Key Issues Facing TAB

1
Key Issues Facing TAB

• John Vig
• Chair, TAB, and VP, Technical Activities
• June 2005

2
Some Key Issues

• Society Memberships
• Conferences
• New Initiatives
• Sales Augmentation
• Finances

3
Society Memberships - Long Term Trends
In 2004, 44 of IEEE members held no society
membership
Society memberships declined 4.6 in 2004 12
as of the end of 2004
Society Membership decline has not turned around
in 2005
4
Why the Decline What Are We Currently Testing?

• Is it ease of joining a society?
• We are currently making changes to the Join a
  Society process on the web
• Is it the price of joining a society? Recent
  survey results show that Membership is too
  expensive is the no. 1 reason for non-renewal.
• We are experimenting with Affiliate memberships
• Is it our message about Value of membership or
  our sales activities?
• We are redefining the value, planning better
  marketing, primarily at conferences

5
Value of Membership - Why Join IEEE?

• Access to technical information
• Stay up-to-date in technical field
• Develop career opportunities
• Build a community of colleagues
• Participate in local/regional activities
• Obtain products and services
• Be part of YOUR professional organization
• Affiliate with the best in your field
• Be part of doing good things for your profession
  and humanity (foster technological innovation
  publications, conferences, workshops, standards)
• Good thing to put on a resume (from a student)
• Continuing education
• Financial Advantage Program, e-mail alias, spam
  filter
• Its fun to be an IEEE volunteer

6
Some Key Issues

• Society Memberships
• Conferences
• New Initiatives
• Sales Augmentation
• Finances

7
Conference Strategic GoalsNext steps

• Workshop to define the next steps in IEEEs
  conference strategy
• Location Date
• 6 7 August 2005
• New Jersey
• Inviting
• S/C Presidents
• S/C VPs- Conferences
• Region Conference Coordinators
• IEEE volunteer leadership
• IEEE initiative funding this activity therefore,
  some travel funds are available

8
Sales Marketing _at_ Conferences

• gt300 IEEE conferences
• gt100K conference participants
• 50 are NOT IEEE members
• Participants have demonstrated their interest in
  an IEEE FoI by paying the registration fee
• Is there a better opportunity for reaching
  potential members???

9
Benefits of Sales Marketing at IEEE non-IEEE
Conferences

• Tangible Benefits
• On-site product membership sales (individual
  subscriptions, IEL, Enterprise, MDL)
• Intangible Benefits
• After conference product sales
• Rationale for joining, or remaining a member
• Building IEEEs image (including industry
  relations)
• Attracting/retaining authors, reviewers, editors
• Attracting other (e.g., committee) volunteers
• Advertising future related conferences, pubs,
  xhibits
• Building communities (S/C, sections, chapters)
• Motivate attendees to demand IEEE electronic
  content (IEL/Enterprise) from their employers
  thereby, generate sales leads
• 50 of conference attendees are not members

10
Conference Surplus Problem

• Conference budgets dont include OH
• Ave. 2004 conference surplus 18
• Ave. 2004 S/C OH 22
• Including some OH in conference budgets makes
  sense because
• Conferences benefit from the OH
• Open access threatens future publications income
• Full-dues society memberships has been
  declining
• Conferences are stable underpriced with little
  price elasticity
• Makes good financial sense to include OH (in all
  budgets)
• Raise awareness surplus ? pre-OH surplus
• S/C to decide how to apportion OH

11
How Do Conferences Benefit From OH?

• Insurance and liability coverage
• Volunteer indemnification
• Offering of conference proceedings in electronic
  products (Xplore) and the continued availability
  of same (increases the attractiveness of
  conference from an author perspective)
• Customer support gt550 calls per month and
  numerous emails (also includes handling
  complaints from attendees, reimbursement
  disputes, issue resolution)
• Handling of reporting requirements (e.g., tax
  filings, compliance, recording of revenues and
  expenses)
• Resolution of legal issues and govt regulations,
  ITAR and OFAC
• Problem resolution (visa issues, inter-country
  tax issues, attrition resolution, contract
  issues, physical security issues, emergency
  response issues, etc)
• Contract review and suggestions for protection
• Availability of banking services timely
  processing of loans
• Conference listing in IEEE Database, generates
  Conference Search, CFP Search, spotlights IEEE
  Conference on IEEE Home Page and accessibility
  from search engine
• Some marketing by cross linking in Conference
  Search and Xplore
• Archive history of conference
• Use of IEEE brand name

12
MTT Conferences - Financial Overview
(K)Illustration of Pre-/Post-OH
13
MTT Conferences - Financial Overview (K)2nd
Illustration of Pre-/Post-OH
14
Recommendations

• Dont just let it happen (i.e., the OH)
• Allocate your OH to the product lines (and price
  calculations) under your control conferences,
  publications, membership
• Allocate at least some OH to your conferences.
  (Registration fees are a small part of the total
  cost of attendance have little effect on
  attendance.)
• How you do the OH allocation is up to you.

15
Some Key Issues

• Society Memberships
• Conferences
• New Initiatives
• Sales Augmentation
• Finances

16
The New Initiative Process

• The NIC considers proposals for new initiatives
  and reviews progress of continuing initiatives
• New initiative funding is ultimately determined
  by the Board of Directors, but, for budget
  development purposes, its set at 2 of IEEE
  Reserves (new policy for 2006 Initiatives)
• 2004 year-end reserves 124.4M ? 2.5M
• The NIC can set aside up to 15 of the
  available funds for consideration of out-of-cycle
  initiatives or other special circumstances
• Initiatives are defined as new efforts of
  strategic importance distinct from support for
  ongoing programs
• All new initiatives must map to the current IEEE
  Strategies document

17
Some Key Issues

• Society Memberships
• Conferences
• New Initiatives
• Sales Augmentation
• Finances

18
Rebates to Societies

• Rebates of 20 of the initial price and 15 of
  the renewal price shall be credited to S/C that
  are the procuring cause of the new or renewal
  license of IEEE Enterprise and the IEEE/IEE
  Electronic Library (IEL).
• When a S/C and IEEE staff are jointly the
  procuring cause of a new license, 14 of the
  initial price shall be credited to the S/C.
• When a S/C is the procuring cause of a new IEL
  license in IHS' territory (such as Corp. NA and
  Academic/Corp/Govt markets in RoW), a 3500
  rebate (not 20) shall be credited to the
  organizational unit.

19
Some Key Issues

• Society Memberships
• Conferences
• New Initiatives
• Sales Augmentation
• Finances

20
IEEE Society Package Sales 2000-2005F in
millions / 78 growth over 5 years
102.8
57.7
19
14
10
12
6
21
Total IEEE Reserves
includes market fluctuation
22
Some Key Issues

• Society Memberships
• Conferences
• New Initiatives
• Sales Augmentation
• Finances
• Straw Vote

23
Nine Societies Are Growing 29 Societies are
showing a decline, and 1 is new for 2005.
24
Is It Time to Consider

• changing our name to I-E-E-E?

25
Thank you.Questions?Comments?