Guidelines for Host Site Meeting Planners
The guidelines below are intended to provide guidance to the individuals at the hosting
site who are planning meetings. These suggestions were taken from a survey of the membership in 2007and revised in 2011. It may not be possible to follow all of the
guidelines for every meeting, but an effort to follow these guidelines is appreciated. A list of the hosting sites and dates for hosting can be found on the NCMGA website www.ncmga.org.
Based on a vote in Fall 2021, a Meeting Planning Committee was established to help host sites through the meeting process. Please contact Rachel Mills with any questions regarding hosting a meeting.
1. When choosing a date for the meetings, please check with the NCMGA officers as well as your keynote speaker, other speakers and institution meeting facility to find a date that works for everyone to attend.
2. Members overwhelmingly indicated that Friday is the day of the week of choice
for the meetings. If you are not able to obtain meeting space at your institution on
a Friday, Monday would be the second choice. Meetings typically occur from roughly 9AM-4PM to allow for travel time. Please schedule the business meeting in the fall at a time when all attendees can be present (ie, do not make it optional – like lunch or business meeting or committee meeting or business meeting).
3. Regarding meeting content, the membership indicates that educational content is
the most important consideration. As a general guide, about $1,500.00 is available
per meeting for speaker and meal expenses. This funding is intended to allow recruitment of a keynote speaker from within or outside of NC with expertise on a topic. Please work with the NCMGA secretary/treasurer on a specific amount and for reimbursement of expenses.
4. In terms of educational content, members suggested choosing one of two approaches:
a. Choose a variety of topics so that there is something of interest for genetics professionals in various specialities (ie, prenatal, cancer, pediatrics, laboratories, business, etc…)
b. Choose to focus the meeting on a particular specialty so that there can be more in depth education in that area. If a center has recently chosen to focus on a particular specialty area, following centers should choose a different specialty or a more broad approach.
5. Please create an email message with the meeting time, place, directions and
agenda attached. Please include a name and contact information for someone at
your center to RSVP to regarding attendance. Please send this to the NCMGA secretary/treasurer at least 6 weeks before the date of the meeting and they will
send the information to the NCMGA listserve at least twice before each meeting.
A. If your hosting site is not in a central location in the state, please include information about a local hotel near the hosting site that you recommend and the contact information for the hotel. Consider requesting a conference rate from the hotel.
6. Please submit applications for continuing education credits to the NSGC and
CME credits to the appropriate organization when possible.
7. Please work with the secretary/treasurer to have name tags, a sign in sheet for
attendance, a copy of the email listserve addresses available for updating, the receipt book for registration and/or dues paid at meetings, copies of the meeting agenda and other supplies as needed for the meeting registration table at the start of the meeting.
8. Please create an evaluation form to be completed by meeting attendees at the end of the meeting. This will be required anyway if requesting continuing education credits, but will also allow us to solicit feedback about future topics and speakers of interest to the membership.
9. Consider planning or hosting a social event after the NCMGA meeting for those who would like to stay (a dinner out, a trip to a local museum or exhibit, etc…) to enhance social and networking opportunities.
