Guidelines for Organisation of an International Carbohydrate Symposium:
Pre-Symposium
Planning
1. The best times for symposia seem to be in July. Times before mid-June
are not good for Europeans, neither are times in August. Times after mid-August
(including September) or in the first half of May are not good for many
North Americans. Times before 1 May or after 30 September would probably
limit attendance by many, particularly students, and those who combine
the symposium with a holiday.
2. The contact details, in particular the email addresses, of all delegates
attending the previous symposium should be obtained from the previous
chairperson.
3. The first circular should be available and distributed at the previous
symposium. The details contained in the first circular should then be
posted on the ICO web site and, eventually, on the symposium web site.
4. A second circular, if deemed necessary, is mailed at least 8-9 months
in advance of the symposium. Alternatively, all of the relevant information
is again posted on the ICO and symposium web sites. In particular, the
names of the plenary lecturers and the recipient of the Roy L. Whistler
Award should be included (contact with the immediate past-president, who
chairs the selection committee, needs to be maintained; the past-president
arranges for international publicity for the award).
5. The web sites and any second circular should contain the statement
‘IUPAC sponsorship implies that entry visas will be granted to all
bona fide scientists provided that application is made not less than three
months in advance’. If a visa is not granted (by six weeks in advance),
the IUPAC Secretariat should be notified without delay.
6. All publications shall use English as the primary language. The official
language of the symposium will be English.
7. IUPAC sponsorship should be requested before the first circular is
printed so that IUPAC and IUBMB sanction can be stated. In fact, the farther
in advance IUPAC sponsorship is requested (four years is desirable, if
possible), the less likely it will be that the dates will conflict with
those of other organic symposia. 8.
IUBMB sponsorship is automatic but funds must be requested by the ICO
representative to IUBMB. Again, the earlier the dates can be fixed and
recorded with the IUBMB, the less likely it will be that conflicts will
occur.
9. The symposium budget should include a sum (US$1 000) to be used to
pay the expenses incurred by the Secretary of the ICO. This money will
be deposited in a restricted account under the control and management
of the U.S. Advisory Committee for International Carbohydrate Symposia,
Inc. The National Representative of the U.S.A. is to be contacted for
the method of transferring the $1 000 to the restricted account. Funds
will be withdrawn from the account and paid to appropriate vendors by
the National Representative of the U.S.A. upon receipt of a request from
the ICO Secretary.
10. The format of the symposium (both the scientific and social programs)
is decided by the organizers. The organization may be adapted to the particular
facilities, customs, etc. of the hosts.
11. It is necessary that a range of accommodations be provided, from inexpensive
accommodations for students, to better hotel accommodations.
12. Opportunities for participants to be together, for example, for meals
or poster/social afternoons or evenings, and to interact with one another,
should be maximized to the extent facilities permit. Housing in a single,
primary location, for example, is preferred.
13. Announcement of the ICO meeting is made by the secretary at least
12 weeks (if possible) in advance of the symposium (the agenda may be
sent at a later date). It is traditional to hold the meeting on Sunday
afternoon and to follow it with a dinner for ICO members and accompanying
persons, but this should be arranged so that ICO members can also attend
the opening reception, which they should do.
14. Some way for participants to contact one another through a message
centre is desirable.
Opening
Ceremony and Session
1. The ICO president (the National Representative of the country holding
the previous symposium) officially opens the symposium. Introduction of
ICO members is desirable so that attendees will know to whom to direct
comments and suggestions.
2. A short time should be set aside for the ICO president/secretary to
report any actions taken at the ICO meeting. This time is to be used only
if there are actions that need to be reported.
3. The ICO president introduces the National Representative of the host
country, who in turn introduces the ICS organizer (if a different person).
4. The ICS organizer conducts any opening ceremony.
3. The ICO president presides over the opening session, which is the Whistler
Award Lecture.
In the introduction of the award recipient, the president should explain
the significance of the award, including the US$10 000 prize, which makes
it one of the world's major awards, and describe the accomplishments of
past recipients.
6. The program book should contain a description of the award and a listing
of past award recipients.
7. The actual award (plaque and cheque) is presented before/following
the lecture, by the ICO president.
8. A photographer should be present to record the award presentation
Closing
Ceremony
1. The closing ceremony should include an invitation from the next host
to attend the subsequent symposium.
2. The symposium is closed, as it is opened, by the ICO president.
Technical
Program
1. In choosing plenary lecturers, invited speakers, paper presenters,
and session chairs, emphasis should be on the (a) international character
of the symposium, (b) quality of work, (c) ability to lecture in English,
and (d) the broad scope of carbohydrate research.
2. Generally, plenary lecturers and invited speakers should be chosen
from those who have not given such lectures in the preceding symposium.
It should be emphasized that these are international symposia and so any
one country should not be over-represented in the choice of speakers.
3. The meeting program book should include (a) a listing of the national
representatives and other ICO members, and (b) information about the Whistler
Award, including how nominations are to be made. A chronology of previous
symposia may be included.
4. All papers given orally in concurrent sessions (that is, other then
plenary and invited lectures) should also be presented as posters.
5. Effort should be made to emphasize the breadth of glycoscience (synthetic
organic chemistry, chemical and physical structural and analytical methods,
practical and industrial applications, theoretical aspects, biochemistry
and glycobiology). Efforts should be made to prevent distortion towards
any one sub-discipline. The goal is to allow those in one sub-discipline
to learn from those in others as well as their own.
6. Parallel sessions should be minimized (three appear to work well) and
arranged so as to minimize potential conflicts in the interests of attendees.
7. If possible, posters should be left up for the entire week of the symposium.
Posters should be located as close to the site of the lectures as possible.
Viewing of posters should be divided into several short sessions, with
a portion of the posters in each sub-discipline being presented to each
session, so that authors have an opportunity to circulate and talk to
other persons presenting posters. In short, because a large part of the
information is presented in poster form, effort should be made to make
them accessible and beneficial to all participants.
8. Information to
submitters of papers as to whether their paper has been selected for an
oral presentation (poster also required) or a poster presentation only
should be clear and sent out well in advance of the symposium.
9. Instructions for the preparation of posters should be clear and included
in the symposium information. Personnel should be available to assist
with the attachment of poster material to the boards.
Numbers
Experience would indicate that attendees will number 600-800 scientists
and 50-100 accompanying persons.
Post-Symposium
1. Contact details (email addresses) are passed along to the next organizer.
2. General financial data should be shared with upcoming organizers.
General
1. The ICO logo should be printed on all symposium publications. Use of
an additional local logo is encouraged.
2. ICO members should be listed in the final meeting program.
3. A description of the Roy L. Whistler International Award in Carbohydrate
Chemistry and listing of award recipients should appear in the final meeting
program.