Standard Venue Arrangements for W3C Events: Conferences, Workshops, and Meetings

Venue Requirements: Space, Internet, Audio Visual, Meals, Local Logistics and Contact Information

Meeting Facility Space, Services and Local Support

1. Meeting room: appropriate sized meeting room to accommodate estimated attendance +/- 20 (a traditional walled meeting room is preferable versus an open or common area
2. Seating: schoolroom seating works best for larger groups like an AC Meeting or a Conference with attendance greater than 50 attendees. U-shape or Hollow Square is preferred for working style meetings, Working/Interest Groups, etc.
   
3. Wheelchair accessible space to include venue entrance, meeting room, lunch room, registration area, and bathrooms
4. space at the front of the room for for a speaker panel (usually 2-4, 6 foot skirted tables with chairs)
5. Registration and break set-up: sufficient space for registration tables and meeting materials: name badges, folders, banners, and catering (three to five, 6 or 8 foot skirted tables)
6. Lunch space options: 1. separate room, 2. meeting room, or 3. facility cafeteria (separate room or reserved area in facility cafeteria are the preferred options)
   • cafeteria option usually requires coordination with facility manager in advance of the Event to organize reserved seating
   • it should be made clear whether lunch is provided by the host or self-funded by Event attendees, and payment options must be made clear in advance of the Workshop.
7. Local admin and/or facility support to handle all aspects of meeting setup/breakdown. It is helpful for someone to act as a local point of contact and to be available to accept catering deliveries, maintain a clean meeting area and handle any issues that may arise that require local assistance
   
   
8. Nice to have:
   • Private room for side-meetings and recruiting conversations.
   • Name badges to include attendee name and company affiliation.
     
     
9. Wireless Internet and Audio Visual
   • wireless internet for every attendee: W3C Systems Team bandwidth requirements
     • it would be very helpful if well-debugged written instructions for using the network were made available at the Workshop or sent in advance
   • electricity at every seat for laptops
   • appropriate sound system and number of microphones to accommodate speakers and audience q&a (speaker microphone, 1-3 microphones to accommodate panel speakers if needed, and 1-2 microphones for audience q&a)
   • appropriate lcd projector and screen to accommodate room size and attendance (75, 150, 300 etc.)
   • live steaming if deemed appropriate by Program Committee
     
   • audio visual on-site support or point of contact to report issues
   • flip charts and markers
   • other equipment deemed necessary by the Program Committee or requested by Speakers
     
     
10. Food and Beverage
    • Meal package frequently includes: 4 catered events
      • breakfast: coffee, decaf, tea with pastries and fruit one day and bagels and cream cheese with fruit another day for example (include low carb items)
      • mid-morning break: coffee, decaf, tea with bottled waters
      • lunch (buffet or boxed for example)
      • afternoon break: combination of hot/cold beverages: coffee, decaf, tea, and a variety of cold beverages with a light snack to include low carb items
    • Special Meals: Host to advise on whether special meal requests will be accommodated (allergies, kosher, gluten-free, vegan, etc.)
11. Local Hotels: If it is peak season during the Event, and local hotels expect to sell out, a guest room block may be appropriate (especially if there are limited local hotels).
    • Event Chair to work with local host to ensure attendees are informed of local hotel options and costs.
    • Event Host to advise.
      
      
12. Local Logistics Information - Getting to the Meeting Venue
    
    • closest international airport and surrounding airports
    • local hotel information to include corporate discount rates (if any): hotel name, address, telephone and uri
    • directions to the Workshop venue, google maps, etc.
    • ground transportation suggestions and details: taxi, bus, train, etc.
    • venue parking information to include availability and cost
    • a list of local restaurants would be extremely helpful
      
      
13. Venue Access and Security Policies
    • Are there any security check-in procedures at the Workshop venue? If so, explain.
    • Does the Venue require a list of registered participants prior tro the Workshop? If so, by what date prior to the Workshop?
    • Will workshop participants require building passes to enter the facility? If so, how will passes be distributed?
      
      
14. Accessibility for Meetings:
    
    • Live Captioning
    • Interpreting Services
    • Translation Services