SIG Conference Manual

In-Cooperation TMRF

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1. Review the ACM Conference Calendar located at http://campus.acm.org/calendar/ to determine what other conferences might be held during the dates that you are considering. The most reliable indication is obtained by looking at the intended time frame in the current year, as well as the actual dates that you are considering. Since ACM sponsors or cooperates with over 150 conferences per year, you can be assured of overlapping dates with some other conference.
2. Review the date overlap with the Chair of the sponsoring organization, cooperating ACM sub-unit(s) and other members of the technical community to determine whether or not the conflict will affect the intended audience.
3. If the cooperating SIG has a Conference Planning Committee or a Vice Chair for Conferences, check for any SIG specific policies or guidelines.
4. Complete the TMRF including the "Hold Harmless Clause" and the "Statement of Understanding". The TMRF will not be processed until all paperwork is submitted. ACM official approval may take up to two weeks.
5. Send the completed TMRF (including signed hold harmless clause and statement of understanding) along with a copy of the Certificate of Insurance; providing proof of insurance for general liability including personal injury, contractual liability, broad form property coverage, host liquor liability, fire/legal liability, and publisher's errors and omissions (if proceedings are to be produced). The complete TMRF may be sent to acozzi@acm.org or fax (212-302-5826). Email submissions are acceptable provided the attached documents contain signatures.In the event the Certificate of Insurance is not available, ACM will accept a letter on the sponsoring organization's stationery indicating that the organization is taking full financial and legal responsibility for the event.

ACM will acknowledge receipt of the document and distribute the information to the appropriate committees for approval. If time permits, you should discuss the TMRF with the appropriate SIG Vice Chair for Conferences before submitting it to ACM. You will receive official written approval for your conference from ACM. Please note, conferences may not distribute publicity with the ACM name or logo until official approval is received.

Evaluation Criteria for Conference Approval (Completing the TMRF Form)

The leadership of the ACM sub-unit reviewing the submitted TMRF will consider the following:

Dates

• Does it conflict with other conferences or symposium that the members of this special interest group might attend? Conferences sponsored by ACM or by any other societies to which this audience might belong?
• Is there is a potential overlap of audience? Conference cannot be approved without the consent of the conference chair of the already approved conference.
• Is it a good time of year with regard to workload of the proposed audience?

Technical Merit

• Are the conference organizers credible in this technical area?
• Does the conference chair have the time to make this conference a success? Does he/she have other commitments, which might interfere in the overall management of this project?
• Will the technical content attract the audience that the organizers have in mind?
• Is this audience part of the membership of your special interest group?
• Will the attendees of this conference be sought after as members of your special interest group?
• Does this conference substantially overlap with an existing conference, enough to impact on it?

Financial Considerations

• Who is taking the financial risk?
• Is that organization the same who stands to gain from having this conference?
• Is the fund balance of the guarantors large enough to cover 100% loss?
• Are there other sources of funding?

ACM In-Cooperation Arrangements

This entire form is only for conferences seeking ACM/SIG Cooperation. This means that ACM and its sub-unit(s) lend their names, but do not share in the financial support, or in the surplus or loss of the conference. Common courtesy dictates that anyone seeking ACM Cooperation should discuss it first with the appropriate SIG Vice Chair for Conferences or with the Chair of the intended sponsoring SIG(s).
Meetings approved for Cooperation may be advertised as "In Cooperation with ACM (/SIGxx, if appropriate)".

In all cases, the sponsors must provide copies of the Certificate of Insurance for liability coverage for the sponsoring organization. For conferences held outside the US, if the organization is unable to provide a certificate of insurance the sponsor MUST provide a letter on the organization's official stationery indicating that they are taking full financial and legal responsibility for the event.

Member mailing labels may be purchased through ACM commercial label sales at the established rates, assuming the mailing piece has been approved in advance by Headquarters.

The following conditions must also be met for approval of all conferences:

1. A signed statement of understanding and hold harmless clause must be sent to ACM HQ along with the completed TMRF.
2. Registration and proceedings fees will be the same for ACM members as for other sponsoring organizations, and there will be no differentiation in fees between academic and corporate participant registration fees.
3. If requested, a table or booth where ACM membership and publication information may be displayed.
4. A brief report must be submitted in writing within 120 days after the meeting to the appropriate ACM/SIG Staff Liaison. The report will be forwarded to the leaders of the sponsoring ACM sub-unit for review. The report will be utilized to consider cooperating support for future conferences. It should summarize the following:

a. Number of attendees in each of the registration categories.
b. General assessment of the technical quality of the papers.
c. General assessment of the quality of the presentations and associated events
d. Any problem areas encountered by the meeting.
e. A financial report of the conference.

The XV General Assembly

8. Having been informed of a number of cases in which bona fide scientists from National adhering bodies of the International Scientific Unions had recently been prevented from attending symposia organized by these Unions through a refusal to grant entry visas and, Recalling the earlier decisions taken by the ICSU emphasizing the right to free movement of scientists in this connection, draws the attention of the individual scientific unions and other ICSU bodies to the following guidelines and recommends their adoption:

I. Before Symposia or Meetings are arranged:

A. an assurance in writing should be obtained from the organizers in the country concerned that visas will be granted to bona fide scientists if proper applications are made, and

B. the unfortunate consequences which may arise through failure to grant visas should be communicated to the organizers of the symposia or meetings involved.

II. The procedure recently adopted by the IUPAC is commended for observance by other union, namely:

A. that application for visas where necessary should be made to the appropriate authorities not less than three months before the date of the symposium or meeting, and if these visas are not granted or promised in writing one month before the date of the event, sponsorship should be withdrawn, and,

B. arrangements for future meetings in any country found unable to comply with these principles should be suspended until more satisfactory circumstances exist.

III. National adhering bodies of the ICSU should urge the authorities in their countries to facilitate attendance and exit visas for scientists to attend such meetings in the same way.

IV. Each Union or other ICSU body should inform the ICSU and its Scientists of cases in which withdrawal of sponsorship has become necessary so that other Unions may take this into account in making their own arrangements for meetings and symposia.

V. The Chairman of the Committee for Free Circulation and the Secretary General of the ICSU should maintain a record of cases reported, to which scientific unions and other ICSU bodies may refer.

ACM Resolution on Sponsorship of International Conferences as Passed by the ACM Council, May 25, 1975

Moved: ACM Council, desirous of encouraging open information exchange and complete scientific freedom, subscribes to the following policies relating to international scientific conferences sponsored by, or held In Cooperation with, ACM:

1. The Council endorses the September 1972 addition to the Statutes of The International Council of Scientific Unions, and affirms that official ACM participation in all conferences shall be guided by the principles expressed in that provision: "In pursuing these objectives of the ICSU, the (ICSU) Council shall observe the basic policy of nondiscrimination and affirm the rights of scientists throughout the world to adhere to or to associate with international act regard to race, religion, or sex.
2. Council indicates that the implementing guidelines contained in the Resolution on the Free Circulation of Scientists of the ICSU XV General Assembly shall be followed to the extent possible in developing implementing procedures specifically meant for ACM sponsored conferences in or outside the United States, recognizing the responsibility of the ACM Council as final arbiter in such matters.

It is the viewpoint of the ACM Council that the computing community should support only such conferences, whether ACM sponsored or not, that subscribe to these guidelines. However, ACM or any of its sub-units shall not enter into formal agreements on international conference sponsorship or participation unless the sponsoring organization in the host country has agreed to adhere to these principles.

Full Title of Meeting: _______________________________________________________________
Meeting Acronym:_______________ URL:______________________________________________

Conference Dates:______________ Conference Location:______________________________

Indicate all Financial/Legal Sponsors:________________________________________________

Is the sponsor a non-profit organization? ____Yes _____No

Requesting SIG Cooperation (please circle all that apply): ACM (no specific SIG Affiliation)

SIGACT SIGACCESS SIGAda SIGAPL SIGAPP
SIGARCH SIGART SIGBED SIGCAS SIGCHI
SIGCOMM SIGCSE SIGDA SIGDOC SIGecom
SIGEVO SIGGRAPH SIGIR SIGITE SIGKDD
SIGMETRICS SIGMICRO SIGMIS SIGMOBILE SIGMOD
SIGMM SIGOPS SIGPLAN SIGSAC SIGSAM
SIGSIM SIGSOFT SIGUCCS SIGWEB ACM "only"

This event is a: Conference Symposium Workshop Other:
It is held: Annually Biennially Other (_________)

Expected Attendance: ______ # of Days:___________
# of Sessions:_________ # of Papers: ___________
Please indicate: Total Revenue: $____________________________
Total Expense: $________________________

Please provide a brief outline of the topics to be covered:
_______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________
Will there be published proceedings? _____Yes _____No
If yes, who is publishing the proceedings? _______________________________
Who is selling the proceedings following the conference? __________________

Will publisher permit ACM to place proceedings in the ACM Digital Library?

______YES _______NO

Contact:
General Chair: Name: ______________________________________________________________
Affiliation: _________________________ ACM/SIG member #: ______________

Address _____________________________________________________________

e-mail: ______________________________ phone #: ________________________


Program Chair: Name: ______________________________________________________________
Affiliation: ________________________ ACM/SIG member #: ______________

e-mail: ______________________________ phone #: ________________________

Form Preparation:
(if other than Chair) Name: ______________________________________________________________
Affiliation: _________________________ ACM/SIG member #: ______________

e-mail: ______________________________ phone #: ________________________

ACM Hold Harmless Clause and Statement of Understanding

All sponsoring organizations seeking ACM approval for cooperation must sign this portion of the TMRF
(Hold Harmless Clause and Statement of Understanding).

Hold Harmless Clause between The Association for Computing Machinery, Inc. (hereafter known as "ACM")and, Name of Conference: ____________________________________________________________________________

Dates of Conference: ___________________________Location of Conference:_______________________________
hereafter known as the "Conference", and

Sponsoring Organization: __________________________________ Address: ___________________________________
hereafter known as the "Sponsor(s)."

The Sponsor(s) assumes entire responsibility for the legal and financial liabilities associated with the above named Conference.

The Sponsor(s) agree to hold harmless and indemnify ACM, its directors, officers, employees, agents,
and assigns from and against any and all liability, loss, requests for payment, damages to persons and
property including loss of use thereof as well as fines and penalties imposed by any governmental or
regulatory authority and reasonable attorneys fees and disbursements in connection with the above
captioned event.

In addition, the Sponsor(s) acknowledges that ACM does not maintain insurance covering the Sponsors
and it is the sole responsibility of the Sponsor(s) to obtain comprehensive General Liability and
Contractual Liability insurance to insure losses or casualties associated with the Conference.

The Sponsor(s) also acknowledge that there is a financial risk involved with sponsoring the Conference,
and that the Sponsor(s) alone shall bear the burden of financial loss to the Conference.

I certify that I am an agent for the sponsoring organization and have the authority to make legal
commitments for the organization.

For ______________________________________________ Date______________________________
(Name of Organization)

By ______________________________________________ Signature__________________________
(Print Name)

The enclosed Technical Meeting Request Form has been prepared to the best of my ability.
It is complete and accurate. If this conference is approved for ACM Cooperation, it is agreed that:
ACM members will be permitted the same fees for registration, proceedings etc. as members of the
sponsoring organization(s).
The conference will provide one complimentary copy of the Conference Proceedings to ACM for
archival purposes. That copy should be sent to:
ACM SIG Services Department; Attention: Adrienne Griscti (griscti@hq.acm.org).

All publicity relating to this conference is to state that the meeting is "In Cooperation with ACM."
The ACM logo with a registered trademark symbol must be displayed and may be obtained from
ACM Headquarters SIG Services Department.

I am informed of the ACM policy on free circulation of scientists as it applies to the
ACM Resolution on Sponsorship of International Conferences of 25 May 1975 and of the spirit
and intent of the relevant Resolution on the Free Circulation of Scientists of the International
Council of Scientific Unions [See Guidelines]. I know of no aspect of the proposed meeting, which
is contrary to this intent.

I accept full responsibility and liability if I fail to comply with the ACM policies and procedures.
Signature _____________________________________________
Conference Chair Date ________________________________
Signature ____________________________________________
Sponsoring Organization Representative Date ________________________________
_____________________________________________
Sponsoring Organization Name
____________________________________
Representative Name and Title