HELD AT Ryde Planning and Business Centre ON 29th SEPTEMBER 2011 AT 4.33PM

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Erick Booker
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1 MINUTES OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF RYDE BUSINESS FORUM INC HELD AT Ryde Planning and Business Centre ON 29th SEPTEMBER 2011 AT 4.33PM Present: Lydia Scuglia (HarveyWorld Travel) Lorraine Cox (Downsizing with ease) Andrew Hill (AJH Sports) Elizabeth Webb (TAFE NSW) Sabrina Ferguson (Arion Productions) Daniel Mifsud (Milne Berry Berger & Freedman) Reg Cain (Able Betta Electrical) David McKechnie (David McKechnie) Geoff Prenter (Royal Rehabilitation Centre Sydney) Lyn Clark-Duff (LCD&Co Financial Planning) Apologies: Roseanna Gallo, Andrew Bland, Charles Kilby, Andrew Daff, Victor Berger, Greg Jenkins, Tony Abboud, John F Booth. 1. Minutes of Previous Annual General Meeting The Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting held on 6 September 2010 were adopted as a true record of proceedings. Moved: Lorraine Cox Seconded: Andrew Hill Carried 2. Chairman s Report Lydia Scuglia expanded on the following issues: New member numbers were down 8 on previous year with a total of 22 new members (however in current new financial year there are already 11 new members) Business After Hours was well attended at every event, however events which require attendees to pay workshops, breakfasts, luncheons have seen low numbers and in several cases events have been cancelled due to lack of RSVPs RBF Annual General Meeting 29 September 2011 Page 1

2 Working with member AusNAC ATEL we have secured a trainee, Marcella Letteri, who is working 20 hours a week in the office and studying event management at TAFE During the FY we moved into new premises in the Ryde Planning and Business Centre and are co-located with the Council s Economic Development Officer Lydia thanked the Board for their support over the previous financial year. The full Chairman s Report is included as an appendix to this document. Receive and consider Chairman s Report for July to June Moved: Lyn Clark-Duff Seconded: Lorraine Cox Carried 3. Financial Statements for the period July to June Lyn Clark-Duff expanded on the Financial Statements which were presented and approved by the Committee at the previous Committee meeting. There was a slight amendment approved by resolution prior to the AGM (a change in interest earned from the bank account). She pointed out that the Statements are unaudited and that it is not compulsory to have an audit performed. Procedures have been put in place to ensure all activity is performed in a manner which meets legal and accounting obligations with Sabrina Ferguson and Trish Schwartzkoff working together to that end. RBF ended the FY with a surplus of $ , down approximately $500 on last year. Lyn commented that the lack of events and people paying for them is the cause for the low surplus. Lyn mentioned that we have copies of the book The River in storage at Westward Cottage and that the books were still in the debtors column. Reg Cain, Lyn Clark-Duff and Elizabeth Webb all volunteered to buy a copy at $30 each for a soft cover. Membership revenue is down approximately $2000 fewer level 1 members joined than were budgeted for. Total income was down by about $9000, $8000 of which was events. Overall costs/expenses were down $9000 for the year however. Lydia thanked Lyn, Trish and Sabrina for their efforts at returning a surplus and keeping the accounts in good order over the reporting period. The financial reports for the period July to June were duly received and considered. RBF Annual General Meeting 29 September 2011 Page 2

3 Moved: Lydia Scuglia Seconded: Elizabeth Webb Carried 5. Election of members of the Executive positions All positions were declared vacant. Sabrina Ferguson assumed the role of Returning Officer for the duration of the election. There were two nominations for Chairman and participants at the meeting were asked to vote in a private ballot. Five members had previously submitted proxy forms which were counted in the vote. The result was: Lydia Scuglia 13 votes, Victor Berger 2 votes. Chairman: Lydia Scuglia (Harvey World Travel, Top Ryde) There were two nominations for Vice Chairman and participants at the meeting were asked to vote in a private ballot. Five members had previously submitted proxy forms which were counted in the vote. The result was: Andrew Hill 11 votes, Victor Berger 1 vote Vice Chairman: Andrew Hill (AJH Sports) Lyn Clark-Duff made a motion that the ballot papers be destroyed which was agreed unanimously. With only one nomination for each position, the following positions were declared filled: Treasurer: Secretary: Lyn Clark-Duff (LCD&Co Financial Solutions) Lorraine Cox (Downsizing with Ease) The following Committee Chairpersons were then appointed, with each position receiving a single nomination only. Council: CEO Club: Education Employment & Training: Tourism Leisure & Hospitality: Membership: Greg Jenkins (TinCAN Learning) vacant Elizabeth Webb (Meadowbank TAFE) Andrew Daff (Lane Cove River Tourist Park) Andrew Hill (AJH Sports) RBF Annual General Meeting 29 September 2011 Page 3

4 Traffic & Transport: Lydia Scuglia (Harvey World Travel Top Ryde City) The following members were also appointed to the Executive Committee: Victor Berger (Milne Berry Berger & Freedman) Marc Triulcio (Yellow Brick Road Gladesville) It was agreed by the new Executive Committee in general that the Committee Chair positions of CEO Chair, Traffic & Transport and Membership could be redistributed around the committee at a later date, with the latter two positions temporarily filled at the AGM. 7. General business There being no further business the meeting was closed at 5.15 pm. Signed as a true record of proceedings. Date: RBF Annual General Meeting 29 September 2011 Page 4

5 RYDE BUSINESS FORUM AGM 29 TH September Chairman s Report First and foremost a note of thanks to all the Executive Board members for their commitment and passion throughout 2010/11 assisting the viability of RBF. We all take on a voluntary role, and attendance at board meetings has always been strong and up to 90% and however difficult to attend this percentage has always been derived. During the financial year we ran the following events: 6 x breakfast workshops in July/Aug/Oct 2010 Attendance at these workshops has dropped during the 12month period and it seems to be a trend across other Chambers in the North region of Sydney as well. Business After Hours On a monthly basis we have enjoyed strong attendance all year with an extraordinary attendance of over the Combined Chambers event in Oct % of attendees were RBF members. Business Breakfast Briefings With luncheons being more difficult to attend and more expensive our business breakfasts enjoyed a greater attendance in particular Breakfast with John Alexander at Royal Ryde Rehab Centre in July Other events we have supported eg, Council, Community and Other Chambers include: Special Johnson and Johnson How to network successfully Social media bootcamp Small business September Meet the Ryde Chamber after 5 Overall business is doing it tough. People do not want to pay for events. We have tried to engage a different type of speaker during the FY, based on feedback received from a member survey which indicated members were more interested in hearing from successful business people rather than politicians. We would like to continue with member surveys about who members want to see and pay for. Membership Report RBF Annual General Meeting 29 September 2011 Page 5

6 Financial Year During the FY we had 22 new members join us, which is down on the previous year (30). The GFC undoubtedly had an impact on that as already this FY we have had more than half that number join as new members. No new Level 1 members joined us last year and it is clear we need to target this Level through a) Working with Council and using their contacts to increase our reach. Nathan Pratt has been instigating this in liaison with larger organisations b) Asking existing Level 1 members to be active advocates for the Forum c) Revisiting what our packages are and developing a better package for larger organisations. We do a lot to support smaller businesses and it s no surprise that Level 3 members join readily and often. However it takes the same time and effort to process a Level 3 as a Level 1, and the membership rate is vastly different. During the FY in question 16 Level 3s and 6 Level 2s joined us. At the end of the FY we had 163 members however we have had several not renew. This is usual. We grow at an annual rate of around 5% when nonrenewals are taken into account. We need to up this percentage. Continuing on with membership and the introduction of a new employee, Marcella Letteri who joined the Forum as the Administration Events Co-ordinator in May 2011, Marcella has enjoyed a challenging role attending to phone enquiries and general membership enquires. Marcella reports that over the past 4 weeks 8 new members joined up with memberships drawn from BAH guests attending for the first time. Marcella s personable, polite, and perhaps persuasive mannerisms is a direct result of this. Marcella spends her 20 hours a week side by side with Nathan Pratt, EDO for Ryde City Council. The alliance between RBF and RCC is a harmonious and rewarding relationship through Marcella and Nathan. Sabrina and Marcella work closely together with Sabrina s design of the Red Bible of which Marcella states is a lifesaver, with all the simple basic steps to follow for RBF administration. We acquired Marcella through one of our members, ATEL AusNAC on the traineeship programme, assisted by Meadowbank TAFE. Marcella began her TAFE course last week in Events/ Management Cert 3. RBF Annual General Meeting 29 September 2011 Page 6

7 The Ryde Planning and Business Centre is a very pleasant and comfortable working environment for RBF, and the movement from Westward Cottage in May 2011 has proven to be a success. The City of Ryde played an instrumental role in getting Ryde Business Forum together in 1993,forseeing the need for an umbrella Chamber of Commerce in the region to support growing numbers of large organizations moving into the area and provide services to businesses throughout the city. Today City of Ryde have offered us a rent free premises at the Planning and Business Centre and we are most grateful. HillsSIP and Westward Cottage; With the movement of Ryde Business Forum from Westward Cottage to the Planning and Business Centre I m pleased to advise that the MOU between HillsSIP and RBF for the lease on Westward Cottage was received by HillsSIP yesterday and we are awaiting their reply. Overall the FY has been challenging for us all, however the strength of the Forum keeps wholesome through its membership and the board s commitment. Thank you once again to you all. Lydia Scuglia Chairman 2010/2011 RBF Annual General Meeting 29 September 2011 Page 7

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