New Event Model – Rationale for Change

Basil HassanVice President for Technical ActivitiesJanuary 8, 2012

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The need for change …

• Our profession is evolving and AIAA must change with it• More emphasis in the industry on integrating systems and

disciplines. AIAA must be in a position to support these growth areas

• Our membership numbers are in slow decline and we are not retaining membership in the young professional ranks

• Our conferences have evolved to more focused events that only attract a portion of the aerospace community

• Many in our profession, primarily those in industry (who make up nearly half our membership), do not find our current conference offerings relevant to their jobs

What would you like to see changed…? (Top 3 responses)

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Feedback from Surveys: Past Attendees

What would you like to see at AIAA events? (Top 4 responses)

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Feedback from Surveys: Non-Attendees

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The need for change …

• … and at the same time Recent attendance at conferences is either down or

stagnant. No significant growth! Government funded R&D (in academia, government labs,

and industry) is also in decline due to cuts in federal spending.

Discretionary dollars used for travel are at a premium. It is no longer feasible to attend 3-4 focused conferences a year. Some organizations have a hard time justifying going to a single conference!

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Exercise

• What was your first job as an aerospace professional?

• What was the first AIAA conference you attended?• Which conference(s) (AIAA or non-AIAA) is the

most relevant to your current job?• Will AIAA’s current set conferences address your

needs as you grow as an aerospace professional?

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Our goals for today’s workshop

• 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

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A Message from our President-Elect

“Hi. I wish I could be with you for this Technical Activities Committee (TAC) Workshop, but that’s not possible on this occasion. AIAA presidents come and go, but TAC is an enduring feature of our Institute. What I would ask of you is the recognition that, if AIAA itself is to endure, we must adapt to the times and to the needs of the aerospace profession as it is today, not as it was when we were all younger. The TAC leadership and others have ideas on how we might go about this, but they need not just your support, but your active support and your own ideas on how to make it better. Please let that be your goal for the day, and the future.”

Mike Griffin, AIAA President-Elect

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Your participation is critical

• Be a part of the process• Keep an open mind• Focus on the broader picture• Think about our future, not just our past• Help the AIAA leadership decide the best

path forward to make our Institute the best we can be for our profession

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Path Forward after the Workshop

• Tiger Team will …• Collect the feedback from the workshop and

other interested parties• Refine the best conference models, ensuring

they have the desired characteristics and can integrate with other activities of the Institute

• Recommend a desired conference model and develop a transition plan for implementation

• Get concurrence from stakeholders

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Backup Charts with data

Membership Trends

NOTE: • FY02 and FY10 dues increase years

01 Sept 02 Sept 03 Sept 04 Sept 05 Sept 06 Sept 07 Sept 08 Sept 9-Sep 10-Sep 11-Sep0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

Number of Professional Members

Total MembersUS MembersInternational

Member Breakdown by Age

20-2910% 30-39

16%

40-4921%

50-5923%

60-6915%

70-799%

80+6%

NOTES:• Median age = 51 • 17% of the members are young professionals (age 35 and younger)

Attendance Trends for TC Events

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NOTES: • Used annual conferences to normalize for variance in number of

events organized per year.• Gold line represents trend.

FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY114600

4800

5000

5200

5400

5600

5800

6000

Full Paid Attendance

# Ful

l Paid

Atte

ndee

s

Attendance Trends by Event

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FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY110

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

Annual TC Events Over 500 Attendees

ASMJPC/IECECSPACE 20XXGNC et alFluids et alSDM et al

# Ful

l Paid

Atte

ndee

s

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Attendance Trends by Event

NOTES:• Many small events are on a non-annual schedule.• Co-locations of small events have been variable over the years

(e.g., LTA has met with ADS and ATIO at different times)

Hyperso

nics

Infotec

h@Aero

ATIOMAO

Aeroaco

ustics

Deceler

ators

Strat T

ac

Missile Scie

nces

Weapons S

ystems

050

100150200250300350400450

TC Events Under 500 Attendees

FY05FY06FY07FY08FY09FY10FY11

# Ful

l Paid

Atte

ndee

s

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Exhibit Trends by Event

FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY110

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

Size of Exhibits

ASMFluidsJPCSpace

Squa

re F

oota

ge S

old

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TAC’s Financial Contribution: To Institute

NOTES: • Technical Activities is a profit center for the Institute, providing

additional funds to cover other services to our members.• Institute includes Aerospace America, Corporate Membership,

Communications (branding, advertising, web), and Awards Gala.

Educa

tion

Publications

TAC

Standard

s

Member S

ervices

Institute

Internati

onal

Public Policy

($3,000,000)

($2,000,000)

($1,000,000)

$0

$1,000,000

$2,000,000

$3,000,000

Net Margin by Area (FY11 Results)

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TAC’s Financial Contribution: By Product

TC Events Vended Events Papers Products (post-event)$0

$200,000$400,000$600,000$800,000

$1,000,000$1,200,000$1,400,000$1,600,000$1,800,000

Net Margin for Technical Activities Products

NOTES:• Events consist of the revenue and expenses associated with the meeting,

papers, and exhibits for that event. • “Papers Products” consists of Subscriptions and Archive sales that are

not tied to a specific event and are marketed as a separate product. • “TC Events” are AIAA events where TCs and PCs develop program.• “Vended Events” are those that AIAA organizes on behalf of a government

client such as NASA, FAA, and Missile Defense Agency.

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TAC’s Financial Contribution: By Component

Meetings Papers Sponsorships Exhibits($200,000)

$0

$200,000

$400,000

$600,000

$800,000

$1,000,000

$1,200,000

Net Margin by Event Component

NOTES:• Overall Meetings break even or lose money. Positive net from

some larger meetings compensates negative net from other meetings. TC Events positive net relies on associated products.

• Registration fees cover costs of meeting and papers but sponsorship and exhibits are separate budgets.

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FY11 Net Margin by Event: Meeting Only

NOTES:• Net Margin includes only the meeting component of the

event, and excludes papers, sponsorship, and exhibits.• Asterisks indicate meetings not held during the fiscal year

but had labor and allocation charges.

ASM

JPC+IECEC

Miss. S

cience

sSpa

ceSDM

AeroTech

*MAO*

WSE

ICSSC*

Hyperso

nics

Aeroaco

ustics

ADSFluids

GNCATIO

Infotec

hICES

($80,000)

($60,000)

($40,000)

($20,000)

$0

$20,000

$40,000

$60,000

$80,000

$100,000

Net Margin by Meeting Only (FY11 Results)

Registration Fee Comparison

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Organization Registration Fee Range

Registration Structure

IEEE $350-950 2 tier structure, includes 3-5 lunches and 1-2 dinners

ASME $400-895 3 tier rate structure, includes 2 lunches and 2 receptions

ASCE $525-995 3 tier structure, includes 1-2 receptions and 1-2 dinners

AICHE $640-995 2 tier structure

AIAA $655-1245 3 tier structure, Includes 1-3 lunches and 1 reception

SAE $695-1695 Includes 2-3 lunches and 1-2 receptions

Space Foundation $1295-1795 3 tier structure, catered functions not included

NOTES:• All organizations have different business models, which impact registration fees• Most organizations include proceedings in full paid registrations if a papered

conference• AIAA offers very low student rates compared to other organizations• AIAA provides access to catered events to Retired Members who register• All AIAA conferences are planned by professional staff• Some organizations rely on volunteer labor to organize events• Not all organizations include membership in non-member fees

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Impact of Event Size

NOTE:• Sold lines represent real data from FY11; dashed lines represent estimated

data.

Cost Breakdown Per Attendee

Labor/attendeeDirect cost/attendeeNet margin/attendee

Number of Full Paid Attendees

$500

$400

$300

$200

$100

$0

($100)

($200)

($300)

500 1000 1500 2000 2500 30000

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The top 3 aspects of events most valuable to you (Top 3 responses)

Feedback from Surveys: Past Attendees

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