Meeting Host Guidelines

Introduction

This document describes the essential elements of the role of an ETSI Meeting host, and the support available from the ETSI Secretariat.

The host is the prime contact point for all local meeting arrangements both before and during the meeting week. The present document is a step-by-step guide describing the various tasks to be carried out by the host for Technical Groups, Plenary, Ordinary, Working Groups, Ad-Hoc, and Joint Meetings.

The host is requested and expected to keep ETSI TG Support staff informed of the progress of the meeting preparations, as well as any issues that may arise before or during the meeting.

The venue

The first step is to establish/secure the venue.

The hosting organisation may be able to host the meeting in their premises or negotiate special rates with a local hotel or conference centre. An alternative solution could be for several companies to host the meeting collectively.

The size of every ETSI Technical Group (TG) and the number of Working Group (WG) sessions governs the parameters, as well as accommodation, food and beverage requirements. The key is to liaise with the TG Chair or ETSI TG Support staff to determine the precise requirements.  

The key elements include the following:

• The reservation of a room with the capacity for the foreseen number of delegates
• Multiple rooms if there are WGs or breakout sessions
• Wi-Fi access and a display device (essential)
• Electrical power and a supply of extension cables
• Conference call facilities and microphones (essential), together with appropriate audio-support for delegates with disabilities. The ETSI TG Support staff shall always offer the ETSI web conference tools
• Hotels near the meeting location and with good transportation links by rail/metro and road are recommended
• Easy access to the venue, the meeting room and facilities with the necessary ramps, elevators and ideally, automatically opening doors. The host should ensure that the venue is designed to facilitate easy navigation for wheelchairs, those with impaired mobility, blind participants or for those with low vision. A printable document with the layout of the building or floor before their arrival is recommended.

The host is encouraged to do their best to accommodate accessibility requirement(s) as much as possible and to inform delegates promptly if a requirement cannot be met.

The host may also contact the ETSI Accessibility Ombudsperson, the TG Chair or the ETSI TG Support staff for any additional clarifications.

Planning needs to start as early as possible: many hotels take reservations for their conference facilities a year or more in advance.

The venue should be located within a practical distance from a major airport that either serves as a key international hub or offers reliable connections to at least one. Ideally, most delegates should be able to reach the venue with no more than two connecting flights. It should be accessible by reasonably priced public transport (train, bus, tram, metro, taxi) from the nearest airport.

It is useful to post signs at the meeting venue to ease the access. For delegates with cognitive disabilities, signage accompanied with symbols is recommended, (considering the text may not be in their native language).

Layout of the meeting room

The host should discuss the room requirements and layout with the ETSI TG Chair and with the ETSI TG Support staff and check that access to the meeting is possible for delegates with disabilities.

Number of rooms and their availability

The number and size of the room(s) required depend mainly on the number of delegates. There may also be a requirement for additional meeting rooms for working groups or other smaller meetings held in parallel with the main meeting. The host should seek confirmation of room figures (number and capacity) with ETSI TG Support staff ideally 3-4 months before the meeting.

Each room should display a sign on its door indicating the name of the group or meeting, along with the scheduled meeting times, if available.

Depending on the nature and requirements of each meeting, not all rooms may be in use at all times. Consideration should also be given to joint WG sessions, where larger meeting rooms are needed.

The meeting schedule and the draft agenda, prepared by the TG Chair in coordination with the ETSI TG Support staff, should be available with 30 days before the meeting. This is in accordance with the ETSI Directives. This also enables blind participants or those with low vision to read them beforehand using their own assistive technologies.

The meeting schedule should consider participants with cognitive or intellectual disabilities who may require longer or frequent breaks. It is recommended that meetings should not start earlier than 08:00 local time and close later than 19:00 local time.

The host should check that the meeting room includes the possibility for audio descriptions or other aids that blind participants or those with low vision may require.

The host should provide a power plug for each delegate. It is also important to avoid overloading circuit breakers or fuses in the mains power supply.

Audio/video equipment

Each delegate should bring their own laptop to the meeting with a power adaptor for the country where the meeting is hosted.

The host should also clarify before the meeting which assistive devices and enabling technology may be used by delegates with disabilities, verify that the venue provides necessary connectivity (e.g. power outlets and Wi-Fi^®) and technical support and Wi-Fi/data connectivity for these devices, and inform the TG Chair accordingly.

The ETSI TG Support staff will ensure the availability of the connection details for web conferencing and online meeting tools.

The host should check that the meeting room includes the possibility for audio descriptions or other aids that blind participants or those with low vision may require.

Projector

Screens should be visible to all the delegates.

Projectors should be bright and clearly readable from anywhere in the meeting room.

Each meeting room should have a monitor screen and a projector connected to a laptop to display the meeting documents. Documents will be projected from the top table; hence the free end of the video cable should be within reach of any top table seat. An HDMI cable plus adapter for VGA or mini-DisplayPort cable is often requested by Chair.

Internet Connectivity

The provision of free internet access is mandatory (usually via Wi-Fi); network set-up and support are the Meeting Host's responsibility.

The Meeting host should consider the foreseen number of delegates when dimensioning the internet connections.

The Wi-Fi quality should allow people to meet in a hybrid mode without interruptions.

The delegates must be aware of any possible limitations of the wireless LAN at the meeting venue.

The internet service shall not be subject to firewall, traffic shaping, packet limiting, billing equipment, and unnecessary routers which might limit the number of simultaneous connections and reduce the effective bit rate. Many delegates will wish to run VPN back to their employers’ networks, and there should be no limitation on such connections.

On-site network Support: An IT technician responsible for the network setup should be on-site at least the first two mornings to provide immediate support and troubleshoot any potential network problems.

Microphones and Speakers

The number of microphones should be sufficient to ensure that each delegate in the meeting room can access to a microphone.

In the meeting room, we should have audio-speakers connected to the web conferencing tool(s) and the sound should be of good quality to run a hybrid meeting in good conditions.

Meeting Invitation

As you, as Meeting host, have the best local knowledge, you should help the ETSI Technical Officer and ETSI TG Chair to prepare the meeting invitation.

ETSI Staff, in association with ETSI TG Chair, will send a pre-filled meeting invitation template to the Meeting Host with meeting dates, venue and hyperlinks to the meeting registration page on the portal.

The host will customize the invitation with details of the venue hotel and local information that will be useful for the participants.

The hyperlink to the meeting page on the portal should be included in the invitation as it displays the registration link. It is also preferable to provide an indicative cut-off date for registration, it may assist with the creation of Wi-Fi accounts and badges.

See the description of the information required in the meeting invitation in Annex 3.

When should the invitation be sent?

The ETSI Working Procedures require that a plenary meeting invitation be available to delegates at least four weeks before the start of the meeting.

As some delegates will need to undergo lengthy formalities to obtain a travel visa, it is usual to issue the meeting invitation around 60 days, in advance.

Once the venue details are established, the invitation should be issued immediately.

See Annexes 4a and 4b for the visa invitation letter template.

Registration

The host can monitor the registration progress at any time on the ETSI portal (this requires an ETSI-On-Line account that can be obtained via ETSI Support).

The information is available from the ETSI portal’s meeting details and registration web page on the ETSI portal (hyperlink in meeting invitation).

Advice for Host staff on-site

Administrative support:

Local administrative staff support is most important at the beginning of the Meeting to finalise the meeting badges and ensure a smooth registration.

Role of the administrative support staff:

• Interface with the hotel/conference centre on any matters (i.e. rooms requirements, catering)
• Assist the delegates with non-IT-related problems (travel, taxis, local information).

The administrative support staff must be fluent in English and often act as interpreter with the hotel/conference centre staff.

IT and audio/video support:

The IT technician(s) will be responsible for the on-site network and audio/video support. They should be familiar with the network infrastructure set-up and be able to react immediately on any installed equipment (router, access point…) in case of a problem.

They will also be responsible for the audio (microphones) and video (projectors) equipment in all meeting rooms.

Optionally the technicians should be able to provide some support to delegates experiencing difficulties to connect.

Meeting badges

The Host is responsible for providing badges and badge-holders for all delegates registered in advance.

The participants’ list is available from the meeting details page on the ETSI portal; it can be exported to CSV for the host to print the meeting badges.

The host can use the portal feature dedicated to print all badges.

It is suggested that the Host reviews the list of pre-registered delegates shortly before the start of the meeting to account for late registrations.

Security

High priority should be given to ensure that delegates will be safe during the Meeting.

The location of meeting hotel(s) and meeting venue shall be carefully selected to make the meeting as easy and safe as possible for the delegates.

Locations with known major safety/security issues should be avoided

It is advisable to inform delegates of the security measures (if applicable) at the meeting venue. If security cannot be guaranteed during breaks, delegates should be informed of the risks of leaving their equipment and documents unattended.

Delegates should be made aware that the Host cannot be held responsible for any loss or degradation of their equipment.

Catering: coffee breaks, refreshments, lunch

Drinking water, coffee, tea, and refreshments should be available during coffee breaks.

The Host should inform ETSI Support Staff & attendees whether lunch will be provided, and if not, a list of restaurants/sandwich shops within walking distance of the meeting site should be prepared.

Social event

There is no obligation to organize a social event.

The expenses for a social event may be covered by the host or covered by sponsors or shared between the delegates.

If a social event is planned, it is useful to announce it as soon as possible in order to generate interest as well as know who will attend.

Annex 1: Meeting Invitation template

Meeting invitation template

Annex 2 : Invitation Checklist

For use by the Host to check that all the required information has been included in the invitation.

Information in the invitation	Mandatory/ Recommended/ Optional
Venue address (city, country)	M
Closest airport	M
Clear indications on how to access the city from the airport: train, underground, bus, taxi. Including indication of trip cost, distance, and duration information.	M
List of recommended hotels, including distance from the meeting place and room price.	M
Special negotiated hotel room rates and the cut-off date for reservation at the reduced tariff;	R
Name(s) of the contact people for the support on-site	M
Clear indications on how to access the venue (including map), taxi cost, local tansport lines (buses, trams, underground), etc.	M
Lunch options/sandwich shops close to meeting venue	R
Visas information and invitation letters:
Some delegates may require a personal invitation letter to depart from their home country (ETSI will provide a template letter).
The invitation must give the details (name and email) of a contact person at the host who will prepare and send the invitation letter upon request.	M
It is possible to provide a request form as part of the meeting invitation with fields for the data typically requested by visa-issuing authorities (see in annex of the present document).	R
Some hosts will offer an on-line visa letter request form.	O
Additional information
Car hire information;	O
Information concerning the proximity of local shops and amenities;	O
Currency information;	O
Weather information (only if extremely hot, cold, rainy season, etc. … during meeting)	O
Tipping policy in the country	O

Annex 3a: Template invitation letter (for visa purposes)

Template invitation for visa purposes

Annex 3b: Alternative template invitation letter (for visa purposes)

Alternative template invitation letter (for visa purposes)

Annex 4: Meeting Checklist

For use by the ETSI Meeting Host during the meeting preparations and the Chair or ETSI Secretariat to ensure everything is available as expected.

Meeting Checklist	Available/not available
Essential
Meeting rooms (number of meeting rooms & their capacity)
Tables and chairs (and their configuration)
Wi-Fi connection to internet
Projector/beamer with a cable for connection to a delegate's laptop
Power sockets with extensions
Microphones and audio-speakers that can be connected to the Web Conferencing system
Web conferencing/telephone bridge for remote participants
Badges for participants (with meeting name, delegate’s name and company) for distribution at registration
Coffee/tea/water for coffee breaks (typically 1 break each half day)
Desirable
Printer
Several adapters for foreign power plugs
Flip chart/whiteboard
Staff available (Assistant, IT Technician)