The Directors behind DDD Perth
Boring organisational post in 3….2…
Every year at DDD Perth, the committee has a look in the mirror and puts forth recommendations on the committee structure for the following year. As with any team, we recognise that the structure is best designed by the people who are doing it, and modified to fit our unique way of working. We put forward the recommendation at AGM to improve on our ways of working.
Our recommended committee size in 2023 is 12, and is made up of the following roles.
Chair
The Chair of DDD Perth will lead the team towards a successful 2023 conference. This role is busy, but official duties are limited to convening and chairing our committee meetings once a month (increasing to once a week by conference time) and handling the majority of correspondence after conference, when everyone else goes on holiday.
Vice Chair
Vice Chair fills in for Chair, or anyone else really. The only official duty is chairing in the absence of chair.
Secretary
Our Secretary is the minute taker and company secretary, responsible for our submissions to Associations WA, our committee records, and our adherence to constitution. As is only fitting, official duties are laid out in the Association Model Rules that we follow. The secretary is also responsible for the organisational accounts and the like.
Treasurer
Our Treasurer looks after the day-to-day money matters, and tracks our budget and spend. Official duties are in those Model Rules!
The above office bearer roles make up the core of the organisation, and these people are elected into the role with the expectation that they can advise and lead the team towards the 2023 conference.
The following Directorships are leaders of teams that design and execute the conference experience for attendees, speakers and sponsors. Official duties are attending and reporting on any issues at the committee meetings, and executing the area of responsibility with the help of their team.
These roles are not independent, and the Directors and Office Bearers all work closely together to achieve our amazing conference.
Logistics
Responsible for corralling our venue, catering, AV suppliers, and volunteers. The Director position is the team lead and involves being the main Point of Contact for the venue. You have influence over the experience of every conference attendee. Your team is responsible for our attendee experience — the conference layout from check-in to sponsors to room layouts, what food to provide and how best to do it, and how best to include any extra like childcare or quiet room.
Don’t think you want to sit on the board of DDD Perth, but have ideas about what would make an awesome addition to the conference? Then you want to be part of this team.
Role highlights: signing the venue contract and coordinating the whole day.
When is it busiest: the three months prior to conference and just after AGM.
Conference Content
Our Director of Conference Content works to select keynotes, coordinate a successful Call for Papers (CFP) campaign, designs the agenda structure and uses our public vote to fill that structure with speakers. They are responsible for the speaker experience (who is backup, who is room coordinator, what gift speakers get, etc).
Role highlights: Finding keynotes.
When is it busiest: The lead-up to CFP and 2 months prior to conference.
AV Solutions
Our AV Solutions Director is responsible for coordinating with our venue to provide live streaming, ensuring our photos are available in a timely manner, utilising our existing video assets with the Branding team to create other ‘stuff’. (Can you tell this author is not qualified for this role?).
Role highlights: Making fun stuff.
When is it busiest: Just before and just after conference.
Social Media & Communications
Our Director of Comms is responsible for our various social media accounts, but also our newsletter, blog…the public-facing content creation.
Role highlights: Witty one-liners.
When is it busiest: Just before any major event, like CFP, Agenda release, Ticket release, and conference.
Media & Branding
Creating our great-looking graphics, designing a media wall and seeing your work everywhere are the visible parts of this role, but the behind-the-scenes parts of coordinating suppliers, getting everything printed on time, and farming out everyone’s last-minute requests — because you know they will come — is important work!
Role highlights: seeing everything look *chef’s kiss*.
When is it busiest: From AGM until conference.
Sponsorship
Showing our sponsors how much we appreciate them is an important job, as is convincing them to get on board in the first place. This Director position determines what we get to do each year, but also, there’s a big piece of ensuring our sponsors are able to get what they need. From brainstorming exhibits to coordinating logo collection, this team is bu-sy.
Role highlights: Seeing amazing sponsors having a ball.
When is it busiest: Just after AGM and the 3 months prior to conference.
Technology
Our Director of Technology looks after the website including voting. There are also a fair few other services we use, that are usually managed by the team that uses them. This role is primarily about our public-facing technology.
Role highlights: When it just works.
When is it busiest: Just before any major event like CFP, ticket release, conference.
People
This conference takes a village to organise, and this role looks after the volunteer experience. From recruiting through to training, this role helps all other Directors find enough team members to get it done.
Role highlights: When the conference is alive and volunteers are smiling.
When is it busiest: 2 months prior to conference.
So, why is this maybe of interest?
At our annual general meeting, we will be putting forward a motion for the recommended committee size, and if it passes, electing members into the above positions. (if it doesn’t pass our size stays at 10).
It’s worth noting that we don’t have general committee members, only directors. So, if you are on the committee you are responsible for an area of the conference. However, if you are not on the committee, you can still be a member of DDD WA (that’s the official name of the association that organises DDD Perth), and still implement your cool ideas for that area! You can also be in multiple teams, if you have lots of ideas. Be aware of your own time though, because organising a conference doesn’t start in August — it starts now.
