeting was over 2800 and surpassed the previous high mark of 1930 at the 1993 Meeting in Portland, Oregon. The att endance record set by the Anchorage meeting will not be broken any time soon. The meeting provided a forum for 50 Symposia with a huge range of topics. Approximately 1200 oral presentations were made at the meeting. Over 600 posters were on display at this meeting. More fi sheries science information was exchanged at the 2005 meeting than any other meeting in the 135 year history of the American Fisheries Society.

The meeting att racted approximately 430 students. A special student colloquium and job fair were a component of the meeting. The students had a unique opportunity to interact with a large number of professional fi sheries scientists and learn a great deal about the fi sheries profession and potential employment.

Continuing education was an important component of the meeting. A total of 15 courses were off ered covering a variety of far ranging topics. Over 400 meeting att endees participated in the classes.

The 135th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society provided an unparalleled opportunity for over 2800 fi sheries professionals to exchange information and ideas. Through this opportunity for information exchange, it is likely that scientifi c advances will occur in many sectors of fi sheries science. In addition, this meeting provided a tremendous opportunity for many individuals to make professional contacts that will be invaluable in the future. Everyone att ending had high praise for the meeting organization, venue and opportunities to interact with other professionals.

On behalf of the American Fisheries Society, the Alaska Chapter, and the 135th Meeting Planning Committ ee, we extend our sincere appreciation for the support provided by you and your agency.

Sincerely,

Appendix 4. Example of a contribution thank you letter.

Larry PeltzAFS 2005 National Meeting Finance ChairmanAFS Alaska Chapterc/o NMFS222 W. 7th Ave., #43Anchorage, AK 99513

Bill WilsonAFS 2005 National Meeting Program Chairmanc/o North Pacifi c Fishery Management Council605 West 4th Avenue, Suite 306Anchorage, Alaska 99501-2252


Appendix 5—Estimated Budget and Income

Appendix 5. Estimated Budget and Income

Modified 09/20/05Expenses

2005 Budget ($) NotesGeneral ChairGen. Chair Expenses 2,000 Hosting planning mtg., local committee meetingsPlanning Committee Retreat 2,000 Spring 2005 offsite program/meeting prepWelcoming CD production 1,000 Blueberry Productions - Jeff SilvermanAdministrative assistance 1,000 Local arrangements support (Hauser)Worker breaks 3,272 BH revised 8/18Memorabilia (to be offset by sales) 11,000 Theobroma (3850), pins (2025), mugs (4600)Committee parking 1,000 At rate of about $10/dCommittee housing contingency 0 Based on 3 @ 600Ahlgren Memorial 1,000 Contrib. to MOAhlgren Scholarship Fund

AccommodationsPerforming Arts Center 20,320 2/24/05 info from BHLabor for PAC 9,713 per 5/26 email from Bill HOvertime Labor for PAC 1,152 8/18 email BHLabor for Egan Center 7,000 per 3/24 email from BH - rental waived and 8/2 email from BHMeeting breaks - AM and PM 54,000 Coffee/tea/pastries/sodas/cookiesAdditional coffee service - 7 am breaks 9,000 Tues, Wed, Thurs 7 am no foodBusiness Meeting Refreshments 3,200 Coffee/cookies/fruit for Business Mtg.Guest svcs/spouse + companion room 1,000 Refreshments/amentities Local hospitality 2,000 Hospitality for program committee, workers, registration helpersCommunications 0 Cell phones, phone minutes, etc. (was $5,000)(GCI in kind)Egan drapery rental 1,000 Configure Arteaga & Cook rooms for Thurs sessionsBox lunches - optional for 3 days 3,375 Poster sessions @ $4.50 (M=300, T=300, Th=150)(offset by sales)Box lunches - catered for Wed posters 8,106 Poster sessions $13.51 x 600 people (Wed)Tour cost recovery 1,000 In case tours don't meet minimums

Budget and FundraisingCredit card fees 12,000 Baltimore $8216; QC $10,000; Madison $11,131Rebate AK Chapter seed money 5,000Misc fees/supplies/office 2,500 Baltimore $2000Fundraising costs 1,500 Madison flyer + copies for advertisingTravel - committee 11,500 Committed w/ 5/18, 6/2 and 6/9 emails: Kate, Molly, Bill H, Kathy, Eric K [3600], and Poster ChTravel - AFS Hdqtrs staff 18,000 EstimateContinuing Ed Expenses 8,000 Self supportingContingency 5,000 Reduced from 30,000

ProgramProgram Committee travel to Anch 5,800 Eric K. email 6/2Travel for Plenary speakers 6,000 Eric K. email 6/2Honoraria for Plenary 1,000 Eric K. email 6/2A/V 43,000 IMIG Photography 1,000 Plenary, Business Mtg, candidsFisheries insert/Publicity 9,000 Per Kate W. 6/28 meetingProgram Printing 14,450 AT Printing bid acceptedAbstracts CDs 1,950 2700 copiesPoster Easels and supplies 7,000 Eric K. email 6/2 ($5000) + $2k (Baltimore)Signage/displays 16,000 Banner paper, ink, foam core - $15,300 in Madison!Poster Artwork - Commission/Troll 4,000 Ray Troll fee email 4/30Poster logos and other artwork 2,000 Bill W. email 6/11Poster printing & mailing 2,200 1200 posters = $1061 + 650 shipping + 560 mailingShirts for Program Committee 6,000 100 shirts @ $24 + 150 shirts @ $24Shirts for Meeting Workers 2,100 190 shirts @ $11

RegistrationRegistration totes 21,000 Paid by vendors per S. MoberlyTote supplement 8,500 Text - covered with increased fund raisingStudent Help (tentative - may increase) 6,890 $10/hr x 689 student-hoursRegistration computers 2,000 2 computers, 1 printer, phonesRegistration materials 9,000 Forms, receipts - Madison $8,500Lanyards + badges 2,000

SocialsTrade show and Poster social 55,500 Was 41,000 - Wakefield adds another 1 KWelcoming social 82,000 $44/p x 1500 + $1500 dec (increase from 67,500)(assumes seafood donated)

Final Report 137

Estimated Budget and Income—Appendix 5

Off-site social 100,000 Facility rental, food, beverages, entertainment, transportation, tentsClosing social 6,625 800 = 7 kegs Amber + food (4000)Student Social 10,000 400 = $3750 beer + $6250 foodSpawning run 3,100 Recent updateEntertainment 600 Ray Troll ratfish brother 6/11 emailEntertainment set-up in Egan 2,500 Ratfish brothers stage, PA, lighting, video equip, sound, screensLocal Arrangements Social 3,000 Post-meeting thank youDiv and Chapt Mtg Luncheons 12,000 WDAFS 9000, AK Chapt 3000 (may go 200 WDAFS@$10 and 100 AK@$10=$3,000)Seafood contributions 24,000 Partially offset by industry donations via Glenn Reed

Technical Support/MiscellaneousTech support 4,000 Supplies, auction items, transportationStudent T shirts/expenses 7,200 Printing, shippingWDAFS Cost Recovery 10,000 In lieu of profit shareSea Grant cost recovery 10,000 RebateTotal 708,053


Appendix 5—Estimated Budget and Income

Income - Fee Option Scenarios FundsIn The Bank

Registration Fee 295/450 295/450 295/450 295/450 295/450 295/450 295/450 To Date*Attendance Scenario: 1500-diff spread** 1700 2200 2400 1500 1400 2000 (6/20/05)Fund raising Parent AFS $70,000 $70,000 $70,000 $70,000 $70,000 $70,000 $70,000 $78,000Fund raising AK Chapter (excludes tote bag $) $79,000 $79,000 $79,000 $79,000 $79,000 $79,000 $79,000 $79,400Fund raising Western Division $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 $58,000Alaska Chapter seed money $5,000 $5,000 $5,000 $5,000 $5,000 $5,000 $5,000 $5,000Vendor contributions for tote bags (AK Chapt) $21,000 $21,000 $21,000 $21,000 $21,000 $21,000 $21,000 $21,500Fund Raising AK Chapt tote supplement $8,500 $8,500 $8,500 $8,500 $8,500 $8,500 $8,500 $8,500Fund Raising AK Chapt Sea Grant $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000Memorabilia Sales $9,000 $9,000 $9,000 $9,000 $9,000 $9,000 $9,000Trade show $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000Registration $420,875 $438,175 $567,050 $618,600 $380,625 $360,850 $515,500Continuing ED Registration $8,000 $8,000 $8,000 $8,000 $8,000 $8,000 $8,000Spawning run $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 $2,000Student T shirts/income $7,200 $7,200 $7,200 $7,200 $7,200 $7,200 $7,200ACVB Credit - Offsets PAC labor $20,000 $20,000 $20,000 $20,000 $20,000 $20,000 $20,000 $20,000In-kind Support $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $13,000Box lunch sales $10,133 $10,133 $10,133 $10,133 $10,133 $10,133 $10,133Seafood donations $19,000 $19,000 $19,000 $19,000 $19,000 $19,000 $19,000 $19,000Total $739,708 $757,008 $885,883 $937,433 $699,458 $679,683 $834,333

Profit Total $31,655 $48,955 $177,830 $229,380 -$8,595 -$28,370 $126,280Bethesda 90% $28,490 $44,060 $160,047 $206,442 -$7,736 -$25,533 $113,652Chapter 10% $3,166 $4,896 $17,783 $22,938 -$860 -$2,837 $12,628Western Division = 0(Count sum verification) $31,655 $48,955 $177,830 $229,380 -$8,595 -$28,370 $126,280

Madisonspread

2005 Attendance Scenarios 1500 1700 2200 2400 1500 1400 2000 1500CategoryRegistration fee (early member) 295 295 295 295 295 295 295 295Registration fee (late member) 395 395 395 395 395 395 395 395Registration fee (early nonmember) 450 450 450 450 450 450 450 450Registration fee (late nonmember) 550 550 550 550 550 550 550 550Registration fee (student member) 95 95 95 95 95 95 95 95Registration fee (student nonmember) 125 125 125 125 125 125 125 125Registration fee (retired AFS member) 150 150 150 150 150 150 150 150Registration fee (Daily) 150 150 150 150 150 150 150 150Staff Fee 150 150 150 150 150 150 150 150Registration fee (guests) 70 70 70 70 70 70 70 70

Members (early) attending 660 799 1034 1128 705 658 940 585Members (late) attending 140 102 132 144 90 84 120 75Nonmembers (early) attending 210 136 176 192 120 112 160 105Nonmembers (late) attending 50 34 44 48 30 28 40 30Student members attending 150 204 264 288 180 168 240 255Student non-members attending 35 34 44 48 30 28 40 60Retired members attending 35 34 44 48 30 28 40 30Dailes attending - walk-ins 120 272 352 384 240 224 320 120Guests attending 100 85 110 120 75 70 100 90Exhibitors 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 90Staff 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 45Complimentary 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15Total Estimated Attendance 1500 1700 2200 2400 1500 1400 2000 1500

Revenue Projections Attendance 1500Attendance

1700Attendance

2200Attendance

2400Attendance

1500Attendance

1400Attendance

2000Attendance

1500Revenue - early members $194,700 $235,705 $305,030 $332,760 $207,975 $194,110 $277,300 $172,575Revenue - late members $55,300 $40,290 $52,140 $56,880 $35,550 $33,180 $47,400 $29,625Revenue - early nonmembers $94,500 $61,200 $79,200 $86,400 $54,000 $50,400 $72,000 $47,250Revenue - late nonmembers $27,500 $18,700 $24,200 $26,400 $16,500 $15,400 $22,000 $16,500Revenue - Student member $14,250 $19,380 $25,080 $27,360 $17,100 $15,960 $22,800 $24,225Revenue - Student nonmember $4,375 $4,250 $5,500 $6,000 $3,750 $3,500 $5,000 $7,500Revenue - Retired AFS member $5,250 $5,100 $6,600 $7,200 $4,500 $4,200 $6,000 $4,500Revenue - Daily $18,000 $40,800 $52,800 $57,600 $36,000 $33,600 $48,000 $18,000Reveune - Guests $7,000 $12,750 $16,500 $18,000 $5,250 $10,500 $15,000 $6,300Revenue - staff, exhibitor, complimentary $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $6,750Subtotal revenue $420,875 $438,175 $567,050 $618,600 $380,625 $360,850 $515,500 $333,225

Final Report 139

Estimated Budget and Income—Appendix 5

NOTE: Some of the increased revenues from registration over 1500 will be used for increased services (breaks, reg. costs, food, etc.)NOTE: In-kind support anticipated: cell phones, seafood, beer, program printingNOTE: Includes AK Chapter fundraising goal of $79,000 + fund raising in specific categories of $44,500NOTE: Includes provision for tote bags to be self-paying (part of AK Chapter fund-raising)NOTE: Includes additional AK Chapter fundraising for tote supplement and AK Sea Grant contributionNOTE: Tote bag costs are for 2450 bags; program printing is for 2500 programs; breaks and socials based on 2000 (1500 first, 1000 last nights)NOTE: Total AK Chapt fund raising goal sums to $123.5 K, less rebates to AK Chapt (5K seed money) and Sea Grant (10K) = $108.5 KNOTE: Guest registr. fee of $70 based on assumed participation in 2 socials (@$35)** Different spread of 1500 attendance by category - can "game" with alternative scenarios of member, nonmember, student, early, late, etc. attendance(Madison had exhibitor, staff, and complimentary categories; no revenue assumptions are included above for these categories)("Madison Spread" is the distribution of their attendance into each category)

Revenue Projections by category at 1500 Person Registration: % of BudgetRegistration fees 379,125 55Fund raising 233,500 33.9Memorabilia, t shirt sales 16,200 2.4Spawning run, trade show, continuing ed 20,000 2.9Anchorage Conv & Visitors Bureau credit 20,000 2.9In kind, special outings sales 20,000 2.9

688,825 100

NOTE: Profit calculations based on cell C76 (total budget) unadjusted for increased costs of more (fewer) attendees (which likely will be small)(Budget assumes 2000 at breaks and socials, approx 2500 programs and tote bags; therefore, profit calculations are fairly reliable)

AK Chapter Fund Raising Goal Total = $108,500 (Excludes AK Chapt seed, Sea Grant, WDAFS, Parent Society)(As of 8/22 have $88,000; Pending: $23,000 (USFS 5, USGS 10, USFWS 8)($111,000 if we get these)


Appendix 6—Example Contribution Request Letter

[Date]

[Name, Title][Organization Name][Address]

Re: Financial support for Anchorage American Fisheries Society National Meeting, September 11 - 15, 2005

Dear [Name]:

I am writing to ask your help in arranging a cash contribution from your organization for the American Fisheries Society (AFS) meeting to be held in September 2005 in Anchorage. The Alaska Chapter of AFS has already invested hundreds of hours of volunteer labor over the past three years to bring this major international scientifi c meeting to Anchorage. We now need some fi nancial help to make this meeting a success. As a matt er of AFS policy, registration fees cover only part of the total cost of the meeting. This assists entry level professionals, educators, students and others with limited fi nancial means to take advantage of the many information sources available at meeting. The Alaska Chapter is responsible for raising most of the balance of the meeting costs. In past years, leading agencies in natural resource management and research from within the geographic area of the meeting have provided generous support enabling AFS to keep its registration costs aff ordable for a large cross section of scientifi c professionals and students.

I ask that you consider providing $10K in support of the meeting. The funds could be provided in two contributions over a period of two fi scal years, FY 2004 and FY 2005, to reduce the size of the annual fi scal impact. For a contribution at this level your agency name and logo would be featured prominently in the program, and you would be identifi ed in the program as a sponsoring partner of the meeting. Noted fi sheries artist and humorist Ray Troll has agreed to illustrate the cover of the program, so it will be a professionally designed att ractive collectible.

Cash contributions of any amount are welcome, and all donors will be acknowledged in the program. In addition, in-kind contributions of personnel and materials are also welcome. Bill Wilson (907-271-2809, [email protected]) and Larry Peltz (907/271-1332 [email protected]) are coordinating and receiving all contributions, so please contact Bill or Larry with your fi nancial contribution, or for ideas on what kinds of in-kind contributions are most needed. A partial list of potential in-kind sponsorship ideas is provided below

In the event that your process may require a writt en explanation of the AFS or its annual meeting, I have att ached some additional information on both, along with a donor registration form to insure we have the information to properly credit your contribution.

Thanks for your consideration of this request, and please call me if there are any questions.

Appendix 6. Example of a fundraising contribution request letter ($10K letter)

Final Report 141

Example Contribution Request Letter—Appendix 6

Sincerely,

Phil MundyAFS 2005 National Meeting Finance Committ eeAFS Alaska Chapterc/o EVOSTC441 W. 5th Ave., Ste 500Anchorage, AK 99501ph: 907/278-8012fax: 907/[email protected]

POTENTIAL IN-KIND SPONSORSHIP IDEAS

Hosting coff ee breaksHosting an entire social eventSeafood donationAlcoholic beverages and food items for private hospitality eventsTote bags for registration materialsItems for registrants tote bagsLuggage tags for registrantsStudent registrations or student hotel roomsCell phones 30-40 for a weekTwo vehicles for a week of errands, VIP pickups at airport, etc.Buses for transport of att endees to social eventsPrinting of the program

●●●●●●●●●●●●


Appendix 6—Example Contribution Request Letter

135th Meeting of the American Fisheries SocietySeptember 11–15, 2005

Anchorage, Alaska, USAINFORMATION

The American Fisheries Society is a nonprofi t organization dedicated to improving the conservation and sustainability of fi shery resources and aquatic ecosystems by advancing fi sheries and aquatic science and promoting the development of fi sheries professionals. The 135th meeting of the American Fisheries Society, in combination with the Lowell Wakefi eld Fisheries Symposium and meetings of the American Fisheries Society Western Division and the American Fisheries Society Alaska Chapter, is scheduled for September 11-15, 2005. The meeting theme of Creating a Fisheries Mosaic; connections across jurisdictions, disciplines, and cultures is anticipated to att ract over 2,000 fi sheries and aquatic resource professionals from the academic, public, and private sectors of Canada, the United States, and a wide variety of other countries. Due to the large number of participants, meeting events will be distributed among the upper, lower, and lobby portions of the Egan Center; the Atwood, Discovery, and Sidney Laurence, and lobby portions of the Performing Arts Center, and several portions of the Hilton Hotel. There will be up to 12 concurrent sessions among all locations.

The American Fisheries Society is a 501(c)3 non-profi t organization, EIN # *********, so your contributions may be tax deductible to the extent permitt ed by law.

Final Report 143

Example Contribution Request Letter—Appendix 6

2005 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY MEETINGMEETING SUPPORT REGISTRATION FORM

September 11-15, 2005, Anchorage, AK

Organization:

Contact Person:

Mail Address:

City, State Zip:

Phone: Fax :

Email:

Activities You Wish to Support:

Contributions/Services to be Provided:

:

Would you be willing to have your organization identifi ed as a sponsor of an activity? YES______ NO______

Do you have organization decals or placards that may be displayed at the activity? YES______ NO______

Would you like to have an organization representative available at the activity? YES______ NO______

Are you interested in donating a door prize? YES______ NO______

Please return this form, plus any contributions, payable to the “Alaska Chapter AFS” to Larry Peltz. You are encouraged to register as soon as possible to ensure your support of the activity most appropriate for your company.

National Marine Fisheries ServiceWestern Alaska Field Offi ce222 West 7th Ave. #43Anchorage, Alaska 99513907/[email protected]


Appendix 7—Registration Forecasting Model

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Final Report 145

Registration Forecasting Model—Appendix 7

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Appendix 7. Final pre-meeting attendance forecast.


Appendix 8—Preprinted Name Badge Form

Appendix 8. Preprinted name badge form.

Final Report 147

Venue Maps/Illustrations—Appendix 9

Hilton Anchorage, Second Level

Hilton Anchorage, Street Level

Appendix 9. Maps/illustrations of venue fl oor plans.


Appendix 9—Venue Maps/Illustrations

d

Arteaga LaPerouseCook

Lobby

Escalators Down

5th Avenue

Egan Convention Center, Street Level, Explorers Hall

14 13 11-12 9-10 7-8 6

54321

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Womens MensEscalator Up

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Will

iwaw

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oubt

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ker

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Lobby

Egan Convention Center, Lower Level, Summit Hall

Final Report 149

Venue Maps/Illustrations—Appendix 9

Alaska Center for the Performing Arts Second Floor Lobby, Atwood Concert Hall and Skybridge to Egan Center

Atwood Concert Hall

Men

s

Wo

men

s

Leads to/from:Discovery and

Sydney LaurenceTheaters and

Voth Hall

Exit to 6thAve. (CityHall side)

Exit to 5thAve. (EganCenter side)


Appendix 9—Venue Maps/Illustrations

Alaska Center for the Performing Arts Second Floor Lobby, Sydney Laurence and Discovery Theatres, and the Elvera Voth Hall

Final Report 151

Meeting Space Assignments—List Format—Appendix 10

AFS 2005 - Schedule at a Glance; September 8 - 15. SUBJECT TO CHANGEVERSION: 8-Jul-05

DATE/ TIME EVENT LOCATION ROOMThursday, September 8

8:00 AM 12:00 PM AFS Officer's Meeting Hilton Anchorage President's Suite 11:00 AM 5:00 PM AFS Business Office & Internet Café Hilton Anchorage Portage

1:00 PM 5:00 PM AFS Management Committee Meeting Hilton Anchorage Foraker Friday, September 9

8:00 AM 5:00 PM Governing Board Retreat Alyeska Prince Hotel off-SiteSaturday, September 9

7:00 AM 6:00 PM AFS Business Office & Internet Café Hilton Anchorage Portage 8:00 AM 5:00 PM AFS Governing Board Meeting Hilton Anchorage Alaska/Denali8:00 AM 5:00 PM American Institute of Fishery Research Biologists Hilton Anchorage Aleutian 12:00 N 5:00 PM Registration/ Information/ Spawning Run Hilton Anchorage Promenade

Continuing Education7:30 AM 5:00 PM Basic GIS Techniques for Fisheries Biologists University of Alaska

Anchorage Center7:30AM Bus from Hilton

8:00 AM 12:00 PM Conflict Resolution Skills for Natural Resource Professionals Hilton Anchorage Iliamna 8:00 AM 5:00 PM Alaska Native Cultures Hilton Anchorage Lupine 8:00 AM 5:00 PM Hydroacoustic Tools for Fish and Habitat Assessment Hilton Anchorage Katmai 8:00 AM 5:00 PM Using MCMC in WinBUGS and Python to Fit Random Effects and

Hierarchical ModelsHilton Anchorage Dillingham

8:00 AM 5:30 PM Radio Telemetry for Freshwater Fisheries Studies Hilton Anchorage Fireweed 9:00 AM 5:00 PM An introduction to ecological modeling and programming using AD

Model BuilderHilton Anchorage King Salmon

1:00 PM 5:00 PM Thrive, Not Just Survive a ‘Hot” Public Meeting Hilton Anchorage Iliamna Sunday, September 11

7:00 AM 6:00 PM AFS Business Office & Internet Café Hilton Anchorage Portage 8:00 AM 3:00 PM Western Division Executive Committee Meeting Hilton Anchorage Aspen/Spruce 8:00 AM 5:00 PM American Institute of Fishery Research Biologists Hilton Anchorage Aleutian 9:00 AM 12:00 PM AFS Time & Place Meeting Hilton Anchorage Prince William

10:00 AM 9:00 PM Registration/ Information/ Spawning Run Hilton Anchorage Promenade12:00 PM 3:00 PM Journal Editors Meeting Luncheon Hilton Anchorage Prince William

1:00 PM 6:00 PM Speaker AudioVisual Check-In Egan Convention Center Williwaw Room1:00 PM 6:00 PM Speaker A/V Practice Room Egan Convention Center Williwaw Room1:00 PM 6:00 PM Speaker A/V Practice Room Hilton Anchorage Prudhoe Bay 5:00 PM 6:00 PM Student Worker Training Egan Convention Center Lower Level - Space 1

6:00 PM 10:00 PM Symposia Posters and Contributed Posters Session 1 - Set up Egan Convention Center Explorer Hall (Street Level) & Lower Level

7:00 PM 10:00 PM Welcome to Anchorage Social Hilton Anchorage Level TwoContinuing Education

7:30 AM 5:00 PM Basic GIS Techniques for Fisheries Biologists University of Alaska Anchorage Center

7:30AM Bus from Hilton

8:00 AM 12:00 PM Leadership regardless of position: you don’t have to be a chief to have influence

Hilton Anchorage Lupine

8:00 AM 5:00 PM Choosing the Appropriate Biotelemetry Technology for Aquatic Research: A Detailed Examination of Available Technologies, their Characteristics and their Use.

Hilton Anchorage Katmai

8:00 AM 5:00 PM Use of the Fishery Analysis Simulation Tool (FAST) to model the dynamics of exploited fish populations

Hilton Anchorage Fireweed

8:00 AM 5:00 PM Writing for Publication: The Dos and Don’ts for Successful Publishing

Hilton Anchorage Dillingham

9:00 AM 5:00 PM An introduction to ecological modeling and programming using AD Model Builder

Hilton Anchorage King Salmon

12:30 PM 3:30 PM AFS Leadership Principles Workshop Hilton Anchorage Iliamna

Appendix 10. Meeting space assignments—list format.



Appendix 10—Meeting Space Assignments—List Format

DATE/ TIME EVENT LOCATION ROOMSection Meetings

1:00 PM 3:00 PM Fisheries Administrators Section Hilton Anchorage Alaska 1:00 PM 3:00 PM International Fisheries Section Hilton Anchorage Willow 3:00 PM 5:00 PM Canadian Aquatic Resources Section Hilton Anchorage Willow 3:00 PM 5:00 PM Fisheries Management Section Hilton Anchorage Alaska 3:00 PM 5:00 PM Socioeconomics Section Hilton Anchorage Lupine 5:00 PM 7:00 PM Bioengineering Section Hilton Anchorage Fireweed 5:00 PM 7:00 PM Education Section & Student Subsection Hilton Anchorage Aspen/Spruce 5:00 PM 7:00 PM Fisheries History Section Hilton Anchorage Birch 5:00 PM 7:00 PM Native Peoples' Fisheries Section Hilton Anchorage Willow 5:00 PM 7:00 PM Physiology Section Hilton Anchorage Lupine

Monday, September 127:00 AM 6:00 PM AFS Business Office & Internet Café Hilton Anchorage Portage 7:00 AM 12:00 PM Symposia Posters and Contributed Posters Session 1 - Set up Egan Convention Center Explorer Hall (Street

Level) & Lower Level

7:00 AM 12:00 PM Symposia Poster Set up Alaska Center for Performing Arts

Lobby - Level 2

7:15 AM 8:15 AM Plenary Speakers Breakfast Alaska Center for the Performing Arts

Patrons Lobby

7:15 AM 8:15 AM Plenary Coffee and Refreshments Service Alaska Center for the Performing Arts

Lobby - Level 2

7:30 AM 10:00 AM Guest/Spouse Hospitality Hilton Anchorage Spruce 7:30 AM 5:40 PM Media Room Egan Convention Center Mezzanine/ Boardroom

8:00 AM 5:00 PM Speaker AudioVisual Check-In Egan Convention Center Williwaw Room8:00 AM 5:00 PM Speaker A/V Practice Room Egan Convention Center Williwaw Room8:00 AM 5:00 PM Speaker A/V Practice Room Hilton Anchorage Prudhoe Bay 8:15 AM 12:00 N Plenary Session Alaska Center for the

Performing ArtsAtwood Concert Hall

9:00 AM 6:30 PM Registration/ Information/ Spawning Run Egan Convention Center Lobby (Street Level)12:00 PM 1:00 PM Plenary Speakers and Awards Luncheon Hilton Anchorage Foraker

12:00 PM 1:20 PM Poster Lunch Egan Convention Center Explorer Hall (Street Level) & Lower Level

3:00 PM 5:30 PM Journal Editorial Boards Meeting Hilton Anchorage Aspen 5:30 PM 9:30 PM Trade Show/Poster Social Egan Convention Center Explorer Hall (Street


5:40 PM 6:30 PM Ray Troll Shark Presentation Alaska Center for the Performing Arts

Atwood Concert Hall

6:30 PM 8:30 PM University of Washington SAFS Student and Alumni Social Hilton Anchorage Dillingham Room7:00 PM 7:30 PM Ray Troll and his Ratfish Brother Musical Performance Egan Convention Center Stage in Trade Show

Area7:45 PM ?? Ray Troll Shark Meeting Poster Signing and Sales Egan Convention Center Alaska Chapter Trade

Show BoothSection Meetings

12:00 PM 1:30 PM Computer User Section Hilton Anchorage Aspen 12:00 PM 1:30 PM Equal Opportunities Section Hilton Anchorage Dillingham 12:00 PM 2:00 PM Water Quality Section Luncheon Hilton Anchorage Spruce

5:00 PM 7:00 PM Genetics Section Hilton Anchorage Spruce 6:00 PM 7:00 PM Introduced Fish Section Hilton Anchorage Birch


Final Report 153

Meeting Space Assignments—List Format—Appendix 10

DATE/ TIME EVENT LOCATION ROOMTuesday, September 13

7:00 AM 6:00 PM AFS Business Office & Internet Café Hilton Anchorage Portage 7:00 AM 9:30 AM Fisheries Extension Breakfast Hilton Anchorage Aspen 7:00 AM 9:30 AM Fisheries Magazine Breakfast Hilton Anchorage Prince William 7:30 AM 5:00 PM Registration/ Information/ Spawning Run Egan Convention Center Lobby (Street Level)7:30 AM 10:00 AM Guest/Spouse Hospitality Hilton Anchorage Spruce 7:30 AM 5:40 PM Media Room Egan Convention Center Mezzanine/ Boardroom

8:00 AM 5:00 PM Speaker AudioVisual Check-In Egan Convention Center Williwaw Room8:00 AM 5:00 PM Speaker A/V Practice Room Egan Convention Center Williwaw Room8:00 AM 5:00 PM Speaker A/V Practice Room Hilton Anchorage Prudhoe Bay 8:00 AM 3:20 PM Poster Session Egan, ACPA See: Program Book8:00 AM 12:00 N Symposia and Contributed Papers Egan, ACPA, Hilton See: Program Book9:00 AM Silent Auction Bidding Begins Eagan Convention Center Trade Show Area

10:00 AM 1:40 PM Poster Set up for Wakefield Symposium Hilton Anchorage King Salmon/Iliamna Room

12:00 PM 1:30 PM Award Winners Luncheon Hilton Anchorage Aspen 12:00 PM 1:40 PM Poster Lunch Egan Convention Center Explorer Hall (Street

Level) & Lower Level12:00 PM 2:00 PM Ray Troll Book Signing Egan Convention Center AFS Book Sales Booth

12:00 PM 2:00 PM Western Division Luncheon Hilton Anchorage Aleutian/Alaska1:40 PM 3:20 PM Symposia and Contributed Papers Egan, ACPA, Hilton See: Program Book2:00 PM 3:00 PM Book Editorial Advisory Board Meeting Hilton Anchorage Prince William 3:30 PM 5:30 PM AFS Business Meeting Hilton Anchorage Aleutian/Alaska5:30 PM 6:30 PM NOAA Town Hall Meeting Hilton Anchorage Aleutian/Alaska5:30 PM 7:30 PM US Forest Service All-Hands Meeting Hilton Anchorage Aspen 5:30 PM 7:00 PM Virginia Tech Alumni and Friends Reception Hilton Anchorage Spruce 5:30 PM 7:30 PM Michigan State University Alumni and Friends Hilton Anchorage Fireweed 5:30 PM Partnerships for a Common Purpose: Cooperative Fisheries

Research and Management, Symposium Poster SocialAlaska Center for the Performing Arts

5:40 PM 7:00 PM Contributed Poster Session 1 - Take Down Egan Convention Center Explorer Hall (Street Level) & Lower Level

6:00 PM 8:00 PM USGS and USFWS All-Hands Meeting and Social Hotel Captain Cook6:00 PM 8:00 PM Cornell University Alumni and Friends Hilton Anchorage Birch 6:00 PM 8:00 PM Wakefield Symposium Poster Session Hilton Anchorage King Salmon/Iliamna

Room6:00 PM 6:30 PM Sockeye Poster Symposium - Setup Hilton Anchorage Dillingham/Katmai

Room6:30 PM 9:30 PM Sockeye Poster Symposium Social Hilton Anchorage Dillingham/Katmai

Room6:30 PM 7:30 PM Pacific Deep Sea Sea Corals Hilton Anchorage Aleutian/Alaska7:30 PM 9:30 PM Sockeye Symposium and Posters Hilton Anchorage Dillingham/Katmai8:00PM 12:00 AM Swing Dance Club Soroya

4th Avenue and C Street9:30 PM 10:00 PM Sockeye Poster Symposium - Take Down Hilton Anchorage Dillingham/Katmai

RoomSection Meetings

7:30 AM 9:30 AM Fish Culture Section Breakfast Hilton Anchorage Dillingham 6:00 PM 6:30 PM Marine Fishes Section Meeting Hilton Anchorage Willow6:30 PM 7:00 PM Estuaries Section Meeting Hilton Anchorage Willow7:00 PM 9:00 PM Marine Fishes and Estuaries Section Social Hilton Anchorage Willow6:00 PM 9:00 PM Marine Fishes and Estuaries Meeting and Social Hilton Anchorage Willow (?)

Student Programs1:00 PM 3:20 PM Student Colloquium (two featured presentations) 4th Avenue Theater Main Theater5:45 PM 8:00 PM Registration, University and Employment Fair 4th Avenue Theater Main Theater8:00 PM 11:00 PM Student Social with food and entertainment 4th Avenue Theater Main Theater



Appendix 10—Meeting Space Assignments—List Format

DATE/ TIME EVENT LOCATION ROOMWednesday, September 14

7:00 AM Spawning Run Tony Knowles Coastal Trail

2nd Ave. and Christensen

7:30 AM 5:00 PM Registration/ Information Egan Convention Center Lobby (Street Level)7:00 AM 6:00 PM AFS Business Office & Internet Café Hilton Anchorage Portage 7:30 AM 10:00 AM Guest/Spouse Hospitality Hilton Anchorage Spruce 7:30 AM 5:40 PM Media Room Egan Convention Center Mezzanine/ Boardroom

8:00 AM 12:00 PM Contributed Posters Session 2 - Set up Egan Convention Center Explorer Hall (Street Level) & Lower Level

8:00 AM 5:00 PM Speaker AudioVisual Check-In Egan Convention Center Williwaw Room8:00 AM 5:00 PM Speaker A/V Practice Room Egan Convention Center Williwaw Room8:00 AM 5:00 PM Speaker A/V Practice Room Hilton Anchorage Prudhoe Bay 8:00 AM 9:30 AM Publications Overview Committee Meeting Hilton Anchorage Katmai 8:00 AM 5:40 PM Poster Session Egan, ACPA, Hilton See: Program Book8:00 AM 12:00 PM Symposia and Contributed Papers Egan, ACPA, Hilton See: Program Book

12:00 PM Silent Auction Bidding Ends Eagan Convention Center Trade Show Area

12:00 PM 1:30 PM AFS Past Presidents Luncheon Hilton Anchorage Birch 12:00 PM 1:40 PM Poster Lunch Social with Free Bag Lunches Egan Convention Center Explorer Hall (Street


12:00 PM 2:00 PM Alaska Chapter Lunch/Business Meeting - For Chapter Members Hilton Anchorage Dillingham/Katmai

1:00 PM 2:00 PM Bull Trout Committee Annual Meeting Egan Convention Center Redoubt Room(???)1:40 PM 5:40 PM Symposia and Contributed Papers Egan, ACPA, Hilton See: Program Book6:00 PM 10:00 PM Social at Alaska Native Heritage Center Off-Site Bus from Hilton

Thursday, September 157:30 AM 12:00 N Registration/ Information Egan Convention Center Lobby (Street Level)7:00 AM 8:30 AM AFS Incoming Board Breakfast Hilton Anchorage Chart 7:00 AM 6:00 PM AFS Business Office & Internet Café Hilton Anchorage Portage 7:30 AM 10:00 AM Guest/Spouse Hospitality Hilton Anchorage Spruce 7:30 AM 1:00 PM Media Room Egan Convention Center Mezzanine/ Boardroom

8:00 AM 12:00 PM Speaker AudioVisual Check-In Egan Convention Center Williwaw Room8:00 AM 12:00 PM Speaker A/V Practice Room Egan Convention Center Williwaw Room8:00 AM 12:00 PM Speaker A/V Practice Room Hilton Anchorage Prudhoe Bay 8:00 AM 5:40 PM Poster Session Egan, ACPA, Hilton See: Program Book8:00 AM 12:00 N Symposia and Contributed Papers Egan, ACPA, Hilton See: Program Book

12:00 PM 1:20 PM Poster Lunch Egan Convention Center Explorer Hall (Street Level) & Lower Level

1:00 PM 1:20 PM Poster Take Down for Wakefield Symposium Hilton Anchorage King Salmon/Iliamna Room

1:00 PM 6:00 PM Fisheries Conservation Foundation Board Meeting Hilton Anchorage Fireweed 1:20 PM 5:40 PM Symposia and Contributed Papers Egan, ACPA, Hilton See: Program Book5:40 PM 6:30 PM All Poster Take Down Alaska Center for

Performing Arts Lobby - Level 2

5:40 PM 6:30 PM All Poster Take Down Egan Convention Center Explorer Hall (Street Level) & Lower Level

6:00 PM 8:00 PM Closing Reception - See you in Lake Placid! Hilton Anchorage Alaska & Bristol Bay Ballroom

ACPA = Alaska Center for the Performing ArtsEgan = W. A. Egan Convention Center

Final Report 155

Meeting Space Assignments—Graphical Format—Appendix 11

DA

ILY

SCH

EDU

LE: H

ilton

Day

:D

ate:

Roo

m:

Pro

men

ade

Ale

utia

nA

lask

aD

enal

iD

illin

gham

Kat

mai

Kin

gS

alm

onIli

amna

Ken

aiP

orta

geS

usitn

aP

rudh

oeB

ayA

spen

Spr

uce

Birc

hW

illow

Prin

ceW

illia

mFi

rew

eed

Lupi

neC

hart

(15t

h)

A

lask

a B

allro

om

Bris

tol B

ay B

allro

om7:

007:

00

SE

C 1

4FI

SH

ER

IES

FIS

HE

RIE

S8:

00R

OO

ME

XTE

NS

I OGU

ES

T/B

RE

AK

FAS

T8:

00

F. C

ULT

UR

E

SET

UP

BR

EA

KFA

SP

OU

SE

9:00

B-F

AS

TH

OS

PIT

ALI

TY9:

00

POST

ER10

:00

S

ETU

PSp

eake

r10

:00

Prev

iew

11:0

011

:00

WA

KEF

IELD

WA

KEF

IELD

12:0

0SY

MP

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ERS

TOR

AG

E12

:00

WE

ST

DIV

SESS

ION

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ICE

AW

AR

DS

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C 2

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LUN

CH

LUN

CH

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TER

13:0

0

QU

AL

14:0

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K E

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OR

IAL

14:0

0

AD

VIS

OR

Y B

OA

RD

15:0

015

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A

FS B

US

. ME

ETI

NG

16:0

0

N

O C

ON

FLIC

TS!

16:0

0

17:0

017

:00

NO

AA

To

wn

Virg

inia

18:0

0M

eetin

gW

AK

EFIE

LDU

SFS

Tech

CO

RN

ELL

Non

AFS

18

:00

AD

D B

ERIN

GSO

CIA

LA

LL H

AN

DRec

eptio

nALU

M &

Mar

ine

Mic

h S

UG

roup

19:0

0SE

A C

OR

ALS

FRIE

ND

SFi

shes

&A

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&19

:00

Est

uarie

sFR

IEN

DS

20:0

0So

ckey

e Sy

mp

20:0

0

& P

oste

rs21

:00

21:0

0

22:0

022

:00

Tues

day

Sep

tem

ber 1

3

Appendix 11. Space assignments—graphical format.


Appendix 12—Volunteer Spreadsheet

Volu

ntee

rs3/

24/2

006

Last

Firs

tem

ail

Ava

ilabi

lity

JOB

requ

est

Ass

ignm

ent

Phon

e

Ambruzs

Ste

vesa

mbr

uzs@

unr.e

duTu

esda

y77

5-86

1-63

94

Anderson

Gle

ega

nder

son@

anch

orag

e.ne

t

Con

tact

per

son

for:

Pat

ricia

n A

nder

sson

, Li

nda

Bel

ler,

Dar

lene

H

oule

, and

Von

nie

Dix

onre

gist

ratio

n ba

g st

uffin

g

And

erso

nJe

ffrey

fry_A

nder

son@

fws.

gov

VIP

Andrew

sA

lex

a.an

drew

s@ua

f.edu

9/11

regi

stra

tion

regi

stra

tion

907-

364-

1568

Bal

esJa

mes

jam

es_b

ales

@fis

hgam

e.st

ate.

ak.u

ssp

awni

ng ru

n, re

gist

ratio

nB

edna

rski

Julie

julie

bedn

arsk

i@ya

hoo.

com

9/10

-9/1

5B

egic

hR

ober

tro

bert_

begi

ch@

fishg

ame.

stat

e.ak

.us

9/13

late

mor

ning

/ear

ly a

f tReg

istra

tion

or o

ther

?90

7-26

0-29

28B

igha

mD

ana

Pos

ter?

For

war

ded

to C

arol

608-

469-

3053

Bos

chM

elan

iem

elan

ie_b

osch

@fis

hgam

e.st

ate.

ak.u

s11

-Sep

regi

stra

tion

Bot

tK

ristin

bottk

@m

su.e

du9/

10-?

regi

stra

tion,

stu

ffing

pac

kets

, etc

.B

oyle

Larr

yla

rry_

boyl

e@fis

hgam

e.st

ate.

ak.u

s9/

8-9/

9re

gist

ratio

nre

gist

ratio

nB

rass

eA

udra

audr

a_br

ase@

fishg

ame.

stat

e.ak

.us

post

ers

forw

arde

d to

Car

olB

uklis

Larr

yLa

rry_

Buk

lis@

fws.

gov

12-S

epre

gist

ratio

n

Bur

ton

Tam

my

tam

my_

burto

n@fis

hgam

e.st

ate.

ak.u

s9/

12-9

/15

regi

stra

tion,

but c

an g

et m

ore

peop

le26

7-23

94C

ady

Thom

astc

ady@

fs.fe

d.us

9/12

; vol

unte

ered

for

regi

stra

tion:

re

gist

ratio

n87

4-40

22 H

ome

Chi

lds

Jeff

Jeff.

Chi

lds@

mm

s.go

vno

wco

ordi

nato

rsC

hilto

nE

lizab

eth

eliz

abet

h.ch

ilton

@no

aa.g

ovra

ffle,

regi

stra

tion,

pos

ters

907-

481-

1725

Chi

lton

Liz

eliz

abet

h.ch

ilton

@no

aa.g

ovre

gist

ratio

nC

hris

tian

Ric

hard

richa

rd@

nezp

erce

.org

Cor

umK

ara

Kar

a.C

orum

@dh

s.go

vV

IPC

oxK

eith

kcox

@sj

-ala

ska.

edu

Ala

ska

Cha

pter

Boo

th90

7 74

7-52

96Cudney

Jenn

ifer

cudn

ey.3

@os

u.ed

uA

nyth

ing

exce

pt n

ot o

n S

unda

yD

aign

eaul

tM

icha

elm

jd@

lgl.c

om12

-15t

hH

elp

Hau

ser?

Hau

ser:

Mon

itor A

ctiv

ities

in B

oard

Roo

mD

ann

Tyle

rt.d

ann@

uaf.e

duin

tere

sted

in 5

K ru

nS

paw

ning

run,

con

tact

ed D

ebbi

e230

-396

4D

arr

Set

hse

th_d

arr@

fishg

ame.

stat

e.ak

.us

Dee

rkop

*K

yle

kdee

rkop

@ya

hoo.

com

Ala

ska

Cha

pter

Boo

th26

2-98

63D

iCos

imo

Jane

Jane

.DiC

osim

o@no

aa.g

ov9/

8 &

9/9

stuf

fing,

vip

regi

stra

tion

bag

stuf

fing

271-

2809

Dietz

Kar

inka

rin@

stel

lar-

desi

gns.

com

Can

wor

k ev

enin

gs w

eeke

nds,

wor

ks fo

r Ste

llar D

esig

n an

d m

ay b

e ab

le to

hel

p w

ith c

onfe

renc

e ge

arD

ion

Che

ryl

Che

ryl_

Dio

n@fw

s.go

va

few

day

s be

fore

and

du r

regi

stra

tion,

et a

l.R

egis

tratio

n, 9

/10

786-

3813

Dio

nC

hery

lV

IPD

unm

all

Kar

enfis

h.bi

o@ka

wer

ak.o

rg9/

7, 9

/8; 9

/14;

9/1

5R

egis

tratio

n90

7 44

3 43

84E

dwar

dsM

ike

Mik

e_E

dwar

ds@

fws.

gov

VIP

Eid

amD

ona

eida

m.d

@al

aska

.com

open

regi

stra

tion

Esk

elin

Tony

anth

ony_

eske

lin@

fishg

ame.

stat

e.ak

.us

Spa

wni

ng ru

n, h

elp

reco

rd re

sults

Eva

nsW

ally

wal

ly_e

vans

@fis

hgam

e.st

ate.

ak.u

s 9/

8, 9

/12

regi

stra

tion

regi

stra

tion

267-

2244

Fa

urot

Mar

ym

faur

ot@

fs.fe

d.us

9/11

-9/1

620

8-63

4-06

18Fe

rgur

son

Jim

jim_f

ergu

son@

fishg

ame.

stat

e.ak

.us

9/13

, 7-1

0 am

digi

tal S

LR (6

.1 M

egap

ixel

s), w

hich

I re

gist

ratio

nG

ardn

erLe

e A

nnrw

jcon

sulti

ng@

ak.n

etre

gist

ratio

nG

eige

rH

alha

l_ge

iger

@fis

hgam

e.st

ate.

ak.u

sA

lask

a C

hapt

erG

uthr

idge

Jare

dja

red_

guth

ridge

@al

aska

seal

ife.o

rg9/

11, 9

/12;

4 h

ours

/day

regi

stra

tion

Ham

ner

Hel

enhe

lenh

999@

acsa

lask

a.ne

tK

erkv

liet

Ham

ner

Hel

enhe

lenh

999@

acsa

lask

a.ne

ttim

es a

vaila

ble,

etc

.Hander

Ray

Ray

_Han

der@

fws.

gov

Ala

ska

Cha

per b

ooth

Conti

nued

on ne

xt pa

ge

Appendix 12. Volunteer Spreadsheet

Final Report 157

Volunteer Spreadsheet—Appendix 12

Volu

ntee

rs3/

24/2

006

Har

tman

nC

indy

Cin

dy.H

artm

ann@

noaa

.gov

regi

stra

tion

(907

) 586

-758

5H

asbr

ouck

Jim

jam

es_h

asbr

ouck

@fis

hgam

e.st

ate.

ak.u

sor s

o)re

gist

ratio

nre

gist

ratio

nH

ayes

Sus

iesu

zann

e_ha

yes@

fishg

ame.

stat

e.ak

.us

Isla

mA

sifu

las

ifuli@

yaho

o.co

mN

eeds

stu

dent

wor

k, A

V?

Ivey

Sam

sam

uel_

ivey

@fis

hgam

e.st

ate.

ak.u

s9/

15, 1

7:40

- 18

:30

Pos

tert

aked

own

Jenn

ings

Gre

tche

ngr

etch

en_j

enni

ngs@

fishg

ame.

stat

e.ak

. u8/

12 to

cla

rify

avai

labi

lity

regi

stra

tion

Joyc

eTi

mtlj

oyce

@fs

.fed.

usA

lask

a C

hapt

er b

ooth

Kam

inLi

sal.k

amin

@ua

f.edu

com

pute

rs, i

nter

net c

afé

Ken

dall

Nea

lake

ndal

ln@

u.w

ashi

ngto

n.ed

uK

irche

rP

eggy

pegg

y.ki

rche

r@no

aa.g

ovre

gist

ratio

n27

1-28

09La

ssay

Den

nyde

nny_

lass

ay@

fws.

gov

solic

it pr

izes

, sel

l tic

kets

, dra

win

gsLa

wle

yG

ary

Gee

law

ley@

aol.c

omhe

lp w

ith d

irect

ing

peop

le fr

om H

ilton

?34

9-15

67, 5

80-3

71-5

353(

cell)

Mac

Cle

llan

Joan

nejo

anne

_mac

clel

lan@

fishg

ame.

stat

e.ak

. u11

-Sep

regi

stra

tion

and

prin

ting/

stuf

fing

(out

side

of r

egul

ar w

ork

hour

s on

ly)

regi

stra

tion

267-

2375

Mac

lean

Sco

ttsc

ott_

mac

lean

@dn

r.sta

te.a

k.us

Ala

ska

Cha

pter

forw

arde

d to

Kei

th C

oxM

arst

onB

rian

bria

n_m

arst

on@

fishg

ame.

stat

e.ak

.us

9/14

& 9

/15

and

can

do s

ome

phot

ogra

phy)

regi

stra

tion

907-

424-

3213

Mar

tinB

rook

em

artin

br@

onid

@or

st.e

dust

uden

t vol

unte

erR

egis

tratio

n, w

ed 7

-10

425-

478-

4235

, 541

-737

-194

3, 5

41-7

37-1

964

(w)

May

erE

lain

eE

lain

e_M

ayer

@fw

s.go

v9/

9-9/

12re

gist

ratio

nre

gist

ratio

n90

7-45

6-02

09M

cCla

inV

ince

Vin

ce_M

cCla

in@

fws.

gov

cell

phon

es, i

nter

net c

afé

907-

786-

3886

Mey

erS

cott

scot

t_m

eyer

@fis

hgam

e.st

ate.

ak.u

sP

oste

r ses

sion

, Wed

. mor

ning

Mill

erJi

mjim

_mill

er@

fishg

ame.

stat

e.ak

.us

9/13

regi

stra

tion

regi

stra

tion

267-

2384

Mill

erM

att

mat

t_m

iller

@fis

hgam

e.st

ate.

ak.u

sIn

tern

et c

afé

Mul

lK

ristin

kmul

l7@

yaho

o.co

mR

egis

tratio

n , s

paw

ning

run

Reg

istra

tion

, spa

wni

ng ru

nN

eely

Kat

hlee

nK

athl

een.

Nee

ly@

noaa

.gov

durin

g co

nfer

ence

regi

stra

tion,

sile

nt a

uctio

n, s

ales

regi

stra

tion

cell:

425

-879

-113

6N

eil

Jodi

jodi

_nei

l@fis

hgam

e.st

ate.

ak.u

s9/

10-?

regi

stra

tion

907-

465-

1174

Nem

eth

Mat

tm

nem

eth@

lgl.c

omre

gist

ratio

n, p

oste

rN

orcr

oss

Bre

nda

norc

ross

@im

s.ua

f.edu

Odo

herty

Gill

ian

godo

herty

@gm

ail.c

omre

gist

ratio

nO

lson

John

john

.ols

on@

noaa

.gov

S

igna

ge, c

olor

prin

ter

907-

271-

1508

Orz

echo

wsk

iK

athl

een

kath

leen

_orz

echo

wsk

i@fw

s.go

vece

ll ph

ones

, int

erne

t caf

é78

6-36

45O

urso

Bob

rtour

so@

usgs

.gov

9/11

& 9

/12

(plu

s->)

regi

stra

tion

and

prin

ting/

stuf

fing

regi

stra

tion

786-

7148

Pal

mer

Dou

glas

Dou

glas

_Pal

mer

@fw

s.go

v9/

12-9

/15

regi

stra

tion

907-

260-

0127

Palof

Kat

iek.

palo

f@ua

f.edu

Ala

ska

Cha

pter

boot

h

Per

ry-P

lake

Lind

alin

da_p

erry

-pla

ke@

fishg

ame.

stat

e.ak

.us

Ala

ska

Cha

pter

boo

th, p

ublic

ityfo

rwar

ded

to K

ate

Wed

emey

er90

7 / 8

22-3

309

vo

ice

Piorkowski

Rob

ert

robe

rt_pi

orko

wsk

i@fis

hgam

e.st

ate.

akA

lask

aC

hapt

erbo

oth

Pre

nder

gast

Lind

alin

da.p

rend

erga

st@

paci

ficor

p.co

m9/

11-9

/16

regi

stra

tion

Reg

istra

tion,

9/1

1P

ritas

hS

herr

ifn

sap@

uaf.e

dure

gist

ratio

nfo

rwar

ded

to A

llen

Plu

mb

Mira

nda

Plu

mb@

fws.

gov

ViP

pic

kup

Rid

gway

Mic

helle

mic

helle

ridgw

ay@

acsa

lask

a.ne

tpo

ster

sse

nt to

Car

ol c

ell (

907)

957

-227

7Rodgveller

Car

aca

ra.ro

dgve

ller@

noaa

.gov

Look

ing

for s

uppo

rtRom

berg

Bill

wro

mbe

rg@

acsa

lask

a.ne

tA

ll da

y 9/

8, a

ftern

oon

9/9

poss

ibly

9/1

2/9/

1390

7 78

9604

2Royse

Sha

nnon

shan

non_

roys

e@fis

hgam

e.st

ate.

ak.u

s9/

6, 9

/8, 9

/9re

gist

ratio

nre

gist

ratio

nS

anto

raM

aura

msa

ntor

a@fs

.fed.

usre

g ist

ratio

n,A

lask

aC

hapt

er907-747-4322

Santos

Lynn

eLy

nne_

San

tos@

fws.

gov

regi

stra

tion

See

bLi

saLi

sa_S

eeb@

fishg

ame.

stat

e.ak

.us

Sid

deek

Sha

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Final Report 159

Volunteer Spreadsheet—Appendix 12

Committee: Committee Contact

Last Coordinator Update

Vince McClain 8/23/05

Days Hours Volunteers Thursday, Se 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM Vince McClain, Kathy OrzechowskiShift 11:00 Am to 2:00 PM Steve FreidShift 2:00 PM T0 5:00 PMFriday, Sept 911:00 AM to 5:00 PM Vince McClain, Kathy Orzechowski

11:00 Am to 2:00 PM Steve Freid2:00 PM T0 5:00 PM Seth Darr

Saturday, Sep7:00 AM to 6:00 PM Vince McClain8:00 AM to 11:00 PM Vince McClain11:00 AM to 2:00 PM Matt Miller11:00 AM to 2:00 PM2:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Sunday, Sept7:00 AM to 6:00 PM Vince McClain8:00 AM to 11:00 PM Vince McClain11:00 AM to 2:00 PM11:00 AM to 2:00 PM2:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Monday, Sep 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM Vince McClain8:00 AM to 11:00 PM Vince McClain11:00 AM to 2:00 PM Matt Miller11:00 AM to 2:00 PM2:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Tuesday, Sep7:00 AM to 6:00 PM Vince McClain8:00 AM to 11:00 PM Vince McClain11:00 AM to 2:00 PM11:00 AM to 2:00 PM2:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Wednesday, S7:00 AM to 6:00 PM Vince McClain8:00 AM to 11:00 PM Vince McClain11:00 AM to 2:00 PM11:00 AM to 2:00 PM2:00 PM to 6:00 PM Vince McClain

Thrusday, Se 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM Vince McClain8:00 AM to 11:00 PM Vince McClain11:00 AM to 2:00 PM Matt Miller11:00 AM to 2:00 PM2:00 PM to 6:00 PM Vince McClain

Notes

Vince McClain 907-786-3886Computer Room/Internet Café

AFS Business Office and Internet Cafe

Vince McClain is the Committee chair and will be there every morinng and

Volunteers needed: man the computer room/internet café, collect and track cell phones


Appendix 13—A/V Student Assignments

DateSession

No. Start End Title and Location VolunteerMonday, September 12, 2005 10 3:40 AM 5:45 PM Native Fishes, Egan 14 0Monday, September 12, 2005 18 3:40 AM 5:45 PM Fisheries and IOOS, Egan 13 0Monday, September 12, 2005 21 1:20 PM 3:20 PM Fishing for the Future: managing fisheries and aquatic ecosystems using…, Egan 7-8 0Monday, September 12, 2005 22 3:40 AM 5:45 PM Fishing for the Future: managing fisheries and aquatic ecosystems using…, Egan 7-8 0Monday, September 12, 2005 23 1:20 PM 3:20 PM From the Laboratory to the Field: Practrical Applications of Physiological…, Egan 9-10 0Monday, September 12, 2005 24 3:40 AM 5:45 PM From the Laboratory to the Field: Practrical Applications of Physiological…, Egan 9-10 0Monday, September 12, 2005 27 1:20 PM 3:20 PM Influence of Offshore Platforms on Marine Fish Ecology, Hilton Denali 0Monday, September 12, 2005 28 3:40 AM 5:45 PM Influence of Offshore Platforms on Marine Fish Ecology, Hilton Denali 0Monday, September 12, 2005 29 1:20 PM 3:20 PM New Uses of Acoustic Tags in Fisheries Research, Egan 5 0Monday, September 12, 2005 30 3:40 AM 5:45 PM New Uses of Acoustic Tags in Fisheries Research, Egan 5 0Tuesday, September 13, 2005 36 1:20 PM 3:20 PM Fish Culture, Egan 2 0Tuesday, September 13, 2005 44 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Policy, Voth 0Tuesday, September 13, 2005 50 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Ecology and Taxonomy of Freshwater and Diadromous Sculpins, Egan 13 0Tuesday, September 13, 2005 52 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Ecology and Taxonomy of Freshwater and Diadromous Sculpins, Egan 13 0Tuesday, September 13, 2005 55 8:00 AM 10:00 AM From the Laboratory to the Field: Practrical Applications of Physiological…, Egan 9-10 0Tuesday, September 13, 2005 60 8:00 AM 10:00 AM National and International Challenges and Lessons Learned on Fish. Mngmt Chem., Egan 6 0Tuesday, September 13, 2005 61 10:20 AM 11:40 AM National and International Challenges and Lessons Learned on Fish. Mngmt Chem., Egan 6 0Tuesday, September 13, 2005 68 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Partnerships for a Common Purpose: Coop. Fish. Res. and Mngmt., Discovery 0Tuesday, September 13, 2005 69 8:00 AM 10:00 AM POST - The Pacific Ocean Shelf Tracking Network, Egan 5 0Tuesday, September 13, 2005 72 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Second International Burbot Symposium, Egan 14 0Tuesday, September 13, 2005 74 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Second International Burbot Symposium, Egan 14 0

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 80 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Communities and Ecosystems, Egan 4 0Wednesday, September 14, 2005 85 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Fisheries Management, Egan 1 0Wednesday, September 14, 2005 90 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Fish Ecology, Lawrence 0Wednesday, September 14, 2005 92 1:40 PM 4:20 PM Fish Ecology, Lawrence 0Wednesday, September 14, 2005 97 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Crustacean Fisheries Science and Assessment, Egan 5 0Wednesday, September 14, 2005 98 3:40 PM 5:30 PM Crustacean Fisheries Science and Assessment, Egan 5 0Wednesday, September 14, 2005 110 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Partnerships for a Common Purpose: Coop. Fish. Res. and Mngmt., Discovery 0Wednesday, September 14, 2005 111 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Partnerships for a Common Purpose: Coop. Fish. Res. and Mngmt., Discovery 0Wednesday, September 14, 2005 112 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Partnerships for a Common Purpose: Coop. Fish. Res. and Mngmt., Discovery 0Wednesday, September 14, 2005 116 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Recent Advances in Hydroacoustic Assess. of Fish. Pop. in Marine and Riverine…, Egan 2 0Wednesday, September 14, 2005 117 3:40 PM 5:40 PM Recent Advances in Hydroacoustic Assess. of Fish. Pop. in Marine and Riverine…, Egan 2 0Wednesday, September 14, 2005 118 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Science Bridging the Five Nations: The Bering-Aleutian Salmon Internat. Survey, Voth 0Wednesday, September 14, 2005 121 3:40 PM 5:30 PM Science Bridging the Five Nations: The Bering-Aleutian Salmon Internat. Survey, Voth 0

Thursday, September 15, 2005 140 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Fisheries Conservation, Lawrence 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 141 3:40 PM 5:30 PM Fisheries Conservation, Lawrence 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 142 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Fisheries Management, Egan 1 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 143 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Fisheries Management, Egan 1 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 146 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Habitat and Water Quality, Explorer-LaParouse 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 149 3:40 PM 5:30 PM Habitat and Water Quality, Explorer-LaParouse 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 150 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Advances in Telemetry: Opportunities and Challenges for Fish. and Aq. Ecol., Egan 14 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 154 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Application of Bayesian Statistical Methods to Fisheries, Egan 9-10 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 155 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Application of Bayesian Statistical Methods to Fisheries, Egan 9-10 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 156 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Application of Bayesian Statistical Methods to Fisheries, Egan 9-10 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 157 3:40 PM 5:30 PM Application of Bayesian Statistical Methods to Fisheries, Egan 9-10 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 158 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Behavorial Perspectives in Fish Conservation and Management, Egan 4 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 159 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Behavorial Perspectives in Fish Conservation and Management, Egan 4 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 160 1:40 PM 4:20 PM Behavorial Perspectives in Fish Conservation and Management, Egan 4 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 162 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Ecological Significance of Marine Forage Species, Egan 6 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 174 3:40 PM 5:10 PM Habitat: What is it? How is it measured? How do Fish Assemblages Respond to it?, Egan 2 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 180 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Invasive Species in Large River Systems, Egan 5 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 181 1:40 PM 4:00 PM Invasive Species in Large River Systems, Egan 5 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 184 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Non-salmonid Stock Enhancement in North America: Status and Challenges, Egan 13 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 185 3:40 PM 5:10 PM Non-salmonid Stock Enhancement in North America: Status and Challenges, Egan 13 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 186 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Salmon 2100 Project, Atwood 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 187 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Salmon 2100 Project, Atwood 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 189 3:40 PM 5:10 PM Salmon 2100 Project, Atwood 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 194 8:00 AM 10:00 AM The Influence of Dams on River Fisheries, Egan 11-12 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 196 1:40 PM 3:00 PM The Influence of Dams on River Fisheries, Egan 11-12 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 197 3:40 PM 5:30 PM The Influence of Dams on River Fisheries, Egan 11-12 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 198 8:00 AM 10:00 AM The New State Comprehensive Wildlife Cons. Strategies: Aq./Fish. Components, Egan 13 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 199 10:20 AM 11:40 AM The New State Comprehensive Wildlife Cons. Strategies: Aq./Fish. Components, Egan 13 0Thursday, September 15, 2005 203 3:40 PM 5:30 PM Using Video Technology for Fisheries Applications, Egan 3 0Tuesday, September 13, 2005 78a 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Conservation and Recovery of North America's Imperiled Freshwater Fauna.., Egan 3 0Tuesday, September 13, 2005 78b 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Conservation and Recovery of North America's Imperiled Freshwater Fauna.., Egan 3 0Tuesday, September 13, 2005 78c 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Conservation and Recovery of North America's Imperiled Freshwater Fauna.., Egan 3 0Tuesday, September 13, 2005 37 8:20 AM 10:00 AM Freshwater Fish Ecology, Egan 1 Aaron MartinTuesday, September 13, 2005 38 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Freshwater Fish Ecology, Egan 1 Aaron Martin

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 101 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Fluvial Geomorphology and Fish Habitat Symposium, Egan 7-8 Aaron MartinWednesday, September 14, 2005 131 10:20 AM 11:40 AM The Influence of Dams on River Fisheries, Egan 11-12 Aaron Truesdell

Tuesday, September 13, 2005 70 10:20 AM 11:40 AM POST - The Pacific Ocean Shelf Tracking Network, Egan 5 Andy SeitzTuesday, September 13, 2005 71 1:40 PM 2:40 PM POST - The Pacific Ocean Shelf Tracking Network, Egan 5 Andy SeitzThursday, September 15, 2005 152 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Advances in Telemetry: Opportunities and Challenges for Fish. and Aq. Ecol., Egan 14 Andy SeitzThursday, September 15, 2005 175 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Innovative Approaches in Managing N. Pac. Groundfish Species, Discovery Bill BechtolThursday, September 15, 2005 177 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Innovative Approaches in Managing N. Pac. Groundfish Species, Discovery Bill BechtolThursday, September 15, 2005 178 3:40 PM 5:30 PM Innovative Approaches in Managing N. Pac. Groundfish Species, Discovery Bill BechtolTuesday, September 13, 2005 35b 1:40 PM 5:30 PM Pacific Rockfish (Lowell Wakefield), Hilton Bill BechtolMonday, September 12, 2005 31 1:20 PM 3:20 PM Ocean Ecology of Salmon in West. No. America, Atwood Caroline JezierskiMonday, September 12, 2005 32 3:40 AM 5:45 PM Ocean Ecology of Salmon in West. No. America, Atwood Caroline JezierskiTuesday, September 13, 2005 42 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Marine Fish Ecology, Lawrence Caroline JezierskiTuesday, September 13, 2005 66 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Partnerships for a Common Purpose: Coop. Fish. Res. and Mngmt., Discovery Caroline JezierskiTuesday, September 13, 2005 67 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Partnerships for a Common Purpose: Coop. Fish. Res. and Mngmt., Discovery Caroline Jezierski

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 81 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Communities and Ecosystems, Egan 4 Caroline JezierskiWednesday, September 14, 2005 93 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Connections Between Economic Growth and Fish Conservation, Egan 14 Caroline JezierskiWednesday, September 14, 2005 113 3:40 PM 5:30 PM Partnerships for a Common Purpose: Coop. Fish. Res. and Mngmt., Discovery Caroline JezierskiWednesday, September 14, 2005 123 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Stream and Watershed Restoration: Planning, Prior., and Monitoring, Egan 3 Caroline JezierskiWednesday, September 14, 2005 79 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Communities and Ecosystems, Egan 4 Cassie MellonWednesday, September 14, 2005 124 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Stream and Watershed Restoration: Planning, Prior., and Monitoring, Egan 3 Cassie Mellon

Thursday, September 15, 2005 147 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Habitat and Water Quality, Explorer-LaParouse Cassie MellonMonday, September 12, 2005 11 1:20 PM 3:20 PM Population Dynamics, Egan 3 Dave Hewitt

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 115 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Recent Advances in Hydroacoustic Assess. of Fish. Pop. in Marine and Riverine…, Egan 2 Dave Hewitt

Appendix 13. A/V Student Assignments


Final Report 161

A/V Student Assignments—Appendix 13

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 136 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Written Communications: Writing and Reviewing Papers for Fisheries Journals, Egan 14 Dave HewittWednesday, September 14, 2005 137 3:40 PM 5:30 PM Written Communications: Writing and Reviewing Papers for Fisheries Journals, Egan 14 Dave Hewitt

Monday, September 12, 2005 12 3:40 AM 5:45 PM Statistics and Modeling, Egan 3 Evelyn BrownMonday, September 12, 2005 5 1:20 PM 3:20 PM Genetics, Egan 11-12 Josh IsraelTuesday, September 13, 2005 63 8:00 AM 9:40 AM Ocean Ecology of Salmon in West. No. America, Atwood Josh IsraelTuesday, September 13, 2005 64 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Pacific Salmon Environment and Life History Models: Advancing Science for Sust…., Atwood Josh IsraelTuesday, September 13, 2005 65 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Pacific Salmon Environment and Life History Models: Advancing Science for Sust…., Atwood Josh IsraelThursday, September 15, 2005 138 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Fisheries Conservation, Lawrence Josh IsraelThursday, September 15, 2005 188 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Salmon 2100 Project, Atwood Josh Israel

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 106 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Ecology and Management of N. Amer. Prairie Streams, Egan 13 Katie BertrandWednesday, September 14, 2005 108 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Ecology and Management of N. Amer. Prairie Streams, Egan 13 Katie BertrandWednesday, September 14, 2005 109 3:40 PM 5:30 PM Ecology and Management of N. Amer. Prairie Streams, Egan 13 Katie Bertrand

Monday, September 12, 2005 6 3:40 AM 5:45 PM Genetics, Egan 11-12 Katie PalofWednesday, September 14, 2005 88 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Genetics, Egan 9-10 Katie PalofWednesday, September 14, 2005 89 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Genetics, Egan 9-10 Katie Palof

Tuesday, September 13, 2005 41 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Marine Fish Ecology, Lawrence Lynn GoodmanTuesday, September 13, 2005 53 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Elasmobranch Research in No. Pacific, Voth Lynn Goodman

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 84 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Fisheries Management, Egan 1 Lynn GoodmanWednesday, September 14, 2005 120 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Science Bridging the Five Nations: The Bering-Aleutian Salmon Internat. Survey, Voth Lynn GoodmanWednesday, September 14, 2005 125 3:40 PM 5:30 PM Stream and Watershed Restoration: Planning, Prior., and Monitoring, Egan 3 Lynn Goodman

Thursday, September 15, 2005 139 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Fisheries Conservation, Lawrence Lynn GoodmanThursday, September 15, 2005 144 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Fisheries Management, Egan 1 Lynn GoodmanThursday, September 15, 2005 153 3:40 PM 5:30 PM Advances in Telemetry: Opportunities and Challenges for Fish. and Aq. Ecol., Egan 14 Lynn GoodmanThursday, September 15, 2005 179 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Invasive Species in Large River Systems, Egan 5 Lynn GoodmanTuesday, September 13, 2005 47 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Behavior and Ecology of Stream Salmonids: Indiv., Pop. and Comm., Egan 7-8 Matthew JonesTuesday, September 13, 2005 73 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Second International Burbot Symposium, Egan 14 Matthew Jones

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 104 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Pacific Salmon Environment and Life History Models: Advancing Science for Sust…., Atwood Matthew JonesWednesday, September 14, 2005 105 1:40 PM 4:30 PM Pacific Salmon Environment and Life History Models: Advancing Science for Sust…., Atwood Matthew Jones

Tuesday, September 13, 2005 75 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Selectivity and Catch Performance of Commercial and Survey Gears, Egan 11-12 Neala KendallTuesday, September 13, 2005 76 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Selectivity and Catch Performance of Commercial and Survey Gears, Egan 11-12 Neala KendallTuesday, September 13, 2005 77 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Selectivity and Catch Performance of Commercial and Survey Gears, Egan 11-12 Neala Kendall

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 94 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Connections Between Economic Growth and Fish Conservation, Egan 14 Neala KendallWednesday, September 14, 2005 132 1:40 PM 3:00 PM The Influence of Dams on River Fisheries, Egan 11-12 Neala Kendall

Thursday, September 15, 2005 190 8:00 AM 10:00 AM The Evolution and Ecology of Biocomplexity as a Key to Fish. Sustain., Artega Neala KendallThursday, September 15, 2005 191 10:20 AM 11:40 AM The Evolution and Ecology of Biocomplexity as a Key to Fish. Sustain., Artega Neala KendallTuesday, September 13, 2005 56 10:20 AM 11:40 AM From the Laboratory to the Field: Practrical Applications of Physiological…, Egan 9-10 Nikki KoehlerTuesday, September 13, 2005 57 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Historical and Cultural Importance of Alaska Fisheries, Egan 4 Nikki Koehler

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 102 3:40 PM 5:30 PM Fluvial Geomorphology and Fish Habitat Symposium, Egan 7-8 Nikki KoehlerWednesday, September 14, 2005 114 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Recent Advances in Hydroacoustic Assess. of Fish. Pop. in Marine and Riverine…, Egan 2 Nikki KoehlerWednesday, September 14, 2005 119 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Science Bridging the Five Nations: The Bering-Aleutian Salmon Internat. Survey, Voth Nikki KoehlerWednesday, September 14, 2005 128 1:40 PM 3:00 PM The Theory and Practice of Aquatic Stewardship Education, Egan 6 Nikki Koehler

Thursday, September 15, 2005 161 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Ecological Significance of Marine Forage Species, Egan 6 Nikki KoehlerThursday, September 15, 2005 173 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Habitat: What is it? How is it measured? How do Fish Assemblages Respond to it?, Egan 2 Nikki KoehlerMonday, September 12, 2005 19 1:20 PM 3:20 PM Fishery Management - Ecosystem-based and role of science, Discovery Rm. Nina BartonMonday, September 12, 2005 20 3:40 AM 5:45 PM Fishery Management - Ecosystem-based and role of science, Discovery Rm. Nina Barton

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 134 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Why is Sustainability so Difficult:, Egan 9-10 Nina BartonWednesday, September 14, 2005 135 3:40 PM 5:10 PM Why is Sustainability so Difficult:, Egan 9-10 Nina Barton

Thursday, September 15, 2005 176 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Innovative Approaches in Managing N. Pac. Groundfish Species, Discovery Nina BartonThursday, September 15, 2005 182 1:40 PM 3:00 PM MPAs: Fitting the Pieces into the Fisheries Mosaic, Egan 6 Nina BartonThursday, September 15, 2005 183 3:40 PM 5:10 PM MPAs: Fitting the Pieces into the Fisheries Mosaic, Egan 6 Nina BartonMonday, September 12, 2005 25 1:20 PM 3:20 PM Native Participation in Fisheries Management, Egan 4 Olav OrmsethMonday, September 12, 2005 26 3:40 AM 5:45 PM Historical and Cultural Importance of Alaska Fisheries, Egan 4 Olav OrmsethTuesday, September 13, 2005 58 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Historical and Cultural Importance of Alaska Fisheries, Egan 4 Olav OrmsethTuesday, September 13, 2005 62 1:40 PM 3:00 PM National and International Challenges and Lessons Learned on Fish. Mngmt Chem., Egan 6 Olav Ormseth

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 86 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Fisheries Management, Egan 1 Olav OrmsethWednesday, September 14, 2005 87 3:40 PM 5:30 PM Fisheries Management, Egan 1 Olav OrmsethWednesday, September 14, 2005 91 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Fish Ecology, Lawrence Olav Ormseth

Monday, September 12, 2005 9 1:20 PM 3:20 PM Native Fishes, Egan 14 Paige DrobnyMonday, September 12, 2005 14 3:40 AM 5:45 PM Catch and Release Science/Conservation Management, Egan 2 Paige DrobnyTuesday, September 13, 2005 40 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Marine Fish Ecology, Lawrence Paige DrobnyTuesday, September 13, 2005 59 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Historical and Cultural Importance of Alaska Fisheries, Egan 4 Paige Drobny

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 83 4:20 PM 5:30 PM Fisheries Conservation, Lawrence Paige DrobnyWednesday, September 14, 2005 103 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Pacific Salmon Environment and Life History Models: Advancing Science for Sust…., Atwood Paige Drobny

Thursday, September 15, 2005 200 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Using Video Technology for Fisheries Applications, Egan 3 Pete J SchneiderThursday, September 15, 2005 201 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Using Video Technology for Fisheries Applications, Egan 3 Pete J SchneiderMonday, September 12, 2005 4 3:40 AM 5:45 PM Freshwater Fish Ecology, Egan 1 R. Bruce MedhurstMonday, September 12, 2005 13 1:20 PM 3:20 PM Catch and Release Science/Conservation Management, Egan 2 R. Bruce MedhurstTuesday, September 13, 2005 39 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Freshwater Fish Ecology, Egan 1 R. Bruce MedhurstTuesday, September 13, 2005 51 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Ecology and Taxonomy of Freshwater and Diadromous Sculpins, Egan 13 R. Bruce Medhurst

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 82 3:40 PM 5:30 PM Communities and Ecosystems, Egan 4 R. Bruce MedhurstWednesday, September 14, 2005 122 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Stream and Watershed Restoration: Planning, Prior., and Monitoring, Egan 3 R. Bruce Medhurst

Thursday, September 15, 2005 148 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Habitat and Water Quality, Explorer-LaParouse R. Bruce MedhurstThursday, September 15, 2005 195 10:20 AM 11:40 AM The Influence of Dams on River Fisheries, Egan 11-12 R. Bruce MedhurstMonday, September 12, 2005 3 1:20 PM 3:20 PM Freshwater Fish Ecology, Egan 1 Sam DeckerMonday, September 12, 2005 8 3:40 AM 5:45 PM Human Dimensions of Fisheries, Egan 6 Sam DeckerTuesday, September 13, 2005 45 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Behavior and Ecology of Stream Salmonids: Indiv., Pop. and Comm., Egan 7-8 Sam DeckerTuesday, September 13, 2005 46 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Behavior and Ecology of Stream Salmonids: Indiv., Pop. and Comm., Egan 7-8 Sam Decker

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 99 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Fluvial Geomorphology and Fish Habitat Symposium, Egan 7-8 Sam DeckerWednesday, September 14, 2005 100 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Fluvial Geomorphology and Fish Habitat Symposium, Egan 7-8 Sam Decker

Thursday, September 15, 2005 171 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Habitat: What is it? How is it measured? How do Fish Assemblages Respond to it?, Egan 2 Sam DeckerThursday, September 15, 2005 172 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Habitat: What is it? How is it measured? How do Fish Assemblages Respond to it?, Egan 2 Sam DeckerMonday, September 12, 2005 17 1:20 PM 3:20 PM Fisheries and IOOS, Egan 13 Sean Charles RooneyTuesday, September 13, 2005 43 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Physiology, Egan 9-10 Sean Charles RooneyTuesday, September 13, 2005 35a 8:00 AM 11:40 PM Pacific Rockfish (Lowell Wakefield), Hilton Sherry PritashThursday, September 15, 2005 145 3:40 PM 5:30 PM Fisheries Management, Egan 1 Stephan AmbruzsThursday, September 15, 2005 151 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Advances in Telemetry: Opportunities and Challenges for Fish. and Aq. Ecol., Egan 14 Stephan AmbruzsThursday, September 15, 2005 202 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Using Video Technology for Fisheries Applications, Egan 3 Stephan AmbruzsMonday, September 12, 2005 15 1:20 PM 3:20 PM Elasmobranch Research in No. Pacific, Voth Sue HazlettMonday, September 12, 2005 16 3:40 AM 5:45 PM Elasmobranch Research in No. Pacific, Voth Sue HazlettTuesday, September 13, 2005 54 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Elasmobranch Research in No. Pacific, Voth Sue Hazlett

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 95 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Crustacean Fisheries Science and Assessment, Egan 5 Sue HazlettWednesday, September 14, 2005 96 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Crustacean Fisheries Science and Assessment, Egan 5 Sue HazlettWednesday, September 14, 2005 107 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Ecology and Management of N. Amer. Prairie Streams, Egan 13 Timothy R. Strakosh



Appendix 13—A/V Student Assignments

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 130 8:00 AM 10:00 AM The Influence of Dams on River Fisheries, Egan 11-12 Timothy R. StrakoshWednesday, September 14, 2005 133 3:40 PM 5:10 PM The Influence of Dams on River Fisheries, Egan 11-12 Timothy R. Strakosh

Monday, September 12, 2005 7 1:20 PM 3:20 PM Human Dimensions of Fisheries, Egan 6 Tom LangTuesday, September 13, 2005 48 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Catch and Release Science/Conservation Management, Egan 2 Tom LangTuesday, September 13, 2005 49 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Catch and Release Science/Conservation Management, Egan 2 Tom Lang

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 126 8:00 AM 10:00 AM The Theory and Practice of Aquatic Stewardship Education, Egan 6 Tom LangWednesday, September 14, 2005 127 10:20 AM 11:40 AM The Theory and Practice of Aquatic Stewardship Education, Egan 6 Tom LangWednesday, September 14, 2005 129 3:40 PM 5:30 PM The Theory and Practice of Aquatic Stewardship Education, Egan 6 Tom Lang

Thursday, September 15, 2005 163 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Fisheries, Fishermen, and Fishing Communities: Socioeconomic Perspec. West Coast, Voth Tom LangThursday, September 15, 2005 164 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Fisheries, Fishermen, and Fishing Communities: Socioeconomic Perspec. West Coast, Voth Tom LangThursday, September 15, 2005 165 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Fisheries, Fishermen, and Fishing Communities: Socioeconomic Perspec. West Coast, Voth Tom LangThursday, September 15, 2005 166 3:40 PM 5:30 PM Fisheries, Fishermen, and Fishing Communities: Socioeconomic Perspec. West Coast, Voth Tom LangThursday, September 15, 2005 192 1:40 PM 3:00 PM The Future of Conservation Genetics: Integrating Molecular and Quantitative Gen. Apps., Artega Tyler DannThursday, September 15, 2005 193 3:40 PM 5:30 PM The Future of Conservation Genetics: Integrating Molecular and Quantitative Gen. Apps., Artega Tyler DannMonday, September 12, 2005 33 1:20 PM 3:20 PM Small-scale spatial variation in pop. biology of fishes, Lawrence Tyler GrosshueschMonday, September 12, 2005 34 3:40 AM 5:45 PM Small-scale spatial variation in pop. biology of fishes, Lawrence Tyler Grosshuesch

Thursday, September 15, 2005 167 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Geographic Information System and Geospatial Analyses in Fish. Res. and Mngmt., Egan 7-8 Tyler GrosshueschThursday, September 15, 2005 168 10:20 AM 11:40 AM Geographic Information System and Geospatial Analyses in Fish. Res. and Mngmt., Egan 7-8 Tyler GrosshueschThursday, September 15, 2005 169 1:40 PM 3:00 PM Geographic Information System and Geospatial Analyses in Fish. Res. and Mngmt., Egan 7-8 Tyler GrosshueschThursday, September 15, 2005 170 3:40 PM 5:10 PM Geographic Information System and Geospatial Analyses in Fish. Res. and Mngmt., Egan 7-8 Tyler Grosshuesch

Documents

AFS Final Report...rigorous, two poster sessions accommodated hundreds of poster papers, att endance was incredible, and opportunities for networking and advancing careers were plentiful