ACCJ Programming Basics
Events Menu
Programs can take many different forms. Choosing the right format for your event is crucial to ensuring its success.
Using the “Events Menu” chart, committees should determine the type format that best fit the purpose of their event:
For events held in the American Room at CIC Tokyo, please note the below pricing structure (effective October 1st, 2023):
Open and Closed Events
An “open” event is open to all ACCJ members and their accompanied guests.
Attendance at “closed” events is restricted to members of a committee or a group of members and guests approved by the committee chair. Closed events are usually held to discuss matters related to running the committee, and issues that are sector or industry specific, advocacy related or otherwise sensitive.
On or Off the Record
This denotes whether or not the speaker and/or the committee chair has agreed that the contents of the event can be published or made available to the general public.
Speakers should always be consulted, during the planning stage, to determine their preference. Whether a program is on or off the record should be announced in the event description.
Media Coverage
During the initial stages of developing a speaker program, the Committee Coordinator in charge may ask the sponsoring committee chair if they would like the event to be “on the record” or if they wish to keep the proceedings private (meaning “off the record”).
If either the sponsoring committee chair prefers to hold the meeting off the record, members of the media who are not ACCJ members will not be admitted, and ACCJ members with press credentials will only be allowed to attend on the condition that they treat the material presented as off the record.
If the sponsoring committee chair prefers to hold the meeting on the record, there are several options. Please see a summary of the options below. For questions on these, please reach out to the Communications Department.
FULLY ON THE RECORD: The ACCJ Journal and members of the media will be invited and audience will be allowed to take notes and share information about the event on social media
NO MEDIA, BUT ON THE RECORD: Media will not be invited, but the audience will be allowed to take notes and share information about the event on social media.
ACCJ JOURNAL ONLY: Only The ACCJ Journal will be invited and the speaker and committee have the option to review the content before it is published in The ACCJ Journal.
For on-the-record meetings, the speaker (or his or her PR department) should coordinate this aspect of the program with the Committee Coordinator before approaching the media. The Programs Department staff will then involve the Communications Department, which will then work with the speaker and his or her PR department in handling the media.
In general, the media will be invited to join on-the-record programs only during the speech portion of the event; they will not be served a meal and will not be charged for attending the program. If the committee invites specific members of the media to attend the meal portion of the program, the media representatives will be charged the non-member attendance fee.
If the speaker or committee has its own list of media contacts, the speaker or his or her PR department is asked to submit the list of media representatives who will be attending to the Communications Department in advance. The list should include the names of the publications/companies, the names of the attendees, and type of media (print, television, electronic/Internet, etc.).
The ACCJ can arrange VIP seating for media representatives who are guests of the speaker. Other members of the media will be seated in a special section of the room where the event is being held.
Members of the media in attendance will be asked to mention the ACCJ’s name in any reporting on the program.
During the Q&A session, preference will be given to ACCJ members.
Logo Display
The ACCJ logo will be the only logo displayed on the speaker podium and projector screen, unless the program is being sponsored jointly by another organization. The logo of the speaker’s organization will not be displayed.
Virtual or Hybrid
To find out more about the ACCJ’s current hybrid event guidelines, please click here.
