Home Volunteer Event Planning FAQs How To Run the Boston Seminar Series
How To Run the Boston Seminar Series PDF Print E-mail
FAQs - Event Planning
Written by David Provost   
Saturday, 31 January 2009 10:43
Overview
 
This event is a gem of the MIT Club of Boston. The Boston Seminar Series (BSS) is a speaking series that invites leading MIT faculty and staff to present their latest findings to an audience MIT alumni and the general public. Historically, this event has occurred at the MIT Faculty Club over dinner - the first half of the evening being the meal and socializing, the second half focusing on the presentation. The BSS occurs six times during the school year, between September and May, usually taking the months of December and January off.

The financial aspect of this event is substantial and greatly benefits from close scrutiny, ideally by the Club's VP, Finance. The BSS also has the advantage of a paid administrator who checks in each evening's attendees, enters the BSS into the Club calendar and SmarTrans, and is very much the first line of contact for attendee questions, problems, and miscellany. Third, the MIT Alumni Association plays a strong role in the success of the series. The pool of volunteers for Chairmanship of the series would decrease, possibly greatly, if these roles were to be unfilled.

Planning and Key Factors 

The academic year drives the scheduling and operational behavior of the BSS. Planning for the BSS should begin in earnest in January for the following September. Planning is a shared process which should be initiated by the Chairman through contact with the Alumni Association's Director, Alumni Education. At the time of this writing, this Director tracks potential speakers and serves as a central point of contact between the faculty and the requests originating from the myriad MIT alumni organizations. Speaker recommendations and results during the seasons '06-'07, '07-'08, and '08-'09 have been excellent.

Initial speaker suggestions should be in hand by February, moving promptly into the invitation/"ask" process managed by the Director, Alumni Education. Ideally, all speakers will have confirmed before June, which marks the end of the school year and the general departure of the faculty from the MIT campus. Once the summer season begins, recruiting speakers and getting their commitment to present becomes highly problematic, which is a critical factor determining why the planning process begins in the December/January timeframe. 

The BSS Administrator makes the reservations at the Faculty Club, although there's no formal requirement stating this position should hold this responsibility. In fact, it's wise for the BSS Chairman to acquaint themselves with Faculty Club personnel since this venue plays a vital role in the smooth functioning of the series. It's also highly advisable, if not essential, to make reservations at the Faculty Club as far in advance as possible. Reservations as far as two years in advance are perfectly reasonable and should be considered the standard planning horizon for this event.

A Typical BSS Evening 

The general schedule of events follows:
  • 5:30 Cocktails
  • 6:00 Seating
  • 6:05 Appetizer is Served
  • 6:20 Dinner is served
  • 7:20 Dessert is served
  • 7:30 Lecture begins 
  • 8:15 Q&A
  • 8:30 Wrap up & dismissal
Key points to remember during the course of the evening include the Administrator's laying out of attendee name tags, Chairman or other sets up projector & associated electronics as well as general meeting & greeting of attendees. Most speakers bring their own PCs but some deviate from this practice. Confirmation on this point is always wise, including the usual issues concerning operating systems, connecting hardware, etc.

The speaker normally arrives before the seating process has begun. It's critical for the evening's Master of Ceremonies (MC, and the series Chairman unless a substitute has been arranged) to promptly introduce themselves, review their role, and the evening's course of events. MC role related points to remember:
  • The MC is very much the host for the evening and must conscientiously see to the comfort and needs of the speaker.
  • The MC must be ready, willing, and able to carry the conversation during the meal. The tables are usually set for eight so pregnant pauses don't occur very often, but these should be minimized nonetheless. It's always helpful to discuss the speaker's work - assuming some familiarity has been acquired ahead of time.
  • The MC introduces the speaker when the dessert service ends, initiates the Q&A when the speaker finishes, closes the Q&A when appropriate, discreetly monitors the informal discussion that usually occurs at the podium after the Q&A, and then ensures that the speaker can leave when they choose to and absent any lingering questioners unless the speaker has clearly indicated their continued willingness to engage.
Key moments during the evening's course of events:
  • Arrive early, check that the bar is set up, check if the registration desk requires assistance, socialize, prepare for the speaker's arrival.
  • Review and coordinate requests for seating at the speaker's table. This is normally straightforward and managed by the Administrator. Occasionally, thoughtful judgment may be called for.
  • When dessert has been served, the MC steps to the podium and initiates the transition to the speaking portion of the event. Usually there are some general Club announcements to be made and these should be kept brief - after all, the audience has arrived to hear from the speaker. Introductions should be straightforward and well informed. A balance must be struck between listing the speaker's accomplishments, accolades, and distinctions, versus simply getting on with the evening. There's usually no shortage of material for introductions because the speakers are global authorities in their respective fields.
  • After the speaker finishes, the MC should prompt the audience for questions. The MC can select the questioner or the speaker can. Since most speakers are experienced faculty, it may be best to let them choose their own questioners.
  • As the Q&A winds down or as time runs out, the MC should indicate (in concert with the speaker) when the final question will be taken. After this question the MC should thank the audience and the speaker and announce the end of the event.
  • Discreet observation is the best way to discover when the speaker should be relieved of any further informal questions at the podium. At this point, the MC should make sure the speaker has everything they arrived with and then accompany them to a point where they can clearly depart on their own.
  • As soon as possible after the event, the MC must write a brief thank you note to the speaker.
Finances

Despite the support provided by the Club's VP, Finance and the BSS Administrator, the Chairman must be well acquainted with the series' financial issues. The most critical issue is ensuring break-even performance for the series, which means getting the ticket pricing right in relation to the expenses. Since there are several pricing tiers depending on Club membership, alumni status, time of ticket purchase (e.g., walk-ins), etc., and since meal costs can very as well, the path to break-even performance isn't always clear. Monitoring each event's financial performance and the performance of the overall series on a year-to-date basis is an important responsibility for the Chairman.

Sponsorship is a very welcome form of support and the easiest sponsors to acquire may be among the centers, offices, departments, etc., operated by MIT itself. Given the nature of the audience, there are many good reasons for the participation of non-MIT sponsors. However, these sponsors are usually harder and much more time consuming to acquire.

Summary

In closing, serving as Chairman, BSS can be a demanding but exceptionally rewarding role. The seasonal duration makes the arrival of summer a welcome occasion, but on the other hand, it means no more direct contact with people who are at the forefront of science, technology, policy, and innovation. The Chairmanship is a diverse role that requires easy transition between attention to detail, public speaking, fluid social situations, and forethought. In the end, being selected for the Chairmanship is an honor and a rare opportunity.
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