I have been involved with several conferences run through TRB and have been close to the process and its changes over time. The process has been ebbing and flowing including the outside money that can be contributed. Over the years in my work with Tom Palmerlee I have been exposed to a variety of different conference models from that of the Small and Medium "Tools of the Trade" conference which is run basically as an independent conference (run by a TRB committee with no real TRB support) to more complex ones where an actual NRC panel has to be developed and vetted. Right now any thought of a conference is not as much, for me focused on the conference model, but more on raising money. With money support we can always figure our way in and around the process. For example, if we have interested sponsors we could develop a few different events around each other, like when AASHTO SCOP meets around a TRB conference. Using that model one can have the outside organization launder any money to pay for travel while the conference side can be run on the cheap to keep the contributions to it below the threshold that triggers a NRC panel to be put in place. Most recently I think the dollar threshold that triggers a NRC panel requirement has been raised. A few years ago I know it was $50K which was very low. -- Ed Christopher FHWA Resource Center Planning Team 4749 Lincoln Mall Drive, Suite 600 Matteson, IL 60443 708-283-3534 (V) 708-574-8131 (C)