Region & Wing Conference
Planning Guide
CAP Pamphlet 4
April 2024
Region &
Wing Conference Planner Guide
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Table of Contents
Introduction
4
Three Formats for a Conference
6
Initial Conference Planning: Six Questions
10
Finding a Face-2-Face Conference Site
15
Documentation and Reporting
23
Budgeting
29
Planning Conference Activities
32
Learning Sessions/Seminars
46
Risk Management
49
Virtual and Hybrid Conferences
50
Summary
53
Attachments
54
Attachment 1: Simple Venue Request for Proposal and
Description
54
Attachment 2: Simple Table of Contents for Continuity
Book
59
Attachment 3: Primary Annual Documents Included in
Annual Conference Workbook
60
Attachment 4: Essential Checklists
62
Attachment 5: Spreadsheet Samples
75
Attachment 6: Sample Banquet Event Order
79
Attachment 7: Sample Budget
80
Attachment 9: POW/MIA Ceremony
81
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Wing Conference Planner Guide
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Attachment 9: Virtual Conferencing Considerations
82
Attachment 10: Packing List for Conference Project
Officer
85
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Wing Conference Planner Guide
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Introduction
Foreword
This pamphlet discusses the process for putting on a region or wing conference;
however, many of these processes and principles can be used when planning any type
of large learning activity.
Planning a conference is a fascinating challenge. AS the Conference Project officer
(CPO) for the event, it will stretch you, but with the inevitable success comes an
exhilarating feeling. It's that way because you and your team will have created an event
that fires up your fellow members, sending them home with a fire inside to build an
even better CAP in the year going forward.
Research has shown that CAP members come to our conferences to do three things:
To connect
To collaborate
To celebrate
If your conference provides quality opportunities to do these three things, your success
is virtually guaranteed.
Acknowledgements
CAP would like to thank the following members to for their invaluable contributions in
the creation of this pamphlet over the years:
Col Brenda Reed, CAP
Lt Col Beverly Scoggins, CAP
Lt Col Leslie Vazquez, CAP
Maj Tyler Gross, CAP
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The Events Manager for Learning Management is the OPR for this document and
welcomes your comments and recommendations to improve this pamphlet. The OPR
can be reached using the contact information below:
NHQ CAP/LM (Learning Management)
105 South Hansell St.
Maxwell AFB, AL 36112
Email: conference@capnhq.gov
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Wing Conference Planner Guide
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Three Formats for Conferences
Three basic conference formats have evolved in the CAP conference community. The
first, face-2-face (F2F) is the one that most CAP members know. It is the most common
type of conference that members have experienced, and it is very effective and fun.
In recent years, technology advancements and the restrictions placed on conferences in
the early 2020s due to Covid have led many regions and wings to explore virtual and
hybrid conference formats. These formats have been around for years, albeit for larger
corporations and government agencies. It’s only been in the past few years that they
have become viable for CAP as an option. Virtual and hybrid formats are becoming
more attractive to CAP because of the flexibility they offer as well as the chance to touch
more members. Let’s discuss the pros and cons of each as you begin to think about how
you would choose each format to suit your particular needs.
Pros and Cons
The Face-2-Face Conference
It used to be that there was only one type of wing conference: a face-2-face (F2F)
weekend conference which normally began in a Friday night with a reception or happy
hour of some type and ended on Sunday with some people going home directly and
others staying for a meeting such as a Commanders Call. This type of conference comes
in a couple of different types: traditional with the AM assembly, breakouts in a variety
of rooms throughout the day and a banquet. The other type is the Town Hall, a smaller
affair where the assembly, in-line presenters for all and a dinner or banquet is all held in
the same room.
F2F is the type of conference with which many of our members are most familiar. Going
forward, many wings will continue to use this model as it fits their needs best. This
pamphlet will spend quite a bit of time planning for this type of conference.
PROS OF THE F2F CONFERENCE
There are several good reasons to choose a F2F conference format:
• Face-2-face conferences bring people together in a friendly atmosphere. It
provides multiple choices to connect with friends new and old.
• It allows choice between multiple activities and to enter and exit activities as one
desires.
• It lets members seek out and speak to wing, region, even national staff about
matters of interest.
• It does so in an environment that is purpose-built to focus one’s attention on
CAP.
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Wing Conference Planner Guide
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Wing conferences immerse members into CAP’s world where everyone, more or less,
has the same goals. The temptations of work, a favorite streaming service, household
chores or a ring of the doorbell are absent. It’s just us.
CONS OF THE F2F CONFERENCE FORMAT
F2F conferences have three basic downsides:
• They can be expensive to the member and to the wing. Not all our members can
afford to go to a conference, They can also be expensive to the wing if minimums
guaranteed to the hotel aren’t met.
• Members may not have the time to go to the conference due to work, school, or
family. Additionally, the wing begins to plan months in advance, taking time
away from other projects.
• People who miss the conference can’t take advantage of the content that is
offered to the level an attendee can. While attendees share what they’ve learned,
they can’t share “the whole picture.”
The Virtual Conference
The virtual conference leverages technology to deliver the conference experience
remotely to the participants. In this model, there is no “traditional” conference venue.
Speakers, presenters, exhibitors, meetings, ceremonies; indeed, most all content is
delivered via remote access.
PROS OF THE VIRTUAL CONFERENCE FORMAT
The virtual conference format offers several advantages to other conference formats:
• This model is a flexible option for those who for a multitude of reasons are not
able or who choose not to assemble in one place.
• It also provides the wing the chance to stretch out the conference experience over
time, rather than compressing the activity into 36-48 hours straight-through a
weekend.
• Depending on conference needs, activities and schedule, the platform
(technology and method housing the conference content and access for
members), it can be less costly than a full F2F conference venue.
• Finally, it allows for recording of events and presentations for later on-demand
viewing from even more members who may not have had the time to “tune-in”
live.
CONS OF THE VIRTUAL CONFERENCE FORMAT
As with any choice, there are tradeoffs to be made with virtual conferences:
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• Depending on the needs of the conference, using a virtual format might be more
expensive.
• Some conference activities which may be important to the wing may not be
doable using a virtual format, for instance, STEM activities, drill competitions,
some demonstrations, etc.
• The technology may “hiccup” (loss of bandwidth, audio video problems,
attendee-user issues from lack of familiarity with the platform or their own tech
tools), etc.
• Attendees who crave an in person, spontaneous experience may tune out if not
engaged.
• Members with sight or hearing disabilities may have trouble engaging with the
content depending on the conference budget and platform chosen.
• The wing must still devote months to planning the content to make it engaging
for the members.
The Hybrid Conference
The hybrid conference combines the F2F experience that a lot of members enjoy with
the added feature of allowing more members (and even speakers) to participate
remotely. It also allows for later “on-demand” viewing of highlighted events.
PROS OF THE HYBRID CONFERENCE FORMAT
The hybrid format can solve some problems for the planner because it can combine
much of the best from both the F2F and virtual worlds:
• More members can experience the conference in ways that suit them best.
• Highlighted events and activities can be recorded for on-demand viewing.
• This method can also stretch the conference timeframe allowing for more content
options.
CONS OF THE HYBRID CONFERENCE FORMAT
There are some cons to the hybrid format which create some additional challenges to
the planner:
• There are higher up-front costs for the conference because of the additional layer
of technological complexity. These include bandwidth, audio and video
streaming, ways for remote members to participate synchronous with the live
audience, etc. These are costs that may not be recovered in attendee fees.
• The planning for everyone is more complex as decisions must be made about
how to best address a topic or event.
• The transitions between the F2F and virtual content and the experience for the
attendees must be as seamless as possible.
• In some ways it is much like holding two simultaneous conference, especially
when dealing with breakout sessions.
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Choosing a Format
Choosing the correct format depends on answers to the “Six Magic Questions” in the
next section. These include specific needs of the wing, the conference budget, the
proposed schedule and content (which can also be influenced by the technology in a
chicken-and-egg problem), as well as the external environment (such as the COVID-19
pandemic of 2020-2022). Please note that this pamphlet will primarily address the
planning of a F2F conference; however, it will have brief discussions on planning
considerations of virtual and hybrid conferences.
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Initial Conference Planning: Six Questions
Here is an interesting bit of trivia: the CAP National Conference, under normal
conditions, begins its planning at least 18 – 24 months out from the conference start. A
city and venue are selected based on several criteria, and decisions are made about how
best to have the most members experience one of CAP’s signature events. Not the work
of one person, but rather of a cohesive team of planners, vendors, presenters, speakers,
hotel employees, host wing members, and attendees (yes, attendees), the annual
conference is the result of careful planning. Yours should be too.
It is common for a wing conference to start planning at least 14 to 18 months out. This is
in part because hotels book events at least that far in advance. The more people
expected, the more hotel and meeting rooms are needed, the farther out a contract is
required. If a virtual conference is desired, planning can be compressed a little bit, but
not much. Time also equals quality.
First thing to do is assemble a team to assist in the planning and execution of the
conference. Members of this team should include team leads for the following areas (list
below assumes F2F or F2F/Hybrid):
• Schedule (at this point only types of sub events, time blocks and number of
planned rooms are needed). Titles and speakers are determined later.
o General assembly/plenary sessions
o Learning sessions/seminars and meetings
o Co-conference activities, ceremonies and banquet
• Protocol/Distinguished Visitor (DV) liaison
• Lodging, food & beverage and hotel liaison
• Logistics and transportation
• Conference registration, conference programs and handouts
• Safety and risk management
• Financial management
• Information technology
o Registration technology/payment protocols
o Onsite A/V (if used)
o Remote learning/attendees and on-demand
o Remote presentations and prerecorded presentations
• Cadet activities and oversight
• Awards
• Marketing and communications
These people, approved by command, will assist in the planning and execution process.
These members can be selected from the wing staff, cadets, conference veterans, or
others with an interest and talent for working in a conference environment.
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Six Questions for Planning
Why?
Recall that the purpose of a conference
in CAP is to connect, to collaborate,
and to celebrate. Notice that this leaves
a lot of room for personalization by
region or wing. At the same time, they
represent strategic objectives or
touchstones of the event. It is what sets
it apart from other wing-wide activities
and is the reason why members attend.
Why is the wing holding a conference? Is it because it’s expected? Is it because it’s
tradition? Is it because a forum is needed to celebrate an occasion or recognize the
contributions of members? Is it because information needs to be shared widely among
all available or interested members? Could it be because the members need an
opportunity to work together and build camaraderie?
In truth, it could be all of these things and usually for a wing conference, it is. All these
reasons are relevant and valuable to the membership. All must be considered and
defined before getting into the meat of the planning content later on.
When?
Deciding on a block of time to schedule a conference helps to answer most of the other
questions, as it informs questions about site, speaker and DV availability. When
scheduling a wing conference, some things to consider:
• Other CAP or civic activities sharing the same time. The CAP calendar should be
an automatic consideration, but also look at the calendar for the areas in which
the conference may be held. You may not want to book on top of a sporting
event, a political convention or other large-scale event which may affect pricing,
traffic, hotel rooms and dining.
• Religious celebrations. Consult the web and search for “Religious holidays,
20XX.” Try to minimize overlap with major religious observances. The wing
chaplain can help with this.
• Major holidays. For some wings, scheduling over an extended holiday weekend
is advantageous for them. For other wings, it hinders participation. It’s important
to carefully consider whether holidays help or hinder participation.
• Spring or Fall. These are the two big conference seasons; but they may also
conflict with functions such as weddings and sporting events.
• Major CAP happenings within the region and wing. Is the conference normally
planned around wing changes of command time? Is it scheduled for the same
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weekend as another conference within the region? Is the conference combined
with another event such as Cadet Competition? Every wing is different.
• Friday night through Saturday night? Friday night through Sunday? Saturday
AM – Sunday AM? If a hybrid is used, will there be additional original content
before or after the conference proper?
What? (*denotes items specific to F2F or hybrid conferences)
Going back to the theme and to the “why”:
• What do you want the members to have as a take-away from the conference?
These can be cognitive, such as teaching new skills or being exposed to new
programs? These can also be behavioral as in, what do you want them to feel
about something? What attitude do you want them to carry back to their units?
• What “official” events are to take place? Awards? Displays? Skills development?
Meetings? A change-of-command? An “Ask the Commander?”
• What social events are planned? Will there be a reception? If so, will alcohol be
served*? Will other meals (outside of the banquet) be provided*? Will the wing
host a hospitality suite (if adult beverages are served, consider reserving a
different one for cadets)?
• Will there be a banquet* or other Saturday evening event? What form will it
take?
• What awards will be presented? Are there any awards (such as Medals of Valor,
Distinguished Service Medals, Spaatz Awards or Wilson Awards) which require
special ceremony and handling?
• Will the conference be a full-on conference with multiple breakout sessions,
general assemblies, other things to do, displays? Etc.? Will it be a “town hall,”
where most events are held in one room?
• What platform will be used to support and transmit content to members*? Will it
be solely “push” content (where the content is sent to the user), or will it also be
“pull” content (where the user acts to find and retrieve the content)?
There are many other “what” questions that can be asked. To brainstorm, get a group
together and discuss the events that have happened previously to consider what took
place and whether these events are still desired.
Where?
Where a conference was held used to be a simpler question. The decision was bound by
geography, availability, number of people attending (and staying overnight if need be),
and budget. Now, where can also include whether to hold a conference in the ether:
virtually or as a hybrid (a mix of a F2F conference and a virtual conference where
members attend remotely). For the purpose of this conversation, let’s look at F2F first:
• Geographic area of the state: wings like to schedule their conferences around the
state, so over a few years everyone has a conference close by. North to south, east
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to west, the idea is the same. The decision is influenced by availability of facility,
cost and relative distance to member population centers. Often small wings try to
keep things centralized, but even they will occasionally move around to reduce
the stresses on the hosting squadrons or to accommodate areas of the state which
may be close “as the birds fly” but hard to reach using highways.
• Will the conference be held in a hotel, resort facility or conference center? Each
represents differences in capability and cost. Will it be held on a military base? If
so, is billeting and messing available?
• What types of airports are nearby the locations being considered? Do they meet
the anticipated needs?
Virtual and hybrid conferences have their own set of “where” questions:
• Where will pre-recorded and “live” events be streamed from? Speaker’s homes?
Recordings through a wing’s server?
• Where will attendees access the content? Is the wing going to engage a
conferencing service? Will it use utilities such as Microsoft Live? Will it use
Zoom for phone conferencing? A combination?
• Where will the content be located after the conference for later viewing? The
wing’s website? A conferencing website? For how long will the content be
available?
Who?
On the surface this seems to be an elementary question, but scratch the surface and find
that who attends can drive a fair part of the planning process:
• Will cadets attend? This question drives chaperones, alcohol service, activities
and learning labs, color guards, whether to hold specific meetings (such as CAC),
social events for the cadets; etc.
• Will national and region leadership, elected officials, military leadership, and
civic leaders be invited? What roles will they have? Will they be staying
overnight? This drives protocol decisions, comped registrations or meals, hotel
rooms, and other amenities. Don’t forget to include these comps into your
budget. (It’s better to plan sooner and to invite sooner to ensure acceptance).
• Are families invited? If so, consider what may or may not be included into the
planning process. What events might they attend? Are additional activities
needed just for them?
• Will non-members have access to the content?
How? (* denotes virtual or hybrid)
How questions tend to get into the necessary weeds. Among the questions that should
be asked are:
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• How much are the desired items going to cost (when budgeting, have options to
include or discard depending on 3 budgets: lean, expected, desired).
• How will people register?
o For F2F and hybrid (all-inclusive or add-on for remote and on-demand
access?)
o Remote attendees (hybrid and virtual)
• How will attendees access remote content*? Do they download an app? Do they
need a separate phone line? How fast must their Internet access be?
• How will remote presenters and attendees be trained on using the desired
technology*?
• How should everyone be dressed: CAP casual, service dress? Will the banquet
(or other Saturday evening event) require mess dress?
• How will the schedule be segmented?
• How should members be fed? Should all meals be preplanned and part of the
package? Should there be coffee breaks and if so, how lavish? How formal
should the banquet be?
• How should the conference be marketed?
• How much can the members afford, all in (including lodging) and per ticket?
• How many workers will be needed to pull this off?
• How large must the venue be for what is planned to be accomplished?
Lots of questions to be sure, but let’s go back to the beginning… planning should begin
many months out and there should be a team of people to help. Some of these questions
won’t pertain to some conferences. Some questions can be answered with the help of
past contracts, conference project officers from neighboring wings or the region and
wing staff. Finally, this pamphlet should help.
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Finding a Face-2-Face Conference Site
Much of the time at this stage the wing has decided on a theme and a date. It has
decided on areas of the wing where it wants to concentrate its search. Remember,
ideally this process begins at least 14 months out from the conference start.
Location, Location, Location
It’s a wing decision whether to locate a conference in a downtown area close to shops,
restaurants and other amenities; or whether to locate in a resort town where there might
be fewer amenities around the venue but is compensated for by the variety of amenities
the hotel provides. (For our purposes the discussion about military facilities is
contained in the attachments).
Whatever general area is chosen, when considering where to locate a conference be sure
to contact local membership and web-based travel review sites to see how well the area
and the venue quality suits your needs, how safe the area is, and whether there are any
inappropriate venues which might present a concern.
Building a Venue Request for Proposal (RFP)
It’s a big name. It’s a critical step. It’s also a great way to help move the vision from
brain to paper.
While the specifics of forming an RFP (as well as a sample) is located in Attachment 1;
for this discussion what follows are major items that may be included in the RFP:
• Duration of the conference (days/nights)
• Probable number of total attendees (members, guests, DVs, staff, etc.). Of this
number,
o How many room nights are required for each night?
o Breakdown of single v. double bedded rooms
o Whether hospitality suites are required and for how long
o Whether disabled-accessible rooms are required and if so, how many
• Top rate desired for a room charge per night. It’s okay to low ball a little. Best
case is that you get it; worst case is that venues make a counteroffer and the
negotiation begins. When figuring this top rate, consider all potential add-ons
such as taxes, resort fees, parking, etc., that could add substantially to member
cost.
• “Comped “free” room night based on the total number of room nights sold to the
group (this is known as “room pick-up.” 40-to-50 nights sold for 1 free night (40–
to–1 or 50-to-1) is standard). Have the hotel credit the free nights to the final
invoice for the contract as this gives you flexibility.
• Waiver of resort fees.
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• Access to secure, lockable rooms where the wing has the only key.
• How many meeting rooms are required as well as the number of people you
expect to host in those rooms.
• Whether you expect the venue to cater the event, and if so, which meals, snacks,
coffee breaks (including number per meal).
• Audiovisual requirements (this includes production capacity and bandwidth for
streaming capability if holding a hybrid conference or recording events for on
demand viewing)
• The projected minimum amount of $$$ the wing expects to spend on this food
and beverage (F&B) before service charges and taxes.
• Guaranteed F&B pricing, set as close to the signing of the contract as possible (so
there are no last-minute up charges).
• Whether you wish to receive any special amenities or concessions from the
venue, such as discounts, free meeting space, free internet, free parking, etc.
Never hurts to ask.
• Payment terms
o Have the members (other than DVs) pay for their own rooms. Rooms that
are comped by the region or wing should be billed to the master invoice.
o Try to ensure that the room rate for the block extends out a couple of days
before and after for those who need to be at the venue early or stay late.
o Allow for name changes up to 24 hours out for those rooms that the
region/wing does book to the master bill, or for which the region/wing
has submitted a lodging list.
o Hotel room nights should be totaled cumulatively (over the entire event)
and not totaled per night. This gives you room if one night is light.
o Honoring the host wing’s tax-exempt status (if it has it).
It’s better to be conservative about what one is willing to block or spend. Most hotels
have something called an attrition rate. This is the percentage of rooms which are
contracted but not bought. Typically, at least 80% of the sleeping room nights
contracted must be filled without incurring a penalty, including loss of free meeting
space and monetary penalties.
F&B must also meet the minimum (before service charge and taxes) promised in the
contract. This will be paid regardless of whether the food is actually consumed. (More
on F&B charges later).
It’s also a really good idea to provide a one paragraph summary of what CAP is and to
highlight the volunteer, self-paid nature of the organization. This tends to build
awareness and goodwill with the venues; who might be more inclined to work to make
the conference more affordable.
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Assembling the RFP
Many wings build their RFP based on past contracts with known properties. This can be
an effective method if the conference format and schedule doesn’t change. However, its
often better to start fresh and begin this step when blocking out the schedule. The
schedule is going to inform the number and type of rooms, social events, breaks and
meals, and other needs.
The document should be completed, coordinated and approved by the wing
commander before sending to prospective properties.
When to Get at Least Three Quotes
This is the time to start speaking with the wing director of finance and wing legal
officer.
It’s always good to get at least 3 quotes when planning a conference. Conferences cost
wings thousands of dollars. If the wing cost for the venue is $25,000 or over (F&B, room
rental fees, audiovisual, service charges, taxes, miscellaneous expenses covered in the
contract) then you must get 3 quotes.
Sending RFPs
The approved RFP is completed. To whom or to where is it sent? By now, the CPO and
team have done some basic research as to the venues in the desired area (No use
sending a large wing’s conference RFP to a venue with 50 rooms and no food service).
For ideas on how to research, consider:
• Monitored travel review and ranking websites where hotels are graded, and
photos are a mix of hotel-provided and traveler-provided. While reviews
should be taken with a grain of salt; patterns do emerge. Look out for words
like “renovation in progress” or “to be completed.” While this isn’t an instant
turn-off and might get a lower price it may also disrupt the conference program
or comfort of the attendees. Ask questions.
• Hotel websites: Once you have an idea of a few properties; go to the websites
and “swim around.” Pay attention to the location, driving directions, number
of rooms, room amenities and whether it has a “meetings” or “events” page. If
it does, study this page to see if it might be a good fit.
• Contact the local convention and visitor’s bureau (CVB). They are a valuable
resource in helping to get your RFP out, providing visitor information, even
providing incentives to come to the area. They know the town.
• Local members. They are a valuable source of intel about the properties and
area.
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• Using an online map search, find the hotel and filter in local, walkable
restaurants if breakfast and/or lunch are not provided.
Now that all of this is done, it’s time to send out the RFPs. Be sure in the
communication that goes along with the RFP to include a deadline on when a response
is required.
Use an Aggregator or a Conference Service
It’s an individual decision whether to use a service through which RFPs are sent. For
large wings, this may be an option. Most are free to the group engaging the service
because the company is paid by the hotel which contracts for the event.
If located in a large wing or if looking at multiple areas at the same time this service
may be useful. Be aware however that it does not replace the due diligence of the CPO
to ensure that the venues which respond through this service actually meet the quality
and logistical needs of the conference.
Once initial responses are received, it’s time to negotiate.
The Negotiation Process
Some people really like to negotiate, others don’t. If the
CPO isn’t good at it or doesn’t like it; they should partner
with someone from the wing who is good at it. Event
salespeople negotiate all the time. They have sales targets
to reach. Their job is to command a price that the “market
will bear.” Your job is to get the best value.
The Initial Read
Sit down with all the responses received from the venues
and create a spreadsheet with columns listing the requirements desired and rows listing
the venues. Fill out the blocks depending on the answers. (This is really easy if one or
two venues respond, but don’t skip it as it orders your thinking). Don’t forget to recall
what is most important to the wing in terms of provisions and amenities.
Have a look at the costs they’ve listed for room nights, service charges and additional
charges, taxes and fees.
Now look at their catering menu to get an idea of meal charges. Review the research
previously completed. Pick the top 2 or 3 candidates. Now’s time for an initial
conversation with the venues.
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The First Conversation with Sales
This conversation is designed to do 2 things: answer initial questions about the venue
and CAPs specific needs as well as to give CAP and the venue a chance to get to know
each other.
The goal of the conversation for the hotel is to get you to agree to see a contract. Your
goal, as CPO, is to learn more about if the hotel is a good “fit.”
• Will the venue suit your specific needs?
• How well will they work with you?
• How satisfied are you with the answers to your questions?
• If this is a new venue to the wing, or the wing hasn’t been there in a while; how
open are they to a site visit?
• What other groups are holding meetings/conferences at the same time? Is there
any conflict in their schedule or meeting space to what is being proposed for you
(such as a wedding reception with a loud band in the ballroom next door)?
Unless a venue being considered is well-known to the CPO and there are no changes to
the CPO or the venue’s representative, ask to conduct a sit survey. Most hotels will say
yes. If they hedge, and it’s not because its booked because of an event, holiday or other
good reason, consider it a red flag.
The Site Visit
Once the hotel has agreed to a date
for a site visit, depending on the
travel distance, ask if you can stay
the night. While they might comp
(give you the night for free) the
room, even if they don’t stay
anyway. The expense is worth it. It
gives a chance to see in detail how
the venue operates. It’s also a good
idea to take someone with you to
provide a second set of “eyes” and
assist with meetings and photos.
When planning the visit ask to see
sample rooms, meeting spaces,
speak to the line managers from the different departments (including A/V) and
otherwise tour the facilities to be used. A sample checklist for performing a site visit is
contained in Attachment 4a. Choose the checklist items that best fit the wing’s needs.
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Also, be sure to try their food and search for the health inspection permits (which are
publicly posted). This and sleeping room condition are most remembered conference
experiences.
Take photos and note items such as where electrical sockets in meeting areas are
located, condition of public spaces, and note distances between meeting rooms, food
venues, restrooms (empty, of course) and sleeping rooms.
Consider any physically challenged members – are there steps, elevators, long walks
between meeting rooms? Ask about the hotel policy for food allergies. Some hotels will
prepare special dishes, some may permit the member to bring in outside food if
allergies are severe.
Envision your event in the meeting rooms? Will the ceilings permit the color guard to
post easily? Will you require extra screens so all can see the presentation? Are the
restaurants large enough to fit your guests in a short time if breakfast or lunch is not
part of the conference?
Be sure to meet with the venue’s A/V rep and ask if you can bring some of your own
equipment, especially laptops and projectors for breakout rooms. Many wings bring
these but contract with the hotel for screens, projector tables and other equipment
(known as a LCD Support Package w/screen). This saves a lot of money as it is several
hundred dollars per projector rented.
If cadets are attending your meeting, learn the hotel policy for minors. Many will not
permit minors in the pool or gym area without adult supervision and have other
requirements for rooming cadets without parents. Take time to explain the cadet
program and why the cadets would be attending.
Know that the venue is going to show you its best face. Let them do that; but also ask
polite and thoughtful questions to give you a sense of the venue’s ethic, expectations
and capabilities.
The Contract
The RFP serves as the basis of the contract between the wing and the venue. The
contract is the legally binding document between the wing and the vendor concerning
services provided, costs, terms and conditions of service, payment,
postponement/cancellation and other special clauses.
If you remember no other thing from this pamphlet, please remember that if it’s not
written in the contract, it wasn’t agreed to – it never happened.
Compare the contract with the RFP and your notes from the hotel discussions. If
something was agreed to verbally or in the original quoted response but is not in the
contract; contact the venue salespeople and ask that the contract be fixed before it is
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sent to National Headquarters for review and signature. It is much, much harder to fix a
mistake after a contract has been signed. Note: No one in the wing has the authority to sign
a contract or to bind the CAP Corporation (of which the wing is part). Contracts can only be
signed by NHQ CAP.
Hidden Costs: Contract Pricing for Food & Beverage and Service Charges
Hotels count the following against the minimum spend obligations for their contract
pricing:
• Base pricing for food and beverage
Hotels do not count the following charges against guaranteed minimums:
• Service charges (usually 24-27% of each item, meal, or service)
• Sales taxes
• Fees (such as for excess use, extra attendants or servers at receptions, bartenders,
etc).
For example, let’s say that pricing for a continental breakfast buffet is $25 per person.
The contract is to serve for 100 people. The base price is $2,500. However, the service
charge for the service is 25% of the menu cost. Let’s also say that sales tax is 10% on
both the meal and the service charge (known as ++) and the wing is not tax-exempt. The
question is, what is the total cost to the wing, and how much is credited to the F&B
minimum agreed to in the contract?
The equation looks like this: $25 (base price) x 1.25 (service charge) x 10% (tax)
$25 x 1.25 = $31.25 (1.10) = $34.38 (rounded up) per meal
$34.38 per meal x 100 meals served = $3,438.00 total cost
Cost for wing’s budgeting purposes: $3,438.00
Value against the wing’s contracted F&B minimum: $2,500.00
These service charges taxes and fees may also be charged against audiovisual services,
labor, delivery and hold charges, etc. More importantly, they are rarely negotiable as
they normally are used to offset labor costs. Always remember to calculate these into
the total price for the budget.
The Contract Review Team
This is a good time to define the conference contract review team. Members of this
collective at the wing level are:
• The Wing Conference Project Officer (you)
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• The Director of Finance/Finance Committee
• The conference planning committee
• The Wing Legal Officer
• The wing’s senior leadership team (as defined by the wing commander)
• The hotel’s representative (using a separate communications channel)
• The wing finance committee should vote to approve the contract prior to
submitting it to NHQ for signing as it financially obliges the wing.
Once everyone agrees to the terms and they are written satisfactorily into the contract,
the review team expands to include:
• NHQ CAP’s Contract Manager
• CAP’s General Counsel
• CAP’s Chief Operating Officer (who ultimately approves and signs the contract
on behalf of CAP)
DO NOT skip this step. Conditions under which charges may be added, penalties
incurred and postponements and cancellations by either party must be defined before
signing. The wing legal officer and Wing FM should have a review before it is sent
forward to NHQ for final review and signature. It’s better to negotiate earlier, before it’s
sent to National Headquarters.
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Documentation and Reporting
The wing should have two items to assist the CPO in planning the conference: a robust
continuity book for history and to act as an operations plan; and a separate annual
conference book or electronic file containing all the required items for this year’s event.
(Sample Table of Contents for each are found in the attachments). These items will be
invaluable to the planning staff… and to you.
Legacy Documentation
Some assume that a continuity book and an annual conference book are essentially the
same. They are not. It’s true that they each contain some of the same items, but they are
designed to be used for different reasons and are useful for different lengths of time.
Let’s consider the differences.
Continuity Book/Operations Plan
Whereas staff positions have continuity books covering the job, in this instance
continuity covers an activity type. The continuity book (for brevity’s sake) is the
conference planning legacy document. It serves as the history of the activity, a place to
store plans, procedures, checklists, to incorporate lessons learned, past contracts, venue
history and all the other long-term or permanent information about an activity.
Continuity books can be either hard-copy or electronic, depending on preference. Many
people, however, store them both ways and keep a hard copy. It’s easier to read. A
sample table of contents for a conference continuity binder is in Attachment 2.
Annual Conference Binder
The annual conference binder (electronic, hard copy or both) contains all the
documentation and history needed for the conference at hand. Unlike a continuity
binder, it doesn’t contain history, lessons learned, or plans per se. The conference binder
contains all the pertinent checklists, timelines, budget, venue information, registration
information, contracts, contacts, and program information for that year. A sample table
of contents for an annual conference binder is in Attachment 3.
Important Conference Documents
The documents discussed in this section will make it into the annual conference binder.
Many of these will also find a home in the continuity binder.
Checklists and Timelines
Conference planning is made much easier with a robust checklist and timeline system.
While it’s impossible to think of everything, good checklists and timelines get to the
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90% solution and serve as the basis for both completing the tasks at hand, as well as
stimulating discussion about how to improve those tasks.
Checklists and timelines are tailored by wing and by event. The following list contains
many of the ones used by CAP for its F2F annual national conferences (samples of
many are included in Attachment 4):
• Master deadline checklists
o Pre-conference
o During conference
o Post-conference
• Site survey checklist
• OPR checklist (each OPR is responsible for including their own checklists which
are included in both the continuity book and annual binder)
• Sub event checklists
o Seminars
o Protocol
o Banquet
o General assembly
o Awards
o Meetings
o Lodging
o Food & Beverage (F&B)
o Budget
o Marketing and social media
o Registration, conference programs and bags
o Social activities
• Packing list for Conference Project Officer (often overlooked, but critical)
• Emergency checklists:
o Power outage at venue
o Medical emergency/non-emergency
o Fire/natural disaster at venue
o Member victim of crime checklist
o Theft of CAP property checklist
Planning Spreadsheets and Documentation
Determining what should take place at a wing conference is covered in the section
“Planning Conference Activities.” How these activities are plotted, documented, shared
and evaluated will be discussed.
Spreadsheets are “good friends” to have. Budget spreadsheets make math easier.
Schedule spreadsheets make combining place, time, activity and requirements easier to
view holistically. Finally, it makes sorting item requirements in multiple ways easier.
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The following conference spreadsheet types have been found to be most useful,
especially for larger events:
• Conference budget
• Master schedule
• Room block schedules (by day)
• Audiovisual requirements (by day and room)
• Learning Session/seminar, activity, and meeting by department
• Food and beverage
• Registration by type
• Venue research
• Master lodging list
It seems like a lot, and for small conferences not all may be needed. The good thing
however about a spreadsheet is that, with copying and a little tailoring, specific reports
can be generated meeting specific needs. For instance, the Seminar, activity and meeting
by department spreadsheet can be easily adapted for the hotel’s audiovisual
department with a different sort to show them what is needed for their quote. The same
basic spreadsheet is also adapted for the hotel event staff for room set up. Samples of
these spreadsheets are found in Attachment 5.
Floorplans
No conference is complete without floorplans. The venue provides a basic map of the
facility, along with square footage and seating capacities for each basic floorplan
offered:
• Theater
• Classroom (or schoolroom)
• U-shape
• Hollow square
• Conference
• Reception
• Banquet (rounds of 8 or 10, with or without buffet)
• Auditorium (half-moon)
• Exhibit Hall
The basic numbers shown in the venue literature assume that only the basic floorplan is
incorporated and that the room is filled to capacity without such things as additional
tables, aisles, projection, podium or other amenities.
It’s important to discuss with the venues how a specific floorplan is envisioned, so there
are no surprises. Most venues’ sales agents can use special floorplan software which can
blueprint how a room will look when equipped with desired seating and amenities. If
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the conference continuity binder has a sample floorplan from past year’s that is desired,
go ahead and share it with the venue so that they can help adapt it to the new space.
Two other notes about floor plans: first, a seat set as described above usually doesn’t
have an additional charge. They’ll put seats and tables out as part of the basic room
charge (or free if the meeting room is comped). Additional amenities, such as “pipe and
drape,” screens and projection, staging, any audiovisual (including microphones),
special lighting, hanging banners from the ceiling, exhibit hall draping, etc. will come at
extra charge. The good news is that almost all these charges can be negotiated.
The second note is that floor sets can be changed during the day usually without charge
if two conditions are met:
• The venue has agreed in advance and planned for the change (because they
must get the labor)
• There are no chargeable amenities not previously agreed to.
The Contract
As discussed previously, the contract is the single most important document to have
(and to get right) when planning a conference. This represents the legal and binding
agreement between CAP and the venue. How the contract is carried out depends on the
additional work done by the CPO and the venue. This work and the associated
requirements are expressed by the CPO in the form of checklists, floorplans, menus,
spreadsheets, etc.
The Banquet Event Order
The venue expresses how it understands CAP’s requirements in the form of floorplans
as well as something called a banquet event order (BEO) (see sample in Attachment 6).
The BEO is the document that tells the event staff and the banquet staff exactly what is
needed when, where and for how long. A BEO exists for each room and/or each
activity each day. It discusses
• How rooms are set up.
• Number of seats.
• Whether food and beverage are required (the actual F&B is shown separately).
• Whether the room needs to be rekeyed.
• For how long the room is being used.
• If A/V support is required (the actual A/V requirements are shown separately).
• If a tailored floorplan is to be used.
• Any other special requirements such as specific colored table linens, centerpieces,
small table and setting for POW/MIA table, wider aisle for color guard, awards
table, etc.
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The BEO is the only thing that the on-site venue event staff will rely on to make sure
that rooms are set properly. Your venue representative may not be on-site during your
event and the BEO relays all your requirements to those doing the actual set-up. Review
it carefully against the requirements negotiated with them to the venue. Once it is
signed by CAP’s representative and the hotel; it’s the way it’s going to be.
Tip: Always carry copies of this as well as the spreadsheets, and the contract in the
annual binder and bring with them to the venue. Don’t rely on looking at these on a
smart phone or tablet.
The Invoices
The invoices start flowing in from vendors even before the conference begins. Some are
easy to reconcile against the budget. You either did or you did not pay $10.37 for a role
of ID card stock.
The invoice from the venue, is, obviously, more complex. Depending on how
audiovisual was contracted, it may or may not be included on the master invoice. If it is,
master invoices are normally billed by-day and aggregated. Items to watch for:
• Reconcile the invoice against the agreed-to prices as stated in the contract and
official quotes.
• Ensure that the quantities and menus accurately reflect the BEOS and final
counts guaranteed to the venue.
• Ensure that comped rooms are reflected in the master bill.
• Ensure that there are no unauthorized room charges (sometimes members
receiving comped rooms might order room service, parking or a movie that
should be billed to their credit card but makes it onto the master bill
accidentally).
• Ensure that no alcohol is on the invoice. CAP funds cannot be spent on alcohol.
• If cadet rooms’ pay per view is turned off (and you should ensure that it is),
make sure you aren’t billed for it.
• If the wing is sales tax exempt, ensure that it isn’t on the bill.
Note any discrepancies and contact the venue’s sales manager and their accounting
department to see how best to straighten things out. Remember that the end of CAP’s
fiscal year is 30 September. All invoices should be paid by that date.
The After-Action Report (Hot Wash)
The after-action meeting (also known as the hot wash) usually happens within 2 weeks
of the end of the conference. Sometimes it is treated as a pro-forma activity, and this
would be a mistake. The after-action meeting is a wonderful chance to review the
conference and gather lessons learned from those who staffed the conference – while
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minds are still fresh with the detailed on what went wrong and as important what went
right.
To get the most out of the meeting, the CPO should schedule the meeting, inviting all
the OPRs on the conference staff as well as the wing chief of staff and any other critical
stakeholders. To keep the meeting on track, prepare an agenda, (on this occasion use
PowerPoint to focus attention), and have some butcher paper or a whiteboard to gather
ideas and suggestions.
Finally, the CPO, who chairs the meeting, asks someone to take the detailed notes. It’s
impossible to run this meeting and take notes at the same time.
Schedule an hour. If it can’t be said in an hour or less, schedule separate discussions for
the hard-to-sort items.
The document produced from the meeting and notes goes into the continuity book as a
lessons learned document and informs the next year’s conference planning process.
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Budget
At this point in planning, the structure of the planned
conference is in place; number of rooms, amenities, food
and beverage, audiovisual requirements, printing,
supplies, and most other expenses are apparent.
Remember, at this point aside from the venue contract
being signed, the basic structure of the conference and
needs and desires are known, but not purchased. A
sample budget is in Attachment 7.
At its heart, a budget comes down to two columns:
income and expenses. At the end of the conference
income must equal or exceed expenses. It’s really just that simple.
Conference expenses represent any cost that is tied to the planning, execution and
closing of the conference which the wing pays for itself. If members are paying for their
own hotel rooms, it’s not reflected on the conference budget. If the hotel is direct billing
the wing for all hotel rooms (as in CAP collect the money and issues sleeping rooms to
attendees registered), then it is part of the budget. This is why we recommend having
members reserve their own rooms using their own credit card (in hotel-speak, this is
called “Each Pays Own, or EPO).
Conference income in CAP is mostly represented by attendee registration and any
sponsors the wing attracts.
Calculating Expenses
Calculating expenses can be quite detailed. That said, most expenses can be grouped
together into larger categories. Consider having each team lead on the conference
committee (IT, Registration, Administration, Protocol, Food and Beverage, Awards, etc)
present their own budget for their own area. Working with the Conference Finance
Officer and Wing Finance, the CPO collects these and creates a master budget
calculating all the expenses. Don’t forget to use the wing’s tax-exempt certificate if it has
one.
Get prices for all item categories and all outside vendors to determine accurate
numbers. Ask the hotel to provide pricing based on the requirements specified in the
F&B, room set and audiovisual spreadsheets you provide to them. After negotiation
(venue audiovisual quotes can usually be negotiated down and food and beverage
tailored); estimate fuel, etc.
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Determining Registration Prices
Most planners have a target number for registration and banquet that they wish to
meet. This number is based on tradition as well as an estimate of the actual costs.
Once this master number is established, for discussion’s sake it’s $15,000.00, determine
if, and if so, how much, any sponsorships or wing seed money will be used to offset
expenses. This is done prior to calculating what to charge the attendees. Let’s say that
the wing has a sponsor and also wishes to kick in some money. The offset is $3,000.00.
Subtract the offset (the income not generated by attendee fees) from the total expenses.
This total, $15K - $3K = $12,000.00 is the amount that is ultimately charged to the
attendees.
Breaking Out and Pricing Registration Events
Almost all conferences have a 2-3 tiered pricing structure for conference attendees:
• Cadet or Adult
o Conference Only
o Banquet Only
o Conference and Banquet
• Early-Bird
• On Time/Onsite
Cadets can be charged less, at least for the main conference if there is room in the
budget. Some wings also create a cadet package which includes an all-inclusive rate for
cadets: shared rooms, meals and registration.
It’s also a good idea have early-bird and regular registration, where price goes up each
time a deadline passes, at the end an onsite registration costs the most. This is used to
incentivize early registration so that conference planners and the hotel have more
accurate numbers.
Calculate the cost of a banquet ticket and a conference ticket to break even, then charge
$2-3 more for whichever category and whichever option paid. Why? Some costs are
fixed and must be recovered no matter how many people actually purchase. The $2-3
extra isn’t profit, it’s a buffer between anticipated attendance and reality.
In the above example, one anticipates an ultimate charge of $12,000.00 to the attendees,
with $7,000.00 of that allocated to the banquet. Next, estimate the number of expected
attendees, paid and comped (free): Let’s say the gross number is 200 people will register
for the conference and 140 will register for the banquet.
Of those, 10 are comped basic registration for a total of 190 paid registrations and 10
people are comped for the banquet. This leaves 130 people paying for the banquet. The
per paid attendee (PPA) represents that cost. Here’s how the numbers look:
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Day Conference Cost: $5,000.00
Divided by Day attendees paid 190 people
Cost PPA $26.32 per paid attendee
Banquet total adjusted cost: $7,000.00
Divided by Banquet Attendees paid: 130
Cost PPA $53.84 per paid attendee
Now that the PPA is known, it’s time to value the tickets. For simplicity’s sake, cadets
and seniors will be charged the same.
Investment and Implied Value
It’s definitely true that CAP members are on a budget. But it’s also true that CAP’s wing
conferences hold a lot of value for the member and that many of the presenters are top-
notch and also are looked to as subject matter experts in their field. Simply because they
might be donating their time and talent doesn’t mean that their presentations are worth
less than if they were charging. Many of the wing conferences have content that would
be valued in the hundreds of dollars per attendee if the conference was held by a for-
profit company.
This should be noted because although the day conference (in this simple example) may
cost each paying attendee less then $27.00, it’s real value to the attendee is much more.
It should be priced as such. It’s reasonable to charge $20-$25 more than the actual cost.
This does two things: it implies value to the member for time and effort spent. It also
further offsets costs for people who are comped, who do not show up and for the
banquet.
Configure the pricing structure to aim for the target registration cost while including a
buffer of $2-3 per paid attendee to account for unanticipated expenses. In the above
example, a $50.00-day conference registration, a $65.00 banquet ticket and a $100.00 All
Access pass (representing a $10 discount to the member over paying for events
separately) isn’t unreasonable.
The key to an effective budget is a realistic and accurate breakdown of costs and
anticipated attendance.
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Planning Conference Activities
In preliminary
planning to
determine venue
requirements, a good
idea of subevents,
time blocks and
room layouts was
needed to develop
the RFP and to help
drive contract
negotiations. A
sample room block
schedule is in
Attachment 5.
The Role of the Conference Committee
The primary role of the conference committee (of which the CPO is the Chair) is to do
three things:
• Plan and budget for the conference.
• Oversee conference preparation and ensure the conference succeeds during the
event.
• Draws and incorporates lessons learned for future events.
The composition of the team was discussed in the section “Planning to Plan a
Conference.” The heavy lifting of conference planning though, begins here. Here is
where the details are completed.
To Budget or Not to Budget First
Whether to budget or not budget before the events and activities are drafted is a matter
of how the wing does business. Most of the time for the standard F2F conference,
member attendance and revenues, and what the wing believes that members will pay
and the costs of the previous couple of years factor into the planning of the current
year’s event. For the purpose of this pamphlet, let’s assume that the conference plan is
drafted first, and a budget created. Then, the conference plan is either beefed up or
scaled back depending on the costs. More on the budget later.
Once the room block schedule is created, it is then known how many slots for meetings,
seminars and other events can be placed into the venue at max capacity. Now is the
time to bring a team together to fill those rooms and that time.
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Big Moving Parts
Following is a list of the major facets of a typical F2F conference.
• Budget
• Conference Registration (in advance and onsite)
• Hotel reservations (if possible, allow the hotel and the members to handle this
themselves. All that is needed to do here is to provide the hotel’s group booking
link).
• Awards
• Speakers.
• Seminar mix.
• Meeting schedule.
• Organizing hotel space.
• Cadet chaperoning and activities.
• Vendors, such as Vanguard.
• Preconference marketing.
• Conference A/V.
• Risk Management.
• Printed materials and SWAG (Stuff We All Get).
o Conference Programs.
o Banquet Programs.
o Venue maps.
o Name badges.
o Tickets for special meals or meal choice (if more than one option offered).
o Notepads and pens (if offered).
o Tote bag (if offered).
o Attendance rosters for special events/classes and to note in member
records for Education and Training.
o Onsite registration and receipt forms.
• Morning and evening emcee scripts.
• Morning and evening PowerPoint presentations, videos.
• Internet access for presenters as required.
• Recording and streaming for webinar and on demand.
• Protocol (especially if national leadership is present).
Event Mix
In general, what events are “must haves; “nice to haves” and “maybe we can work it” is
determined by the committee, wing commander’s vision, the event’s duration, the
venue’s capabilities and the added cost, if any.
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Must Haves
Every wing has its own set of must have activities and events for their wing conference.
These normally follow the three basic reasons why members attend conferences:
• To connect.
• To collaborate.
• To celebrate.
For most, getting this done includes
• a morning assembly with presentations and awards.
• seminars for enrichment and growth.
• A final evening event such as a formal banquet, buffet, or reception with a keynote
speaker and awards.
Most wings use their wing’s color guard to post and retrieve the Colors; many have the
wing chaplain perform an Invocation and benediction. Nearly all wings have a
POW/MIA table at their banquet.
In many, if not all cases, members of the national command or national staff attend to
bring national perspective and prestige to the conference. For many of our members,
the wing conference represents the first and sometimes only chance to interact with the
National Commander, Vice-Commander, Chief Operating Officer or other senior
official. It is often a highlight of their membership, especially a cadet’s. More
information about inviting national leadership or national staff is available by
contacting CAP National Headquarters.
Nice-to-Haves
Nice to have activities and events provide additional entertainment and organized food
and beverage, more opportunity for growth, as well as accommodate other CAP
activities which can be run using the conference facilities either during the conference
proper or the day before or after the official conference. The Conference Committee
should rank order the nice-to-haves so that if there is space and time available, activities
can be added. Some examples include:
• Cadet Advisory Council meetings.
• Commander’s Calls.
• Review boards.
• Official meetings.
• Multiple seminar rooms running at the same time.
• Receptions and hospitality suites.
• Coffee breaks with or without food.
• Meals included with registration.
• Cadet displays and competitions.
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• Interdenominational or denominational religious services (or transport to local churches,
mosques, and synagogues).
• Virtual conferences, web streaming and on demand access for those who can’t make it to the
conference proper (known as hybrid).
• Vendors and/or historical displays.
Maybe We Can Work It
The “Maybe We Can Work It” activities represent dreams of what “the perfect”
conference for the wing could be. This doesn’t mean it’s a waste of time to plan it out. In
fact, this year’s “maybe we can work it” becomes next years’ must have. Wouldn’t it be
nice to reach back to a plan that thinks through the possibilities?
Now that these lists are done, it’s time to work out the major events based on the must
have’s and the prioritized nice to haves. Again, this pamphlet concentrates primarily on
a F2F conference and for discussion’s sake takes place on a Friday night for arrivals and
continues all day Saturday.
Major Items Around Which a Conference is Built
The following discussion represents typical minimum conference needs. Additional
activities, such as a Friday night reception, hospitality suites, continental breakfasts,
coffee breaks, etc., can certainly be included in your wing’s conference plan.
Registration Onsite
The majority of attendees will have registered prior to the
conference. Assuming the event takes place at a hotel, the
attendee list can be matched against room reservations for
the group block. It’s a good idea to do this to see if there
are names on one list but not the other; and also, to ensure
that cadets don’t show up for hotel rooms or for the
conference without the conference staff and commanders
knowing about it.
If people are arriving the Friday night before, as a
convenience consider offering a couple of hours of
registration that evening. It gives members a chance to get
situated and cuts down on the lines to pick up materials
and any onsite registration sales on Saturday morning
when those who aren’t staying at the hotel arrive.
Your on-site registration table is the first impression your guests get for the conference.
The table should be organized and orderly, with sufficient and friendly help on hand to
avoid long lines. Registrations should be completely processed, any handouts (tickets,
program, receipts, SWAG) coordinated, and any issues (such as payment due) clearly
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marked. Ideally the person(s) processing the registrations should be in the registration
area to assist with any problems.
Conference Dress Code
While the banquet dress code is discussed later, it’s worth taking a moment to discuss
uniforms during the conference.
While dress codes are less formal in corporate and military cultures, Region and Wing
conferences are, at their heart, a business occasion. Additionally, these events are held
in public spaces where members are representing CAP within their communities. It
may be inappropriate then for conference members to wear utility uniforms, flight suits
or other casual attire. Try to aim for the dressier end of business casual. If Air Force-
style uniforms are worn, members wearing them must conform to weight and
grooming standards as well as know how to demonstrate basic military customs and
courtesies.
However formal the dress code chosen, it should be prominently, clearly, and
repeatedly communicated in conference communications.
Saturday Morning Activities (The Morning Assembly)
The Saturday morning general assembly
is the official kick off for the conference.
When is the right time to begin? Most
wings start between 0800 – 0830 and
rarely continue more than 2 hours (with
an intermission about halfway through
for a thorough leg stretch). If morning
seminars are planned after the general
assembly but before lunch, schedule to
ensure that the assembly ends with about
15 minutes for people to find their
seminar rooms.
If the general assembly is being live streamed or recorded for on demand consumption,
consider having two breaks to allow for better segmentation of the video recording.
A typical general assembly schedule might look like this:
0800: Call to Order and arrival of head party, Posting of the Colors and National
Anthem, and Invocation
0810: Safety brief of the venue and administrative announcements
0815: Introductions of Distinguished Guests
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0818: Wing Commander’s presentation
0830: Region Commander’s presentation
0840: CAP-USAF Presentation
0850: Intermission 1 (10 minutes)
0900: National Staff presentation or National Commander’s Presentation
0915: Wing Commander’s Introduction of Keynote speaker (if the keynote is not the
National Commander)
0917: Keynote Address
0930: Morning Awards
1000: Dismissal to break and seminars beginning at 1030
Of course, this schedule can be adjusted to specific needs. Smaller wings may prefer to
have all of their awards presented at the banquet. Not all speakers listed above may be
used. Additional items such as videos may be presented.
One thing to remember though is that no matter how a schedule is filled, it must start
and end on time. Better to schedule conservatively and end on time than try to pack it
in, end late and spend the rest of the day catching up.
Breaks
Breaks throughout the day and during the
morning and evening programs are
essential for the attendees. You want them
to be invigorated after a conference,
wanting more and looking forward to next
year. You don’t want them to be
exhausted when they leave.
If there’s budget for it, by all means serve
coffee and tea during breaks. A tip gained from experience: if serving coffee, include a
gallon of decaf. People do drink it and they really miss it when it’s not there.
And, if there’s budget, consider serving cookies or pastry during at least one of the
breaks. Catering books say to plan for 1.5 pieces of pastry per person. Experience shows
to plan on 2 pieces. It is expensive, but it is also appreciated.
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Try not to serve finger foods such as potato chips, peanuts or pretzels unless they come
in single serving bags or there are serving utensils and cups or plates. It’s a sanitary
issue and make for greasy hands.
Saturday Evening Event
The region’s or wing’s gala event. It is a
wonderful and elegant affair, and most wings do
a banquet or a buffet. It’s steeped in tradition and
is a time to come together and celebrate like no
other time during the year. For new cadet or 50-
year member alike, it is a special occasion.
ELEGANCE ON A BUDGET
There’s no getting around that banquets are one of the top two most expensive items for
a wing conference (with the other being audiovisual/room rental). There are ways to
get the most for the wing’s dollar and to help make the event a special one.
THE RECEPTION
By all means, have one. If a region or wing decides to make alcohol available through a
cash bar (and most will), choose also to have soft drinks available for designated drivers
and for cadets. Some hotels will work with the wing to provide a soft-drink only bar for
cadets at a reduced rate. It’s worth it to ask.
Choose a space that has natural light, if available and that isn’t overly dark. Try to make
sure that the space has room for people to move around and not feel crowded. In
addition to bar tables for people standing, try to have some seating available for those
who need to sit for a minute, or who have mobility issues.
THE DINING AREA
It seems small but choosing the right tablecloths and napkins for the tables can really
lend to the room’s appearance. Most venues use white table cloths, though some
venues are going with laminated tables and no table cloths. Either is fine. Take a minute
though to consider the napkins. Try to make sure that the color doesn’t clash with the
carpet, the chairs or the walls of the venue (sometimes it can’t be helped, but it’s worth
a thought). Plan the table linens in advance, especially if you need a particular color that
may need to be rented.
Banquet programs seem like a throwaway item, but for many attendees it is an annual
souvenir, and a well thought and executed program can both be inexpensively made
using a color copier and signal the quality and dignity of the evening. Here, the little
things matter: spelling, spacing, grammar, and print quality. Make 15 more than the
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number of seats guaranteed to the hotel. Some are lost, some are soiled, and folks
always seem to ask for one when none are left.
Table decorations can take many forms. Sometimes the venue will offer to put a
mirrored tile on in the center of the table with some marbles, candles or pebbles. The
wing might want to provide flowered centerpieces that people can take home (please,
no fake flowers). Some place mini US and CAP flags. Many hotels no longer permit
lighted candles so battery-operated candles may be needed.
In all cases, if using assigned seating, number the tables (be sure your guests have a
way to know to which table they are assigned – such as a number on their ticket). This
is necessary so that the staff can know who has special meals (based on the list and
seating plan provided). If tables are reserved for specific people, then have place cards
with names, grade and/or title at each reserved seat (double-check name spelling!)
POW/MIA tables are poignant way to honor those who gave so much for our freedom
and were either captured or never made it home. CAP wishes to honor these brave
souls and the loved ones they left behind. Please have a POW/MIA table. The
ceremony script is contained in Attachment 8.
Head Table or No Head Table? That depends on wing tradition, the size of the room
and the commander’s preference. Some commanders and wings like the formality of it.
Others prefer to be seated in rounds with the attendees. There’s really no right or wrong
answer on this one.
As a minimum, the flags present during the banquet are
• the Colors.
• the CAP Wing’s flag and
• the flag of the senior general officer present (they bring the flag, the wing
supplies the stand, pole and topper).
Other optional flags and guidons which can add a lot of class to the room and
recognition to the attendees include:
• the USAF flag.
• group and squadron guidons (squadron guidons can be trooped into the room
by cadets as a ceremony).
THE FOOD
The buffet or plated meal choice is dependent on time, number of attendees, cost and
tradition. Buffets can provide more choice without as much need to track who is eating
what; but it can be time-consuming for large groups and incur additional cost. Many
venues are changing how they serve buffets in light revised sanitary practices and
health codes vis-à-vis COVID 19.
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The plated meal can also take time but
can be more sanitary and incur less
cost. The tradeoff is that if multiple
entree options are served, it must be
carefully tracked and made known to
the banquet staff so that everyone gets
their preferred choice.
Every wonder why a lot of banquets
serve chicken? Meal choices seem
easy, but there are some things to keep
in mind:
• Dietary restrictions
• Religious considerations
• Appealing to the widest possible audience
• Cost
Common food allergies include tree nuts, shellfish, peanuts, dairy, and wheat or gluten.
The good news is that the chef can adapt many recipes to omit ingredients listed. An
example is omitting the almonds on green beans (listed on the menu as green beans
almandine) or omitting pine nuts on a salad. Where something cannot be omitted
because it is the essence of the dish, another option can be substituted if they have
advanced warning. This substitution can either be banquet-wide or dialed into the few
people with the restriction.
Another consideration is religious. A primary example is the service of pork products,
which are forbidden in Jewish and Muslim culture. If a box lunch is served, consider
serving 2 options, or limit the choice to chicken, roast beef or turkey. If bacon is served
for breakfast, consider also adding turkey sausage.
In many Jewish traditions, only kosher meals are consumed, Yet, few venue kitchens
are equipped to prepare these meals because of the preparation and oversight (which
must be done by a rabbi). Its important early in the process to ask the venue whether
they can either prepare kosher meals or to contract to have these meals brought into the
venue for service. If it is not possible, be sure to state this in the conference banquet
purchase materials.
Stick to commonly preferred items and select items that can stay moist for a while.
Garden salads or spinach salads are common fare and consider offering the dressing
“on the side”. Include a sauce, gravy or an au’jus (herbed broth or stock) with the
entree. If fish is to be served, offer another choice as it is not as preferred as chicken or
beef (though beef is expensive).
Dessert is a highlight of any meal, and particularly at a banquet. Usually only one
choice is offered, with a fresh fruit plate option for those who have a dietary restriction.
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Avoid ice creams as they tend to melt by the time everyone is served. Cheesecakes and
chocolate desserts (avoiding nuts) really do get the most compliments.
Please note that these same considerations are also useful for planning reception foods.
Finally, if multiple meals are served throughout the conference; please try to avoid
having the same item twice.
NOTE: Many corporate conferences, and even the CAP National Conference have
moved towards a Saturday evening event that is less structured with carving stations
and heavy hot and cold hors d’oveures and dessert. Rather than assigned seating, a
variety of standing and seated options are offered so that attendees can sit with
whomever they wish. The room can include music and a dance floor. There are no
speakers and is an excellent chance for everyone to relax. These events can even be held
away from thew hotel at another venue, such as a museum. The point is that there are a
lot of options out there to create a memorable occasion.
EVENING EVENT DRESS CODES
Because these events are held after 1800 hours and can be designed to be formal affairs,
many regions and wings encourage formal wear. Mess dress, cocktail dresses, gowns,
tuxedos or dark suits and the semiformal uniform for cadets greatly contribute an
atmosphere of elegance and celebration.
Pack a few extra neckties, clip on bow ties and tie tabs for borrowing. And consider a
“smart business casual” through formal dress option so that all may feel included.
State the desired wear for all activities at the time members purchase their event tickets.
Remind them in any preconference communications and send a special e-mail to unit
commanders asking for their help.
GUEST KEYNOTE OR NO GUEST KEYNOTE
Guest keynote speakers can be a valuable part of the banquet or buffet experience
(though for a reception format it is not recommended). Such people are normally not
from CAP, or very senior people from CAP who have not spoken during other portions
of the conference. All should have some affinity with the organization, with one of the
missions of the organization, or with the theme of the conference.
Keynotes should be set as soon as possible in the conference planning process; and
continuously engaged throughout the period leading up to the conference. Make them
familiar with the organization, the conference theme and the people with whom they
interact. Other items of which to be mindful:
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• They may want an honorarium or travel costs covered. This is standard practice.
At a minimum however, be prepared to comp conference registration and all
paid activities at the conference including receptions and banquet.
• If staying overnight, comp their room.
• If driving, comp their parking and fuel.
• Assign an escort (senior cadets are great for this) to assist them during their time
at the conference. It’s extremely rude to leave a conference guest to fend for
themselves or alone unless they wish to be.
• Provide an amenity basket or gift of water, a CAP-branded notepad and pen, and
snacks of preference.
• Ensure they understand the topic, equipment available for them to use during
the presentation; a deadline by which any presentation media needs to be
submitted and a timeframe around which to schedule the talk (10-15 minutes is
standard).
• Ensure that the presenter provides a biography for the banquet program. From
this, a narrative for the emcee’s introduction in the script can be written. Tip: Be
sure the emcee knows the proper pronunciation of the guest’s name.
• Provide a presentation gift for the wing commander to confer immediately after
the address. This gift should be worth between $20-$25, but not more than $25 as
many corporate and government ethics rules prohibit the acceptance of gifts
priced higher than $25.
• Ensure that the presenter is given a proper send-off when departing the
conference.
• Write a thank-you note signed by the wing commander and sent not later than
the week after the event. It can be sent via e-mail, but it is much more
appropriate to send hard copy by regular mail.
Awards Ceremonies
The highlight of the annual conference is the awards ceremony (ies). CAP can’t pay
people for their work; we charge for it. We do, however, have awards with which we
say, “thank you” and “well done.” It’s very important to the members being
recognized and to the other attendees watching that the awards presentations be done
with attention and style.
TYPES OF AWARDS
Generally, CAP awards fall into the following types:
• Cadet and senior milestone awards
• “Of the Year” awards
• 30, 40, 50-year membership awards
• Personal decorations (Certificates for Lifesaving and above)
• Squadrons of Merit and Distinction
• Special recognition (plaques, trophies, contest winners, etc)
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All should be given with the same dignity. Many have recommended minimum rank or
grade requirements for the presenter. For instance, Spaatz Awards stipulate that a
General Officer, US Congressperson, Governor, or higher present the awards. This
reflects its prestige.
Sometimes a receiving member does not wish to have the award presented during the
region or wing conference. These wishes should be granted. In other cases, they cannot
be present. The unit commander could receive the award for the member, or the
member can be mentioned in the program.
PROTOCOL
Whether received on stage or on a dance floor below, the standard is “Take, Shake,
Smile, Salute.”
Here’s how it’s done:
1. Take: The member walks up to the presenting official. The presenting official
either pins the award or hands the award to the member who receives it in their
left hand.
2. Shake: Member shakes presenting official’s right hand, which is held.
3. Smile: while both face the camera for a photo.
4. Salute: Member salutes the presenting official (if the official is not a CAP or
military officer in uniform, omit the salute, briefly shake hands, say thank you).
5. Member departs back to their seat.
It goes without saying that the script and the order of awards going up to the presenter
should match. If a mistake is made, please remind awardees prior to the ceremony to
take what they are given and return after the ceremony to get things straightened out.
TIMING
Most regions and wings try to split their awards between the morning general assembly
and the banquet or buffet event (if they have one). If the conference serves lunch this is
also a fine time to present awards. How the awards are split is dependent on the
number of awards and the amount of time it’ll take. The key is not to keep the awards
session so long that people check out.
Major awards (as the wing defines it) are usually presented at the banquet or the most
formal general event. These typically include Cadet and Senior Member of the Year,
Spaatz and Wilson Awards, 50-year Member awards, Distinguished Service Medals
(DSM) and Silver and Bronze Medals of Valor.
Citations
DSMs and the Medals of Valor are accompanied by the award citation. These should be
read. Other personal decorations have justifications rather than citations. Justifications
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serve a different purpose in that they are designed to inform an awards review board
and command chain of the member’s eligibility and fitness for the award. It is not
designed to be read like a citation is.
If one wishes to announce the reason why a decoration is being presented and there is
no citation, rather than read the justification, briefly summarize the justification in a
short paragraph.
Nice to Haves and Maybe We Can Work It Items
The items on these lists really add texture and engagement for the attendees. It’s also
advantageous to the wing to blend some of the mandatory meetings with the
conference to reduce cost and travel time, especially in the larger wings. While more
and more meetings are becoming virtual, there are benefits to the occasional F2F
engagement.
TOWN HALL STYLE CONFERENCES: THE SMALL SPACE CONFERENCE
A “Town hall” style conference offers the advantage of a reduced footprint in the hotel,
thus lower facility costs. Historically, a town hall refers to the main government
building in a town where citizens could meet to receive the news of the day or discuss
pressing issues. The premise of a town hall style conference is based on the concept that
most activities will be held in one large room or “hall”.
The General Assembly will remain traditional in arrangement. The difference between
traditional and town hall style is that the break-out sessions will be in a townhall
meeting format. There could be up to three sessions. Each session will have
directorates from related fields present and center. Each will be allowed an established
amount of time (5 minutes) to make a quick presentation. The remainder of the time
will be for audience interaction. Visiting members from NHQ, national staff, etc. will be
invited to participate. This type of conference leaves a very small footprint with the
facility and reduces the cost of doing business. There is one projector and one screen
each for the main hall and cadet activities, which will be held in a separate area;
however, cadets are welcome to join the audience at any time.
Example:
Period I:
Wing/Region Command Staff, visiting VIPs
Period II:
Operations, Stan/Eval, Homeland Security, Safety, and Aerospace Education
Period III:
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Admin, IT, Professional Development, PAO, Chaplains Services
Break-out rooms will be provided for Cadet Speak-Off, CAC meeting, Cadet Programs,
DCPs
Displays: (Flight School) with a possible table-top flight simulator
NTC Equipment Display
Additional table space can be provided in the pre-function area outside the main room
for directorates to display items, provide handouts, or conduct business hours (as
preference directs)
Suggested timeline for the day session:
0800 – 1000 General Assembly 1300-1430 Session II
1015 - 1130 Session I 1430-1500 Break
1130 – 1300 Lunch 1500-1630 Session III
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Learning Sessions/Seminars
Leanring sessions (or seminars, or classes; as
you like) provide attendees a chance to do two
things: to learn and to interact with wing staff
and wing subject matter experts (SMEs) who
are leaders within the wing.
We’ve briefly discussed seminars in the last
section. As a reminder however, seminars are
by their nature designed to be short: usually
45-50 minutes. Double sessions can last up to
90 minutes but do schedule a short break in the
middle to keep everyone fresh.
What to Schedule
The conference committee should have a plan for what it wants to schedule based on
the conference theme, the needs of the membership and the qualified subject matter
experts available. A good way to accomplish this is to hold a call for proposals for
seminar presentations. A call for proposal is a formal request to host a presentation. It
asks for information designed to inform the committee about
• what is to be presented.
• why it is important to the attendees.
• how it fits with the conference theme, and
• specific needs for support (many of which might impact the conference
audiovisual budget).
How to Schedule
Scheduling can best be described as a chess match. In many regions and wings,
presenters do more than one seminar, or also must fit in a meeting, and they also need
to be a viewer of a seminar that they want to attend. There are also audiovisual, seating
or other logistical needs which impact when and where a seminar is scheduled.
Try to schedule seminars with the same types of audiovisual and seating requirements
in the same room. In this case, audiovisual requirements prioritize how people are
seated. What is meant by this is that if two seminars want streaming and recording for
on demand viewing; but one wants theater and the other wants schoolroom, determine
if they can both live with the same seating. Why? A/V is expensive; but is usually
charged by the day. So, make sure if it is purchased it is used throughout the day.
Another consideration is type or, “tracks”. Sometimes tracks of seminars which
complement one another present themselves or are consciously planned. If this is the
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case, don’t overlap them. Ensure that they are scheduled so that the attendee (either F2F
or streamed) gets the whole experience.
Presenting a Learning Session
The presentation itself is guided by the type of presentation, how the room is
structured, and the activities contained within. All three should complement each other.
Presentation Types
For most conferences, there are three presentation types: informal lecture/briefing, a
group discussion, or a hands-on activity.
INFORMAL LECTURE/BRIEFING
This type is easily familiar to attendees: 1-2
speakers; PowerPoint presentation with or without
handouts; primarily a push of information to the
attendees and sometimes questions and answer
time. While it’s the easiest for the presenter to
control and is useful for some topics and for larger
audiences, it makes for the least amount of
interaction between the presenter and attendees as
well as between the attendees. When this method
is used, a theater or schoolroom floorplan is best.
This method is also conducive to basic web streaming and recording for on demand
download.
Good presentations generate questions. When using this method, it’s really important
to include time at the end for questions and answers. Have 2-3 seed questions to help
the audience get warmed up to ask questions. Leave about 15 minutes for questions. If
presenting a double session. Have a Q&A period at the end of each segment (before the
break, before the final end).
GROUP DISCUSSION
The group discussion is an excellent engagement tool and capitalizes on the collective
skills and successes of the audience. The presenter controls the discussions, uses
audiovisual aids to stimulate and guide the discussion, but allows the attendees
themselves to discover their own answers to questions and to share best practices. In
this method, a semicircle/auditorium style, U-shape and hollow square work best.
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This type of presentation can be taken live if the technology is supplied that can allow
remote attendees the chance to also ask and answer questions/participate. It’s fairly
easy to accomplish, but the presenter should employ a second person to moderate the
remote chat feed and funnel questions.
HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES
This type is more complicated to administer but is the most
interactive and the most engaging for the attendees. In this
type, the presenter acts more as a coach and leader rather
than a speaker, and usually employs helpers to monitor the
attendees’ progress through the activities.
When doing this type of presentation, ensure that the
entire task group can be completed in the time allotted for
the seminar. It’s better to have more time than task rather
than more task than time.
When using this type of presentation, school room table sets, the U-shape table, and 4-6
person tables called “nodes” are the best floorplans to have. The node floorplan is
particularly useful with group tasks.
Production
To ensure that learning sessions meet the conference needs, does what is advertised, is
of consistently high quality, and for peace of mind; ask presenters to present their plan,
their materials and if used, their audiovisual presentation at least a week in advance of
the conference. In this way, the audiovisual can be rehearsed so it will be there and run
as scheduled. It can also be pre-stored for later posting to on-demand platforms (unless
a live presentation is to be used).
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Risk Management
It’s important to conduct a full risk management assessment for the conference. One
might not give this step much thought as the venue is responsible for its facilities. This
is a mistake.
There are many risk management tools to assist the commander and the conference
planning staff to minimize or to mitigate controllable risk. Please consult the risk
management tools outlined on the safety pages at http://www.gocivilairpatrol.com
for more information. Up to date risk management tools are located in the safety pages.
Please don’t be fooled by the brevity of this section. Risk management processes and
resources are better sourced from CAP’s online utilities.
Bring your wing safety team in early. These people include representatives from safety,
cadet programs, health services and others. Early preparation saves big, big headaches
later.
When does risk management begin? It begins when thinking about the theme, potential
sites, activities and schedule for the conference.
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Virtual and Hybrid Conferences
Virtual and hybrid conferencing represents a new and exciting vista of member
participation for CAP. These methods extend the conference experience of the wing
conference to the online world. In these instances, the F2F experience is either added to
or replaced by an online experience.
Until just a few of years ago, the idea of having a hybrid or completely virtual wing
conference was considered merely a dream; and the technology was prohibitively
expensive or simply did not exist.
Today, the technology not only exists but is readily available and, depending on how
one goes about it, at reasonable cost. It holds tremendous potential to not only extend
the reach of wing conferences but to also expand the possibilities of what can be shared
with the membership. Additional considerations for virtual conferencing can be found
in Attachment 10.
Hybrid Conferences
The hybrid conference extends the reach of a preexisting F2F conference to CAP
members who may not otherwise be able to come to the live site. Using a mix of pre-
recorded, live streaming and on demand content, a hybrid conference gives all
attendees the most “bang for the buck”.
Key to this format is the thoughtful planning and access to technology to marry two
audiences: the live audience participating at the main site, as well as the audience
participating remotely. Live audiences benefit from the in-person experiences and can
provide enthusiasm and live reaction to content. Remote attendees share in this
experience while providing additional context from which the live attendees benefit.
Additional Costs
Additional costs for providing a hybrid capability stem from the additional technology
to record and transmit live presentations to the remote attendees as well as the
provision for prerecorded content and saving and platforming said content for on
demand viewing at a later date. Other costs include provisions to allow remote
attendees to participate in live question and answer sessions as well as hands-on
activities from remote locations.
Depending on the platform used, it can be up to 2.0 times the cost to hold a hybrid
conference as it would a traditional F2F conference. These costs are in the form of
recording and storing content as well as making the content available to members long
term.
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However, the costs of providing this content vary widely with the platforms chosen
and are really outweighed by the potential for more member participation. Consider:
one F2F wing conference in 2019 attracted about 200 members. That same conference
using an electronic format garnered almost 3 times the participation, without a F2F
component. Imagine what the attendance could be if a hybrid model were used?
Quality Considerations
Even more than cost, quality of transmission is paramount. Virtual or hybrid attendees
are forgiving of mediocre speakers or of content they have seen before. What is not
forgivable is poor audio, visual, or streaming quality. Please, please, ensure that
streamed and recorded content can be (1) heard, (2) seen, readily downloaded.
Virtual Conferences
The virtual conference contains all the technology and streamed content of the hybrid
conference without the F2F component. This is both a blessing and a curse.
The blessing is that the logistics of holding a F2F conference at a conference venue with
food and beverage as well as sleeping accommodation are avoided. This is where the
blessing ends because the rooms as well as the F2F are supporting the meat of the
conference: the conference content.
Remember that the purpose of the conference isn’t the sleeping accommodation or the
food, but the content. And that content must be made attractive and inspirational to a
remote audience.
Remote conferences differ from F2F conferences in several ways:
• individual segments tend to be shorter to keep attendees interested.
• presentations are more visual.
• audio must be more impactful.
• more breaks between segments are required to keep attendees fresh.
• production is tailored to a broadcast audience, much like newscasts or awards
shows.
• segments are designed for remote interaction (polls, Q&A).
• segments are also designed for on demand viewing after initial broadcast and
therefore must have less perishable content.
For these reasons, virtual conferences can cost as much as F2F conference, but the cost is
directed towards broadcast technology rather than food and beverage.
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Designing Hybrid and Virtual Presentations
Designing a presentation for a hybrid or for a virtual audience is different than
designing for a F2F audience. The primary difference is that the presenter cannot rely
on nonverbal cues to determine if the presentation is being received well. More care is
taken in the design and production phase of the presentation to help the presenter
ensure that the intended message is received, and that the audience has ample
opportunity to provide feedback.
Presenters must also work to keep the attendee engaged. Always have something for
the attendee to view. Simple ways include having more slides but fewer words on each
slide, photos, graphics, embedded video, or audio. If a presenter isn’t using slides, they
can employ a chat or polling function to allow the students to engage and participate.
Care must also be taken to ensure that viewers who do not participate live receive the
intended message. What is meant by this is that when a presentation is live there is the
opportunity for give-and-take: feedback by the audience and adjustment and response
by the presenter. This is not possible with on-demand or after-the-fact content.
Technologies Available
As of the date of publication, there are dozens of free and for-cost platforms to allow
call-in conferencing capability, streaming capability, and interactivity. Just some of
these platforms are:
• Zoom
• Go to Meeting/Go to Webinar
• Microsoft Teams
• Google Share
• Facebook Live
• Conference Direct
• Encore (formerly PSAV) On Demand
NOTE: These platforms are offered as examples and are not recommended or endorsed
by CAP or any of its affiliates.
These and dozens of others are available to assist the wings to bring a quality
conference experience to the most members.
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Summary
This pamphlet is designed to be a guide and a reference to the conference planning
officer (CPO). It’s designed to be foundation from which the CPO builds their own
knowledge base and experience in planning wing conferences and companion events.
As important as anything this guide can explain is the experience of wing conference
planners from throughout Civil Air Patrol. Seek them out and ask them a thousand
questions. Draw on their experiences to chart an individual path. Record your own
experiences from which others can learn. This is the point of the continuity book, the
annual conference binders, this pamphlet, and the conversations over cups of coffee.
Experience is worthless if not shared.
Remember the three main purposes of holding a conference:
• To connect
• To collaborate
• To celebrate
Also remember the six “magic questions:”
• Why?
• When?
• Who?
• What?
• When?
• How?
Assemble a good team! Always ask for help if needed. It’s expected.
Budget well.
Manage risk.
Have fun. Planning a wing conference is a selfless act of goodwill for your fellow
members. Make it the highlight of their year.
Good Luck!
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Attachments
Attachment 1: Sample Venue Request for Proposal and
Description
COMPONENTS FOR CONFERENCE
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
1. CAP Introductory Narrative: a three-paragraph summary of the CAP
organization, WING, missions, volunteer membership demographics and a
description of why they come to a conference. It is critical to emphasize the
volunteer nature of CAP and that members self-fund their conference costs - no
government or corporate funding of member registration or travel costs.
2. Contact information: This is the CAP Wing Conference Project Officer
3. Preferred Date: this date represents the preferred days (arrival, main and
departure) for the conference. It’s a good idea to have 3 alternatives. Hotels will
price dependent on the availability of rooms and other events in the area.
4. Alternate date: see above
5. Attendance: A rolling average over three years gives a good estimate. Of course,
if there is a special guest, the National Commander or a change of command
during the conference the number is also adjusted.
6. Room Block: Room blocks are sorted by number of sleeping rooms (not people)
required for each night of the conference and then totaled.
7. Room Requirements (Sleeping Room Requirements): The ratio of king beds
versus two-bedded rooms is determined by registration history and attendee
demographics. We skew slightly towards two-bedded rooms as many members
double up to save money. We also schedule about 3 percent disabled-accessible
rooms.
8. Program Requirements by-day: These are reviewed post-conference by the
Conference Committee and revised for the next RFP cycle based on the activities
selected by the Committee and senior leadership. Where square footage and/or
lockable space is specifically identified, the square footage specified represents
the minimum requirements for the activity. If a room shares multiple activities
(like a grand ballroom), the largest square footage requirement is the one
requested.
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9. Food and Beverage Requirements: A summary of expected meal plans, menus,
schedules and number of people served. Please list by-day in order of service, if
known at the time of the RFP.
10. Minimum Food and Beverage Spend: An estimate (realistic but very
conservative) of what we will spend before service charge and taxes. This is the
dollar amount that counts against our meeting space and concessions (in
addition to hotel room nights). It’s better to lowball the number of dollars we are
willing to spend (for instance state $11,000 - $13,000 even if you think you’ll
spend $15,000 (before ++) if you know you’ll still get the concessions you feel are
important because it will give you negotiating room if you either need more
space or look like you aren’t going to meet your room night minimums.
11. History: the list of previous wing conferences and venues. Shows CAP’s
commitment to the activity. Can be helpful if you return to the same city often.
12. Other cities being scheduled: Sometimes you reveal this in the RFP, sometimes
you don’t.
13. Decision Maker: Depends on how the wing comes to a decision.
14. Projected Decision Date: Set by wing senior leadership.
15. Special Concessions: This is CAP’s menu of desired amenities and discounts
based on your needs. For many conferences, big items include payment terms,
1:40 comps, 80% room occupancy on a cumulative basis (as opposed to per
night), right to execute name changes for NHQ-allocated room nights, comped
meeting space, comped allocated suites, comped parking passes, and that the
members reserving and paying for their own rooms.
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Attachment 2: Sample Table of Contents for Continuity Book
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Attachment 3: Primary Documents Included in Annual
Conference Workbook
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Attachment 4: Essential Checklists (Adapt as Needed)
Attachment 4A: Hotel Site Survey Areas of Emphasis
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Attachment 4B: Photos of Hotel Areas and Amenities
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Attachment 4C: CAP Property Theft at Venue/Hotel
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Attachment 4D: Attendee-Staff Victim of Crime
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Attachment 4E: Medical Emergency/Non-Emergency
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Attachment 4F: Fire at Event Venue/Hotel
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Attachment 4G: Natural Disaster or Power Outage at Venue/Hotel
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Attachment 4H: Region or Wing Conference Planning Checklists
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Attachment 5: Spreadsheet Samples
Attachment 5A: Conference Block Schedule Spreadsheet
This block schedule represents the main conference day. If activities and/or set up
occur the day before or the day after, a separate block schedule for each day should be
generated. Tip: Excel is a great tool for a simple block schedule file. Simply use one
page per day.
This block schedule can be easily adapted for use as a handout to attendees by
identifying the seminar/activities in the time blocks and deleting the Layout, sq ft and
seats columns.
Room
Layout
Sq Ft
Seats
0800-
1000
1000-
1030
1030-
1130
1130-
1300
1300-
1400
1415-
1515
1530-
1630
1800-
1845
1900-
2130
Eagle/
day
Theater
w/stage
and
screen
4000
250
Assembly
and
Awards
Coffee
Break
Seminar
Lunch
Set up for Banquet
Banquet
Eagle/
eve
Rounds
of 10
w/stage
and
screen
4000
170
Foyer
Display
2500
None
Displays
Coffee
Set up and
Reception (1800)
Fox
Theater
w/
screen
600
25
Seminar
Seminar
Seminar
Prop
Theater
w/
screen
1000
75
Seminar
Seminar
Seminar
Drake
School
w/
screen
800
25
Seminar
Seminar
Seminar
Wings
U-Shape
600
20
Cadet Advisory Council
Cadet Advisory Council
Adam
Office
425
5
Command Post and Secure Storage
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Attachment 5B: Conference Room Set-ups by Day (Example is Main Day)
Room Name
Start
Time
Set Up
Type
Sq Ft
Capacity
A/V Set
Internet
Podium
Mike
Type
F&B
Notes
Adam
0600
Office
425
5
n/a
Yes
n/a
n/a
Water
station
Easel, Rekey
room
Eagle AM
session
0600
Theater
4000
350
LCD
Support
Package
and
Screen
Yes
Yes
Podium
and one
hand
held
Water
Station
Head Table
for 10 with
center
podium on
Stage
Eagle PM
Banquet
1700
Rounds
of 10
4000
170
LCD
Support
Package
and
Screen
No
Yes
Podium
and one
hand
held
Banquet
Meal,
Cash
Bar
Center
podium on
stage
(remains from
AM
Foyer through
1600
0600
8 6’
tables,
dressed
2500
No
Yes
No
No
Coffee
breaks
2 chairs per
table
Foyer for
reception
1800
Bar
tops,
social
seating
2500
170
No
No
No
No
Cash
Bar
Fox
0900
Theater
600
25
LCD
Support
Package
and
Screen
Yes
Yes
Podium
Water
Station
Prop
0900
Theater
1000
75
LCD
Support
Package
and
Screen
Yes
Yes
Podium
Water
Station
Drake
0900
School
set
800
25
LCD
Support
Package
and
Screen
Yes
Yes
Podium
Water
Station
Wings
0600
U-
shape
600
20
LCD
Support
Package
and
Screen
Yes
Yes
Handheld
Water
station
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Attachment 5C: Food and Beverage Spreadsheet (Example is for 1 Day)
Event
Service
Time
Service
Location
Type
Meal
Cost PP
before
Surcharge
and Tax
Cost PP
with
surcharge
and Tax
Number
of
People
Server/
Attendant
Fee
Amount
toward
F&B Min
Total Cost
AM Coffee
0700
Foyer
Break
$5.50
$6.88
200
$0.00
$1100.00
$1376.00
PM Coffee
1400
Foyer
Break
$5.50
$6.88
200
$0.00
$1100.00
$1376.00
Banquet Cocktail
Hour
1800
Foyer
Recepti
on
Cash Bar
Cash Bar
200
$200.00
$200.00
$200.00
Banquet Meal
w/ cash bar in
room
1900
Eagle
Plated
Dinner
$42.00
$52.50
170
$100.00
$7240.00
$8925.00
$9640.00
$11877.00
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Attachment 5D: Sample Dietary Restrictions Spreadsheet for Venue
Table
Assignment
Dietary Restriction/ Special Meal
Last Name
Notes
1
Gluten Free
Jones
Fruit Plate for dessert
4
Allergic to all nuts
White
7
Dairy Allergy
Mistletoe
But butter okay
13
Vegetarian
Price
17
Kosher
Keane
This list is sent with the meal choice spreadsheet to the hotel to give them adequate
preparation time and to work out costs.
The CPO and the banquet captain keep a copy of this list onsite to ensure correct
placement.
Note: all those with dietary restrictions should also be given a card that can be passed to
the table staff.
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Attachment 6: Sample Banquet Event Order (BEO)
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Attachment 7: Sample Budget
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Attachment 9: POW/MIA Ceremony
POW-MIA PRESENTATION TABLE
As you enter the dining room this evening, you may have noticed a small table in a
place of honor near our head table. It is set for one. The military caste is filled with
symbolism. This table is our way of symbolizing the fact that members of our
profession of arms are missing from our midst. They are commonly called, POW/MIA,
we call them brothers. They are unable to be with us this evening and so we remember
them because of their incarceration.
This table set for one is small, symbolizing the frailty of one prisoner alone against his
oppressors. Remember!
The tablecloth is white, symbolizing the purity of their intentions to respond to their
country’s call to arms. Remember!
The single rose displayed in a vase reminds us of the families and loved ones of our
comrades-in-arms who kept the faith awaiting their return. Remember!
The red Ribbon tied so prominently on the vase is reminiscent of the red ribbon worn
upon the lapel and breasts of thousands who bear witness to their unyielding
determination to demand a proper accounting of our missing. Remember!
A slice of lemon is on the bread plate to remind us of their bitter fate. Remember!
There is salt upon the bread plate symbolic of the families’ tears as they wait.
Remember!
The glass is inverted, they cannot toast with us this night. Remember!
The chair – the chair is empty – they are not here. Remember!
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Attachment 9: Virtual Conferencing Considerations
This section is going to discuss virtual conferences, typically held via an online webinar
or meeting tool. We’ll go over differences and additional factors you should consider.
Since technology is always changing at a rapid pace, this pamphlet will not further
discuss any particular tool or platform. Rather it will focus on helping you to determine
your requirements, which in turn, will help you find the most appropriate tool for the
job.
Signups / Attendance
1. Just like an in-person conference, it’s highly recommended to require participants to
sign up. This will give you a good idea of the number of participants on the actual day
of the event. It will also help you give out attendance credit if needed for the
conference. It’s also worth considering charging for the event as there are costs which
the region or wing may not be able to absorb.
2. Virtual conferences often draw many more attendees than an equivalent in-person
conference, due to the increased flexibility of when and where they can attend. If you’re
allowing outside units, this may be several times your typical number of attendees. You
may want to consider having a maximum number of signups since a large number of
attendees can prove unmanageable without enough event staff, especially if audience
participation is required. Also, almost all meeting tools have a limit on participants.
3. Many conferences can be used as a requirement for CAP’s Education and Training,
so often attendees want to ensure they receive some type of documentation certifying
their attendance. You’ll need to determine if keeping track of attendance is required.
You may have attendees fill out an electronic form or your meeting tool may include
the ability to export a list of participants. If the event is being recorded for later viewing,
you may wish to give credit for this as well.
Scheduling
1. A virtual conference brings you more flexibility. While you can follow a traditional
schedule, you also have the option to be more creative. For example, some members,
due to work or other obligations, are unable to attend weekend conferences. With a
virtual conference, you could easily split it across several evenings to accommodate
these members.
2. Breaks are just as important in a virtual conference as in a physical one. Ensure
your schedule includes time for meals and breaks between sessions so attendees can get
up, stretch, use the restroom, etc. For a more professional appearance, you Intro &
break countdown slides/music
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3. If you’re planning a larger scale conference or allowing attendees from outside
units, don’t forget to include the time zone, since some of your attendees will likely be
from a different time zone.
Format
1. For each session, you’ll need to determine the best way to hold it virtually. The
biggest factor is what type of audience interaction do you need or want to allow.
2. Large sessions, such as a general session, that would have been held in an
auditorium are typically more one-sided, with a small group of presenters and an
audience with minimal interaction. Some tools allow you to limit the audience
interaction to virtually raising their hand and asking/answering questions via a text
chat. These limitations might be necessary due to the number of attendees.
3. Smaller sessions, such as breakout sessions, usually encourage or require more
audience participation. These sessions would be better served by allowing your
audience to interact using their audio and video, in addition to the text chat.
4. Depending on the content, you may need to allow your session to breakout to even
smaller ad-hoc groups for discussions for a period, then return to the larger group.
Some meeting tools allow you to temporarily break a meeting into smaller groups for
these scenarios.
5. Some sessions are purely one-sided, with no audience interaction required. These
might be better served as a pre-recorded video, rather than using a meeting or webinar
tool.
Presenters / Event Staff
1. Some features in your chosen online meeting tool might not work quite the way you
expect them to. Test every feature you plan to use to make sure it operates as expected.
Test your people too. Ensure your event staff has all operated the meeting tool and its
features in their given capacity.
2. Provide your presenters with presentation templates. National headquarters
provides updated presentation templates each year that conform to CAP branding
standards, helping ensure professionalism and consistency across your conference.
3. Select some of your event staff to be moderators, they can handle technical
tasks/issues with the meeting software, leaving the presenter to focus just on their
presentation. Moderators can also deal with conference questions and they can work
together to make sure questions are answered the same across the conference.
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Attendees
1. For larger-scale conferences, offer a test or training sessions to give less tech-savvy
attendees the chance to test out the meeting software and iron out any issues that might
prevent them from attending the event.
2. Establish a list of virtual meeting etiquette and communicate it with your attendees.
For example, some attendees might not be aware of how distracting an open
microphone can be to other attendees.
3. Not all attendees will have great internet access available to them. Some meeting
tools also allow attendees to call in from their telephone if they’re having audio issues
via the meeting tool.
4. Some potential attendees may not have internet access at all or may have other
obligations that prevent them from attending the conference but would still like to
review the material discussed. Or attendees may want to review the sessions later or
share with other members that did not attend. You can make it easier for these members
by recording the sessions and sharing the recordings with attendees so they can watch
later.
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Attachment 10: Packing List for Conference Project Officer
1. Program Continuity Book
2. Printer
3. Paper/ink/toner – including heavy paper for creating certificates if needed.
4. Pre-programmed cell phone numbers of all staff, hotel reps, recall lists in own
phone and on paper.
5. Set up group text for key staff
6. Shoes one can leave feet in all day
7. Foot care items
8. First aid kit
9. (2) 8 1/2x11 pads
10. Snacks
11. (2) pens
12. Bottled Water
13. Paper handouts for any learning sessions and meetings personally conducting
14. Year-specific Wing Conference Program Binder
15. Thumb drive with files
16. (25) business cards
17. Laptop with MiFi
18. Black Bow Tie, Air Force style necktie and Air Force tie tab for loan
19. Cell-Phone charger
20. Hard copy of
i. Hotel Reservation
ii. Contact numbers for:
1. Senior Conference Staff
2. Hotel Event Planner, toll free number for property
3. Emergency Rooms, Urgent Care and Minute Clinic centers identified for
member medical issues
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