Annual Meeting Audio/Visual Equipment Terms and Conditions

Audio/Visual equipment costs for the meeting directly impact the cost of the meeting to all attendees, not simply to presenters. Approximately only 10% of presenters utilize AV (the total number of presenters account for 35% of the meeting registrants). Therefore, costs associated with AV, which consistently exceed $100,000, account for over 10% of overall Annual Meeting costs, yet they derive from less than 4% of Annual Meeting attendees. While some members have identified AV as an important tool for the modern professional meeting, its usage obliges us to make every effort to keep these costs to a minimum.. In order to manage these costs, AV equipment requests for the Annual Meeting can be accommodated at no charge through June 30. To help us keep the meeting affordable for all members, it is important that presenters consider carefully what equipment is essential to their presentation and request only such equipment. Also, equipment has been limited to LCD (data) projectors and Overhead projectors. Other equipment may be available through SBL's AV equipment vendor and is the sole responsibility of the person requesting such equipment to pay associated fees.. Requests and Changes after June 30 Please note: If a presenter requests AV or makes changes to a prior request after June 30, he or she will be charged a $100 fee per request. Payment is due at the time of request. After September 30, all new AV requests will be directed to SBL's AV vendor for direct payment. Presenters will have from the time they submit their proposals through June 30 to request AV equipment-a period of five months. This period should provide ample time to determine one's AV needs. Moreover, any requests or changes after June 30 impact room assignments and may drive up costs by compounding the number of rooms in which AV equipment is needed and by entailing significant administrative time. Room assignments are determined partially by requested AV equipment. SBL optimizes the number of rooms that need AV and places only sessions with appropriate requests into the rooms set with equipment. Late requests require additional equipment, which drives up costs. The later the requests come in, the more it costs the SBL-that is, you and other members-overall. Please be aware of these costs and their impact on the costs of the meeting to attendees. We need your help to keep the meeting affordable for all.