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On 12th November, 2016, IEEE Bangladesh Section organized the IEEE Region 10 mini POCO 2016 at the Zurich Conference Hall in Hotel Swiss Garden, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Envisioning the mission of POCO (Panel of Conference Organizers), the event was targeted to provide a world-class learning experience and discussion, from which the 40 participants could gather sufficient knowledge regarding the entire process of organizing a successful conference.
Initiating with a brief introduction from each delegate, the event was inaugurated with an opening speech from Prof. Dr. Shaikh Anowarul Fattah, Chair, IEEE Bangladesh Section and Prof. Md. Shorif Uddin, Conference Coordinator, IEEE Bangladesh Section and Program Chair, IEEE Region 10 mini POCO 2016. This was followed by the first keynote session led by Prof. Dr. M. Rezwan Khan, IEEE IA-S Distinguished Lecturer (Elect 2017-2018) and Vice Chancellor & Professor, United International University. Dr. Khan focused on the importance of forming different committees, where everyone is fully aware of all their roles/duties in conducting the various aspects of the conference. Furthermore, he talked about creating a visual outlook that specifies the theme, topics and tone for the conference, and the need to convey one’s standards/requirements in the Call For Paper (CFP) to ensure adequate quality control.
The keynote was followed by a series of technical sessions led by esteemed speakers from the IEEE Bangladesh Section Executive Committee; each of whom dissected the entire working principle of a conference and also elaborated upon the different committees, review processes, and the guidelines to follow and adopt while hosting a successful conference. Parallel discussions also focused on the organizing aspects to be considered for a conference – such as the financial and sponsorship management, registration procedure, audience management and attention economy, venue selection, the travel grants and rebates distribution, etc. Every session was followed by an open forum discussion on the covered topics and the event schedule itself was spaced out with periodic networking breaks, to allow room for greater communication and engagement amongst each other.
Following this, was the second keynote session led by Prof. Dr. Saiful Islam, Vice Chancellor & Professor, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. Dr. Islam shared his vast experience with the delegates, shedding light on crucial topics such as monitoring, reviewing through the different blind processes and the range of technical programs that can enhance the quality and effectiveness of a conference, for both authors and all other guests from academia and industry. Furthermore, he emphasized on the strong opposition one must have towards plagiarism, and the corresponding actions he/she can take to identify and address such cases.
The final arc of the program included an interactive group challenge, led by Prof. Dr. Shaikh Anowarul Fattah, Chair, IEEE Bangladesh Section and Mr. Abdullah A.S.H. Saki, Membership Development Coordinator, IEEE Bangladesh Section. Here, the delegates from the different universities spanning all across Bangladesh were grouped into mixed teams of 7, after which they had to propose a conference plan with their respective group members, within a specific timeframe. Once they did so, the floor was made open to all other groups to address any missing points or factors, that might have improved the arrangement of their proposed conference. Through this form of constructive criticism and unanimous team-based planning, this activity fostered collaboration, networking and critical thinking.
Finally, IEEE Bangladesh Section concluded the daylong program by thanking the delegates for their active participation throughout the different sessions. Furthermore, the keynote speakers were graciously thanked for their valuable time and efforts by small tokens of appreciation, particularly in the form of complementary 2017 Basic IEEE e-Memberships. This was followed by a final group photo.
IEEE R-10 miniPOCO 2016 Event Schedule:
| Time | Program | In Charge |
| 09:00 – 09:15 AM | Delegate Registration | – |
| 09:15 – 09:30 AM | Welcome Speech & Introduction by IEEE BDS Chair |
IEEE BDS Chair |
| 09:30 – 10:30 AM | Keynote 1 | Prof. Dr. M. Rezwan
Khan VC, UIU |
| 10:30 – 11:00 AM | Understanding the Target Audience and Demand
Which one is better: limiting areas or make it as broad as possible |
Dr. Abdur Rahman & Nafiz Ahmed Chisty |
| 11:00 – 11:15 AM | Networking Session 1 | |
| 11:15 – 11:45 AM | How to attract Local Industries, Organizations and Sponsors
Discussions on Industry-academic collaboration. Branding etc. |
Prof. Nurunnabi Mollah, Shihab Uddin |
| 11:45 – 12:15 PM | Role of IEEE in Conference Organizing
Discussion on the criteria and advantages available from IEEE section, region, central |
Prof. Shaikh Anowarul Fattah, Abdullah Ash-Saki |
| 12:15 – 01:00 PM | Choosing the Events and Activities
• Expectation of authors in technical issues beyond paper presentation in a conference • Technical Events that can enhance the quality of a conference: |
Prof. Abdul Goffar Khan and Chowdhury Akram Hossain |
| 01:00 – 02:00 PM | Lunch Break | |
| 02:00 – 02:45 PM | Keynote 2 | Prof. Dr. Saiful Islam
VC, BUET |
| 02:45 – 03:15 PM | Paper Handling and Developing Programs and
Proceedings and Legal issues • Review criteria to be chosen for accepting conference papers Plagiarism Check |
Prof. Shaikh Anowarul Fattah |
|
03:15 – 03:45 PM |
Managing your Conference finances
Budget, revenue, registration fees: what is the Balancing criterion? |
Dr. Md Abdur
Razzaque |
| 03:45 – 03:55 PM | Networking Session 2 | |
| 03:55 – 04:40 PM | Working your Conference from the bottom
Organizational factors determining the overall satisfaction of an author |
Dr. Mohammad Shorif
Uddin, Yeasir Arafat ,Nasimunnabi |
| 04:40 – 05:00 PM | Discussion (Open Forum) | Ex-Com |
| 05:00 – 05:15 PM | Closing Remarks & Certificate Awarding | – |
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