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ONE


MEMBER, ONE VOTE IS ONE


IMPORTANT DECISION


By Rick Haycock, CFE


In the interest of full disclosure, let me begin by telling you a bit about   years as a Professional Member; the last four as an Honorary Member. As an Honorary Member, I currently am not entitled to vote. If all measures of the current initiative are approved by the membership I      voting on matters of importance to the members of IAVM, as related to our Association. And I truly believe it is a privilege and that it is im- portant, not something that should be granted frivolously. The use of this privilege is safeguarded within our bylaws, currently granted only to the Professional Members within our ranks. We last visited the question of voting privileges in 2014, following


VenueConnect in Portland. The ballot, if you will, was to consider three  to our governance model; b) extend the vote privilege to Allied Mem- bers; and c) make qualifying Allied Members eligible to serve as Senior - bers did not pass.    deemed it appropriate and necessary to revisit this matter again. Some members disagree, believing the matter was addressed and decided in  of the situation.   to Allied Members, but to ALL members: One Member, One Vote.  very core of our IAVM Value Statements. How can we honor our best intentions while denying a voice to each and every one of our


26 Facility Manager Magazine


members? The other key question concerns eligibility for senior leadership po-


sitions. The proposed bylaw changes would entrench more stringent     (10) years experience in a senior venue position and the requirement  - tion. IAVM volunteer leadership will continue to come solely from the   the 2014 ballot. And I sense that this has been an important distinction for many


of our members: protecting our status as a professional association. I  I have never thought of IAVM as anything but a professional associa- tion (versus a trade association), and there was nothing in the proposed changes that seemed likely to change my mind. So … I did what any reasonable person would do. I Googled it. There is not an abundance of relevant information online regarding the distinctions between a professional association and a trade associ-  each organization what it is purported to be. It seems there are no hard and fast rules. A key distinction seems to be who or what holds the membership: an individual, as in a professional association, or a company, as with a trade association. The key deliverables of IAVM Membership are totally consistent with Wikipedia and other online resources: • Career advancement   • Job Boards • Professional standards and ethics • Industry research • Advocacy


I would suggest there is nothing in the proposed bylaw changes that would materially change those characteristics. IAVM is and will con- tinue to be a professional association, mandated “to educate, advocate           determining feature of IAVM. One of the biggest and most conspic- uous changes was our name change … over a long time, after much discussion and angst … from auditorium to assembly to venue … all    of venue types within our association. I doubt anyone would argue the strength we derive from that diversity within our membership. Similarly, the voting membership is about to consider another


     seek to achieve the inclusiveness that we so readily embrace in our venues every day. Venue managers, service providers, suppliers and            have never understood why we don’t conduct ourselves in the same manner within our association. Allied Membership came to fruition in 1983. Why on earth has it taken us over 30 years to consider them full voting partners with a meaningful voice in the well-being of our association? There is nothing to fear. IAVM has continued to grow and evolve throughout its history. We have an obligation to honor all of the great work and vision that has preceded us and to take that next step by giving a voice to all those within our membership ranks.


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