Procedures for the Events Committee and the Semi-Annual Chapter Meetings

 

Revised 12/4/2005
Revised 2/15/2026

 

While granting this committee a certain amount of leeway to perform its duties, the board of directors should have oversight and input into its activities, particularly with the semi-annual chapter meetings.

Chapter Meetings
The meetings should be self-sufficient financially, and prices should be set to cover all expenses. The prices should be set in advance and publicized.

A notice should be sent to the SABR office as soon as the date is set. Additional information, such as location and featured speakers, should be sent as it becomes available. The information should contain the name, phone number, and e-mail address of a contact person.

An agenda should be available with the order of events, names and titles of research presenters, along with other information, such as featured guests, lunch, breaks, business meeting, and additional features, such as trivia contests. A separate schedule should include this information with times noted for each event. Research presenters should be informed in advance of the time of their presentation and how much time is allotted for it. Research presenters should include time in their presentations for questions from the audience.

Advance publicity for the meeting should include the starting time for registration, starting time for the meeting, and the approximate end time. The Events Committee chair(s) must ensure that the treasurer (or someone designated by the treasurer) is on hand during registration to get people signed in, collect money, and distribute the agenda and name tags. The committee chair must also make sure that the chapter’s video equipment is at the meeting so the research presentations, featured guests, and other events are recorded. Someone must also be designated to do the recording. An evaluation form should also be considered.

The Events Committee chair or someone designated by the chair should be the overall moderator for the meeting. All presentations (both research presentations and featured guests) should be moderated to be kept on schedule. Also, the moderator should be ready to intercede in other ways, such as keeping discussion civil and on track, if necessary. The moderator does not have to be the same person introducing the speaker; however, it must be someone who is comfortable performing the duties outlined above.

Reimbursements for expenses of chapter meetings are available from SABR. The Events Committee chair, in conjunction with the chapter treasurer, should submit receipts and a list of other costs to SABR for reimbursements.

Business Meeting
The president will chair the business meeting and should have an agenda for the meeting. To save time during the business meeting, committee chairs and others with reports should be encouraged to submit a written report in advance. This can be typed up and distributed as a consent agenda.

The spring business meeting will include the election of officers.

Facilities
All chapter meetings must be held in locations that are accessible to people with disabilities. With regard to other chapter events (those organized by the chapter and/or publicized in the chapter newsletter and/or on its web site), discretion should be used with regard to meeting facilities. If the chapter has members with mobility limitations, a strong effort should be made to hold these events in locations accessible to all members.

The committee may want to consider advance registration as a means of determining how many people may attend, which can be helpful in determining how many meals to order or how much food to purchase. A discounted fee for early registration may be used.

Research Presentations
The Halsey Hall Chapter Research Committee will solicit and set the schedule for research presentations and inform the Events Committee of the schedule two weeks prior to the chapter meeting.

Guests
The committee should attempt to secure at least one featured guest for chapter meetings. These guests should be people who have personally distinguished themselves in some manner in baseball. Any current or former major-league player or manager fits this category as could coaches, broadcasters, or front-office staff.

Advocacy guests are those who come to discuss a certain topic of interest to members. They may be scheduled is the topic if timely and relevant.

The scheduling should be flexible to accommodate the guests; however, there is nothing wrong with having a tentative agenda that could place the guests at a certain time, such as after lunch, with the schedule being modified if the guest can appear only at another time.

With regard to overall schedule, an attempt should be made to fit all events within an eight-hour time frame, not counting after-hours events, such as a trip to a baseball game or an off-site get-together time to watch a game on television. The featured guest(s), business meeting, and research presentations should be given priority and other events, such as trivia, held for the end.

The Events Committee chair should submit a report on its progress to the board before each bi-monthly board meeting and is encouraged to attend the board meetings. The board of directors has the overall responsibility for ensuring that the duties of the committee are carried out.

Other Events
The Events Committee oversees other events held during the year. The book club and bi-monthly breakfast get-together are not within the purview of the Events Committee.

Chapter Meeting Checklist

ADVANCE

____ Set date
____ Inform SABR, publicize in chapter newsletter and e-list (and update as more information becomes available)
____ Secure location
____ Solicit research presenatations
____ Purchase ballgame tickets (spring only)
____ Line up featured guests
____ Set schedule, assign duties, and inform presenters
____ Set assignments and responsibilities

MEETING

Supplies
Responsibility: ______________________________
____ Sign-in sheet and pencils/pens
____ Agendas
____ Name tags
____ Video Equipment
____ Evaluation forms (if used)

Food (morning coffee and rolls and lunch)
Responsibility: ______________________________

Staffing of registration table, Responsibility: ______________________________

Overall moderator for meeting, Responsibility: ______________________________

POST-MEETING

____ Submit receipts and lists of expenses to SABR for reimbursement

Considerations for Sites for Semi-Annual Chapter Meetings

Space
Space is needed for at least 50 attendees, preferably with classroom-style seating (tables with chairs behind them facing a screen and podium). Determine if the chapter or the site is responsible for the set up of tables and podium, etc. Space for displays is also needed.

Cost
What is the cost for the use of the facility? As noted below, is the cost variable according to time? Does the cost include meals? Does it cover set-up and tear-down fees? Do we need to cover tax and gratuity? This will be particular important if we move to a location that includes food, which could add 25 to 30 percent to the complete price. All of this could trigger the need for a patron system.

Opening Time
The desired start time is 9:00 a.m., which requires access to the venue by 8:30, possibly earlier if the chapter is responsible for set-up. The end time could be affected by the cost of the facility and if the cost is by the hour.

Parking
Availability on mass transit routes is preferred, and accessibility includes adequate dedicated handicap parking close to the entrance.

Food
A major consideration is if we have to buy food at the location or if we can bring in our own food (donuts/coffee and juice in the morning, pizza and soda for lunch). Are we responsible for clean-up of food and drinks and returning the room to the condition that we started the day with. Cleanup includes wiping down the surfaces, sweeping the floors, cleaning any utensils provided by the facility, and trash removal.

Technology
WiFi is needed. Does the facility have a screen for projection or a large monitor to display images from a computer. Microphones, preferably wireless lavalier microphones, are needed, especially since the meetings are live-streamed. Is there an additional audio-visual fee charged for projectors and microphones? Are on-site technical people from the facility required to be present? Lighting should be adequate and adjustable for images on the screens to be clearly seen.

Accessibility
Are the entrances and the room fully accessible? As noted above, is there adequate and dedicated handicap space close to the meeting area?

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