Meeting Planner Partner Application

Position Description

The Biennial Conference on Chemical Education (BCCE) occurs in the summer of even years.

This list of services is illustrative of what the Meeting Planner Partner could provide.  The Customer recognizes that each BCCE local organizing team will tailor the list to meet its needs. 

Qualifications

• Event planning for conferences (~1500 participants)
  • desired - coordinating with university conference services
• Experience working with volunteer groups
• Effective written and verbal communication skills
• Comfortable with remote collaboration and project management
• Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills
• Ability to travel for site visits and conference support
• Familiarity with social media and other digital platforms

Conference Planning

1. Regularly monitor the hosting organization’s progress at meeting the desired timeline.
   1. Provide updates to the Biennial Conference Committee (BCC), identifying and communicating potential problems/concerns promptly.
2. Coordinate and assist the BCC to research, vet, and select appropriate venues for the BCCE based on location preference, space requirements, housing options, and cost effectiveness.
   1. Assist with site visits to potential venues. The site visit team will consist of the Meeting Planner and up to three representatives from the BCC.
   2. Work with the site visit team to create a report evaluating potential venues and deliver the report to the BCC and ExComm.
3. Assist the BCC, the local organizing committee, and the selected venue in planning the conference.
   1. Monitor the development of the meeting schedule and program by interfacing with the BCCE General and Program Chairs and Conference Program Application staff (e.g ExOrdo)
   2. Monitor the assignment of appropriate venue locations for BCCE events.
   3. Coordinate and monitor the housing reservation process in connection with the Housing Coordination vendor.
      1. Negotiate and coordinate contracts with hotels, as necessary.
      2. Provide a list of contracted hotels to the Housing Coordination vendor.
      3. Monitor the registration for on- and off-campus housing (carried out by this vendor).
      4. Work with the Housing Coordination vendor to communicate housing logistics to attendees (i.e., housing hours, pickup/dropoff, restrictions on families and couples and amenities).
   4. Work with the local organizing committee to select and order appropriate food for BCCE events that ensures the accommodation of special dietary needs, including food allergies.
   5. Work with the local organizing committee to identify and organize appropriate transportation for BCCE events. This may include ground transportation to and from the conference site and accessible transportation within and between the venue(s).
   6. Work with the local organizing committee to reserve rooms and spaces for events that meet the needs of speakers (room size, lighting, AV) and the needs of attendees (accessibility, accommodations for difficulties in walking or hearing, signage in one or more languages).

Conference Facilitation

1. Send/facilitate sending emails announcing calls for abstracts and registration (and reminders of deadlines)
2. Monitor the timely publication and communication of the BCCE program.
3. Monitor meeting attendee registration—including meeting and special event registration—in conjunction with conference support staff.
4. Act as the on-site BCCE conference liaison with the venue’s convention services manager and the local organizing team.
   1. Monitor the onsite registration process working in conjunction with the Registration Vendor.
   2. Attend to last-minute logistical needs.

Communication and Reporting

1. Facilitate communication across stakeholders.
   1. Participate in regular virtual meetings (i.e., via Skype, Adobe, Google Hangouts, Zoom, Phone) with local BCCE organizing teams to monitor conference preparations and provide assistance. The frequency of such meetings should be consistent with the current planning demands of the conference.
   2. Inform the BCC of progress made in conference preparations at regular intervals each year.
2. Attend and contribute to BCC meetings, and other meetings relevant to the BCCE planning process.
   1. One month prior to each ACS National Meeting, work with the BCC to provide ExComm with a report that includes updates on BCCE activities and tasks in progress and accomplished.
3. Work with the local organizing team throughout the conference to prepare for the debrief meeting with the BCC at the close of the conference. This meeting typically provides valuable information, feedback, and “lessons learned” to the subsequent BCCE organizing team. Information could include final registration numbers and complaints or suggestions heard while at the conference.
4. Work with the local organizing team to prepare a final report following each BCCE.

The deadline to submit the completed application is July 17, 2026. The anticipated start date for this position is negotiable, but could be as early as August 2026.