Responsibility

The General Chair ('Federal' Executive Function for each Edition): Controls matters devolved from operations and relating to the organisation and execution of a specific edition of the W4A conference.

As General Chair (GC) you have a number of responsibilities which ensure the smooth running of the conference (and you may choose to add some more if you think the conference will be served better by their addition). In general you should address the following responsibilities and work to the timeline (below) to make sure all of the logistical and domestic activities of the conference (not covered by operations) get done; and as you have more experience you should also prompt, advise, and make suggestions to the other chairs if they are having problems with, or need advice regarding, their roles and responsibilities.

The GC should invite Keynote speakers (the Programme Chair may have thoughts on this too), the conference normally has 1 per day. The GC should also assemble the programme for the Web-site / Digital Library / and Paper Proceedings and forward this to the W4A organisers. Collaborate with the Programme Chair on the Proceedings introductory text. The GC is responsible for considering other ways in which the conference experience can be enriched, and made more accessible to participants and also to those not present. For example, this would take a lead in exploring effective use of social networking tools - proposing suggestions in advance, and leading implementation of these at the conference.

The CG should prepare welcome and thank you e-mails to delegates and PC members and send this for distribution to operations. We are able to contact all past and present delegates, so e-mails can be sent as the General chair decides.

The GC should decide on and solicit the Session Chair rota for each session. The job of chairing sessions can be shared between the PC(s) and GC(s), with the Challenge Chair obviously chairing the Challenge session. The GC will provide the session times, and schedule the Keynote, Panel (if there is one), and Web Accessibility Challenge (the Programme Chair will schedule each paper into the available time allocated to technical sessions - 30 minutes (20+10) for technical papers and 20 minutes (15+5) for communications). The GC is to make sure that there is an effective process for ensuring question and answer sessions are conducted in an accessible manner - in particular to ensure that a microphone is available - and used! - by all participants asking questions to a speaker. The GC should define the policy based on available tech (e.g. is there a wireless mic that can be passed to a questioner, or do we require them to go to a mic stand to ask their question); the session chair can always make sure this is implemented for a particular session.

The programme timing will follow the breaks and lunch of the main conference - but you may overrun or start earlier - you need to send your start and finish times to the W4A Organisers. In advance, GC should make and bring 5 minutes to go, 1 minute to go, and STOP signs, and give them to someone in the front row to show to the speaker. The generic Introduction and Closing presentations should be modified for each year. These are in the operational area of the site, and should be modified in plenty of time before the conference starts. In these sessions, it must be explicit who says what and when (i.e what does the GC say, what does the PC say, what does the Challenge Chair say).

There is a balance between the 'surprise' element of giving best paper awards, and making sure the recipients will be there. The GC should decide whether to tell prizewinners in advance so that they are present at the ceremony. In addition, the GC should start the conference report process (with the Programme Chair) so that it is complete by the end of June of the year of the conference. Finally, the GC Add any Comments / Words of Wisdom / Suggested Procedural Changes / etc for the next Chair to this page.

The W4A conference is gratis; however flights and accommodation (and other expenses) are not paid.

Timeline 2011

All dates are the target FINISH dates.

• 30-Jun-2010 GC - Create Pre-Call Email Text (Send to Operations)
• 31-Jul-2010 GC/PC - Secure Day 1 Keynote (inform Operations for Website)
• 31-Jul-2010 GC/PC - Secure Day 2 Keynote (inform Operations for Website)
• 31-Jul-2010 GC/PC/CC - Create Call Email Text (Send to Operations)
• 30-Sep-2010 GC - Invite and Fix Advocates - Normally the Steering Committee (inform Operations for Website)
• 31-Oct-2010 GC - Solicit Both Keynote Biographies (inform Operations for Website)
• 31-Nov-2010 GC - Solicit Both Keynote Abstracts (inform Operations for Website)
• 31-Nov-2010 GC/PC/CC - Create Second (Updated) General Call (Send to Operations)
• 02-Feb-2011 GC/PC - Decide on Technical and Communications Awards (Forward Details to Operations)
• 13-Feb-2011 GC/PC/CC - Create Programme Including Proceedings Introduction
• 30-Mar-2011 GC - Email Participants Thanks
• 30-Jun-2011 GC/PC/CC - Prepare ACM Final Conference Report