Conference Registration

Online Registration Management Using Cvent, the ACM Registration Vendor

Once the hotel contract is executed, the committee may request a Cvent account for conference registration. ACM has a company account with Cvent, allowing ACM to negotiate special rates and a direct billing process. The committee will select one of the options below for their event registration account. Please contact Executivevents with your option and template at [email protected].

OPTION 1 SITE BUILD
Executivevents will:
Determine template to be used and send site build form to volunteer Update registration types (Member, Student Member, Non-Member, etc.) Create and test ACM Membership authentication path Update logo/banner on registration site, invoice, and confirmation email Update site with general event information (dates, location, description, etc.) Restructure summary page with Member/Non-Member registration buttons Update all required ACM questions with most recent ACM approved language Add up to (2) registration options and up to (2) sessions, workshops, and/or add-on items, if applicable Add item description for up to (2) registration options and up to (2) sessions, workshops, and/or add-on items, if applicable Assign the appropriate registration types to the registration options, sessions, workshops, and/or add-on items Add pricing (including pricing deadlines) for up to (2) registration options and/or up to (2) sessions, workshops, and/or dd-on items Add refund policy logic for up to (2) registration options and/or up to (2) sessions, workshops, and/ or dd-on items Add correct payment methods, payment instructions, payment consent question, etc. Ensure correct payment portal is selected based on currency being processed Update "from" email address in confirmation emails Add cancellation policy and terms & conditions to confirmation email and payment page Create log-in credentials and account email address Send email to volunteer leader with Cvent Procedure Manual, ACM Guidelines (required fields), and link to Cvent Support
Volunteer Leader will:
Make all necessary updates and/or additions to the registration options, sessions, workshops, tutorials, and/or add-on items Make all necessary updates and additions to pricing (including pricing deadlines), cancellation policy and terms & conditions Update confirmation email, as needed Add hotel information (if applicable) to confirmation email Create discount codes Update look and feel, as needed Add additional non-ACM related questions Update descriptions (for the general event info, registration options, workshops, sessions, etc.) Test registration site, complete edits, and launch the site
Fees:
Credit card processing fees of 4.5% Per attendee fee of $4.00/registrant $50 for each additional login credential Option 1 build fee $550 Additional edits after second round, or after site has been turned over to Conference Organizer-$100 per hour ^{Rates as of December 1, 2023}

OPTION 2 SITE BUILD

Executivevents will:

Complete all items included in an Option 1 Site Build
Determine template to be used
Send site build form to volunteer
Build site in Cvent based on the template chosen below
Send link to volunteer leader to test registration site
Provide two rounds of edits and updates to the registration site
Create log-in credentials and account email address
Send email to volunteer leader with Cvent Procedure Manual, ACM Guidelines (required fields), and link to Cvent Support

Volunteer Leader will select template:

-Registration site build based on Template 1: $650

(Full Conference Including Optional Items-No Workshops, Tutorials or Sessions)

-Registration site build based on Template 2: $750

(Full Conference Including Optional Items -Workshops, Tutorials or Sessions)

Fees:

Credit card processing fees of 4.5%
Per attendee fee of $4.00*/registrant
$50 for each additional login credential
Template Fee $650-$750/based on template selection
Additional edits after second round, or after site has been turned over to Conference Organizer-$100 per hour

^{*Rates as of December 1, 2023}

_{Which currencies can Cvent process registration in?}

The committee has the option of processing registration in USD, Euros, Canadian Dollars, and GBP.

_{How does ACM receive the registration funds?}

Cvent transfers the conference funds to ACM’s USD or Euros account as appropriate, and the funds are credited to the conference in-house bank account.

_{Some of our attendees might need to pay for extra proceedings pages. Is this something Cvent can handle?}

The site can handle payments for other conference related services, such as extra pages of proceedings, banquet tickets, and even merchandise.

_{How are name badges provided to our attendees?}

Cvent offers an option to print name badges for free. Most conferences opt for this money saving option and purchase badge supplies (lanyards and badge holders) at an office supply store.

_{We’re getting close to the hotel cutoff date and our registration numbers are a bit low. Is there anything ACM can do to help us increase our registration?}

You can contact your Conference Operations Liaison for assistance with advertising. They can request relevant SIG’s to send out a Call for Participation via an email blast to their listservs. They can also run the CFP in ACM MemberNet.

_{An attendee informed me that his company requires a letter as proof of conference attendance. Is this something we can provide them with?}

With verification from the Chair, your Conference Operations Liaison can draft a letter for the individual on ACM letterhead.

_{What should our early registration deadline be?}

To take advantage of the best hotel pickup and avoid attrition penalties, we suggest having the early registration deadline coincide with the hotel booking cutoff date.

_{Does Cvent accept registrations from all countries?}

Yes. Cvent does not have any country restrictions.

Conference Accessibility

In compliance with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) ACM strives to make as accessible as possible and provide reasonable accommodations so individuals with disabilities can fully participate.

ACM recommends including the following in the conference registration form in order for organizers to prepare for reasonable accommodations. The committee should follow up with the attendee requesting the accommodation to clarify their needs.

Sample Question:

Do you require any of the following in order to participate in the conference?

Interpreter
Note taker
Assistive listening device
Captioning
Large print
Braille
Description (for slides, overheads or videos)
Wheelchair accessibility
Orientation to facility
Special dietary needs. Please describe:
ADA accessible hotel room
Other not listed:

Please indicate if any of the following apply:

A service animal will be accompanying me
An assistant will be accompanying me
I require an electronic program / electronic proceedings

*A reasonable accommodation must be offered. For example, a braille menu would not be necessary if someone is willing to read the menu to the attendee.

For more information about how to create an accessible conference SIGACCESS (Special Interest Group on Accessible Computing) has a dedicated page on their website on how to plan an accessible conference.

Registration and ACM Policies

Registrants need to be made aware of two policies when registering for an ACM event: the ACM Privacy Policy and the Policy Against Harassment at ACM Activities. Links to these policies have been built into the Cvent template and should never be modified. However, if the committee is using a registration service other than Cvent, a link to each policy and the following language must be included on the first page of the registration form:

In participating, I acknowledge ACM's Policy Against Harassment at ACM Activities and agree that behavior such as the following will constitute grounds for actions against me:

Abusive action directed at an individual, such as threats intimidation, or bullying
Racism, homophobia, and other behavior that discriminates against a group or class of people
Sexual harassment of any kind, such as unwelcome sexual advances or words/actions of a sexual nature

If you are involved in or witness any such incident, please inform the event organizers.

In participating, I acknowledge ACM's Privacy Policy and agree to release/not release my information per the following:

Postal Mail Opt-In: ACM occasionally makes its conference attendee lists available to companies and other societies for IT related mailings. Please check the box below if you do not wish to share your mailing information.

Please do not release my postal address to third parties

E-mail Opt-In: ACM does not sell, rent, or exchange email addresses of its members, conference attendees, etc. Conference attendees have the option of receiving announcements about new, improved and updated products and services available through ACM. Please check one of the following which will apply to the appearance of your name on those lists:

Yes, please send me ACM Announcements via email
No, please do not send me ACM Announcements via email

_{Is ACM Privacy Policy compliant with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)?}

Yes, ACM privacy policy meets the GDPR requirements.

Registration and ACM Sanctions Database

Conferences not utilizing the ACM CVENT account, are required to upload a copy of the conference attendee list on a weekly basis to the ACM Sanctions Database. If there are any matches against the ACM Sanctions Database, the conference organizers (those listed as Conference Chair(s) or Co-Chairs, Program Chair(s), or Program Co-Chairs) will be contacted by ACM Advocate.

ACM’s pledge to conduct all its activities with utmost professional and ethical standards has resulted in the adoption of several key policies, including this requirement. Uploading weekly registration lists ensures all registrants to your event are permitted to attend and participate in ACM activities.

Detailed instructions on how to upload attendee lists to the ACM Sanction Database can be found here.

Demographic Survey Information

In accordance with ACM's commitment to fostering a scientific community that both supports and benefits from the talents of community members from a wide range of backgrounds, we advise that all ACM conferences request that their attendees submit their demographic information at registration.

These questions are also used for all ACM activities. The responses to these questions will allow ACM to udnerstand the needs of the diverse community it serves and will inform DEI priorities. The information and subsequent metrics will be made available in annual reports from the DEI Council to the ACM community. The data may also be used for the improvement of ACM services, policies, and processes, and at a SIG level for conference planning.

Conferences that choose to use Cvent will have these questions automatically built into their registration site. Conferences not using Cvent should contact their Conference Operations Liaison for a list of the ACM approved demographic questions. At the close of your conference, your Conference Operations Liaison will request this data.

Carbon Offset Program

Please check with the Chair of the SIG sponsoring your conference to determine if SIG leadership has approved offering this program. A SIG can choose to opt in or opt out for each of its conferences. Each SIG will make the decision as to which option works best for them. If the SIG has approved the program and you wish to proceed for your conference, there are several options.

Registration forms for ACM conferences may include 1 of the following options:

A check box where conference attendees can make a contribution; attendees can use a carbon offset calculator to determine a specific amount, or just make a donation. Contributions will be distributed to Cool Effects (a 501(C)(3) organization that purchases carbon offsets). The registration form will state that this will appear as a contribution on their receipt.
An amount in the conference budget for a carbon offset donation based on conference attendance. SIGs may decide to cover this from fund balances if necessary.
Raise its registration fees to include a carbon offset donation per conference attendee. We are recommending that fees be increased by some fixed rate in the range $10-$25, depending on how much international travel is expected.

For option 1, Conference attendees may utilize the carbon offset calculator developed by ACM SIGPLAN, or just make a donation.

If the conference is using another registration company, please be sure that registration and receipts are set up as outlined above. A list of individuals with contact information along with the amount each donated, should be sent to your SIG Services Conference Operations Liaison immediately following the conference. This information will be sent to Cool Effect.
Cool Effect also has a carbon offset calculator you can link to.
Here is some suggested wording for the registration site.

For options 2 & 3, the committee will notify registrants via the registration form if one of these mechanisms will be in effect. Individuals will have the following options:

“I accept the estimated offset surcharge, with the understanding that the funds will go to a carbon offset organization designated by ACM” (or “the estimated offset donation," if the cost will be borne by the SIG or the conference)
“My air travel has already been offset by another organization”
“I will not travel to the conference by plane"
“I do not wish to participate in ACM’s carbon offset program”

Visa Support Letter Requests

The Association for Computing Machinery does not issue formal invitation letters for visas to attend ACM sponsored conferences. We can however issue a visa support letter. The following info should be posted on the conference website:

ACM is able to provide visa support letters to attendees as well as authors with accepted papers, posters, or members of the conference committee.
If you are a recipient of ACM, SIG, or Conference funded travel grant, please include this information in your request.
For visa support letters, please complete the following request online: https://supportletters.acm.org/. Please allow up to 10 business days to receive a letter. All requests are handled in the order they are received. The information below should be included with the request:
- Your name as it appears on your passport
- Your current postal mailing address
- The name of the conference you are registering for. Only accepted authors may request a visa support letter prior to registering for the conference.
- Your registration confirmation number
- If you have any papers accepted for the conference, please provide the title and indicate whether you are the “sole author” or a “co-author”
- Authors may indicate their paper title. If no paper, speakers can provide the title of their presentation

ACM does not provide letters for transport of vendor or presenter equipment. ACM suggests shipping the materials insured to the conference facility.

Note to conference organizers using CVENT: CVENT allows for registrants to check a box when registering indicating they require a visa support letter. The Registration Chair will need to contact those individuals with instructions on how to request a letter. A list of these registrants with contact information can be located by running a report in CVENT.

To run this report, please log into your Cvent account and click "Reports" on the left-hand side menu ---> click "Question Summary" on the drop-down menu ---> Scroll the table until you locate the question, "Do you require a visa support letter?" Click the number under responses to populate the list of registrants needing letters.

Note to conference organizers:

If an attendee needs a support letter from the organizers (some embassies might require one), please contact your Conference Operations Liaison for a template.

Onsite Registration Management

The committee will need volunteers to assist with onsite registration. This entails checking in attendees and providing them with their registration materials (program, name badge, etc). The volunteer(s) handling the registration desk need to be provided with a laptop, printer, and badge supplies.

_{Can the committee hire a vendor to handle onsite registration?}

Yes, particularly if the conference has 300 + attendees. If a conference committee would like to consider using a registration management service, the Conference Operations Liaison can request quotes from ACM preferred vendors and assist with contracting. If the committee would like to hire a service, this should be considered and budgeted for during the approval process.

Conference Attendee Lists

When attendees register for a conference they are given the option to opt-in or opt-out of ACM communications. This includes providing personal information, including their email address, to the conference organizers. ACM takes the privacy of their members and customers seriously. This information can be found in the ACM Privacy Policy. If you receive a request for attendee information from an outside organization or are unsure on what type of information can be used by the committee and provided to others, it is best to contact your Conference Operations Liaison for further guidance.

Certificates of Attendance

Some attendees may wish to receive a certificate of attendance as proof they participated in the conference. ACM has a standard certificate of attendance that can be generated from the Cvent system. Detailed instructions on how to generate these certicates is included in the Cvent user manual. For conferences not using Cvent, please send requests for certificates to your conference operations liaison.

Post-Conference Surveys

Surveying your attendees about their conference experience can be beneficial to the future of the event. It allows for successive planners as well as SIG leaders to assess the milestones as well as address any problems concerning the event. If you are using Cvent, it allows you to create and send a post-conference survey to your attendees. If you are using a non-Cvent registration vendor, you can utilize services such as Survey Monkey, Google Forms, or post a survey to your conference website after the event.

Cvent User Manual

Ready to setup Cvent?

Please contact Executivevents with your option and template (if applicable) at [email protected]