Key Contacts
 

Dave Haseman	Conference Chair	daveh@uwm.edu
Pete Tinsley	Deputy Executive Director of AIS	DeputyED@aisnet.org
Blake Hobbs	Event Manager, Conferon	blake.hobbs@conferon.com

Ancillary Meetings

The Association for Information Systems (AIS) wishes to attract and encourage groups from the larger I/S Community to hold their annual meetings at either AMCIS or ICIS.  To this end, AIS has developed a package of benefits that we believe will make it attractive for all groups to consider a future AIS conference as the home for their next meeting.  The Ancillary Meeting Package (AMP) includes the following:

• Meeting coordination

• Discounted audiovisual equipment charges

• Discounted food & beverage charges

• Promotion/marketing via the AIS Web site, broadcast e-mail, etc.

• Complimentary meeting space at the official conference hotels (based on availability)

For groups that are part of AIS (SIGS and chapters), the AMP is a benefit of membership in the Association and there is no charge.  For all other groups a modest event coordination fee will be charged.

General AIS Ancillary Meeting Guidelines

• Food, beverages, audiovisual equipment, and other services from the conference hotel(s) will be available to all ancillary groups at the same rates as the rates charged to the AIS conferences themselves.
   
• The services of AIS staff and Conferon, AIS’s conference management firm, will be available to all ancillary groups.
   
• Meeting room space will be available to all ancillary groups at no charge, assuming that there is no separate charge to AIS for meeting rooms.  If a separate room charge is made to AIS, that charge will be passed on to the ancillary groups without markup.  In return, ancillary groups are expected to encourage their attendees to stay at the conference hotel(s).
   
• The current cost of processing an AIS conference attendee or an ancillary meeting attendee registration is $15.00 each.  For an ancillary meeting attendee – who also attends the accompanying AIS conference – only one processing fee will be charged for both events, and this will be paid by the AIS conference.  The ancillary group will pay a processing fee only for those of their attendees who do not also attend the accompanying AIS conference.
   
• In some states (but not all), it is possible to obtain an exemption from state sales and usage taxes by virtue of AIS’s 501(c)3 federal non-profit status.  If such exemptions are obtained by AIS, they will be made available to ancillary groups at no charge.
   

Guidelines Specific to ICIS 2006

• All ancillary meetings for ICIS 2006 will take place in either the Milwaukee Hilton City Center or the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee.  ICIS 2006 has negotiated to receive all of this meeting space free of charge and will be providing  (reasonable) meeting space  to all ancillary groups free of charge.
   

• ICIS 2006 has negotiated a reduced rate for all food and beverage service from both the Hilton and Hyatt and will be passing on this discounted rate for F&B to all of the ancillary groups.
   

• ICIS 2006 is currently in the RFP process for obtaining audiovisual equipment for the conference and ancillary meetings, and will be passing on this anticipated discounted rate to all of the ancillary groups.
   

• In spite of some statements made previously, the State of Wisconsin has turned down AIS's application to be exempt of Wisconsin sales tax.  Both ICIS and ancillary groups will therefore be liable for this tax.
   

• The event coordination fee for groups that are not part of AIS for ICIS 2006 will be $250 for a one-day event, $400 for a two-day (or part there of) event; and $500 for events lasting three or more days.  

Procedures for Ancillary Groups

The first step in arranging for meeting space is for the authorized party for each ancillary group to fill out the Ancillary Meeting Request Form,  with includes information about your group, your meeting plans, and information related to registration.  Upon completion, send this form to Lisa Rucker, AIS Conference Register, at Registrar@aisnet.org .

The individuals who will be involved with this application process include:

• Dave Haseman - Time and space allocation

• Blake Hobbs - Conference management functions including scheduling, A/V, F&B, hotel liaison, and other needs
   

Conference Hotels

The ability of ICIS 2006 to provide this free space and discounted service is directly related to the anticipated booking of rooms at the conference hotels.  The financial success of ICIS 2006 and the ability of ICIS to continue to offer these meeting subsides in the future is clearly tied to room night utilized in the conference hotels.  Please encourage your members to stay at the conference hotels (Hilton, Hyatt and Holiday Inn) while attending your ancillary meetings as well as ICIS.

Thank you.