Putting on your programme

The most important role for the Regional Society committee is to plan the programme of activities, agreeing topics and types of activity that will help to further understanding, awareness and interactions around OR in your region.

In practice, most Regional Society programmes consist largely of afternoon or evening meetings, each addressed by one or two UK-based speakers, held between two and four times a year. These events are free of charge to those attending (including those who are not members of The OR Society), any reasonable costs being paid out of the Regional Society budget.

The earlier in advance you can plan the programme, the easier it is for the prospective participants to get it in the diary. The ideal is a programme covering the rolling year in advance; even if at an early stage it is simply a diary date, with location, theme and full details following as they are determined.

You are encouraged to consider including a joint event each year, either with a Special Interest Group or a relevant external body (e.g. regional branches of other professional societies). You are also encouraged to consider whether virtual meetings can play a part.

If the venue has only a limited number of spaces, or if attendees need to be notified in advance to comply with the venue’s security or reception processes, then organisers will need to request advance registration. This can be done easily using Eventsforce or Meetup (The OR Society has a Meetup account, please contact amy.hughes [at] theorsociety.com for more details).

Templates for items such as advertising flyers, feedback forms, attendance sheets and signposts, etc. are available on the Regional Society’s basecamp page.

The society provides a number of administrative services which you may make use of, please contact the point of contact in the office. Services can include:

• Use of The OR Society’s logo in presentations and on promotional literature
• Production of publicity material
• Publicising on social media
• Production of name badges. If you are expecting more than a handful of people, these are recommended as they make informal networking a lot easier for shyer participants.
• A variety of literature and flyers that may be useful for visitors, especially those who are not members of The OR Society
  • Copies of Impact and InsideOR magazine
  • Flyers for forthcoming conferences
  • Membership literature
  • Flyers about qualifications such as CAP and other ORS activities

Alternatively, a Regional Society may wish to organise a virtual meeting (video conference / webinar) using our dedicated RS Zoom account (please contact RSandSIGadmin [at] theorsociety.com for more details).