The optimum number of people at a meeting depends on the topics to be addressed and the best judgement of the panel about who should be included. Ask the interest groups that are to be represented to select a member to serve on the panel. Ask the public-interest community to submit names to create a pool of candidates from which the company can select a balanced membership. Select a representative cross-section of shoppers on a rotating basis. Ask people who have filed complaints to serve on the panel.
Companies handle compensation for panel members in a variety of ways.
There is no one right approach. Reimbursement may take the form of a modest honorarium calculated to cover gas and mileage, babysitting expenses and other incidental costs. Other companies provide a meal or gift certificate in addition to, or in lieu of, expenses. Some companies provide a large honorarium to the organizations the panel members represent. Others pay an honorarium directly to panelists on the assumption that some of them do not receive a salary from the organization they represent.