IFHTSE CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

The International Congress on Heat Treatment and Surface Engineering (the Congress) is serially numbered from 1981 when the present series began in Warsaw, Poland. Other conferences on specific themes, are also organised by IFHTSE member bodies.

IFHTSE also sometimes includes in its official annual programme some events organised by other bodies, which may not be IFHTSE members, on the basis of ad hoc agreements which generally follow these guidelines.

WHAT THE IFHTSE LINK OFFERS FOR THE CONFERENCE ORGANISER 

• The event is included on the IFHTSE official events list on the website and in the world calendar of conferences 
• All IFHTSE member organisations are asked to support the event positively 
• Special promotion of the event can be discussed 
• IFHTSE can usually help with address lists for promotion 
• Executive Committee members can be invited to use appropriate influence to enhance the programme
• Visibility for the member is improved, helping it to retain its own individual members, etc.
• Historical data can be supplied to aid planning and budgeting

IFHTSE SPONSORSHIP PROCEDURE

IFHTSE member bodies propose, through the Secretariat, to the Executive Committee (giving enough time for appropriate action) that they should, on behalf of IFHTSE, organise a given event. The proposal should contain, minimally:

• Date
• Location possibilities
• Subject(s) – when the proposal does not relate to the Congress series.

IFHTSE will assume that the organising association:

• Has organisational, management and administrative capabilities
• Has knowledge of the proposed location and facilities
• Can ensure the availability of hotel and other accommodation at a wide range of prices.

In addition, for an event in the Congress or Seminar series the candidate body must be able to provide:

• Facilities for the Annual General Assembly of the Governing Council
• Facilities for a meeting of the Executive Committee
• Facilities for meetings of one or more Groups (if requested in advance through the Secretariat)

Once the proposal has been approved, the organiser will:

• Set up a small management committee, which must include or have easy communication with, one or more members of the IFHTSE Executive Committee
• Appoint any other committees which the management committee may require

IFHTSE will also arrange for an Agreement to be drawn up formalising the procedural understandings.

THE TECHNICAL PROGRAMME

The best conferences usually contain a judicious combination of invited and offered contributions. Selection of offered contributions, and their allocation to oral or poster sessions, must be the clear responsibility of an appropriate group. Selection should be qualitatively based.

All authors must receive clear instructions and information from the organiser concerning the procedure and form of submission of the full text of their contributions.

Full texts or extended abstracts of all papers presented should be made available to all properly registered participants before the event or at check-in on day 1 of the event.

A list of participants should be available for each person registered.

The policy on open publication of the proceedings after the event, including pricing structure and shipping details should be discussed with the IFHTSE Executive Committee before the event (see also below).

CONFERENCE LANGUAGE(S)

The official languages of IFHTSE are English, French, German, and Russian. Historically, the main language of IFHTSE Congresses, Seminars, Governing Council, Executive Committee and Technical Committees has been English. The very high cost and frequently doubtful technical value of simultaneous interpretation has very much reduced the number of occasions on which more than one language is used at Congresses. The IFHTSE view is:

• Documentation will be in English and any other language(s) which the organisers may decide to be self-evident or economically possible
• Technical sessions will be conducted in English and any other language(s) which the organisers may decide to be self-evident or economically possible.
• Session chairmen with foreign-language capability should be distributed appropriately to aid discussion
• If the organiser is not an English-speaking body, English-language quality and accuracy should be checked (the Secretariat will do this at no charge).

PUBLICATION

It will always be assumed by IFHTSE, unless otherwise stated and agreed, that a proceedings volume containing all the work presented at a Congress or Seminar will be published, i.e. made available for sale on the open market, after the event in some hard copy or electronic format. In some cases, contributors may also wish to submit their work for publication in appropriate peer-reviewed or other journals. This, so far as IFHTSE is concerned, is entirely a matter for negotiation between the organiser and the contributor.

It will also always be assumed that each properly registered delegate to a Congress or Seminar will be issued with one copy of the papers to be presented, as part of the basic registration fee.

If the organiser has a wholly owned publishing arm, it will be assumed that it will carry out the necessary production and editorial work. If the organising society does not have a publishing arm, an approved publisher should be found to work under contract. A royalty is payable to IFHTSE treasury on net sales of proceedings volumes.

Whatever arrangements are actually agreed in a specific case, it is the responsibility of the host organising society to ensure the appropriate scientific and technical quality of the papers published in a proceedings volume.

REGISTRATION FEES

The Registration Fee should, if necessary, distinguish between:

The standard fee
The right to participate in the ceremonial sessions, the technical sessions (oral and poster), the receipt of texts of contributions, the receipt of all other standard documentation

Supplementary fee(s)
Participation in extra events such as works visits, post-conference tours, accompanying persons programmes etc.

The inclusion of social events in the standard fee is a matter for the discretion of the organisers; usually, it is desirable that all participants should attend a welcoming/get-together reception at the beginning. A conference banquet is regarded by many as an essential component but where the cost per head is significant, organisers may prefer to show it as a supplementary fee.

WHAT IFHTSE EXPECTS FROM THE ORGANISER

No registration fee for attendance at the working sessions or at any social or peripheral functions included in that registration fee will be payable by any of the following who may be attending and have properly completed registration forms: the IFHTSE President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer

A financial contribution to the IFHTSE Treasury calculated as one of:

• A total of 5% of the hard currency receipts from total registration fees.
• A specific sum proposed by the organiser and negotiated with IFHTSE Secretariat.

PROTOCOL

The President of IFHTSE, or his deputy if not attending personally, is Co-Chairman of the event

The formal opening ceremony should offer an opportunity for the President or his nominee to speak on behalf of IFHTSE.

Wherever practical, information documents and announcements should be sent in draft to the Secretary before issue.

LOGISTICS

Accommodation listed in registration documents should provide a range of price options and should be located as close as possible to the building in which the technical sessions will be held.

Where accommodation is more than 5-10 minutes walk away from the sessions building, transport should be provided or transport options fully explained.

Clear instructions on reaching the main location of the event by road, rail, and air should be provided.