AEG Chapter ChairAEG Chapter Chair

Helpful HintsHelpful Hints

Getting Started and the First MeetingGetting Started and the First Meeting

Getting StartedGetting Started

• Find a core group of other interested people in your area(2-4)

• It is helpful if at least one of your core group has lived in the area for a while and knows the history of geo-groups and/or participates in other meetings

• Find out the schedule of meetings for other geo-related groups in the area. Develop this into a Geo-Calendar for distribution

• Poll a small group of people to see what time and type of meeting best suits their schedule

• Ask the section chair what types of meetings have worked well in the past

Getting Started (cont’d)Getting Started (cont’d)

• Get volunteers for officers as soon as possible (look for active volunteers and not someone who must be ‘talked into’ an officer position)

• Possible officer roles and duties:– VP: organize speakers and meeting topics, help out with

meeting prep by arriving early– Treasurer: takes care of financial account, coordinates with

section treasurer, collects dues at meetings– Student Liaison: gets in touch with local students and

encourages attendance at meetings, organizes annual student night

– Field Trip Coordinator: organizes field trips, also is a fill-in for other officers that cannot attend a meeting

Getting Started (cont’d)Getting Started (cont’d)

• Develop email list for chapter. Include existing AEG Members and, to the extent possible, local members of NGWA, GSA, ASCE Geo-Institute, and others

• Ask other geo-organizations in the area to forward the meeting announcement for your startup meeting to their listserves. Return the favor by forwarding their meeting announcements to your listserve.

Meeting IdeasMeeting Ideas

• Beer or meeting sponsor – local company that donates $100 (or similar) to help fund a free happy hour prior to the meeting, a company rep is invited to give a quick sales pitch of their products and/or services during the announcement part of the meeting

• Try to pick meeting topics that are pertinent to local geo-practitioners and/or bring in a big name speaker (AEG President or Jahns Lecturer)

Meeting SetupMeeting Setup

• Choose central meeting location• For meetings where a meal is served, try and get a 30%

markup on dues as compared to per head costs to account for no-shows and to make a small profit

• Profits will go to future scholarships, help pay for future meetings that may have upfront costs (i.e. student night caterer), and help offset reduced student rates

• Test the meeting market in your area and charge a reasonable fee (for example, less than $25 for dinner)

• Charge a low meeting fee for students ($5) to encourage their participation

• Consider a meeting location close to nearby campuses and one that has adequate parking available

At the meetingAt the meeting

• Meeting minglers- have an outgoing person (usually an officer) make a special effort to circulate in the entire meeting room and….– Introduce students to professionals to avoid

the student ‘clusters’– Introduce new professionals or first-time

attendees in the area to others

At the meetingAt the meeting

• Stick to the time schedule for the meeting, generally people do not like meetings to run over the allotted time

• Example of PHX Chapter meetings:– 6-7pm Happy Hour– 7-7:45pm Dinner– 7:45-8:30pm Announcements and Speaker

After the MeetingAfter the Meeting

• Pay the restaurant with any cash that you collected during the meeting (less risk of loss)

• Add all meeting attendees to the listserve

• Recruit Chapter Sponsors (this can stabilize the finances a great deal)

• Consider organizing a seminar