|
Invitation
country co-ordinators | Download : MS
Word (119KB)
The PULMAN policy conference is starting to take shape. We have now come to the stage where we need you to pull together a strong delegation to represent your country at the conference. We have tried to make this as easy as possible for you. Below we present the six ingredients for cooking up a successful delegation from your country to the PULMAN conference!
0. The bare facts
1. Who to invite to the PULMAN policy conference
2. How to invite the delegates
3. Why should my invitees come to the PULMAN conference?
4. The financial chapter
5. Conference registration
6. Who do I contact with questions?
7. Material to use!
0. The bare facts (top)
Event
From a to @; learning from each other in e-Europe (working title)
A European Commission funded PULMAN policy conference
Venue
Tagus Park conference centre
Location
Oeiras, Portugal (near Lisbon)
Date
13-14 March 2003
Participants
200 selected high level policy makers and decision makers from libraries from 36 countries across the European continent
The conference is by invitation only!
1. Who do I invite to the PULMAN policy conference?
(top)
Each country delegation to the PULMAN conference consists of three people. This includes you, the country co-ordinator. Thus you can invite two other persons from your country to come to the conference.
The PULMAN policy conference is a high level policy conference focussing on the agenda for delivering innovative services to the public at local level. This means that you should invite the relevant minister or ministers in your country. This can mean that you invite the Minister of Culture because public libraries in your country fall under that Ministry. But since the focus is on service delivery, lifelong learning is an important topic. And this in turn may mean that the Minister of Education is a relevant person in your country. Or maybe your country has a Minister for Research and Technology? The work of PULMAN is at the forefront of new digital developments, so why not invite this Minister as well?
In addition to a Minister, you can invite a person who you see as a “mover and shaker” in your country. This means somebody who in your opinion is influential and active in the area of local public services in your country. This could be someone from education, cultural heritage sector, a local government body or the head of the library association.
To summarize:
1. The delegation from your country consists of three people.
2. One of these is you, the country co-ordinator.
3. We would like you to invite at least one relevant Minister from your country.
4. We would like you to invite a “mover and shaker”.
2. How do I invite the delegates?
(top)
Inviting your Minister(s): key tips
-
Keep it short and simple
Inviting Ministers is not an easy task. As you know, ministers are busy people and PULMAN will not be the only group seeking your Minister’s attention. The trick is to keep it short and simple, so that the Cabinet of the Minister knows straight away what it is all about. Avoid using jargon: ministers are generalists so they will not know the librarian’s language. You will need to explain the topic using language and terminology familiar to the minister..
-
“Know your enemy”
Your minister is of course not your enemy! But your chances of success increase when you know the hot topics that the minister(s) is currently dealing with. For example, lifelong learning might be on the political agenda. You will need to use your creativity to show how the PULMAN conference is relevant to the advancement of their lifelong learning agenda. For further inspiration: see “Why should my invitees come to the PULMAN conference?”
-
Speak, liaise, lobby, enjoy!
Use your network in approaching Ministers and other high level people. You will need allies to spread “word of mouth” publicity so that it is seen as an event not to be missed. We hope that this process will be enjoyable to you. If you succeed, it should help the cause of public libraries in your country.
When approaching busy, high level persons, such as ministers, a variety of means of contact should be used. For example, you may start with a letter or email, then follow up with a phone call.
Six steps for inviting your Minister!
You will need to match the steps suggested below with the political culture and protocols of your country. For example, you may need to make the invitation via your mayor or another person.
Of course the same steps can of course be used to invite the other delegate from your country.
In any case: be pro-active and don’t be shy. The success of the conference depends on you!
1. Who are the relevant Ministers in my country?
Some of you have already found out in response to an earlier question from Rob Davies. The Minister who is most obviously relevant is the one responsible for public libraries. But there are other key relationships with other fields such as research and education. Please take a look at the draft programme under
“Which material can I use?” to identify the relevant minister(s) in your country.
2. Who do I know?
Having identified the relevant minister(s), you should ask yourself who do you know in the this Ministry. For example, do you know a secretary of a department? Or do you have a friend who is a policy maker within the Ministry? Or does a friend, or a relation have links with the department? Or maybe your manager has a strong network? If the answer to one of these questions is yes, then use these contacts by asking them who is the best person within the Ministry to contact. And how to present your information in the right way. Maybe your contact will allow you to refer to them in further contacts with the Ministry. Such an internal reference may help!
If you do not have a contact in the relevant Ministry(ies). then you need to start phoning round NOW to find your way into the Ministry!
3. What am I going to say?
What you say once you get in touch with your contact about the PULMAN policy conference is crucially important. You need to be able to tell your story and to say “what’s in it for them” in three sentences. Put your message in the simplest possible form. For example, “I would like to invite the Minister to attend the PULMAN policy conference.” Say what is in it for them. In other words: tell them why they should come. And, last but not least, know the facts: the date, the location, the programme etc. This will enable you to quickly get across a for a sense of what the conference is about. For information on accommodation, travel etc. please refer to section 4 “what about money”.
4. Getting the invitation out
After your phone call to check who to contact within the Ministry, we suggest that you contact this person direct to announce that the invitation for the Minister is on its way. Under “Which documents can I use” you will find a draft letter of invitation. Send it immediately after you have made contact. It gives a very good impression if you say “The invitation will be sent by post today” and because or your meticulous planning it is!
5. Follow up: yes/no
Follow up on your invitation. Despite all the trouble you have gone to so far, your Minister or contact person may still not respond to your invitation. If you have not had a response two weeks after you have sent the invitation, make further contact. Find out what has happened to the invitation.
This will result in two possible scenarios.
A. The Minister accepts!
This is cause for celebration! You either get on the phone or e-mail to
Margo de Groot. We will then discuss the travel schedule etc. And of course we will celebrate this success!
B. The Minister declines!
If, despite your efforts your minister(s) answers “no” it is not the end of the road! It simply signals that you have to move to the next level below. In the letter (see “Which documents can I use”) you have already asked the minister to pass the invitation on to the next relevant person within the Ministry. In case they have declined, you should ensure that the invitation is indeed passed on. You have to steer this “passing on” as much as you can. Invitations often get lost on desks. So be pro-active and ask to whom the invitation is being passed and when you can expect an answer. If that person also cannot come, you have to ensure that the invitation continues to be passed through the ranks of the Ministry.
Your task is to find somebody who will represent your country effectively.
6. Keep us informed
Thirty six countries belong to the PULMAN network. The policy conference is the key final event for PULMAN. It is a joint effort. So should you have any questions, problems or solutions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Let us know how the process in your country is going in your country and how we can assist you in guiding it!
3. Why should my invitees come to the PULMAN conference?
(top)
Of course it is obvious that the PULMAN conference is not to be missed! but should there be any doubt, one or a combination of the following arguments will help you to make your case..
-
The Portuguese Minister of Culture is inviting the participants to the conference.
-
The PULMAN conference, supported by the European Commission IST programme, is one of the key events in 2003.
-
The PULMAN conference is the opportunity to be informed on cutting edge developments in local services which support lifelong learning, democracy and citizenship in e-Europe, underpinning key economic and social policies for an e-Europe.
-
The PULMAN conference promotes the co-operation of institutions such as public libraries, museums and archives at the local level to deliver high quality, modern and innovative services to the public. In other words: the PULMAN conference will provide the Minister both with strategic information on the role of cultural heritage institutions in developing e-Europe and with concrete examples of translating strategy into good practice.
The PULMAN conference is an opportunity to find out where 36 European countries stand on local services within the e-Europe context. The countries are: Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Moldova, , Norway, Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Russia, , Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden Turkey, Urkaine and the United Kingdom, Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro)
-
The conference will be attended by high level delegates from Europe’s most influential sectoral institutions and associations.
-
The conference will be held in Portugal. Portugal was chosen out of 26 European countries because of its impressive track record in contributions to the Information Society agenda. As a venue, Tagus Park was chosen because it represents the Portuguese vision for the future thus reflecting the future oriented agenda of PULMAN.
4. What about money?
(top)
Please click to see our offer:
I am a PULMAN Country co –ordinator
I am a PULMAN partner
I bring delegates from my PULMAN country
I am a PULMAN XT Country co-ordinator
I am a PULMAN XT partner
I bring delegates from my PULMAN XT country
-
I am a PULMAN country co-ordinator
This information is ONLY for PULMAN country co-ordinators who have a subcontract with Antwerp.
Item Funded by: Antwerp
Flight 100%*
Accommodation 100%**
*Flight: You must book the cheapest possible flight. This will probably mean buying an APEX ticket thus staying in Portugal until Sunday 16 March 2003.
**Accomodation: the accommodation will be booked for you. When you register for the conference, you will receive details of your hotel. Please register for the conference as soon as possible to help with the smooth organisation!
Transport from the hotels to the conference venue is generously provided by Oeiras Municipality.
The conference dinner is generously provided by Oeiras Municipality.
The conference lunch is provided.
At the conference you will receive a form to claim your expenses and flight costs. Unfortunately, we cannot give any advance payments. However, if you complete the claim form correctly and attach the relevant documents, We will ensure swift payment of your costs.
Please keep your flight tickets & boarding cards for your cost
claim.
-
I am a PULMAN partner
Item Funded by: your own budget
Flight 100%
Accommodation* 100%
Expenses 100%
In short: everything is allocated within your own budget.
* Accommodation: for logistic reasons your accommodation will be booked for you. Upon your registration for the conference, you will receive details of your hotel. Please register for the conference as soon as possible to help with the smooth organisation!
Transport from the hotels to the conference venue is generously provided by Oeiras Municipality.
The conference dinner is generously provided by Oeiras Municipality.
The conference lunch is provided.
-
I am a Virtual Advisory Board member
Item Funded by: Antwerp
Flight 100%*
Accommodation 100%**
*Flight: You must book the cheapest possible flight. This will probably mean buying an APEX ticket thus staying in Portugal until Sunday 16?? March 2003.
**Accomodation: the accommodation will be booked for you. When you register for the conference, you will receive details of your hotel. Please register for the conference as soon as possible to help with the smooth organisation!
Transport from the hotels to the conference venue is generously provided by Oeiras Municipality.
The conference dinner is generously provided by Oeiras Municipality.
The conference lunch is provided.
At the conference you will receive a form to claim your expenses and flight costs. Unfortunately, we cannot give any advance payments. However, if you complete the claim form correctly and attach the required documents, we will ensure swift payment of your costs.
Please keep your flight tickets & boarding cards for the cost
claim.
-
I will bring delegates from my PULMAN country
For the moment, we will offer what we can guarantee, but we are working to improve the package. We will swiftly alert you if and when the offer can be extended.
Accommodation
We can guarantee 2 nights hotel accommodation for your delegates. Should your Minister accept the conference invitation, then we will in co-operation with you, seek to arrange accomodation with the embassy of your country.
Transport from the hotels to the conference venue is generously provided by Oeiras Municipality.
The conference dinner is generously provided by Oeiras Municipality.
Travel
Currently we cannot offer a travel grant to the delegates of your country. If travel grants at any point in time become available, then they will be offered to the following countries:
Bulgaria
Czech Republic
Estonia
Greece
Hungary
Latvia
Lithuania
Poland
Romania
Slovak Republic
Slovenia
-
I am a PULMAN XT Country co-ordinator
download
document
-
I am a PULMAN XT partner
download
document
-
I bring delegates from my PULMAN XT country
download
document
5. Conference Registration
(top)
Please send your registration to pulman@nblc.nl.
Subject: Conference registration
Name:
Organisation:
Address:
Country:
Zip code:
Telephone number:
Fax number:
E-mail address:
Web site:
Function:
I
would like to go to workshop (make a possibility to tick a box
after
every option, so that people can indicate their preference):
1 Democracy and Citizenship
2 Economic and Social Development
3. Lifelong learning
4. cultural diversity
Relation to PULMAN network (tick box)
I will participate in the conference dinner yes/no
Dietary wishes e.g. vegetarian:
I will participate in the conference lunch: yes/no
Dietary wishes e.g. vegetarian:
6. Who do I contact with questions?
(top)
Registration: Margo de Groot
(pulman@nblc.nl)
Accommodation: Maria Jose Teixeira
(mtexeira@cm-oeiras.pt)
Conference programme: Margo de Groot
pulman@nblc.nl
Phone: +31 70 3090615
Financial questions: Margo de Groot
pulman@nblc.nl
phone: +31 70 3090615
Invitations:Margo de Groot
pulman@nblc.nl
Visa requirements: Maria Jose Teixeira
(mtexeira@cm-oeiras.pt)
Tourist information on Portugal: Maria Jose Teixeira
(mtexeira@cm-oeiras.pt)
7. Material to use (top)
Here we will put:
Draft conference programme
Executive summary
|
