Club Officers Day 2017

To view the Why, What, Who, How, Where, When … presentation see COD Presentation

 

Key points from the discussion groups

General

  • Many attendees felt uncomfortable with public speaking. A short practical training session on doing Introduction and Vote of Thanks was suggested.
  • Videos and guidelines on doing introductions and votes of thanks are now available on the Club Management and Chairmen pages

Chairmen group

  • Some clubs had overcome the difficulty of finding a Chairman by sharing the role, or by having a deputy who would not necessarily take over in coming years, but would stand in if the Chairman was away
  • There are some very helpful leaflets in the Admin section of the new website, especially The Role of the Club Chairman,  Converting Visitors into Members and Guidelines for Club Survival.  It might be helpful for club committees to print these off for new committee members

Secretaries group

  • How long should records be kept? 7 years for financial information; 5 years for minutes.  It was suggested that all AGM minutes be kept to provide useful historical information that could be used when significant anniversaries are reached.
  • It would be useful if the ‘blue form’ could be passed electronically between programme secretary and demonstrator to avoid costly and time consuming process using the post.  NAFAS plans to have an electronic blue form process were under way, but unfortunately the website developer has gone into liquidation so this activity has been suspended for the time being.  A proposal for emailing blue forms was submitted to NAFAS in 2013 but there has been no response.

Treasurers group

  • Internet banking may not be ideal but was seen as the way forward
  • Club subscription rates varied a huge amount between clubs, particularly affected by the cost of hiring a hall and the extent to which Demonstrators were used
  • Ideas for fund raising or keeping costs down, included:

o   Quiz  nights. Quizzes specifically related to gardening and/or flower arranging can be purchased at  www.gardeningquizzes.co.uk.  Cost is £16 for 1 quiz or £48 for 3.  Why not consider sharing between clubs?

o   50-50 flower evenings (members buy tickets for £1, with 50p going to club funds and the other 50p … with the first raffle prize going to the winning ticket.

  • One club runs practical sessions for £30 which includes provision of all materials. These had proved very popular and cost effective.

Programme Secretaries group

  • Most programme secretaries had seen the recent Pink List
  • The recommended flower allowance is £110 for 2017 and £120 for 2018 (for how many designs?).  As smaller clubs struggle to afford this it was suggested the discuss with demonstrators options to do smaller designs and/or include all garden foliage designs.
  • Programme Secretaries were advised they should be using the Media Permissions Form as part of the booking process
  • Cancellations can be made without explanation if >6 months ahead. If <6 months there should be discussion between the Club and the Demonstrator to agree appropriate action.
  • Doing a Vote of Thanks when the Demonstrator has not been good is difficult but the advice is keep it short and simple.
  • The Programme Secretary role is not easy and ideally should not be given to a new committee member
  • Programme Secretaries should agree reciprocal visits with local clubs to facilitate assessment of Demonstrators for future bookings
  • A Programme Secretaries Forum for sharing ideas was seen to be a positive way forward.
  • On the Programme Secretaries page on the website there is a Complaints Process, and a Feedback form which should be used to record both negative and positive feedback about BB&O Demonstrators
  • It was suggested there could also be a form for Demonstrators to provide feedback on clubs.

o   One Demonstrator commented that refreshments are often offered by too many people.  It was suggested clubs have a nominated hostess as the only person doing the catering for the demonstrator.  One club cycles this role around club members (not committee) with the reward being they get the first raffle prize.

o   Another Demonstrator comment was that they often felt rushed at the end of a demonstration when people wanted to ask them questions, and the staging is being taken down around them; or helpers take things out to the car before they have been properly packed by the Demonstrator.

Media Officers group

  • Printed publicity material – refer to the guidelines on the Media Officers page on the website.
  • People should Like and Share on Facebook as much as possible, and look to linking with Facebook pages that are not specifically related to flowers
  • Advice is required on how to look at Pinterest pages without registering on Pinterest. The Ley Hill Pinterest site has lots of useful photos and information.  It was not seen necessary for all clubs to create a Pinterest site.
  • Clubs that call themselves a ‘Floral Art Society’ rather than a ‘Flower Club’ may be missing out as the public often see this as a painting or art group.
  • Clubs should update their Facebook and website pages to refer to the new bbandoflowers.org.uk website.  Also all future printed material:  fliers, business cards, club programme cards etc.  The old website will remain for at least 3 months, hopefully longer, with every page having only a link to the new website.
  • 15 Club Media Officers expressed interest in attending a workshop on setting up a website. They left contact details.  Anne Hyde and Shirley Sexton to arrange such a workshop, probably doing a trial run with one club.  Several small group sessions at different venues may be preferable to one large group.   Contact details for Club Media Officers are not recorded on the area database – Shirley Sexton to look into changing this.
  • Following the suggestion of a Programme Secretary Forum it was agreed a similar forum for Media Officers would be a good idea.
  • Having a generic email address as the contact point on a club page is useful, particularly when roles change.  Generic email addresses with the name <club short name>@bbandoflowers.org.uk can be arranged, with mail forwarding to one or two personal email addresses.  To request such an account please email BB&O Media

If any attendees would like other points from the Club Officers Day added to this page please email BB&O Media