3. Organization chart
In this Section:
Host Country Organizing Committee
Professional Congress organizer
A. Host Country Organizing Committee
- The host country is responsible for organizing its own committees to manage and coordinate the Annual Meeting, in close coordination with ADB. ADB recommends that the host country appoint a steering committee at the ministerial or similar level with an executive secretary who is empowered to make decisions and to be the principal coordinator with ADB. The executive secretary should be of sufficiently high rank to be able to interface effectively with host country government officials across departments and ministries up to the ministerial level. He or she communicates regularly and directly with ADB staff to prepare, coordinate, and implement arrangements for the meeting. He or she is expected to be given full authority to make, on behalf of the host country, the necessary organizational arrangements with ADB.
- The host country must also appoint working-level focal points for technical and organizational areas to work day-to-day with counterparts at ADB, starting in June of the year before the Annual Meeting. The working group, referred to as the HOC, should be headed by the executive secretary of the steering committee, who may be referred to as the host country Coordinator. The steering committee and the HOC should liaise regularly to ensure that decisions made at the steering committee level are implemented at the working group level.
- The steering committee and the HOC should be set up in the first quarter of the year before the Annual Meeting, before ADB's establishment mission to the host country. In the steering committee and HOC, alternates shall be appointed and will serve as back-ups in case the committee head or member is no longer able to perform their tasks (e.g. because of promotion or resignation). Briefings will be held by the host country for incoming team members.
- The principal officers at ADB with whom the head of the HOC communicates are the Secretary for very high level or sensitive matters and the Annual Meeting coordinator for all other matters.
B. Professional Congress Organizer
- A PCO specializes in the organization and administration of congresses (International Association of Professional Congress organizers [IAPCO]). It can handle areas of congress administration for which the HOC cannot provide the knowledge, resources, time, or technical know-how. It acts as a consultant to the HOC, carrying out its decisions, utilizing its experience and knowledge of handling events. The companies that offer PCO services are usually event managers, travel agents, tour companies, or public relations consultants. Some PCO s offer a full range of services, while others offer only partial services, subcontracting the rest to other groups in the industry.
Functions of the PCO:- consultant to the HOC
- expert in large scale event management
- project manager
- link between HOC and suppliers
- excels in stakeholder communication
- ADB strongly recommends that a PCO be hired to take care of the technical details of the Annual Meeting. A list or overview of what a “Terms of Reference” briefing document might look like for the PCO can be found in Appendix 14.
Specialized tasks usually handled by the PCO include:
- preparing a master plan for the implementation of the Annual Meeting, including a detailed budget
- negotiating and managing the meeting venue(s), including setting up offices, décor, and staging; analyzing requirements; and ensuring the quality of set-ups, equipment, furniture, and office supplies
- providing content from the host country for the Annual Meeting website (on hotels, transport)
- managing the marketing (including interfacing with sponsors) and public relations of the meeting
- providing creative direction, graphic design, digital design, branding and copywriting services to support the marketing function
- provide digital services if and where required coordination of weekly progress meetings and mission meetings.
- liaising with the host country focal point for media and communications which includes media and outreach activities, social media, multimedia, web, and branding and communications activities (further details in Chapter 20. Media and Outreach Activities)
- managing hotel accommodations of all participants including negotiating and securing block bookings, managing bookings, and providing associated reports to ADB
- preparing signs to be placed at the airport, in the city, in and around the venue premises
- drawing plans and layouts of the ADB offices and meeting venues
- assisting in participant registration and visa facilitation
- managing airport reception and departure, including liaising with airlines
- organizing transport, transfers, and shuttle buses; and providing a transport coordinator
- organizing the Tours Program (if any)
- providing logistical and technical support for all events, including the opening session, business session, seminars, cultural events, and receptions
- organizing shipments, customs clearances, and storage
- providing local staff support (including technical and security personnel); selecting, training, and briefing locally engaged staff members; setting up and operating a registration system for all locally engaged staff members; and providing meals, transport and uniforms for locally engaged staff members as appropriate
- sourcing for language services (i.e., interpreters, translators, and simultaneous interpretation equipment)
- coordinating with the in-house caterer for food and beverages, refreshments and catering
- communicating accurately and promptly with ADB and the host country on requirements, any non-conformities with operational plans, and any issues that arise
- Although a PCO can be brought in at different stages of the planning, it should be appointed before the ADB establishment mission to the host country (usually by the first quarter of the preceding year), preferably, before the previous Annual Meeting, so that the PCO can send representatives to the Annual Meeting to observe and assist in preparing the host country budget for the Annual Meeting.
- In selecting a PCO, the following criteria should be taken into account: experience, continuity, trust, international recognition, financial stability and quality. The HOC should ensure that the PCO has experience in handling international conferences, and is familiar with international standards for services, logistics, and procedures. It should also ensure that the PCO has the resources to handle a meeting of up to 5,000 participants, most of whom come from other countries.
- The PCO selected should most clearly match the Annual Meeting requirements and be able to work in partnership with the host country and ADB. It is also important for ADB to know the PCO counterparts; thus, it is recommended that the PCO meets ADB during the establishment mission, if not before.
- Once the PCO is selected, the HOC ensures that there is a clear written contract, which includes a specification of the work to be undertaken by the PCO and detailed cost estimates. Most PCO s have a standard agreement, but it is recommended to allow a legal representative to review it to ensure that interests are appropriately protected. The contract or standard agreement with the PCO should include TORs indicating time required and deadline for each responsibility. In the event that the host country decides not to hire a PCO, the defined roles and responsibilities of the PCO should be carried out by a person or team designated by the host country.
- Samples of roles and responsibilities of PCO s, who have handled some areas of the Yokohama (2017), Frankfurt (2016), Hyderabad (2006), and Istanbul (2005) Annual Meetings are in Appendix 13.