Planning Guidelines

Organizational flow guidelines for Nursing theory conference management and planning team 

Drafted by Peggy Chinn, November 16, 2019

There are two entities involved in the annual nursing theory conference: a host School of Nursing passed along from year to year with about 3 years in advance commitment, and a Management team led by Leslie Nicoll and Peggy Chinn.  

• The management team (Leslie, Peggy, volunteers from past conferences, and volunteers from the host schools planned for the future) will plan the program, review abstracts, and make sure that plenary speaker(s) are secured with a mutual agreement related to modest speaker fees, travel expenses, etc.
• Members of the management team will develop the website for the conference – https://nursingtheoryconference.com/.  The site features information for the forthcoming  conference. After the conference, information for the current year will be archived as a record of past conferences, and the pages that provide specific conference details (e.g. registration, hotel, program, etc.)  will be revised to reflect the next conference. The basic information about forthcoming conferences will be announced at each conference and posted on the website. Planning for future conferences begins at least 2 years in advance.
• Leslie handles registration through her business, Maine Desk LLC. This  provides us with a list of interested stakeholders, which enhances our ability to reach future participants in the years to come. 
• Leslie works with the host school to coordinate the needs of the conference with the resources of the host school, and work out the cost details involved. Leslie and the host School leaders determine the registration fee, sponsorship arrangements, and the budget that will assure adequate coverage for all costs involved.
• For an in-person event, the host school will
  • confirm the dates of the conference (we expect this to be sometime mid-March to mid-April), with 2 full days devoted to the conference program.
  • secure the meeting space,
  • arrange for food services, 
  • work with Leslie to negotiate costs associated with meeting space rental and food services, 
  • secure an agreement with a local hotel for reduced conference room rates for conference attendees.
  • Plan and present the opening general session that highlights the historical significance of the site related to nursing knowledge development.
• For a virtual event, the host school will
  • Work with Leslie to set the dates for the conference (typically the 3rd week in March).
  • Set up any local activities for people who reside in the local area and are able to travel to the site.
  • Plan and present the opening general session that highlights the historical significance of the site related to nursing knowledge development.

This resembles how Leslie has managed the INANE nursing editors conferences (both in-person and virtual) since 2014 – except that we have not had host schools – instead we have had a host journal editor who assists with all local arrangements.  And, for INANE the meeting space has been hotel conference space, which adds a level of planning that we anticipate will be different with a host School involved.    

One other note on this approach – it  has a number of important “roots,” one of which is  the Peace and Power process derived from traditional women’s ways of working together and the 2nd wave of feminism. This approach is also reflected in “new power” movements worldwide. For more information, see the Heimans and Timms book – New Power: How Power Works in Our Hyperconnected World–and How to Make It Work for You