New Event Model Summary
AIAA’s Goals in New Event Model
• Ensure our Institute is relevant to aerospace professionals
• Ensure our conferences integrate a spectrum of topics of interest to the
profession (technical disciplines, systems, policy, operations, etc.)
• Ensure our overall events provide meaningful professional development and
interaction opportunities to the broad aerospace community (conference
papers/presentations, networking, education, etc.)
• Ensure our events are financially viable (both for the attendee and for the
Institute)
• Ensure that our conferences are “must attend” events for all those in our
profession and can accommodate expansion into new technology and
program areas
AIAA wants to build on what works while providing an
opportunity for change that will facilitate growth
Brief History of Process Thus Far
• AIAA has been researching/studying ways to make
conference structure more viable for the long term
 Conferences are the majority revenue source for AIAA
 Only 5 of the 17 conferences are currently profitable
– SDM is #5 of 5
 Current trends show declining revenue and increased costs
 Surveys and studies also suggest that average age and
years of experience of conference attendees is increasing
– Membership among young professionals is down
Slides provided last week summarize AIAA’s study efforts and
proposed plan forward
• AIAA would like to combine SDM with Aerospace Sciences
Meeting into a new Forum called Aerospace Science &
Technology Forum
 Would be the primary discipline specific technical forum for AIAA
 Winter Time Frame (2nd week of January)
 Upcoming locations include Grapevine, TX, Orlando, and San Diego
• Proposal to be discussed in next TAC meeting and
brought to AIAA board in either May or July 2012
 If approved, colocation could happen as early as 2014
 Details of planning committee organization, plenary sessions,
etc. would need to be worked
– There are still many questions to answer on logistics
TAC has asked for TC feedback
• This is NOT a done deal
• However, AIAA is moving towards change of some kind
• TCs have been asked to provide constructive feedback
 What are lessons learned that could be applied?
– SDM is hailed as a model of an event with several colocated
conferences and forums that works well
 What are the potential pitfalls?
– Already recognize that year of combination would be a short timeline
for SDM
» For example, if combined in 2014, SDM abstracts would be due in early
June of 2013, as little as 6 weeks after the conclusion of the 2013 SDM
 Positive feedback also accepted
TAC has asked for TC feedback
• Provide feedback to Jeanette (jdomber@ball.com)
 Please, no group emails
 Bulleted lists of constructive feedback
– Emotional feedback with no rationale will not be passed up
 I will organize feedback into categories for AIAA
 Please email Jeanette by end of the day Sunday, April 29th
BACKUP
Committee Feedback Form (Due April 30, 2012)
• Structures TC
Aviation and
Aeronautics
Defense and
Security
Propulsion
and Energy
Science and
Technology
Space and
Astronautics
Plenary
N/A
N/A
N/A
O
N/A
Integration
N/A
N/A
N/A
O
N/A
Discipline
S
S
N/A
O
S
Tier
O = “organizer” – primary responsibility for Tier planning; actively engaged in track, session,
panel development and paper and speaker recruiting within Tier (note where yearly alternating
schedule might be desired)
S = “support” – review abstracts, provide other support as requested within Tier
N/A = “not applicable” – Forum Tier does not touch committee area of interest
O level on any Tier earns a seat on the organizing committee for the Forum
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