Pediatric Academic Societies

Pediatric Academic Societies’ Annual Meeting

Guidelines for Industry Sponsored Symposia

May 5–8, 2007 • Toronto, Canada

The Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) welcomes proposals from industry to present non-commercial scientific symposia during designated hours at the PAS Annual Meeting. Industry Sponsored Symposia (ISS) are educational programs supported by PAS exhibitors. These events are not part of the official scientific sessions as planned by the PAS Program Committee; nor are they endorsed by the PAS. These events are scheduled during time slots that do not compete with PAS programs or exhibit hall hours.

About the PAS

The ISS program is the exclusive venue available for educational programs by industry during the PAS Annual Meeting. Available times for ISS for 2007 are noted on page 2. No educational programs sponsored by any other organization/company or PAS approved alliance directed at the same audience may be offered over the official dates of the PAS Annual Meeting within 100 miles of the PAS meeting location. There are a limited number of time and space slots available.

CME Credit and Compliance with AMA and ACCME Guidelines

The PAS does not provide AMA-PRA Category 1 credit for ISS. Those wishing to hold symposia must obtain credit from another accredited CME provider.

All symposia must be held in compliance with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education’s (ACCME) Standards for Commercial Support of Continuing Medical Education. In addition, although compliance with the AMA’s Ethical Opinion on Gifts to Physicians from Industry is the responsibility of the individual physician, every effort should be made to ensure that PAS attendees are not put in a situation that would be considered a violation of these guidelines. Approval of proposed symposium will be based on these and other regulations as outlined below.

Upgrade your ISS with an Enduring Webcast NEW!

A webcast will be produced from your symposium and provides high quality, uninterrupted delivery of the slides with audio – helping maximize the users learning experience. The webcast will be linked from the PAS website, providing you corporate visibility and enabling you to reach a much broader target audience. The webcast will be hosted for a full 12-month period and an email announcement will be sent to all 2007 attendees when the webcast is released. Additional cost for the webcast is only $10,000, which, must be submitted with application.

Included in the fee is a royalty that will be paid to PAS for each webcast, supporting PAS in its educational goals and mission, plus providing you a better educational return on your investment.

Enduring Products for the ISS

In addition to the high-quality webcasts, Marathon Multimedia is able to provide you with the following products, to better disseminate your message to your target audience:

CD/DVDs – repurpose the live presentations on CD/DVD, and send it to as diverse an audience as meets your educational goals. Choose from multiple packaging options and designs to best represent your brand.
Monographs – editorial summaries of sessions written by leading medical writers. Select from multiple mailing options, full or single color and paper stocks. This professional piece will be custom-fit to meet your educational goals in addition to the recipients’ educational needs.

Marathon Multimedia is the EXCLUSIVE provider of enduring products for the 2007 PAS Industry Supported Satellite Symposium. Because of the partnership between Marathon Multimedia and PAS, we are able to provide special pricing on the enduring products. This will enable you to extend your educational reach with feature-rich products, while providing the best value for your investment.

For pricing of enduring product packages or further information: Scott Sether – Director of Society Sales ● 507.333.1067 ● ssether@marathonmultimedia.com

Application/Selection Process

ISS supporters must submit a completed application no later than December 14, 2006. Payment of the educational grant must accompany the application when submitted. Late applications will be considered on a case by case basis and as space permits.

An application will be considered complete when it includes:

Rationale for holding the symposium
Learning objectives
Complete agenda for the program, including proposed speakers and topics
Synopsis of program content for publication in the PAS programs
Complete application form with original signatures
Contact information for accredited CME sponsor of the symposium
Sample evaluation form
Description of how evaluation and CME credits will be handled on-site
Payment

The PAS Operating Committee and Program Committee Chair will review the application and determine its appropriateness based on the program’s scientific merit and audience interest.

Criteria for acceptance of a proposal include the following:

The topic is timely and of broad interest to the memberships
The topic meets ACCME guidelines and Standards for Commercial Support, and the content is free of commercial bias for or against any product
The proposed program is designated for CME credit by an ACCME accredited sponsor

To avoid appearance of conflict, current PAS Board, Council, Program Committee and PAS Alliance Board members may not be included as speakers or moderators for an ISS. All correspondence with ISS speakers, including honoraria and expense reimbursement, will be the responsibility of the organizer.

The sponsor will be contacted in writing regarding the committee’s decision approximately one month after review. Applicants may not contact reviewers directly to provide additional information or to check the status of an application. Once a program is selected and approved it CANNOT be changed.

Proposals should be submitted to Kathy Cannon, Associate Meeting Director, PAS Program Office, 3400 Research Forest Drive, Suite B7, The Woodlands, TX 77381.

Available Sessions

Industry Sponsored Symposia may be held on the following dates and times. There are a total of ten (10) sessions available.

Date	Session Time	# of Sessions Slots Available	Room Blocked
Saturday, May 5	6:00am – 8:00am	2	Friday, 4:00pm until 9:00am (one room) and Friday, 7:00pm until 9:00am (one room)
Sunday, May 6	6:00am – 8:00am	2	Saturday beginning at 2pm until Sunday 9:00am
Sunday, May 6	7:00pm – 9:00pm	2	2:00pm – 10:00pm
Monday, May 7	6:00am – 8:00am	2	Sunday beginning at 2:00pm until Monday 9:00pm
Monday, May 7	7:00pm – 9:00pm	2	2:00pm – 10:00pm

Regardless of the time the room is released to you for set up, your program (including registration, breakfast/dinner, etc.) must not begin prior to the start times listed above.

Administrative Fee

The fee for hosting an ISS is based on whether or not the commercial supporter will also be an exhibitor at the PAS 2007 Exhibition.

PAS Exhibitors: $20,000.00
Non Exhibitors: $25,000.00

Include Enduring Webcast – Additional $10,000 fee must be submitted with application.

Please see page 1 for additional opportunities for additional Enduring Product. This is a wonderful opportunity for at a very reasonable cost.

The fee is due at the time of application. Applications will not be considered if payment is not received. Checks should be made payable to the Pediatric Academic Societies. Full payment will be refunded if program is not accepted.

Cancellation Policy

The PAS must be notified in writing of the cancellation of an approved ISS. For cancellations received by the close of business on February 16, 2007, the PAS will issue a refund of 80%. No refunds will be issued for cancellations received after February 16, 2007.

Event Arrangements (Catering and Hotel Logistics)

ISS will be assigned by PAS staff to a meeting room at an official PAS hotel. Rooms will be blocked to accommodate sufficient set up time. Those scheduled for early morning sessions will have access to the room on the evening preceding the session. In some cases the room may be in use and set up may need to occur after 7:00pm.
All ISS must include a plated meal for dinner programs and plated or buffet for morning programs.
All ISS must be contained within the assigned meeting room and the assigned time frame.
The Symposium organizer is responsible for the arrangement of all details regarding room set up, catering arrangements, etc., and will deal directly with the hotel.
Symposia organizers are responsible for handling pre-registration and on-site management of the event.
No sales activities may take place and no promotional materials may be distributed in the session room or the registration area.
All expenses associated with room set up and clean up, food and beverage, audio visual, electrical, telephone, shipping, signage, etc. are the sole responsibility of the Symposium organizer. NO meeting room rental fee is assessed.
Symposium organizers are required to work with the Official PAS Audio/visual provider for the meeting. Audio Visual Management Group (AVMG) is the Official PAS AV Company. Please Contact Amy Goetz, AGoetz@avmg.com or 214-343-2864 for additional information.

PLEASE NOTE!!! A Single person must be designated as the contact for your company for all communications with PAS Office. PAS will then deal directly with that person throughout the planning process. THIS WILL BE STRICTLY ENFORCED.

Program/Promotional Materials

All promotional and program materials must be reviewed and approved by the PAS. Once approved, revisions and final materials must be submitted to the PAS in writing.
The PAS wishes to avoid any implication that ISS are planned, implemented or sponsored by the PAS. Promotional material may in no way mention the PAS, individual PAS partner societies or the PAS Annual Meeting. Phrases such as “presented during,” “presented in conjunction with,” “preceding” or “prior to” may not be used. This rule applies to materials developed for use before, during and after the conference.

· The distribution/display of any materials promoting an ISS is strictly prohibited in all public spaces of the event venue, convention center or other hotels, except as outlined below.

Promotional Opportunities

Advance Mailing To Pre-Registrants – Upon approval of your first promotional piece to be mailed, the PAS will provide one set of pre-registrant mailing labels at no cost. This list is approved for a one-time use only to promote the ISS. For subsequent mailings, additional copies of the PAS pre-registrant list will be available for purchase for $300.
Included in the PAS On-site Program Guide – PAS will list ISS, including a brief synopsis, in the On-site Program Guide.
Hotel Room Drops – The PAS offers an official distribution service that provides exhibitors with a means to distribute marketing pieces directly to hotel rooms. Hotel room drops will be allowed for symposia sponsors only through this service at the expense of the symposium organizer.
Exhibits - Booth representatives may distribute invitations, tickets, etc. from within the exhibit space assigned to the sponsor or commercial supporter of a symposium.
Signage – A total of two (2) promotional signs are permitted in the venue at which the symposium is being held. One (1) sign may be placed in public spaces of the event venue and one (1) sign may be placed at the door of the symposium room. No other signs are permitted. Sign dimensions may not exceed 24” x 36”. Signs may not be posted for more that 24 hours prior to the start of the event and must be removed no later than two hours after the event. Distribution of invitations, tickets, etc., promoting an ISS is strictly prohibited in all other public spaces of the event venue, convention center or other hotels.
Registration counters: PAS will provide space at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for representatives from your company to register attendees onsite. No additional cost to your company, however it is the company’s responsibility to provide name of representative and exact times representative will be available. Further details will be forthcoming at a later date. Cost of staffing is the organizers responsibility.

Program Follow-up

ISS sponsors must submit an evaluation summary report and final attendance list by June 1, 2007.

Violation Policy

The PAS reserves the right to restrict and/or dismiss at any time any event, topic, format or materials it deems inappropriate, in poor taste or offensive to attendees. By applying to host an ISS, you agree to adhere to the guidelines set forth by the PAS for Industry Sponsored Symposia. Any violation of these guidelines may result in the immediate dismissal of your company as an exhibitor or your program and the PAS reserves the right not to consider future applications for ISS submitted on behalf of any sponsor, credit provider or commercial supporter who has violated these guidelines. No educational programs sponsored by any other organization/company or PAS approved alliance directed at the same audience may be offered over the official dates of the PAS Annual Meeting within 100 miles of the PAS meeting location.

Consequences of non-adherence to PAS Policy

First violation: Written warning and/or banned from future PAS ISS programs

Second violation:Banned from future participation at PAS Annual Meeting Exhibitor an ISS

Timeline

January 31	Advertising: Onsite Program – commitment form due (optional)	April 10	Deadline for PAS approval of publicity materials
February 15	Payment Due for Advertising: Onsite Program Guide	April 12	1. Door Drop materials submitted to PAS for approval 2. Promotional flyer for registration counters due
February 16	Deadline for cancellations	April 16	Mailing lists must be used by this date
February 28	Registration at convention center participation (details to be sent at later date)	April 18	Publicity course materials, including handouts and speaker slides
March 1	Media materials due to Champion: Advertising, Onsite Program Guide	April 25	Door Drop materials received by Convention Communications
March 27	PAS will provide one set of mailing labels for pre-registrations for conference if requested (see form)	June 1	Summary of program evaluations and registration list due to PAS post conference
March 29	Audio Visual requirements due to AVMG

About the PAS

Application/Selection Process

Cancellation Policy

Program/Promotional Materials

Promotional Opportunities

Violation Policy

April 10

March 27

March 29

Convention Communications will:

Details: