Call for Conference Planning Committee

The IDEC Board calls all IDEC members to participate in the Annual Conference Planning Committee.

Purpose

The IDEC National Conference is convened annually for the benefit of all IDEC members. Members attend the conference to improve their teaching, disseminate scholarship, to further the academic reach of interior design education, and/or to engage with colleagues across IDEC and with partner organizations. The planning committee works to create a conference that engages the broadest range of IDEC members possible while also making the conference financially viable.

Task force Charge

The Annual Conference is planned by the IDEC Board and this Committee in conjunction with the Executive Director. The Executive Director evaluates the financial feasibility of proposals and monitors the budget and expenditures of each individual conference.

Expected Commitment Of task force Members

In collaboration with the IDEC Board of Directors (BOD), the Executive Director (ED), and the local host(s), the IDEC National Conference Planning Committee will:

Long Term Goals

Address long-term planning items 3-5 years in advance of the conference:

  • Work with the ED to find optimum location options.
  • Work with the ED to align local hosts.
Mid Term Goals

Address mid-term planning items 2-3 years in advance of the conference:

  • Make a final decision on conference location 3 years in advance of the conference.
  • Work with the ED and BOD to create a budget plan for the conference in advance of signing a contract.
  • Select the conference dates.
Near Term Goals

Address near-term planning items 1-2 years in advance of the conference:

  • Align sponsors.
  • Align manufacturer showrooms for events.
  • Strategize special pre-conference and post-conference events such as workshops.
  • Select the keynote presenter.
Immediate Planning Goals

Address immediate planning items 0-1 year in advance of the conference:

  • Follow up on all items above.
  • Plan the details of the conference schedule: workshops, scholarship sessions, keynote presentation(s), off-site events, tours, etc.
  • Strategize conference communications and branding.

Committee Composition

IDEC strives to improve the inclusion of diverse voices throughout the organization so that more people can experience a sense of belonging with IDEC. To that end, committees should include members with the intent of maximizing diversity. This committee will strive to maximize its diverse voices in the following areas:

  1. Personal identity
  2. Professional identity

The committee will follow the IDEC “Policy for Selecting Volunteers for Committees, Task Forces, and Representative Appointments.”

Committee Appointments & Responsibilities

This committee does not have a formal limit on the number of members, but at least one member from each of the IDEC collaboratives should be on this Committee. The intent is to bring representatives from across IDEC to strategically plan conferences for the IDEC members in an efficient manner. The conference committee must reflect this diversity as much as possible while also making decisions with efficiency.

Each conference committee will convene in March at the annual conference to initiate the next planning cycle. This Committee includes the following Appointments with certain responsibilities:

1. The Co-Chairs will:
  1. Be the IDEC President and President-Elect at the time of the next upcoming conference.
  2. Produce the Call for Volunteers by January of each year.
  3. Organize the production of any reports.
  4. Call all meetings of the committee.
  5. Work with the ED and BOD on all issues related to budget.
2. Local Host(s) will
  1. Be local to the conference location.
  2. Be appointed by the Co-Chairs two years in advance of the conference.
  3. Act as liaison between the Committee and local stakeholders, including professional organizations.
  4. Engage local design educators and students to participate in the conference.
  5. Engage local vendors to participate in the conference.
  6. Plan local tours, events, and the charrette
3.Committee Members will:
  1. Represent the interests of the various members of IDEC:
    • See Committee Composition above.
  2. Plan with the best interests of the Teaching Collaborative, Scholarship Collaborative, Service Collaborative, and Regions in mind.
  3. Consider the fiscal ramifications of their recommendations.
  4. Attend meetings called by the Co-Chairs.
4. Management Staff Support will:

Support the committee with administrative tasks:

  • Maintain contact information for all committee members.
  • Create and host online meetings.
Track conference budget and expenditures.
  1. Produce financial reports.
  2. Conduct research on potential conference locations.

This Committee will work alongside Executive Director from the management company on nearly all aspects of conference planning.

Time Commitment & Calendar

The following describes the anticipated time commitment for Co-Chairs, Local Hosts, and Committee Members.

Co-Chairs:

Jan-Feb: 5 hrs/wk

March: 5 hrs/wk; Full workdays while at conf.

Apr-May: 1-3 hrs/mo

Jun-Aug: 1-2 hrs/mo

Sep-Oct: 2-6 hrs/mo

Nov-Dec: 2-5 hrs/wk

Local Hosts:

Jan-Feb: 1-2 hrs/wk

March: 1-2 hrs/wk; attend conf.

Apr – Aug: none

Sep-Dec: 1-4 hrs/mo

Committee Members:

Jan-Feb: 1-2 hrs/wk

March: 1-2 hrs/wk; attend conf.

Apr – Aug: none

Sep-Dec: 1-4 hrs/mo

The following list provides an overview of the major events, phases of work, and deadlines for this Committee:

March:

Execute the current conference; convene committee for the next conference; Board meeting at annual conference.

March – April:

Analyze financials from prior conference.

May-August:

Conduct long-term, mid-term, and near-term planning; focus on sponsorship development.

August – March:

Conduct immediate planning items.

July:

Report to IDEC BOD in preparation for Annual Retre

Sept:

Report to Finance

Monthly

Monthly remote meetings with Committee during slow periods

Weekly

Weekly remote meetings with Committee during busy periods

Weekly

Weekly remote meetings between Co-Chairs and Executive Director

Monthly

Monthly report from Co-Chairs to IDEC BOD and IDEC Foundation

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Thank you to IDEC Sponsors and Partners

© 2025 Interior Design Educators Council