AESS Conference Organization

This page is for the use of Conference Organizers who are interesting in obtaining sponsorship by the Aerospace & Electronics System Society for their conferences. It provides the approach and guidelines for planning a conference to be compliant with IEEE and AESS Policies on conferences.

A comprehensive source of current data on setting up, running, and closing out a conference can be found on the IEEE Website. Useful documents include:

IEEE Conference Application: the primary document to start an IEEE sponsored conference is the Conference Application. This document establishes the name of the conference, the date and venue, and the principal points of contact. No other planning and approvals can be initiated, including contract review and execution, until the application is filed with IEEE Conference Contracts.

Roadmap for AESS Sponsorship: Figure 1 depicts the process of defining and obtaining a TCS (Technical Co-sponsorship) with AESS. The guidelines are:

  • The TCS Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) process needs to be started 6 months prior to the conference.
  • Only a non-profit entity can obtain an IEEE TCS MOU.
  • AESS desires to have a direct and substantial involvement solely in the organization of the technical program.
  • The conference is encouraged to participate in the IEEE Conference Publications Program.

Financial Planning: In order for AESS to financially sponsor a conference, an approved budget is required, using the IEEE Financial site. The form for the budget should be initially sent to the AESS VP of Conferences to insure compliance with IEEE guidelines on conference finances. Once the budget is completed, the Conference Organizer will submit financial information to [email protected].

An AESS Financially-Sponsored conference can request a loan anytime during the planning cycle. However, this loan should be included in the conference budget and conform to the percentage participation by AESS. Upon request by the conference General Chair or Treasurer, AESS will approve the loan and contact IEEE Conference Services to process the request. The conference must repay all-conference loans within one month after the conference.

Conference Banking: A conference must set up a banking account dedicated to the conference. Both the General Chair and the Finance Chair must sign. IEEE Concentration Banking offers IEEE conferences a bank account with unlimited check writing privileges, which pays a higher rate of interest than traditional business checking accounts. It is optional but highly recommended.

Conference Publications Program: Both Financially Sponsored and Technical co-sponsored conferences should participate in the Conference Publications Program (CPP). The primary objective of the CPP is to include the papers in IEEE Xplore for the widest dissemination within the technical community.

For TCS conferences, the organizers have the option of assigning the ownership of the publications to IEEE or providing them on a non-exclusive basis.  In either case, a conference must accomplish the following steps to ensure the quality of the papers, and timely submission into IEEE Xplore:

  1. Completing and submitting the IEEE Conference Publication Form, which is required for inclusion in the IEEE Conference Publications Program (CPP). The CPP handles conference content acquisition and exclusive post-conference distribution for conferences sponsored and co-sponsored by AESS
  2. Ensuring adherence to the requirements outlined in the Letter of Acquisition received upon acceptance into the CPP.
  3. Working closely with the conference Technical Program to ensure that authors receive proper instructions for final paper submission.
  4. Determining if non-presented papers will be pulled from submission to IEEE Xplore. 
  5. Ensuring that the IEEE Copyright Form has been submitted with each paper to be published.
  6. Ensuring that papers are submitted according to the specifications addressed in Preparing Conference Content for the IEEE Xplore Digital Library.
  7. Guaranteeing adherence to guidelines and policies within IEEE Intellectual Property Rights including use of copyright, Master Brand/Logo, and trademarks.

Advertising the Conference:  To send an announcement to the entire AESS membership, use the IEEE e-Notice System here.  Click on "Submit an e-Notice for a Conference" and then follow the instructions.  Once submitted, the AESS VP of Conferences will be contacted for approval.