August 2020
"Our future success is directly proportional to our ability to understand, adopt and integrate new technology into our work.”

~ Sukant Ratnakar, Author
Inside the August Issue: 

  • 'Going Virtual - Town Hall' Slides Now Available
  • Reminder - Use the Latest Version of the Packing List
  • Making Conference Communications and Websites Accessible
  • Conference Education Updates
Thank you for your ongoing support of our shared mission to advance technology for humanity during the ongoing global health crisis.

Read the full statement from IEEE.

The IEEE Event Emergency Response Team (EERT) remains available to any volunteer or staff who requires guidance, tools, and support regarding any IEEE meeting, conference, or event. Contact them directly at eert@ieee.org.
'Going Virtual - Town Hall' Slides Now Available
On 29 July the IEEE Conferences Committee Leadership and Meetings, Conferences & Event (MCE) teams conducted a well-attended virtual Town Hall meeting, Going Virtual!

If you missed the session, you can still review the presentation and learn the latest guidance and best practices for effectively pivoting to the virtual event environment at your convenience.
 
Highlights include:
  • IEEE Conference Leaders sharing their virtual event stories
  • Gain insights and lessons learned from these experiences
  • Explore resources for re-imagining your event and going virtual
  • Learn guidelines for effectively planning your virtual event
Reminder - Use the Latest Versions of the Packing List Tools
Organizers can help speed the processing and posting time for conference proceedings by always using the latest version of the IEEE Packing List Generator to create the required packing list.

The IEEE Packing List Checker tool is used to validate the contents prior to submission to IEEE. Anytime a change is made to a packing list, the Packing List Checker tool should be used to validate the contents. 
Making Conference Communications / Websites Accessible
IEEE is committed to providing an accessible digital presence to all people. Supporting this commitment, IEEE adopted the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level A as the enterprise web accessibility objective.


What is digital accessibility?
Digital accessibility are practices employed to build an application or a website. The web practices aid those with visual, auditory, speech, motor, or cognitive challenges (temporary or permanent), when browsing an IEEE website or reading IEEE content.

Digital accessibility also affects anyone with low internet bandwidth, often requiring accessible digital content that is faster in loading and viewing.

It may seem a challenging objective, but making small adjustments to your website or email communications can have significant impacts on accessibility and usability.

The five primary techniques to improve website or email accessibility involve:

  1. Using alternative attributes for images
  2. Checking color contrast
  3. Testing for a keyboard-friendly experience
  4. Defining headers when creating content
  5. Enhancing typography styles and sizes


IEEE guidelines on branding and visual elements, including approved fonts, are available.
Conference Education Updates
August Webinar Replay Series - Focus on Conference Quality 

The following three topics are topics any conference organizer will find valuable and helpful in planning and executing a quality conference and technical program.

1) Technical Co-Sponsorship Strategy, Tactics and Best Practices

IEEE Organizational Units have many decisions to make when considering opportunities to provide technical co-sponsorship to a conference. 

From this webinar you will learn strategy, tactics and best practices for evaluating and executing these sponsorship opportunities. Understand the benefits of providing technical co-sponsorship, as well as, the potential risks, along with the responsibilities. 


2) Conference Scope and Why it Matters

This session will allow you to understand IEEE's scope and how it affects your conference. Improve engagement with your communities and enhance author participation by improving the focus of your conferences.

Learn how IEEE works with indexers and their impact on conferences. Ensure your conference delivers the highest possible experience.


3) Peer Review Overview

Gain insights and tips in planning and executing a high quality peer review program for your conference. The session covers best practices for managing the process, finding reviewers, an estimated timeline, acceptance rates and much more! 

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Conference Role-Based Education Resources

This is a good time for event organizers and anyone interested in conferences roles to gain the knowledge and skills needed to be successful.

MCE Conference Education provides a comprehensive set of education resources, including 25 eLearning courses plus 28 on-demand webinars on a wide range of conference topics. All courses are available in the IEEE Center for Leadership Excellence (CLE).

Conference role-specific learning paths help you gain the knowledge and skills to be successful. Learning paths are provided for:
  • Conference Treasurer
  • Technical Program Chair
  • Conference Publications Chair
  • Event Planning


An IEEE Account is required for CLE access
Quick Bits
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Did you know? One billion people, or 15% of the world’s population, experience some form of disability.

Source: The World Bank 
Resources for Conference Organizers and Volunteers
    
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