Guidelines for making a bid for an Apimondia Congress

For the 2011 Congress

APIMONDIA, The International Federation of Beekeepers' Associations, arranges its biannual Congresses in co-operation with a Local Organising Committee that is specific to each Congress.

The Local Organising Committee should include representatives from the national beekeepers' associations´, the scientific world and the beekeeping industry
Congress organisation should be in co-operation with a professional Congress organiser agreed upon with APIMONDIA.
The applying beekeeper association or -organisation must have been member of APIMONDIA and participated in the General Assembly and the congress previous to the submission of an application.
Applicants for the congress 2011 must have participated in the General Assembly and the Congress in Dublin 2005
As the congress 2009 is in Europe APIMONDIA recommends that the congress 2011 should be held in another continent than Europe.
The Congress should provide the Local Organisers as well as APIMONDIA with a profit to facilitate the future activities of the organisations. Any profit will be shared according to the inputs from each of the parties according to the "Letter of Agreement". The Registration fees must include a 15% share for APIMONDIA.

The Executive Council of APIMONDIA is responsible for the Congress preparations. The “Letter of Agreement” is meant to set out the responsibilities and duties of APIMONDIA and the Local Organising Committee before the organisation of a Congress.

A site inspection paid by applicant by representatives from APIMONDIA to the proposed Congress venue, hotels and surrounding area, prior to the application is recommended, also meetings with the Local Organising Committee, scientific and beekeeping representatives, the professional Congress organisers, and a government official. The provisional "Letter of Agreement" will be discussed at this inspection.

The following points are to provide guidance to potential Local Organising Committees:

	The main goal of the Congress is to provide a meeting point for everyone involved in the beekeeping world: beekeepers, scientists, honey traders, development workers, and those who work in the equipment industries.
	A well-arranged scientific programme must take high priority.
	Opportunities for meeting local beekeepers are important as well as social events and tourist attractions.
	APIEXPO, the APIMONDIA exhibition is organised to run in conjunction with the Congress.
	Flexibility is important in the preparations. An APIMONDIA Congress can attract between 1000 and 4000 participants, even more if you include daily visitors.
	It is important, that a full integration between the APIMONDIA database and the Congress database is guaranteed.

Recent Congresses:

	2001 Durban, South Africa,
	Recent and planned Congresses:
	2001 Durban, South Africa,
	2003 Ljubljana, Slovenia
	2005 Dublin, Ireland.
	2007 Melbourne, Australia
	2009 Montpellier, France

APIMONDIA recommends that the congress 2011 shall be in continent other than Europe

The venue for 2011 shall be chosen at the congress in Melbourne 2007

The application:

56 months (4˝ years) prior to the expected date of the Congress a comprehensive application to host the Congress must be forwarded together with the signed “Provisional Letter of agreement” to the APIMONDIA Secretariat with a copy to the President's Office.
For the congress 2011 the application must be received in Rome by mid-April 2007 ready for the Executive Council meeting in late April/ beginning May and should include the following information:

A summary, maximum 2-3 pages in length, should also be sent to the APIMONDIA Secretariat for distribution to the national delegates and the Executive Council (75 copies are required).

Proposed dates and venue of the Congress:

APIMONDIA prefers to hold Congresses on dates within the period mid September to mid October.

A presentation of the Local Organising Committee, with a short CV of each member.

Possibilities for making the Congress a success.
Why should the proposed venue be chosen to host an Apimondia Congress?
Details of paid assistance (if any) that will be available.

A description of the proposed Congress site: the number and size of halls and meeting rooms; the exhibition area and other facilities. And options available (During the Congress four to five sessions need to run simultaneously, each with 20-500 participants).
APIEXPO needs to accommodate 100 stands.

Information on the facilities for hosting the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, each with an estimated attendance of 1000-3000.

Accommodation: It is preferable to have some accommodation within walking distance of the Congress site. A good price range and quality of hotels is required. Are there options for "low budget" visitors, for example youth hostels?

Will the hotels provide free accommodation for a number of official participants?

Travel to and from the Congress site: How easily can the Congress site be reached by international travellers arriving by plane, train or car?

Will the proposed Official Airline provide free tickets for representatives from APIMONDIA and the Local Organising Committee for Congress preparations and participation? Are there any reduced rates for participants?

The scientific programme: The scientific programme for the Congress will be drawn up by the Standing Commissions of APIMONDIA in co-operation with the Local Scientific Committee. Any special scientific reasons to host the Congress at this specific venue should be mentioned.

Excursions and partner programme: APIMONDIA Congresses are a major holiday for many beekeepers. Visits to beekeepers and sites interesting for beekeepers as well as tourist attractions in the area are important factors.

Preliminary budget: Congress fees are a sensitive issue for APIMONDIA members. It would be helpful if a realistic target for the fee can be given. Assuming that this will not be easy, we would like to know what are the possibilities to make the Congress fee attractive?

What are the needs for input from APIMONDIA - "seed money"?

FIITEA founded in Romania by APIMONDIA provides printing and translation services for the congress on the condition that they offer competitive standards for prices, quality and conditions. The criterion on specialized knowledge of beekeeping terms prevails.

Realistic ideas about sponsorships or other possibilities (using existing resources at attractive fees) should be mentioned here.

Does the local Government support the Congress? (Any written guarantees of support from the government or local community, companies, businesses or beekeeping associations should be included).

A guarantee from the government that visa applications for participating in the congress will be facilitated. Beekeeping is a world wide activity. Beekeepers from all over the world participates in an APIMONDIA congress.

A guarantee from the Government that the APIMONDIA share of any profit can be sent directly to APIMONDIA Rome without any problem is needed.

Invitation letters from the Mayor or other officials offering to host a reception or social event should be attached.

Geographic reasons: APIMONDIA alternates the geographical destination of the Congresses, usually between Europe and other continents. For the Congress 2011 APIMONDIA recommends that the congress must out of Europe.

The election process

The summary of the application must be sent by APIMONDIA to the National Delegates of APIMONDIA at least two months prior to the Congress in 2007.

There are two meetings of the General Assembly during the Congress. At the first, each applicant will get the opportunity to make a presentation of 10 minutes: a speech, slide presentation, video. The Executive Council will, using this and the background information provided, give its recommendation to the General Assembly.

The applicants will have the opportunity to promote their venues throughout the Congress, possibly by taking a stand in APIEXPO.

At the second meeting of the General Assembly (the closing ceremony), each applicant will be given two minutes to make a final presentation. After this, the voting delegates will cast their votes. In the case of an equal vote, the President will decide.

APIMONDIA has the policy that only very small gifts to voting delegates to promote the venue are allowed.

Receptions, entertainments and other events offered as part of the promotion must be open to all voting delegates.

After the election

Shortly after the election of the venue, APIMONDIA representatives (President and Secretary General) must meet with the Local Organising Committee. This will be an operational meeting. There will be the two site inspections. Transport and accommodation should be provided by the Local Organisers, and/or the proposed official airline.
At the meeting, the final letter of agreement must be signed.
The Letter of Agreement will specify the responsibilities for each of the parties involved and the deadlines by which the different activities should be completed.

A tentative work plan is attached. This will of course have to be discussed between the Local Organising Committee and APIMONDIA.

To facilitate the co-operation 1 or 2 representatives of the Local Organising Committee will be invited to participate in the annual Executive Council meetings from the election until the Congress. APIMONDIA provides accommodation, but not transport to the meetings.

The main promotion for the Congress will start at the Congress in 2009 (September 2009 Melbourne, Australia). The next Congress Organisers will be provided with a free stand at APIEXPO. The first circular should be ready for distribution at this time. Throughout the Congress, there will be a possibility to meet with scientists and the Standing Commissions of APIMONDIA to develop the programme.

There will be an opportunity to address the audience at the Closing Ceremony to promote the next Congress, and there will be a possibility to organise special promotion activities at the congress.

Work plan:

1. Preliminary contacts with Congress sponsors as soon as possible
2. Site inspection by representatives of APIMONDIA 2006 or Early 2007
3. Signing of provisional “Letter of agreement”
4. Preparation of the application: Spring 2007
5. Send application to APIMONDIA April 2007
6. Promotion of Congress site at Congress in Melbourne, September 2007
7. Election of Congress site at Congress in Melbourne, September 2007
8. Site Inspection (President and Secretary General) early 2008
9. Letter of agreement, final early 2008
10. Congress promotion: Ongoing
11. Contract(s) with FIITEA 2008
12. Submission of Congress first circular in draft February 2009
13. Assessment and approval of draft by Executive Council April 2009
14. Definition of terms for opening of Congress bank account(s) April 2009
15. Revision and integration of mailing databases Summer 2009
16. Editing, review and printing of Congress first circular Summer 2009
17. Mailing of Congress first circular (Congress in 2009) September 2009
18. Development and updating of Congress website 2009 and ongoing
19. Registrations of requests for second circular Ongoing September 2009
20. Submission of Congress second circular in draft early April 2010
21. Submission of Congress detailed programme early April 2010
22. Executive Council meeting April/May 2010
23. Assessment and approval of draft by Executive Council April/May 2010
24. Printing of Congress second circular June 2010
25. Mailing of Congress second circular June 2010
26. First deadline for Apiexpo bookings end 2010
27. Deadline for submission of summaries January 2011
28. Screening and selection of summaries end February 2011
29. Mailing of notifications on report presentation to authors mid March 2011
30. Deadline for submission of full reports end April 2011
31. Deadline for payment of reduced registration fees end April 2011
32. Definition of working sessions schedules April/May 2011
33. Executive Council meeting at site April/May 2011
34. Definition, nomination and notification of contest juries April/May 2011
35. Forwarding of summaries and reports to BITEF early May 2011
36. Collation and preparation of Congress programme booklet June 2011
37. Final deadline for Apiexpo bookings June 2011
38. Preparation of diplomas and certificates for contests June 2011
39. Casting of medals for contests June 2011
40. Compilation and printing of pre-Congress volume mid July 2011
41. Transmission of Congress registration data early/mid August 2011
42. CONGRESS September-October 2011
43. Presentation of final accounts and Congress report end December 2011
44. Printing and delivery of Congress proceedings Issues of APIACTA 2011