SAMPLE COVER LETTER FOR LUNCH SPEAKERS Date Name, address Dear : Thank you for agreeing to present a program about [subject] at WMACCA's [month, year] luncheon meeting. [Can mention format here, like panel discussion, etc.] As we agreed, the program will be held on [date] from noon to 2 p.m. at [location, or "a location to be arranged."] We appreciate your interest in providing this educational program to our members and guests, and any in house counsel you wish to invite. WMACCA is the Washington metropolitan area chapter of the American Corporate Counsel Association ("ACCA"), known as the "in house bar association." Our WMACCA chapter is the leading source of information and networking opportunities for in house counsel in this area. We have approximately 500 members from a broad range of local businesses and associations. We provide our members with a wide variety of educational programs on topics relevant to in house law practice. The first hour of the meeting will consist of socializing, networking and lunch. Your program then will run from 1 2 p.m. Ilene Reid, our chapter's executive director, will be in touch with you shortly to discuss the substantive content of the program so that we can develop a flyer and web page description for our members and other promotional materials to send to appropriate media (such as the Metropolitan Corporate Counsel newspaper and The Legal Times). We have enclosed a brief list of "speaker guidelines" to help you prepare a presentation that will meet the needs and interests of our members. Generally 40 to 60 people attend our monthly luncheons. Ilene will be your point of contact for all arrangements and you should not hesitate to contact her with any questions you have. You can reach her by phone at 301 230 1864, by fax at 301 881 2065 and by e mail at buffalo@his.com. As the date draws closer, Ilene will give you a "headcount" of reservations, and she is the person you should "check in" with when you arrive at the luncheon. Thanks again for your interest and support. etc. (signature...) cc: Barbara Giliberti and Ilene Reid
SAMPLE COVER LETTER FOR BREAKFAST SPEAKERS Date Name, address Dear : Thank you for agreeing to present a "breakfast briefing" about [subject] for WMACCA members on [date] from 8 9:30 a.m. at [your offices or other location]. We appreciate your interest in providing this educational program to our members and any in house counsel you wish to invite as your guests. WMACCA is the Washington metropolitan area chapter of the American Corporate Counsel Association ("ACCA"), known as the "in house bar association." Our WMACCA chapter is the leading source of information and networking opportunities for in house counsel in this area. We have approximately 500 members from a broad range of local businesses and associations. We provide our members with a wide variety of educational programs on topics relevant to in house law practice. Generally, you should allow about 15 20 minutes for participants to arrive and settle in. (Typically, the host firm provides a continental breakfast.) Then, the program will run from 8:15 or 8:20 until 9:30 a.m. Ilene Reid, our chapter's executive director, will be in touch with you shortly to discuss logistics and substantive content of the program so that we can develop a flyer and web page description for our members and other promotional materials to send to appropriate media (such as the Metropolitan Corporate Counsel newspaper and The Legal Times). We will need to know the location of the firm (and convenient Metro stations), the name, phone number and e mail address of the person at your firm who will take reservations, and the capacity of the conference room you will be using. We have enclosed a brief list of "speaker guidelines" to help you prepare a presentation that will meet the needs and interests of our members. You should not hesitate to contact Ilene Reid with any questions you have. You can reach her by phone at 301 230 1864, by fax at 301 881 2065 and by e mail at buffalo@his.com. Thanks again for your interest and support. etc. (signature...) cc: Barbara Giliberti and Ilene Reid
SAMPLE COVER LETTER FOR SPONSORS Date Name, address Dear : Thank you for agreeing to sponsor WMACCA's [month] luncheon program. We appreciate your interest in supporting this educational program. Our WMACCA chapter is the leading source of information and networking opportunities for in house counsel in this area. We provide our approximately 500 members with a wide variety of educational programs on topics relevant to in house law practice. Our members come from a broad range of local businesses and associations. The lunch will be held [where, date, time]. The sponsorship fee is $1,000 and should be paid either prior to or at the luncheon. One representative of [name of company] may attend the luncheon free of charge as part of the sponsorship. If you wish to have other representatives present, or wish to invite in house counsel as your guests, the charge will be $35 per person (which is the regular fee for nonmembers). Generally, we have check in, socializing and lunch from 12 to 1 p.m., and the program runs from 1 to 2 p.m. I have enclosed a brief list of "sponsor guidelines" passed by our Board to explain the terms of sponsorship. You should not hesitate to contact me (by phone at 301 230 1864, by fax at 301 881 2065 and by e mail at buffalo@his.com) with any questions you may have about WMACCA, our program or your sponsorship. Thanks again for your interest and support. etc. (signature by ilene) cc: Barbara Giliberti and Robert S. Lavet
WMACCA SPEAKER GUIDELINES WMACCA wishes to thank you for agreeing to provide an educational program for our members. We have a few general guidelines that should help you prepare a presentation that will best meet the needs of our members. Those guidelines are as follows: * Generally, we allow an hour for a presentation. If you are presenting at our luncheons, we have check in, social time and lunch from noon to 1 p.m. Your presentation will be from 1 2 p.m. With breakfast briefings, the time set is from 8 9:30 a.m. You usually should allow until at least 8:15 a.m. for people to arrive and settle in. The rest of the time is available for socializing and the presentation. Please try to leave at least 10 minutes at the end for questions and answers. * Our members appreciate receiving substantive handouts to take back to their offices. * If you will be using visuals (either slides, Powerpoint presentations or videos) and will require A/V equipment for your luncheon presentation, please give us at least one week's notice to make the arrangements. Visuals can be helpful, but are not essential. * Directly address the issue that is billed as the topic and, if possible, directly address the perspective of in house counsel in relation to the issue. Our members expect our programs to provide useful, substantive information that they can take back to the office and apply to their work. Practice oriented presentations, as well as recent developments, are especially well received. * Sum up the presentation with a few take away points, where appropriate. * Please avoid marketing pitches for your firm, whether explicit or implicit. Based upon past experience, such pitches will likely backfire. You can trust that the quality of your presentation will speak for itself. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask Ilene Reid, WMACCA Executive Director.
WMACCA OUTSIDE SPONSORING POLICY AND GUIDELINES The Washington Metropolitan Area Corporate Counsel Association's (WMACCA's) Board of Directors, following due consideration, has concluded that a certain number of its chapter events, if properly managed, may be sponsored by outside organizations, firms, groups or businesses. The purpose of this policy is to further member benefits and welfare without sacrificing WMACCA's professional standing. Revenue enhancement, increased participation and added educational opportunities are all legitimate rationales to consider the appropriateness of outside sponsorship. WMACCA recognizes that flexibility, fairness and consideration of relevant circumstances are fundamental to any successful policy. Therefore, the following guidelines will be used to evaluate the appropriateness of any particular external sponsorship: * WMACCA shall maintain impartiality between competing organizations. * Sponsorship will be accepted only from organizations that provide products and/or services to the in house legal community. * WMACCA will acknowledge the sponsor during the program, but sponsorship should not be taken as an endorsement of the organization's products or services. * WMACCA will coordinate sponsorship with ACCA to avoid conflicts. * WMACCA will be responsible for determining the topics of and selecting speakers for its programs. * Pursuant to ACCA policy, WMACCA shall retain control over and not share proprietary data, including its membership list, with sponsoring organizations. * WMACCA's Board of Directors will periodically review this policy and guidelines and amend them as necessary.
WMACCA SPONSORSHIP GUIDELINES WMACCA wishes to thank you for agreeing to sponsor a program for our members. Our Board of Directors has adopted a policy and guidelines regarding outside sponsorship of our events. Those guidelines are as follows: * WMACCA will be responsible for determining the topics and speakers for its programs. * Sponsorships will be accepted only from organizations that provide products and/or services to the in house legal community. * WMACCA shall maintain impartiality between competing organizations when choosing sponsors. * WMACCA will acknowledge sponsors during the program. In addition, sponsors are welcome to provide marketing brochures or other handouts to attendees. However, sponsors will not be allowed to make presentations at the program. Also, we have found that many members do not like or respond well to solicitation at meetings, so we ask that you refrain from active marketing at the meeting. * In accordance with ACCA policy, WMACCA will not share proprietary data, including its membership list, with sponsoring organizations.