Events and Activities that carry the ISA brand must be conducted in a manner that is consistent with the Society’s mission and values. Sections have explicit approval to use the section logo for section activities, unless they are listed as requiring approval.
In all other cases outside this explicit approval, the use of any element of the ISA brand family must be expressly permitted and will only be permitted if ISA has oversight of the technical program.
Naming
Members and customers should know from the title of any activity who is hosting it, what content is covered, and in what format. Recurring events should have a consistent title that is relevant from year to year. Event names must be approved by ISA before it is included on any public-facing sources such as websites, printed brochures or programs.
- “ISA” must be at the beginning of all event names
- Ex. “ISA Automation Summit and Expo”
- Section events must include the section name in the title
- Ex. “ISA Spain Section Cybersecurity Conference”
- Neither the year nor the edition of the event may be included in the official title
- Incorrect: “2023 ISA Automation Summit and Expo”
- Correct: “ISA Automation Summit and Expo”
- Incorrect: “2nd Annual Digital Transformation Conference”
- Correct: “ISA Digital Transformation Conference”
- The event title must correctly reflect the content of the program sessions
- The event title must not be similar to the name of an ISA conference
Section Activity and Requiring Approval
Sections are required to submit a proposal for approval for the following activities. No promotion nor contracts may be done until approval is granted. Requests must be submitted a minimum of 45 days in advance of the event.
Approval is delegated by the Executive Board to the Conference Advisory Committee for all activities other than training. Review and approval of training activities is delegated to the CEO. This is not an exhaustive list, and the Conference Advisory Committee has the authority to request that a section submit for approval for other activities beyond this list:- Promotion of any activities to members outside of the section's jurisdiction
- Activities with more than one section
- Exhibiting at, participating in, partnering, or sponsoring another organization's event/conference
- Any participation or activity with any for-profit entity other than a company sponsorship of a section meeting
- Conference or expo
- Proposed conference, expo, or training
- Training done without support from ISA (including training through other entities or training created by the section)
- Proximity by date and location to ISA conferences, training courses, or activities
- Section standing
- Proper event name and brand usage
- Objective and outcome of the activity, including potential brand recognition
- Appropriateness of the arrangement, financial and otherwise, with third parties or contractors
- Involvement in the development of the technical program
Sections that have demonstrated support for promotions and the programming of ISA events will be given preferential consideration. Additionally, Sections are more likely to be successful in achieving approval if they are willing to be flexible with their proposal.
Working With Other Entities
Partnerships or participation with other organizations require a staff-negotiated memorandum of understanding. At a minimum, ISA must have representation in technical programming that is deemed satisfactory by the Society. Agreements or affiliations may not jeopardize ISA’s nonprofit status. Contracts must be initiated and signed by ISA staff.
Sections who receive approval to organize a session at a non-ISA event must include a standard set of information slides about ISA in the presentation.
Event Administration
Generally, the Society does not pay expenses incurred by speakers in connection with preparation nor event attendance, nor does it provide remuneration for papers published by the Society. The Society may publish recordings of and papers from events as confirmed by each presenter.
Approved April 2025.