Frequently Asked Questions
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN EXISTENCE?
Since October, 1991
HOW MANY MEMBERS DO YOU HAVE?
76 members on Nov 1, 2018. Membership represents
35 companies and 6 governmental agencies.
WHAT IS YOUR AVERAGE ATTENDANCE FOR A MEETING? WHAT IS YOUR HIGH? WHAT IS YOUR LOW?
Attendance averages 30-40 for quarterly meetings and 50-60 for our annual conference.
Our high attendance was 110
Our low attendance was 21
HOW MANY MEETINGS PER YEAR DO YOU HAVE?
There are 3 quarterly meetings (held in February, May and August) and 1 annual conference (held in November).
ARE THERE ANY MEMBERSHIP FEES? DO YOU CHARGE PER MEETING?
Annual membership dues are $135.00 each calendar year. This investment covers all four meeting (3 quarterly meetings, plus the annual conference). Non-Members may pay $25 for each quarterly meeting and $135 for the annual conference.
WHAT HAPPENS TO MY MEMBERSHIP IF I BECOME UNEMPLOYED?
You are eligible to renew your membership at no cost for up to 12 months.
DO YOU CONDUCT MORNING OR AFTERNOON MEETINGS OR BOTH?
Afternoon meetings. Typically, we will have a Lunch and Learn session over the noon lunch hour (12:15 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.). Registration for the meeting starts at 12:30 p.m. with the meeting starting at 1:00 p.m.. We try to end our meetings at 4:00 p.m.
WHAT IS THE STRUCTURE OF YOUR GROUP I.E. IS IT COMPRISED OF A BOARD OF DIRECTORS; COMMITTEES, PRESIDENT, CHAIRPERSON, ETC?
We have a Board of Directors. Four officers and six directors at large. Board members will be elected by the membership. Officers are elected by the Board of Directors. From time to time, we will form committees to work on activities such as the annual conference, training/education, special software user groups or other topic areas of interest to the membership.
DOES YOUR GROUP FOCUS ON A PARTICULAR FIELD OF CONTINGENCY PLANNING, I.E. DATA CENTER RECOVERY, LIVE DISASTER TALES, ETC?
We try to cover the field of contingency planning and disaster recovery as completely as we can. Each meeting may focus on a particular discipline or it may be a broad round table discussion of various issues.
DOES YOUR GROUP USE A PARTICULAR FORMAT? (I.E. PRESENTATIONS; WORKSHOPS; LECTURES; PRODUCT DEMOS, ETC.)
We use all of the formats listed. It is open to the speaker(s) and others organizing the meeting to determine the format for that particular meeting.
HOW ARE MEETING TOPICS CHOSEN? (I.E. SURVEY MEMBERSHIP, COMMITTEE, BOARD VOTING?)
We have periodic surveys of the membership to determine levels of interest in various topics. We also rely heavily on the steering committee members to develop contacts with potential speakers and line up topics of interest.
DOES YOUR GROUP RECEIVE ANY FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM VENDORS?
During the fall seminar we allow vendors to sponsor the breaks by purchasing coffee, juice, soft drinks, muffins, pastries, etc. In return, we recognize their contribution and allow them to distribute promotional material.
DO MEMBERS OFFER THEIR COMPANY FACILITIES FOR HOSTING MEETINGS OR DO YOU USE HOTELS AND CONFERENCE FACILITIES?
We currently use facilities located in the central Iowa region for three of the four quarterly meetings. The facilities are provided by various members of the organization. For the larger fall seminar we may use hotel conference facilities for the presentations and the lunch.