OHA is continuously in the process of recruiting sites for future annual meetings. This process is initiated in various ways.
- Most often, the OHA executive office works with a third-party negotiator to request bid proposals three to four years in advance of a meeting date. Requests are targeted towards conference venues (most often situated in hotels) that fall within the OHA ethical guidelines (formal and informal), budget considerations, and attendee expectations.
- Another method for selecting a conference site may come directly from the membership. Members interested in potentially hosting an OHA annual meeting in their own location, can make the case to the OHA Council and Executive Office. Some considerations would be local support for securing affordable venues for conference space and participant lodging, in addition to all of the other food and transportation considerations that go into the logistical planning for this annual meeting. There is precedent for this method, as well as an openness for “non-conventional” pitches. A recent example for this is the 2018 annual meeting in Montreal, Canada.
Whatever options for annual meeting locations is proposed, the consideration process follows the guidance laid out in the organization’s Standing Resolution 2-21-16, which addresses the need to engage host sites with “business and agents who reflect the ethical values of the Association, including our support for the unionization.” See the full Standing Resolution here: https://oralhistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/OHA-Standing-Resolutions-Public.pdf
To see more detailed description of the operational process described here, please see the OHA Operations Manual https://oralhistory.org/about/association-business/
If you want to make a pitch to bring the OHA annual meeting to your area, send the OHA executive office a letter of interest at least 3 years in advance of the proposed conference year. For suggestions for the 2025 meeting, please submit letters of interest by January 1, 2023.
