TSRC is about pushing the frontiers of science, exploring new ideas, and building collaborations. TSRC co-founders, Stephen Berry and Peter Salamon, instituted a powerful workshop format to advance these goals:
Keep the group size small. The average TSRC workshop has 25 participants, although they can be as small as 10 or as large as 35. Our most commonly used rooms become less comfortable as you go above 30 participants. Meetings larger than 35 are "Conferences" rather than "Workshops." We often must use facilities other than the Telluride school classrooms for these events.
Allow ample time for discussion. Talks are normally scheduled for 30-60 minutes with substantial discussion during each talk. Interruptions are encouraged. The point of the talk is only to stimulate conversation and the sharing of ideas.
Present unpublished research versus results that other participants might already know well. The goal is to push the boundaries and think outside the box.
Create an atmosphere that allows participants to challenge ideas, while maintaining a supportive and collaborative environment.
Encourage diversity in the participant. TSRC believes that these diversity factors inherently create new perspectives, and this is a key ingredient of successful brainstorming and problem solving.
Allow for substantial "free time" for participants to talk and think. Free time is a hallmark of TSRC Workshops as often the best thinking comes during walks through the town or hikes in the mountains. Many organizers have found that an all day meeting on the first day followed by half-day meetings the remaining days of the week is an effective workshop format.
All participants are expected to stay for the entire duration of the workshop. A good workshop is a collaborative effort and complete participation should be encouraged.
Organizers should encourage the participation of young scientists who can bring new ideas to the group. TSRC's young scientists are the future of the organization.
As a way to help keep the workshop "fresh," organizers should seek to turnover the workshop to new group of organizers at the end of each meeting.
Scientists are encouraged to consider bringing family or friends.Telluride offers a number of options for children's camps (including Telluride Academy, Aha School for the Arts, and Pinhead Institute) and an active program of festivals for family entertainment.
Overview
Thank you for being a TSRC Organizer. We appreciate your commitment to TSRC and trust in us. Even if you have run a
dozen TSRC meetings, please read this document carefully as some things may have changed.
The list below is, in part, an important To-Do-List that enables us to do their jobs, but does not dictate your science program.
This handbook is intended to make things easier for you, not harder.
Mark Kozak, TSRC Executive Director, will be your TSRC point person for all information and assistance regarding organizing
the workshop. His phone number is (970) 708-4426. Mark can typically be reached between the hours of 9:00 am and
5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, U.S. Mountain Time. Good communication is key to seamless organization.
If any of your invitees asks about logistics, please direct them to Mark Kozak, Monday through Friday between 9:00 am
and 5:00 pm U.S. Mountain Time. Or contact him anytime by email at mark@telluridescience.org. Please do not attempt to answer
questions about logistics yourself, as things change.
To make your meeting as successful as possible, please program the dates and responsibilities below into your calendars.
We will also send you email reminders of these deadlines, but it is best if they are already on your radar.
The “early-bird” registration deadline is not necessarily a rigid date, but one that can be extended. Every year, lodging
become increasingly competitive and our goal with the early-bird registration deadline is to get participants to secure lodging
early so we can guarantee them a wholesale rate. For 2017 workshops, we are going to initially set an early-bird registration
deadline of January 15th. Please urge your participants
to register early. We will extend the early-bird date as needed.
Weeks in 2017 with special issues that organizers for that week should know about:
Week of June 20th (first week in Intermediate School): Workshops start on Tuesday, June 20th and run through Saturday, June 24th
Week of July 4th: TSRC is not operating during the week of July 4th.
Week of July 10th: Workshops start on Tuesday, July 11th and run through Saturday, July 15th
Please take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that Mark Kozak’s emails (mark@telluridescience.org) do not go in the trash folder.
Click on the name of your workshop on this future meeting page to review your meeting information
Double check:
The name of the workshop
The organizers names & email addresses
The dates of your meeting
The purpose statement
The location
Registration cost
If you are planning on having catered lunches ($22/person/day), it needs to be included in your registration fee. Catered lunches cannot be added once the registration for your workshop opens.
TSRC will only organize group dinners that are covered by the organizer or workshop sponsor.
Email Mark if any changes need to be made (mark@telluridescience.org)
Now thru September-30, 2016: Send "Formal Invitations"
Formally invite your participants. TSRC can provide you with a sample letter or you can write one yourself. They are simple.
Include:
Registration Opens in the fall for 2017 meetings
Name of meeting
Organizers names & contact information
Purpose statement of meeting
Dates of meeting
Approximate size of meeting
A “commitment deadline” (so you can invitee others in their stead if they cannot come & so you make your schedules on time).
TSRC contact information - Executive Director Mark Kozak, mark@telluridescience.org, 970-708-4426.
Logistical information about lodging, registration, invitation letters for VISA purposes, student scholarships, etc. to include with the invitation (coming soon).
TSRC strongly encourages all participants to register and book lodging as early as possible. Booking immediately is always the best choice. Booking lodging early ensures that your participants have access to the best lodging options.
Check Registrations
Monitor who registers for your workshop by going to TSRC website at http://www.telluridescience.org/meetings/current, and clicking on the name of your workshop. Keep that URL bookmarked so you can go to it directly. This information is always up to date.
If you do not get a response from an invitee, write them again. You will want to know if they cannot come so that you can a) invite their post doc to come in their stead, or b) replace them with someone else. TSRC cannot extend early-bird pricing because someone was invited late in the game.
Uninvited Registrants
If someone registers who has not been invited, you can decide to include him or her if you wish. If you do not wish them to attend, please notify Mark Kozak, mark@telluridescience.org immediately so that he will not process payment.
Then notify the uninvited registrant that your meeting is over-subscribed and that unfortunately they cannot attend the meeting and importantly, copy Mark Kozak on that email mark@telluridescience.org
You can inform the "uninvited" registrant that they failed to contact you before registering and that on your meeting description it notes: "If you are interested in attending a meeting, but have not received an invitation, please contact the workshop organizer about availability before registering."
Mid-Year Responsibilities
Know your own Early-Bird Deadline: Send Early-Bird Deadline Notifications to Your Invitees Twice
The early-bird pricing deadline for all meetings is January 15th, 2017. This deadline will possibly be extended after January 15th. The goal is get participants to register as soon as possible in order for them to secure their preferred lodging. Lodging in Telluride becomes increasingly competitive every year.
Inform your participants one month before the early-bird deadline of the approaching early-bird registration deadline
Again, inform your participants one week before the early bird deadline
TSRC cannot honor any requests for early-bird pricing extensions, so invite your participants early and often
Ask Invitees for the titles of their talks
Know when you schedule is due to TSRC and request talk titles from your invitees a month in advance or more
Nominate a Town Talk Speaker from your group
TSRC hosts weekly Town Talks throughout the summer on Tuesday nights. If you have a participant who knows how to communicate with the lay public, please nominate him or her as a Town Talk speaker. Contact Mark. Do not contact the nominee. You may feel free to nominate yourself!
Meeting Schedules & Samples
Four Months Prior, Send "Draft Meeting Schedule" to Mark
Deadlines for getting TSRC your draft-meeting schedule varies depending upon the month of your meeting. This draft schedule should include speaker names. If you do not have a complete schedule, you can leave some as TBAs. Getting schedules out early is important for folks making plane reservations and for staffing purposes.
For meetings starting in June, send your draft schedule to TSRC by March 1st
For meetings starting in July, send your draft schedule to TSRC by March 1st
For meetings starting in August, send your draft meeting schedule to TSRC by April 1st.
The draft will be posted on our website.
Scheduling Parameters
Morning meeting start times can be 8:00am, 8:15am, 8:30am, 8:45am, or 9:00am, however these start times are on a first-come, first-serve basis. The organizers who get their schedules in first have the greatest choice of start times. You may be assigned a start time. Start times should be consistent throughout the week.
Schedule breakfast 30-minutes prior to your meeting start time only. TSRC offers breakfast from 7:30 am to 9:00 am on the mornings of workshops.
Picnics are now held Wednesday evenings from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Telluride Intermediate School, under the tent.
Town Talks are held Tuesday nights from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm (cash bar starts at 5:30 pm) throughout the summer at the Telluride Conference Center in Mountain Village. It is roughly a 35 minute commute from the Intermediate School to the Conference Center.
Schedule frequent coffee breaks.
Many organizers like to schedule group hikes. TSRC staff can assist with suggested trails and meeting places.
All five-day-meetings must end by noon on the last day.
You may schedule evening meeting sessions on most days, but subject to approval, so that an evening session does not conflict with the picnic or the Town Talk.
Important Information to be Included on Your Schedule:
The name of your meeting
The names of organizers
The dates of your meeting
TSRC Hosts: Mark Kozak, 970-708-4426
The meeting address: Telluride Intermediate School located at 725 W Colorado Ave, Telluride, CO 81435. FYI, the meeting address is different from the meeting location for the 2015 and 2016 seasons
The Picnic address: under the tent outside of the Telluride Intermediate School located at 725 W Colorado Ave, Telluride.
The Town Talk address: Conference Center in Mountain Village from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm (cash bar starts at 5:30 pm). It is roughly a 35 minute commute from the Intermediate School to the Conference Center.
Include "Breakfast at TSRC meeting site" on mornings you are meeting, and schedule them 30-minutes before your session starts.
Send your "Final Meeting Schedule" to TSRC no later than one month before the start date of your meeting
This is critically important for your participants and staff.
TSRC can remain flexible once your meeting starts in Telluride. You must however inform TSRC about any scheduling change 24 hours in advance. Otherwise, we may not have enough breakfast for your group. Your room might not be clean, etc.
Group Meals
TSRC can support restaurant group dinners that will be paid for by the organizers or workshop sponsor. TSRC will make the reservation and pay the restaurant on your behalf and either send you a bill or charge your credit card for the group meal (let us know which you prefer). TSRC will add a 3% administration fee to process payment.
As an alternative to a restaurant dinner, TSRC can provide a group pizza and salad dinner with alcoholic beverages under the tent for $45/person. We tested these pizza dinners during the summer of 2016 with great success. Participants stated that it was not only more affordable but they preferred it to the often noisy restaurant setting.
Onsite catered lunches are available for $22/person/lunch. The cost of lunches must be added to the meeting registration fee and paid for at the time of registration. Aemono Fine Foods is TSRC's lunch caterer and can adjust the lunch menu to accommodate dietary restrictions. If a lunch is added after the registration opens, the cost must be covered by the organizer and it must be added to the schedule before the start of the workshop.
Meeting Sponsorships
TSRC encourages organizers to solicit meeting support to reduce the financial cost for their participants. Supporting organizations can include academic institutions, government agencies/laboratories, foundations, and/or corporate sponsors
TSRC is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Funds paid to TSRC for meeting support are tax deductible
TSRC applies an administration fee for managing meeting sponsorship funds. This fee covers the internal costs of invoicing sponsoring organizations, managing promotions, distributing funds, and credit card fees to TSRC (credit card companies charge TSRC 3% to process credit cards).
Workshops and Conferences: 10% admin fee
Summer Schools: 0% admin fee
Meeting Cancellation Policies
It is best to co-organize a workshop with another person or two because if one organizer cannot make the meeting, others can proceed as planned.
For whatever reason, if you determine that you need to cancel or postpone your workshop, it must be done nine months ahead of the workshop. If you cancel within nine months of the first day of your workshop, TSRC may need to collect the cost of the rented venue from the organizers. This varies from $500 for a classroom to $7000 for the Palm Theater. TSRC may request a deposit of the rental amount from the organizers prior to the nine-month deadline, or TSRC will request payment for the rental venue if the meeting is cancelled within nine months of the meeting start date.
Telluride Science Research Center
Post Office Box 2429, Telluride CO 81435
Tel: + 970.708.4426
Email: info@telluridescience.org
