Meeting Topic
With our rotating wine and beer meetings, an opportunity to host a meeting topic is never too far away. Meeting topics can cover experiments, tastings, educational discussions, lectures, visits, If you've come up with a meeting topic, get a hold of a board member to propose the idea for an upcoming monthly meeting (preferably ask the activities focal or vice president of beer or wine, as appropriate). Let them know what the meeting would entail and what resources you would need to conduct the meeting (facilities, supplies, support, etc.) The board will review the considerations and needs of the meeting and give the go or no go for the meeting.
We will need you to do a meeting preview for release in the Press as well as a meeting wrap up that will be posted after the event. Publication dates of the Press tend to be within the first week of the month. No specific format is required; however, at a minimum you should provide the "what" of the meeting topic, the "where", and the "when" (especially if it will not be held at the normal meeting time.
Resources
Once you have a go-ahead, you can take a deeper look at exactly what you will need for the meeting. Here is some info to help in your planning:
Facilities
The first thing to keep in mind is that if alcohol is involved in the meeting, it can not be held on Boeing property. If there is no alcohol involved, we strongly encourage the use of a meeting hall in the Kent Recreation Center (contact a board member to arrange reservation if the meeting is not to be held on the third Thursday of the month). If alcohol will be involved, the meeting needs to be held off-site. Possible areas include: wineries, breweries, Kent Memorial Park, Tukwila Masonic Lodge, or other areas amenable to hosting events incorporating alcohol. Meetings held off of Boeing grounds which will require money for reservations will need executive board approval. For many of these facilities, they will charge by the hour so a good estimate of the total time we will need the building is needed. Additionally, a banquet permit from the state Liquor Board is needed for most of these locations ($10). Meetings planned well in advanced will be the most likely to have a wide selection of meeting locations available. In selecting the location, consider what facilities will be needed to support your meeting (water, range, electricity, etc.).
If the Tukwila Masonic Lodge is needed, you can check availability on their calendar on their website at http://deltamasonichall.com/calendar.html . If it is available, contact a board member to assist with reserving the location.
Guidelines for reservations
1. Check the calendar: http://deltamasonichall.com/
2. Send the request to Treasurer
3. Treasurer contacts the hall (see the website for current contact info: http://deltamasonichall.com/)
4. Treasurer gets approval and tells VPs and Pres
5. Treasure sends payment to hall
6. VPs and Pres work on key coordination
Equipment
Depending on the meeting topic, expenditures for supporting the meeting may be necessary. The club allocates a budget for its meetings (consult a board member for the current limit). If materials must be purchased, save receipts for submitting a claim to the treasurer afterwards. You will be reimbursed for materials up to the meeting limit. Any expenditure over the budget requires board approval and is not guaranteed to be covered. Please check with a board member for guidance. Note: the club does not reimburse for things like meals, mileage, time, and other personal needs. While we value time and effort, establishing "payment schemes" and rates for incidentals is beyond the scope of the club, and besides, this is a hobby, we do this for fun, not money. Please take this into consideration before incurring expenses.
Support
Many meetings need an extra helping hand or two to make them run well. There are a lot of great, hard working people in the club. While the board can not promise you their help, we can promise help in trying to find others willing to help you if you need it. Please talk with other members in the club and try to solicit help as needed to support your meeting topic.
Set-Up/Preparation and Clean Up
Please budget enough time and support to arrive at the meeting location early enough to prepare the facility for your meeting topic. This may include setting up chairs, tables, or other facilities depending on the location. Please note the arrangement of the facility beforehand because it will need to be returned to the same status at the conclusion of the meeting. At the end of the meeting, please solicit help from the attendees in cleaning and restoring the building. Each facility we use has different standards for clean-up so please check with a board member or experienced member for details.
General Meeting Format
The club does not have a mandatory meeting format; however, here are a few items which will typically occur. The meeting will be called to order by either the meeting organizer or a board member if any are present. The board member may then make announcements relating to the club functions as necessary. If a raffle was being organized, the drawings will probably be held after the announcements. At the conclusion of all general business, the meeting organizer will take over and direct the meeting as necessary, concluding at an appropriate time and requesting clean-up help as required. People are welcome to come and go as they wish and the meeting has no formal end. If the meeting organizer is aware of a time that the club must be out of the building, it is best to announce this time at the beginning of the meeting to help everyone pace their business.
In general, the meetings will follow this format:
General Business (New/Old) - to be conducted by a board member
New people - introduction of new people and guests (assure that waivers are signed, provided by membership focal)
Secretary/Treasurer's Report (optional)
Announcements - conducted by board member or meeting organizer
Raffle - conducted by meeting administration focal
Main Meeting - conducted by meeting organizer
Adjournment - conducted by meeting organizer
After the Meeting
After the meeting, the organizer should submit receipts for approved budget expenses (within 3 months) and write up a summary of the meeting for the Press which should be submitted to the current club Press Editor. If the organizer has some ideas to improve future meetings, he should let a board member know.
Thank you for volunteering your time and wisdom and contributing to furthering the club's beer and wine making knowledge and experience!