Meetings Manual

MUSICAL BOX SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS MANUAL

Last Revision March 24, 2022

1.0 ANNUAL MEETING GUIDELINES

These guidelines are intended to emphasize the requirements, expectations and options regarding hosting an Annual Meeting for the Musical Box Society International.

The planning and performance of the Annual Meeting is the responsibility of each respective host chapter. The host chapter establishes an organizing committee to work on the planning and execution of the Annual Meeting. The responsibility of the MBSI Meetings Committee is to supervise this activity so there is continuity and a smooth transition for each year’s meeting. The rotation of the host chapter responsible for each Annual Meeting is also determined by the MBSI Meetings Committee. This committee then oversees the on-going work of the organization of each meeting’s plans as they are formed.

The Annual Meeting is the highlight of the year for MBSI members. While our by-laws state that “…the members of the Society shall meet annually for the election of officers and Trustees and for the transaction of such other business as may properly come before the membership”, the Annual Meeting is more than just a “business meeting”. It is an opportunity for members from all over the world to come together and enjoy not only the educational opportunities, but also the camaraderie of fellow enthusiasts. And you as members of the host chapter organizing committee are responsible for all of this happening. Remember you are working towards an attendance of anywhere from 100 to 250 depending on the location and other factors.

In accepting the job of planning and executing an Annual Meeting, you have the responsibility of determining an accessible, comfortable, and accommodating locale for the Society’s meeting, of organizing an educational, informative, and fun gathering for the group, and producing an atmosphere conducive to a pleasurable memory for those who attend.

It should be understood that this undertaking is typically a three-year project. By beginning early, the burden should be reduced somewhat. With this amount of time to accomplish your goals, there should not be an undue amount of strain on any one person.

Using these guidelines, a chapter can gain an understanding of the commitment required for hosting an Annual Meeting, and should find them helpful when making decisions during the planning and execution phases.

THE PROGRAM COMMITTEE STRUCTURE

Preferably at a well-attended chapter meeting, the members should be introduced to the idea that their Chapter has been asked to host an Annual Meeting approximately 3 years away. Chapters are requested to organize an Annual Meeting on a rotation basis. At this meeting, a knowledgeable person should make a brief presentation concerning what is involved. In the event the chapter is willing and enthusiastic to pursue the job, a Chairperson or Chairpersons should be selected, and the list of subcommittees read (see list below). The members of the chapter can then pick the task they feel is best for them and volunteer as head of that subcommittee or choose to assist. Subcommittees may be combined, however, it is very easy to overload an individual from the start. Some of the subcommittees will be relatively inactive for some time until a site is chosen and a hotel contract signed, therefore, the greatest initial effort should be directed to site investigation and consideration. Another early task is to determine a theme for the meeting. The theme can then be used to guide several other tasks such as the selection of the table favor, the publicity for the meeting, table centerpieces and perhaps the banquet entertainment.

Additional details and guidance for each of the items below are included in this MBSI Meetings Manual.

PROGRAM COMMITTEE KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Chair Treasurer Hotel Liaison Registrar Table Favors Workshops
Collection/Special Tours Transportation Publicity/Promotion Mart
Hospitality
Banquet Entertainment

SUGGESTED TIMELINE OF KEY ACTIVITIES PRIOR TO MEETING

All activities are listed as time prior to the annual meeting you will be hosting

3 Years:

Select Program Committee Chair or Co Chairs and fill other key leadership positions Determine general location for meeting
Generate and distribute call for proposals to hotels in the area
Visit the most promising hotels that submit a proposal
Negotiate contract with the hotel of choice (include MBSI Meetings Committee Chair in negotiations to ensure all essential meeting requirements are met). MBSI Meetings Committee Chair needs to co-sign the hotel contract.
Select theme of meeting

2 Years:

Decide on table favor for meeting, begin ordering/fabricating parts Determine collection tours and other tours to include
Select the entertainment for the end of the banquet and sign the necessary contract

1.5 Years:

Generate promotional material for meeting. This should include a video or set of slides to be shown at the annual meeting 1 year prior to yours.
Decide if any other promotional material is to be provided to attendees at the meeting prior to yours. This may include fliers and/or small items to distribute at one of the meals.

1 Year:

Coordinate with annual meeting chair or AV person regarding projector/screen in hotel for showing promotional video/slides.
Coordinate with annual meeting chair regarding distribution of any other promotional materials.
Work with magazine editor to develop promotional material to be published in Journal Send promotional video/sides to MBSI webmaster for uploading to the MBSI web site Work on bus contracts and food for tours

6 months:

Complete table favors Develop registration materials
Send registration materials to Journal editor for inclusion into May/June issue 3 months:
Begin processing registrations and payments
Check with hotel contact to resolve any issues that arise
Coordinate with MBSI’s President regarding arrangements with the hotel for food and beverage service for the Trustees’ Meeting breakfast and meeting room refreshments.

1 month:

Remain in close contact with hotel personnel as registration numbers come in and adjust room block if necessary
Check all collection tour hosts and other tour venues for any changes
Let MBSI’s President know whether a complimentary suite will be provided to the President by the hotel so that the President will know whether the suite will be available for scheduling meetings with Chapter Chairs, MBSI Committee Chairs, etc.

1 week:

Mobilize your Chapter members to help with any final activities (fill registration packets, hospitality room set up, table centerpieces, banners, etc.)

TERMINOLOGY

Annual Meeting: The annual meeting open to all MBSI members that includes a business meeting, election of officers and several social and educational events.

Program Committee Chair: The person responsible for calling and conducting meetings of the planning committee and supervising the execution during the meeting. The Chair writes a meeting summary report and send copies to the MBSI President and MBSI Meetings Committee Chair after the meeting (see Policy and Procedures).

Collection Tours: Visits to local members’ collections typically by bussing attendees from the hotel to each site and back to the hotel.

Table Favor: Souvenir item distributed to all registered attendees at the end of the banquet, one table favor per registrant. This usually conveys the theme of the meeting.

Banquet: Dinner that occurs at the end of the meeting. The meal is followed by entertainment and then the distribution of the table favors.

Banquet Entertainment: Entertainment provided to all members who attend the final banquet. This is determined by the program committee and usually consists of a band or other form of musical entertainment that provides entertainment for approximately 1 hour following the meal.

Hospitality Room: Room in the hotel where attendees can mingle and relax between scheduled events. Often the registration table is located within or nearby. Instruments and display items loaned by local members add interest and musical entertainment.

Host Chapter: The Chapter responsible for organizing and conducting an Annual Meeting. The host chapter is rotated among the MBSI chapters in the U.S. as determined by the MBSI Meetings Committee.

Hotel Contract: Contract signed between MBSI and the selected hotel typically 3 years prior to an Annual Meeting. This includes guest rooms per night, meeting room allocation, food and beverage minimums and meal selections. It may also include AV if the hotel is to provide that service.

Program Committee: The committee composed of members of a Chapter who organize and run an Annual Meeting.

MBSI Meetings Committee: The standing committee that oversees the planning and execution of each Annual Meeting and determines the chapter rotation schedule to host the meetings.

Registrar: The individual or individuals who are responsible for generating the meeting registration forms and collecting the information and payments associated with each registrant. The registrar or a designated representative typically staffs the registration table in the hotel during most of the meeting.

Transportation: Usually a bus company is contracted to provide transportation between the hotel and member’s homes for collection tours and to other locations for optional tours.

Treasurer: The individual who establishes a bank account for an Annual Meeting and handles the payments to and from the account. The account is to be closed no later than 90 days following the conclusion of the meeting and a financial report submitted and any surplus funds returned (see Policy and Procedures).

Workshops: Educational presentations of approximately 50 minutes duration usually by MBSI members on various topics of interest to the attendees. These can be slide presentations, demonstrations or in some cases simple hands-on experiences. The workshops are to be recorded on video for posting on the MBSI web site so they are accessible to all MBSI members.

2.0 By-Laws Related to Annual Meetings

ARTICLE XI ANNUAL MEETING

Section 1. The members of the society shall meet annually for the election of officers and trustees and for the transaction of such other business as may properly come before the membership. The annual meeting shall be held between July 1 and October30. The date selected shall not conflict with significant religious holidays.

Section 2. The places and dates for the annual meetings shall be confirmed not less than two years in advance by majority vote of the board.

Section 3 The presence of 75 memberships in good standing shall constitute a quorum at the annual meeting.

Section 4. If a membership vote is required between annual meetings, the board may direct that a ballot be sent to the members by first-class mail. The results will be determined by simple majority of the ballots returned to the recording secretary and postmarked within 30 days of the mailing.

Section 5. The planning and conduct of annual meetings is the responsibility of the host chapter as reviewed and approved by the Meetings Committee; however, the financial responsibility for annual meetings is that of the society. Fees shall be structured to cover expenses with neither a significant gain nor loss. Proceeds from the sale of favors and/or promotional materials beyond the number charged and distributed to registered attendees may be retained by the chapter. All other surplus is to be forwarded to the society by the host chapter and allocated as deemed appropriate by the board.

Section 6. All policies with regard to trading marts must be published in the notice for an annual meeting.

NOTE: This article was last revised in August 2016.

3.0 POLICIES AND PROCEDURES RELATED TO THE ANNUAL MEETINGS

A. Scope

The purpose of this section is to set out directive policies applicable to meetings. “How to” procedures are contained in the society’s extensive Meetings Manual maintained by the Meetings Committee.

B. Hotel

Legal counsel must review contractual agreements between the hotel and the society before signing. (Trustees 3/22/97, Meetings Report; Trustees 8/29/17)
A meeting’s Program Committee must have the approval of the Meetings Committee chair for the planned number of registrants before the hotel contract is signed. (Trustees 9/28/94, Trustees 8/29/17)
The hotel contract must be signed by an individual designated by the host chapter chair and by the chair of the Meetings Committee. (Trustees 3/05/93, Trustees 8/29/17)

C. Announcement

The annual meeting registration process and forms will provide the opportunity for non-members to join the society. However, they will permit non-members to register for and attend the annual meeting without joining (Trustees 3/01/02, Trustees Revised 3/21/03, Trustees Revised 3/30/12, Trustees 8/29/17)
Annual meeting registration packets will be included with the May/June issue of Mechanical Music. (Trustees 3/18/16, Meetings and Finance Committees; Trustees 8/29/17)
No distribution of any registration form, or invitation of any kind, is to take place prior to the regular distribution of annual meeting packets to the general membership. (Trustees 8/28/02, Trustees 8/29/17)
The annual meeting announcement and registration materials must be reviewed by the Meetings Committee chair prior to being printed and mailed. (Meetings Committee 3/05/93, Trustees revised 3/28/14, Trustees 8/29/17)

D. Table Favor Policy

The cost of each table favor shall not exceed $20. (Trustees 8/30/12, Meetings Committee; Trustees 8/29/17)
One table favor will be given to the Museum Committee chair to become a part of the society’s collection. (Trustees 2/13/98, New Business; Trustee revised 3/28/14, Trustees 8/29/17)
The Program Committees must notify the Meetings Committee chair of their plans for table favor design in order to avoid duplications. The Meetings Committee will treat this information as confidential, except where it is necessary to inform another Program Committee that its choice of favor design has already been taken. (Trustees 8/31/88, Trustees revised 3/28/14, Trustees 8/29/17)

E. Mart Policy

Complimentary mart table(s) will be made available to the Membership and Publications Committees at each annual meeting, from which to sell pins, seals, books, etc. The chairs of those committees will notify the meeting’s Program Committee chair of their table requirements not less than 30 days prior to the start of the meeting. (Trustees 8/28/02, Trustees revised 3/28/14, Trustees 8/29/17)
All mart participants are responsible for compliance with local, state, and federal tax laws. Each mart participant shall, where required, collect all sales or similar taxes on any taxable transaction and shall complete and sign an acknowledgment form agreeing to comply with society guidelines concerning mart policies and tax matters. Failure to comply with this requirement will result in exclusion from the mart. Host chapters must make sure that neither the chapter nor the society incurs any liability for sales tax. (Trustees 2/13/98, Trustees 8/29/17)
At any Mart held by the society, society members and members of any organization with which the society is conducting a joint annual meeting may buy and sell. Registered guests may buy, but not sell. (Trustees 4/15/84, Trustees 8/29/17)
All marts shall be no less than two hours in duration.
Host chapters and the society are authorized to conduct a separate mart, open to the public, subject to preapproval by the Executive Committee. However, a mart of equal duration or longer, open only to society members, registered guests, and members of any organization with which the society is conducting a joint annual meeting, must be held first. (Trustees 2/13/98, Trustees Revised 3/21/03 and 4/5/13, Trustees 8/29/17)
There will be no sales of items in the mart room until the mart has officially opened to the membership and registered guests. This policy shall be included in the mart release form signed by all dealers registering for mart tables. (Trustees 4/15/84, Trustees 8/29/17)

F. Board Meetings.

Annual meeting tours and other scheduled activities will not be scheduled to occur during the trustees meeting or annual business meeting without the express prior consent of the president. (Trustees 2/13/98, Trustees revised 3/28/14, Trustees 8/29/17)

G. Finance

Advance seed money for future annual meetings is limited to $15,000. Up to $5,000 of this amount may be supplied not more than three years in advance, and the remaining $10,000 not more than two years in advance. Requests for seed money should be sent to the society’s Treasurer. (Trustees 8/30/12, Meetings Report; Trustees 8/29/17)
Any required hotel deposit is separate from seed money and is paid directly to the hotel from the society’s general fund. (Trustees 8/30/12, Meetings Report; Trustees 8/29/17)
The following policies apply to registration refund requests:
1. If there is a net financial surplus resulting from the annual meeting after all bills are paid, registration refund requests will be honored. The amount refunded will be reduced by any expenditures made on behalf of the registrant, such as unused prepaid tour admission fees and meal costs not refunded by the relevant vendor. If the surplus is not sufficient to cover all refunds requested, refunds will be reduced on a pro-rata basis.
2. In the event of no meeting surplus, or a loss, any refund may be made at the discretion of the annual meeting’s Program Committee chair or the Meetings Committee chair. (Trustees 3/16/07, Trustees 8/29/17)
The cost of an opening night reception event for all attendees, in an amount not to exceed $15 per registrant, and the Trustees’ meeting is part of the society’s budget, rather than the annual meeting budget. (Trustees 3/21/03, Trustees revised 3/28/14- Meetings Report, Trustees 8/29/17, Trustees 4/5/19)
Chapters are required to accept credit cards as a method of payment for registration fees for annual meetings. Setting up a PayPal account for this purpose is recommended. Using that service protects members credit card information (which is not visible to the Program Committee personnel running the meeting), fees are reasonable, and PayPal registration fee payments can be made directly from meeting websites through a PayPal payment link. The Program Committee should include a line item into the annual meeting budget equal to 3% of projected registration fee receipts to cover credit card and PayPal fees. (Trustees 4/08/05, President Report; Trustees revised 3/28/14; Trustees 8/29/17)
The registration costs and hotel room rates for annual meeting should be minimized in order to encourage members to attend. (Trustees 8/28/91, Trustees 8/29/17)
The meeting’s Program Committee chair and treasurer are authorized to establish a bank account in the society’s name, utilizing the society’s EIN, to be used exclusively for the operation and conduct of the annual meeting for which the Program Committee was formed. The name of the account should recognize that it is a society account, e.g., “MBSI 2018 Annual Meeting.” The chapter’s own bank account should not be used for annual meeting related funds, except with respect to income and costs related to table favors. They are also authorized to enter into contracts for that meeting. (Trustees 2/20/87, Trustees 8/29/17)
The annual meeting accounting period shall be closed 90 days after the last official day of the annual meeting, or December 31st, whichever occurs first. Within 30 days thereafter the treasurer of the host chapter or the treasurer of the meeting’s Program Committee will submit a closing financial statement to the society’s treasurer and the Meetings Committee chair using the form furnished in the “Treasurer” chapter of the society’s Meetings Manual. The statement should be accompanied by all moneys remaining after payment of expenses
The closing financial statement shall be made a part of a full annual meeting report prepared by the Program Committee chair and submitted to the society’s president and Meetings Committee chair no later than six months after the annual meeting. (Trustees 9/10/86, Trustees 8/29/17)

H. Miscellaneous

An etiquette reminder, approved by the Meetings Committee chair, shall be included in the annual meeting registration packet, advising visitors to refrain from conversation when instruments are being demonstrated. (Annual Business Meeting 8/28/05, Trustees 8/29/17)
Any chair of any committee involved in an annual meeting must be a member of the society or a member of an organization with which the society is conducting a joint annual meeting. (Trustees 8/06/01, Trustees Corrected 4/5/13, Trustees 8/29/17)
The chapter’s Program Committee should choose a representative to coordinate with the Website Subcommittee of the Publications Committee in determining exactly what is to be recorded. (Trustees 2/18/00, Audio/Visual Report; Trustees 8/31/00, Audio/Visual Report; Trustees 3/02/01, Audio/Visual Report; Trustees 8/29/17)
If the annual meeting hotel provides any complimentary rooms, one such room will be provided to the society’s president. If available, the complimentary room or suite provided to the president should be of sufficient size to permit accommodating small meetings. Any additional complimentary rooms may be distributed at the discretion of the Program Committee chair. (Trustees 2/13/98, Trustees 8/29/17)
The coordination of the scheduling of events during an annual meeting will be conducted between the host Program Committee chair and the Meetings Committee chair. In the event of any disagreement or dispute concerning the placing or scheduling of events, the matter will be referred to the Executive Committee for a decision. (Trustees 2/13/98, Trustees revised 3/28/14, Trustees 8/29/17)
The society’s business meeting will be scheduled on Saturday morning during the annual meeting. A waiver of this provision requires Executive Committee approval. (Trustees 2/13/98, Trustees 8/29/17)
Recognition of first-time annual meeting attendees shall take place at an event as planned by the host chapter, such as the annual business meeting. No special reception will be held for first time attendees. (Trustees Revised 3/18/16, Meetings Committee; Trustees 8/29/17)
Standing committees will be given time to meet at the annual meeting. (Trustees 9/12/90, Trustees revised 3/28/14- Meetings Committee Report, Trustees 8/29/17)
The society’s banner, the American flag, and the flags of other nations with society members will be displayed at society meetings. (Trustees 3/23/90, Trustees 8/29/17)

4.0 PROGRAM COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSON

The chairperson of the Annual Meeting, selected by the chapter members, is responsible for the smooth progression from the planning stage through the conduct of the actual meeting itself to the presentation of the final meeting report at the end. The chairperson should have attended a number of MBSI Annual Meetings and be aware of the meeting requirements and expectations of MBSI members. Your program committee should provide the support you need and have subcommittee heads and members who will work well together. The chairperson should provide each subcommittee head with a copy of the guidelines pertaining to that committee.

This project should involve as many members of the chapter as possible. Additionally, if you are a small chapter, be willing to be open to volunteers from other chapters.

The secret to a successful chairmanship is to pick well the people to work on the various subcommittee jobs and be aware of how those subcommittees are progressing. Hold meetings of the planning committee periodically, often in conjunction with regular Chapter meetings, so that everyone working on the meeting can report their progress and any questions or concerns can be addressed in a timely manner. Remember that you are working with volunteers who may have a limited amount of time to spend so take corrective action quickly if someone needs additional support. It is not easy to be a strong leader in a group of volunteers and friends, or to be without fear of hurting feelings, but it is essential that the total effort be coordinated.

The Chair of the MBSI Meetings Committee is available to answer questions and provide additional guidance. A progress report is expected every 6 months and presented to the Trustees as part of the Meetings Committee Report. The following meeting recap sheet is to be completed and copies submitted to the Society President and the chair of the Meetings Committee no later than 6 months following the conclusion of the meeting.

ANNUAL MEETING RECAP SHEET

MEETING #

YEAR:

HOST CHAPTER:

CITY: STATE:

DATE HELD: THRU:

HOTEL:

ROOM RATES: Single $ Double $

TOTAL REGISTRATION #

LESS CANCELLATIONS #

TOTAL ATTENDANCE #

NUMBER OF FIRST TIMERS:

COSTS

BASIC REGISTRATION FEE: $

OPTIONAL EXTRAS $

NUMBER OF WORKSHOPS HELD

NUMBER OF SPEAKERS

MART TABLE FEE $

TABLES SOLD

EXTRA COST FOR MART

MART HOURS

MART COMMENTS

MEETING FAVOR COST

OTHER SOUVENIRS MADE AVAILABLE

BANQUET ENTERTAINMENT

GENERAL COMMENTS ENTERTAINMENT

5.0 HOTEL LIAISON

Selecting the hotel is one of the most important decisions that must be made. Preferably the contract should be signed three years prior to the meeting. The following task list is intended to provide assistance when going through the process of hotel selection and operation during the meeting.

One person should be designated as the hotel liaison. This is the individual who will submit the meeting requirements to various local hotels for their consideration, negotiate the contract details, and work with the hotel staff of the contract hotel before and during the meeting as a single point of contact between MBSI and the hotel.

First, determine the schedule for the meeting, the size and number of rooms needed for each event, the estimated number of guest rooms needed each night, the food

requirements, and any other items such as the hotel’s policy on AV equipment. Then submit the list of requirements to the various hotels under consideration (e.g. request for proposals). (see example hotel requirements)

After the hotel bids are received, it is best to have a few members of the organizing committee visit each hotel so that a committee consensus can be attained regarding the hotel of choice. Some of the considerations are: guest room rate, meeting room facilities, food and beverage minimum, free parking, access to local restaurants, and complimentary room policy.

Once the committee agrees on the hotel, the contact needs to be reviewed by the MBSI legal counsel before it is signed by both the Planning Committee Chair and the Chair of the MBSI Meetings Committee. A sample hotel contract is attached.

This concludes the hotel selection process. Not very much needs to be done after this except to maintain contact with the appropriate hotel staff as the contract staff tend to have short tenures at any given facility.

Once the meeting is underway, invariably some issues arise that require assistance from someone at the hotel. This is where the hotel liaison serves a valuable role in helping to resolve issues as they arise so that none of them cause significant hardship to any of the attendees. In fact, if the liaison and the hotel staff cooperate fully, the attendees never know that any issues arose.

GENERAL ANNUAL MEETING SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Recent MBSI Annual Meetings have followed a six-day, Tuesday through Sunday format. Under different circumstances, and with the approval of the Meetings Committee Chair (and Trustees if necessary), this can be changed. According to the MBSI By-Laws, (article XI, Section 1), the Annual Meeting shall be held between July 1 and October 30.

It is important avoid conflicts with any religious or special holidays. Labor Day weekend has been the most used weekend throughout the years mainly because of lower hotel rates.

SAMPLE SCHEDULE

DAY	ACTIVITIES
Monday evening	Finance and Endowment committee meetings
Tuesday	Trustees Meeting
	Evening Welcoming Reception Registration
Wednesday	Registration Special Tours Evening Committee Meetings
Thursday	Registration
	Special Tours
	Optional evening event
Friday	Registration
	Morning Workshops
	Awards Luncheon
	Afternoon Workshops Optional evening event
Saturday	Registration
	Breakfast and Annual Business Meeting
	Mart
PM	Cocktail Social
	Annual Banquet
	Banquet Entertainment Distribution of Table Favors
Sunday	Optional open houses

6.0 TREASURER

(Last Revised November 2021)

The work of the Treasurer is a very important part of conducting a successful meeting. MBSI relies on the Treasurer to keep accurate financial records. These will be needed at the end to construct a final accounting of how the meeting went financially and are also part of the source material used by National to compile its financial records and tax returns. This chapter provides information needed to perform the duties of Treasurer properly.

People who volunteer for this task come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Accounting may be “old hat” for some, but may be less familiar territory for others. Therefore, no particular level of expertise on the part of the reader has been assumed and some of what is presented here may be familiar territory. Even if it is familiar ground, please review this chapter as a refresher so that the peculiarities of the job in an MBSI context are understood.

Here are some things to know:

Review the chapters of this manual that contain the MBSI Bylaws and Policies & Procedures. Some rules there impact your job as Treasurer.
It is essential that all income that comes in and money that goes out to pay meeting expenses is tracked by category. This manual includes a “MBSI Annual Meeting Financial Report Closing Recap” form the Treasurer will complete to close out the meeting’s finances and report back to National. Reviewing it now will help identify these categories. Others may be added as appropriate.
Good financial software can be a tremendous help and time saver. Here are some recommendations based on past experience, listed from the most thorough to basic:
- Of course, if you are an accounting professional with advanced financial software, feel free to use that as you think best.
- Running an annual meeting is very much like running a small business. Small business financial software, Quick Books for example, is an excellent vehicle for keeping your meeting accounts. One major benefit is that this type of software enables you to quickly generate financial reports with little effort when they are needed and to have separate accounts for registrants and vendors you can easily check to see if registrants have paid and what bills you have pending for vendors and when bills were paid.
- Personal finance software like Quicken can be used. However, because it was not designed as business software, it has significant limitations. Chiefly these are that the kind of reports it produces are not nearly as good as those produced by small business software for easily extracting the data you will need to produce your final report and this kind of software may not be able to create the separate individual accounts for registrants and vendors that you should have.
- At a minimum, keep a spreadsheet to record all income received and expenses paid by category with the date of receipt or expenditure and, for expenditures, the check numbers.
As the MBSI bylaws provide (Article XI, Section 4), while host chapters plan and conduct the meeting, the financial responsibility for the meeting is that of the Society. Therefore, the Treasurer acts for both the host chapter and for National. Among the implications of that are:
- With only one exception, meeting accounts and records should always be kept completely separate from chapter accounts and records.
- The exception is table favor income and expenses. The production of table favors is a chapter enterprise and those expenses are accounted for on the chapter’s books. Income from reimbursement for favors distributed to meeting attendees and from the sale of extra favors is chapter income. Be sure to keep track of the unit cost of each favor as that information will be needed later to calculate the amount to reimburse the host chapter for the cost of favors given out to meeting registrants and given to the Museum Committee Chair for the Society’s collection.
- A checking account should be set up in the name of “MBSI 2 Annual Meeting.” This is an MBSI National account and the tax number to use for the account is MBSI’s EIN (Employer Account Number), which you may obtain from MBSI’s Treasurer. The authorized signatures to establish for the account normally are those of the annual Meeting Treasurer and the Annual Meeting Chairman. (This account will be closed after the meeting is concluded and all financial matters are settled.)
- Except with regard to table favor income and expenses, do not use the host chapter’s bank account for meeting business. It can lead to needless complications in keeping things straight and possible tax headaches for both National and the chapter.
- The Treasurer’s work is subject to review by MBSI’s Meetings Committee and, potentially, by MBSI’s Audit Committee, Trustees, and accountant. The meeting financial records become part of MBSI’s financial records and MBSI itself is subject to a required annual financial review by an independent certified public accountant and, potentially, audit by the Internal Revenue Service.

All this is not as scary as it might sound. Keeping a few basic principles in mind will help to make things run smoothly should questions come up:

First and foremost, maintain a good “paper trail” to back up your work. This means keeping bills, receipts, bank statements, canceled checks, and the like for 7 years. We suggest keeping this material in labeled file folders by topic so that you can easily refer to them if questions are asked.
A copy of any spreadsheet or the like used by your meeting registrar to track registration payments from members and relevant computer files (a Quick Books file for the meeting, for example) should be retained for 7 years as well.
Make sure from the beginning that all of the members of the host chapter’s annual meeting planning committee know that they need to provide the Treasurer with receipts for all expenditures associated with the annual meeting when they ask for reimbursement. A reimbursement request form is included with this Manual for committee members to fill out and submit, with receipts attached. Each of the subcommittee chairs should be provided with a copy of this reimbursement form early on.

Budget

Every annual meeting should have a budget. Among other things, the registration fee needs to be determined. Here are a few things to take into consideration when constructing the budget:

MBSI’s bylaws (Article XI, Section 4) set the budgeting goal. “Fees shall be structured to cover expenses with neither a significant gain nor loss.”
Unfortunately, MBSI membership has been in decline and annual meeting attendance is not what it once was. That needs to be taken into account when projecting registration income in your budget. Discuss what a reasonable current projection for the number of attendees may be with the MBSI Meetings Committee Chair.
The MBSI Policies & Procedures specify adding a 3% cushion to cover credit card fees. (This includes PayPal fees, if PayPal is used.) That is, have an expense line item on your budget for Credit Card/Pay Pal fees equal to 3% of the amount of income you project receiving from registration fees.
The MBSI Policies & Procedures provide for a subsidy of up to $15.00 per attendee for the cost of an opening reception and specify that the Trustees’ Meeting expenses are part of the MBSI budget, rather than the Annual Meeting budget. When you construct your meeting budget do not include those expenses. Those costs are covered by MBSI’s general funds rather than by registration fees.

Registration Payments:

Registration payments by cash or by individual or company check are fine. According to MBSI’s Policies & Procedures, credit card payments must also be accepted. There are two ways in which this is usually done:

Send copies of the registration forms with the credit card information to MBSI’s accountant, Cinda Rodgers, and she can process the payments:

Cinda L. Rodgers, CPA, PC
PO Box 14404
Springfield, MO 65814
Set up a PayPal account for the meeting. This approach has several advantages to commend it. Money from registrations payments comes into this PayPal account quickly and can be transferred into the annual meeting bank account to use to pay expenses. Fees charged to your meeting are about the same as they would be for a credit card payment. PayPal takes care of collecting from the registrant’s credit card or bank account. The payment is secure for the registrant and there is no need to worry about having to safeguard sensitive credit card or bank account information because the chapter never receives that information.

Set the account up as a business PayPal account, rather than a personal account. (Among other things, personal PayPal accounts may have a fairly low limit on the amount of money that can be withdrawn each month that would not be satisfactory.) A good web designer should be able to provide a button on the meeting website that registrants can use to make PayPal registration payments.

Operating Capital

Operating capital is needed until registration fee income comes rolling in. MBSI National provides assistance through “seed money” advances and making hotel deposit payments if deposits are required. See the Policies & Procedures chapter of this manual for details.

Requests for “seed money” advances should be sent to MBSI’s Treasurer. (The MBSI Treasurer’s contact information can be found in the back of any recent copy of Mechanical Music.) Request as much as you need, subject to the cap listed in the MBSI Policies & Procedures, but please don’t tie up MBSI capital unnecessarily by requesting significantly more than is really needed. If it looks like more may be needed as things progress, a supplemental “seed money” payment can be requested later provided that the maximum amount allowed has not already been provided.

Send requests to pay the hotel deposit to MBSI’s accountant, along with a photocopy of the final contract with the hotel (signed by the hotel representative and by MBSI’s Meetings Committee Chair and the host chapter’s Annual Meeting Committee Chair)

showing the amount of the deposit required. (See the “Registration Payments” section of this chapter for the accountant’s name and mailing address.)

As far as accounting for the meeting is concerned, please note that all of these advances from MBSI National are loans to the annual meeting committee. They are not “income” and repaying them later is not an “expense.” For accounting purposes, the advances are treated essentially the same as if the meeting were a business receiving proceeds from a bank loan.

MBSI Policies & Procedures also provide for MBSI to pay the cost of mailing the first batch of registration packets sent to members. MBSI will do this by mailing those packets to members in the envelopes that contain an edition of Mechanical Music. The Registrar should consult the Chair of MBSI’s Publications Committee for the deadline date by which you must have provided Publications with the packets to include in an upcoming Mechanical Music mailing. Remember that Mechanical Music is mailed every other month and take that into consideration when planning the meeting packets mailing schedule.

Wrap Up:

The meeting is over, the registration money is all in, amount due disputes have been settled, vendors have all been paid and all checks have cleared the meeting’s bank account. Now what?

Under the MBSI Policies & Procedures “The annual meeting accounting period shall be closed 90 days after the last official day of the annual meeting, or December 31st, whichever occurs first. Within 30 days thereafter the treasurer of the host chapter or the treasurer of the meeting’s Annual Meeting Program Committee will submit a closing financial statement to the society’s treasurer and the Meetings Committee chair using the form furnished in the ‘Treasurer’ chapter of the society’s Meetings Manual.” In most cases this works out to a final deadline of 120 days after the meeting closes to submit the form and money due to National, but normally you should do it as soon as all meeting bills have been paid, any refunds due from vendors have been received, any refunds granted to attendees have been paid and all outstanding checks have cleared the meeting’s bank account. If you are not able to meet the deadline, inform MBSI’s Treasurer, accountant and Meetings Committee Chair of the reason why and when you anticipate completing the report.
MBSI’s bylaws (Article XI, Section 4) provide that “Proceeds from the sale of favors and/or promotional materials beyond the numbers charged and distributed to registered attendees may be retained by the chapter.” By implication the host chapter is entitled to reimbursement (at cost) for table “favors and/or promotional materials” distributed to registered meeting attendees. MBSI’s Policies and Procedures also provide for one favor to be given to the Museum Committee Chair for the Society’s Collection. Note, though, that the reimbursement for favors is limited by MBSI’s Policies and Procedures to $20.00 per favor. Write a check to the host chapter’s bank account from the meeting’s checking account for this reimbursement.
There will almost certainly be some requests for refunds from registrants who were unable to attend the meeting or some tour due to unanticipated events, illness for example. Under the MBSI Policies & Procedures “Provided there is a net financial surplus greater than the requested funds, the policy will be to refund registration amount, reduced by any expenditures, pro-rata, made by the MBSI prior to registration. In the event of no meeting surplus, or a loss, any refund will be made at the discretion of the Annual Meeting Chair or the Meetings Committee Chair.” (Emphasis added.)

Because everything has been settled at this point, you now know whether the meeting came in with a gain or loss and are now ready to consider addressing those refund requests:

If there is a surplus large enough to cover the requests, honor them by issuing the refund checks. Note that amounts MBSI paid out for the registrant that you were not able to recover are not refundable when calculating the amount to be refunded. For example, if MBSI paid for the cost of a tour admission ticket or meal for the registrant and did not recover that cost from the vendor, then it may not be refunded.
If there was a surplus, but it is not large enough to cover the full amount of refunds that could otherwise be paid, prorate the refunds. For example, if the surplus is large enough to honor 85% of the total amount of requested refunds, reduce the amounts paid to each registrant requesting a refund by 15%. Include a note to the registrant explaining why the full amount could not be paid.
If the meeting broke even or there was a loss, any refunds must be approved by either the Chair of your Annual Meeting Committee or the Chair of the MBSI Meetings Committee.
At this point, the Treasurer should complete the “MBSI Annual Meeting Financial Report Closing Recap Form.” Use the most recent edition of the form, which is available in the Meetings Manual section of the Members Only section of MBSI’s website at msbi.org. Information about where to send copies is included on the form.
If there have been no errors, the amount shown at the end of the form should be the same as the amount left in the meetings bank account. Close out that account at the bank with a cashier’s check made payable to Musical Box Society International. Send the check to MBSI’s Treasurer.

Note: Adjust the Bank Charges line item on the Recap Form to include any bank charges incurred at the time that the account is closed.

Forms Associated With This Chapter:

These forms are available in the Meetings Manual section of the Members Only section of the MBSI website at mbsi.org.

(Note: Because this chapter expanded slightly when it was revised in 2021, it ends with page 24 and the next chapter begins with page 24.)

7.0 REGISTRAR

The Registrar of your Annual Meeting is the primary point of contact for those planning to attend. Expect questions by email and phone from members who may have special requests. The main recommendation is to never get behind, especially when the majority of the registrations are coming in. Although this is a time-consuming job, the Registrar will become more familiar with many MBSI members and have the opportunity to meet everyone in person at the meeting.

The following recommendations are important to the job of Registrar:

The registrar position is best filled by two people who live in the same household and can work together. Neither of them should take on any other major assignments with respect to the Annual Meeting.
Good computer skills (spreadsheets) and a good printer are a definite advantage, especially if a large turnout is expected.
Start preparations for registration as soon as the program has been established.
Set prices at even dollars–for everything.
Registration materials should be included in the May/June issue of Mechanical Music prior to your meeting. Coordinate with the editor regarding material submission and due dates (typically 1 month before publication).
Print tickets on colored paper, a different color for each event (e.g. collection tour, awards luncheon, banquet, table favor redemption coupon), to simplify distribution in the registration packets and collection at each event. Each ticket should be numbered to control the number issued. Include the starting time for the event, location at the hotel (include the room name or where to board the bus). Tickets should be small enough to fit onto a lanyard-style name badge holder.
The Registrar should keep any extra tickets for tours available at the registration desk for purchase if space is available for any of the optional tours.
Registration packets should be filled approximately one week before the start of the meeting. A label on each packet should indicate a unique registration number, name(s) of the registrants included in the packet, and extra events such as collection tours, meal selections if any, and mart table if any. This can often be merged with printing the name tags that are inserted into the lanyard-style name badge holders.
Lists of those attending extra tours should be printed to facilitate the bus loading at the hotel and help the bus captains with their duties.
The Registrar needs to send the incoming checks on an even time schedule to the Treasurer.
At the meeting, have a master registration list available to resolve any discrepancies of tickets found in the registration packets. Best to have each attendee verify the contents of his/her packet before leaving the registration desk area.

To help eliminate disagreements, policies for the meeting should be clearly stated in the registration materials. Examples include:

No registrations will be accepted after a certain date. Mention if there is an early bird reduced registration fee or a late charge.
No refunds after a pre-determined date.
State clearly which events are open to guests and/or non-registered members, and which are not.
State whether there will be refunds for returned table favors or canceled tours.
Be sure the registration confirmation sheet addresses the REQUIREMENT that all attendees wear their badges AT ALL CONVENTION EVENTS and AT ALL OPEN HOUSES.

REGISTRATION DESK: At the hotel, the registration desk should be in the hospitality room or a secure designated room nearby. At least 2 tables with chairs will be needed to spread out all the packets and literature and provide assistance to those picking up their packets and asking questions.

The Registration desk should be open throughout the Annual Meeting as much as possible, starting the day before the first planned event. Open early enough each morning so those arriving can obtain their packets before the first event each day. Determine the number of persons needed to staff the table depending on the structure of the program.

One person should be scheduled for a few hours the last morning to give out favors to those who did not pick them up at the banquet, or for additional sales of leftover ones.

When or shortly after attendees pick up their registration packets, they may wish to reserve space at a table during the final banquet. A layout of the banquet tables should be provided with the tables numbered. Provide a signup sheet with the appropriate number of seats for each table so attendees can quickly add their names to a particular table to reserve their seats for the banquet. It is helpful to provide small stickers or some other means to identify each table so those who reserved seats can remember which table they have reserved. Table numbers could also be written on the banquet tickets at this time especially if a blank slot is provided for such a number on each ticket.

8.0 TABLE FAVORS

The table favors are intended to be souvenirs that represents a specific meeting, especially if there is a theme for the meeting, and are distributed at the conclusion of the banquet. Each person registered for the meeting is provided with one table favor. The table favors are intended to be kept secret from the attendees until they are distributed at the banquet. Only members of the host committee and the MBSI Meetings Committee Chair should know what the table favor will be for a specific meeting.

The host committee determines what the table favor will be for their meeting. The MBSI Meetings Committee chair should be informed early in the process so that there is no duplication of a favor planned for another meeting. The Board of Trustees has set the dollar limit per favor to be $20.00 (see Policy and Procedures, Section D). The cost should be included in the meeting registration fee. Often supplies are donated by members of the host committee and of course the labor required for assembly and packaging is provided by the host committee as well.

For most table favors, some fabrication of parts and assembly is required. This is best accomplished by one or more “work parties” where members of the host committee gather to work together. This is also a good time to discuss other aspects of the meeting. In some cases, the members are spread out geographically so that one or two devoted members perform the majority of the work. The final favors should be packaged so they can be transported home by the attendees without damage.

Enough favors should be fabricated so that there is not only one for every meeting attendee but extras that can be sold after the banquet to those who would like more than one or would like to give one to a friend. A table should be set up near the banquet facility to facilitate the distribution and sales. The host chapter provides funds for the table favors and should be reimbursed at cost from the annual meeting account for those distributed to meeting attendees. Funds obtained from the sale of extra favors belong to the host chapter.

The table favors can be distributed at the conclusion of the banquet entertainment or distributed on the tables before the banquet. By distributing them on the tables they become true “table favors” and can serve as table decorations to reduce the need and cost for centerpieces on the banquet tables.

Finally, one table favor needs to be sent to the MBSI Museum Committee chair at the conclusion of the annual meeting to become part of the MBSI Museum collection.

Suggestions for table favors:

Once the table favor for a meeting has been decided, the next most important decision is the number of favors to be produced. This is, of course, is based on a realistic projection of attendance. (This number is to be approved by the MBSI Meetings Committee Chair)
A theme item is always nice to remember the location as well as the meeting.
Start the project as soon as possible. Many phases of the work can be taken home by members of the chapter. It’s great to be finished early so that the focus can shift to other aspects of the meeting.
Shop around for your materials and get a lot of members involved. If a member in your group has a business, sometimes it is advantageous to use the business name to get a good discount.
Once the project is started, keep written records, if you can, of who is doing what to how many and where.

9.0 WORKSHOPS AND SPEAKERS

The workshop feature of the Annual Meeting is an important one. Almost everyone who attends the meeting attends at least one workshop. These are also an important part of the mission of our Society as we are chartered as an educational institution and every year MBSI must report to the State of New York the number of people the Society has educated by various means. The workshop attendance becomes a part of this report.

The number of workshops is left to the Planning Committee. However, there should be a choice of at least 4 speaker time slots during the day for members to choose from. Some speakers may choose to speak only once but most speakers are encouraged to present their workshop twice so that everyone who has an interest on attending can do so. Keep the speakers in the same room for their second presentation to reduce the need and time required for setup and moving objects on display. Typically, 4 workshops are presented in parallel during each time slot. If every speaker presents their workshop twice, you would need 8 speakers (4 time slots x 4 parallel sessions/2 presentations per speaker).

Usually all the workshops are presented on the same day, generally half in the morning and half in the afternoon. All the rooms should be in close proximity so that members can easily move from one room to another, especially if some rooms become overcrowded and others have space for more attendees. It is a good idea to have some sort of easel located near the entrance to each room so that attendees know which workshop is being presented in each room. This information should also be printed in the material contained in the registration packets.

The attendees at annual meetings have a wide variety of interests in the field of

mechanical music. Workshop speakers should be selected to provide “something for everyone”. Topics may include hands-on restoration practices where attendees can try a particular method on a small sample, detailed information on a specific brand or manufacturer, tips for buying or selling instruments, providing more recent music for historical instruments using electronic media, and many others at the discretion of the Program Committee. Try to have a variety of topics rather than focus on one category of instrument.

No other activities should be scheduled during the workshops with the exception of the hospitality room being open and available for attendees to visit.

Planning

2 years in advance of the meeting: Potential speakers should be contacted. Best to have some backups in mind in case one or more of your speakers is unable to attend.

1 year in advance: Speakers who have agreed to present a workshop should be contacted again to confirm their participation. That provides an opportunity to find a backup if someone cannot participate.

6 months prior to the meeting: Contact the speakers again to 1) remind them of their commitment, 2) obtain an abstract from them that can be used in the publicity for your meeting and included in the registration materials, and 3) confirm their AV requirements. Provide the AV requirements to your AV coordinator who may have to work with the hotel or an outside vendor.

3 months prior to the meeting: The speakers should be contacted again to give them details about the presentation schedule and tell them the room name and location they will be in. Also send the final schedule to the MBSI Meetings Committee Chair. The MBSI Meetings Committee is charged with coordinating the recording the workshop sessions for posting on the MBSI website for all members to view. Thus, the need to have speakers sign the release form, preferably before the meeting begins.

After the meeting it is recommended that letters of appreciation be sent to all speakers thanking them for their efforts.

10.0 AUDIO-VISUAL

The host chapter should establish a chapter Audio-Visual (A/V) Committee for the use in preparing for and during the Annual Meeting. The purpose of the committee is two-fold. The responsibilities of the host meetings Audio-Visual Committee encompass organizing the equipment needed by the guest speakers to properly present their workshops and special presentations, and to inform and to help the Meetings Committee Chairman as listed below.

The chapter Audio-Visual committee should determine all the equipment needed for all events of the meeting, including special speakers, and workshops. A chart should be made for the location of where each piece is needed and the time it is needed in that room, whether they will provide their own equipment or whether equipment will need to be obtained by the host meetings A/V chairman, and type of hook-ups necessary. It is important to coordinate the rooms so that the equipment does not have to be moved excessively. Early in the planning the Audio/Visual committee should contact rental equipment companies and the hotel for their price lists of equipment available and determine if the hotel will allow the chapter or outside vendors to provide the equipment. After all information has been gathered from the speakers, an agreement should be established with the A/V contact chosen for the equipment required. An alternate approach is for the Planning Committee to purchase the necessary equipment such as projectors and sell them at the Mart. Equipment purchase and subsequent sales, even with a significant sales price discount, may be less expensive than renting from the hotel or a rental AV company.

The National Meetings Committee Chairman should receive an audio-visual requirements list from the host meetings Workshops/speaker Chairperson at least 1 month before the meeting. This should include:

The names of the speakers, their subject and title and time allotted
Signed A/V release forms by those speakers willing to have their talks recorded and offered to MBSI members (They will receive a copy of their presentation free of charge). There is no obligation on the part of speakers to allow us to record their presentation and we will not record their talk if they have not signed the release.
Which of the talks/presentations are suitable and worthy of being recorded
Any special equipment needed for any of the speakers to properly record their workshop.
Room and time assignments.

Any other functions that will occur during the meeting worthy of recording should be brought to the attention of the national Meetings Committee Chairman with the appropriate information.

At least two persons from the host chapter should be assigned to help move and store audiovisual equipment as needed throughout the meeting. These persons should also be responsible for shipping the MBSI–owned equipment back to the designated custodian if necessary.

11.0 COLLECTION AND SPECIAL TOURS

One of the main attractions for members to attend an annual meeting are the musical instrument collections that are available for visiting. These are mainly private collections, usually of MBSI members, that are not normally available for visiting except as a tour group associated with an annual meeting. Nearly all of these are optional tours that have charges in addition to the basic registration fee for the meeting. This additional charge covers the bus transportation cost and usually a lunch. The lunch can be a catered lunch served at one of the sites that is visited or a box lunch. The date, start and end time, and additional cost for each tour should be clearly indicated on the meeting registration form. Details of what each tour includes should also be provided in the meeting registration materials. (see examples of registration materials in the section on registration).

To prepare for these tours, owners or managers of potential collections to be visited should be contacted well in advance of the meeting, preferably at least two years in advance to gain their permission. Indicate how many visitors should be expected with a bus load of people and discuss basically what would be viewed and the length of time that would be appropriate for that particular stop. The person working on the bus transportation should be involved in the discussions of timing as the bus company will need to know when each bus is to leave the hotel and when it will return in addition to the basic route. A collection owner may have limitations on days to visit or the number of people allowed at any one time so that should be considered as the tour schedule is developed.

At most recent meetings, two days of collection tours have been offered to the registrants. Typically, these are the two days prior to the day with the workshops and the Awards Luncheon so the tours do not conflict with any other Society activities or business. Each day begins shortly after breakfast when the buses load at the hotel and ends late in the afternoon when the buses return. A typical day consists of stops at two locations or two separate collections, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. However, a collection may be a considerable distance from the hotel so that only one stop would be included on that tour.

It is best to remain in periodic contact with each collection owner as the meeting schedule develops. Approximately 6 months before the meeting the final schedule should be set. This should include bus departure times, arrival and departure times at each stop, and the bus arrival time back at the hotel along with the lunch logistics.

Tours other than collection tours are often included as optional events at an annual meeting. These have included tours of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in the Chicago area, tours and organ concerts at a restored movie theater, visits to local historical museums, and narrated general tours with various stops around town. Not everyone wishes to spend all their time visiting musical instrument collections so having some other options available is worth considering, especially if there is something of general interest in the area.

In summary, contact potential tour sites early, maintain contact throughout the planning process, co-ordinate a detailed schedule with the bus company, determine the price to cover the cost of the bus transportation and the lunch, and include the necessary details in the registration materials.

After the registration materials have been returned, let each tour site know how many people to expect with each tour and assist in finalizing the lunch arrangements.

Coordination of the lunch arrangements may be needed especially if box lunches are to be loaded on the bus prior to departure in the morning.

On the day of a tour, assist the bus captains in loading the buses (with or without box lunches). Have the bus captains remain in phone contact with the contact person at each stop to alert them to the estimated time of arrival especially is any unforeseen problems such as traffic congestion cause delays.

After the meeting, report any significant issues that occurred with the tours to your Program Committee Chair so they can be included in the meeting recap report.

Suggestions for improving the process are also welcome.

12.0 TRANSPORTATION

Moving a large number of people from place to place during the meeting requires careful planning and execution. A Transportation Chair should be identified early in the planning stage. The main responsibilities are:

Transportation for program events directly associated with the Meeting–busses for collections tours, for scheduled optional tours, for planned excursions.
Transportation advisories for attendees–transportation to and from the airport, availability and rates for shuttles, local transportation available (cabs, subways, etc.) Your local Convention and Visitors Bureau, the hotel or the local airport can provide information about transportation to and from the hotel. Some hotels provide shuttle service but be sure the charge is understood.

Planning responsibilities

In selecting a bus company, it is important to consider the following: all transportation needs for the meeting including schedules, routes, and expected number of people for each event, price (the cheapest is not always the best), cooperation of the bus company personnel, condition of the equipment–and a nice added bonus when possible–a representative to supervise loading.

Preparation of Bus Routes: For collection tours, each host should be contacted for estimated driving times and exact instructions to and from their homes especially if road construction would require an alternate route from what a typical GPS would provide. After the information is received, exact routing instructions and timetables should be developed. Similar preparation is required for other off-site events. These can be used to prepare schedules for the meeting and for the estimated payments to the bus carrier. It is a good idea for the Transportation Chair to drive all of the routes to personally verify the instructions and the estimated time allotted. This process requires a significant amount of time, but the success of the tours is directly related to the amount of preparation.
Passenger lists: Computer generated lists of passengers can be made available through the program used by the Registrar, thus enabling assignments to buses.
Bus captains: Each bus should have a bus captain assigned to it to facilitate loading and monitoring the trip. The number of bus captains needed should be determined and signed up ahead of time. Because chapter members may be busy on other aspects of the meeting, it is a good idea to use this opportunity to recruit bus captains from other attendees. This should be done a few weeks ahead of the meeting when the final numbers for tours are known. There should be a meeting each morning for the bus captains of the day to give them instructions and answer questions. Each bus captain should be given a folder which contains the list of riders on his or her bus, routing instructions which match those of the driver, and some background information on the sites to visit. Remember that people do like to talk together on these tours, so do not push the commentaries. Have a simple form for the bus captain to fill out at the end of the trip. This is especially good if there is a discrepancy with the bus company and shows what time the bus left and returned to the hotel.
Refreshments: Most bus trips are at least one hour in duration, so it is important to have adequate beverages on hand such as bottled water. It is also a good idea to provide some light snacks such as small candy bars, individual bags of chips or some other snack. The snacks can be passed around the bus in a small box for those who wish to eat something while on route. Be sure trash bags are provided and have the bus captains assist with any cleanup needed after the buses return to the hotel.

Responsibilities during the meeting

If more than one bus leaves at the same time, you will need to help the bus captains in the dispatch as not all buses will go to the same location. No matter how well organized, the more buses that leave at the same time, the more help you will need and/or the more time you will need.

It is advisable to maintain contact with someone at the bus company during the meeting as invariably some last-minute changes will occur.

13.0 PUBLICITY/PROMOTION

A member of the organizing committee should be designated by the chair for publicity and promotion. The responsibilities include the following:

Promoting the date and location of the meeting in the MBSI Journal and web site calendar.

Ensure that the meeting dates and location are sent to the editor of the MBSI Journal as soon as possible in the planning process. This will allow potential members to block their calendars well in advance of the meeting.

Generating the meeting announcements that appear in the MBSI Journal and web site.

Several one-half or full-page announcements typically appear in the MBSI Journal in issues prior to the meeting that year. Work with the Editor to develop these announcements. The content can be changed slightly from issue to issue so that the majority of the highlights of the meeting are covered.

Developing a promotional video or slide show that is presented at the meeting the year before.

A representative from the organizing committee is expected to address the attendees at the prior annual meeting to promote the meeting the following year, often during the awards luncheon. This usually includes a video or slide presentation that shows some of the collections to be visited on the collection tours and other events of interest. The publicity chair should assist with the development of this presentation.

Optional promotional items that can be distributed to registrants at prior meetings to encourage their attendance.

If time and resources allow, promotional items can be made and distributed at one or more prior Annual Meetings. Previous examples include bookmarks (St. Paul), small bags of coffee beans (Seattle), sections of film (So. California). These should be distributed to tables at the event where the publicity video or slides are shown.

Publicity for special events

Some meetings include a special event that is open to the public. A good example is an organ rally at a local park. This is a means to expose our hobby to the general public. However, the public needs to know about it. Working with local radio, TV and magazines along with social media is a good way to get the word out to those who may have interest. Perhaps someone on the organizing committee has experience with marketing and promotion and can assist with this effort.

14.0 MART

See Section 3 in Policies and Procedures for detailed requirements

Hosting a successful mart is a combination of many factors. The space and arrangement of tables should be conductive to good displays by the dealers and adequate viewing by potential buyers. One obvious need is ample space between rows of tables to prevent congestion. For large marts, the space can be subdivided into loud vs quiet instruments on display and/or large vs small items.

The size of the room is of foremost importance. It is usually set up in the hotel’s ballroom or another room of similar capacity. Another important factor is the accessibility of the dealers being able to deliver and remove their items to and from the room. Other factors include:

The room should be secured so that only dealers are allowed into it prior to the formal opening time.
Each table should be draped and include 2 chairs.
Electrical power is requested by some dealers. How is the hotel able to provide what is needed?

A mart “open to the public” has been held at a few of the past Annual Meetings. If your meeting is in an area that has potential for non-member interest you may desire to publicize and have one, however (according to the by-laws) this would have to be preapproved by the Society’s Executive Committee and held after the mart open to society members.

ORGANIZATION

Space and location for the mart is part of the hotel contract requirements. The number of draped tables and chairs needed and electrical service provided should be included in the contract. Once the hotel contract has been signed with the location for the mart determined, there is not much to do until the meeting registration forms are developed.

A mart registration form needs to be created, with the Disclaimer on the bottom (see example Mart Registration Form). This should be included with the basic meeting registration material. Information to request includes the number of tables and whether electrical power is required or not. Optional items can include information such as whether the items are soft or loud.

Complimentary mart table(s) will be provided to the Membership and Publications Committees from which to sell books, pins, etc. The chairs of those committees are to notify the meeting’s program Committee Chair no later than 30 days prior to the start of the meeting.

When the mart forms are received from the registrar, a method for recording each participant should be devised, i.e., alphabetically and numerically. It is helpful to make a drawing of the room layout with the tables shown and numbered. Assign each dealer to one of more tables on the drawing by number, and according to their individual needs. A copy of the layout should be included with each dealer’ registration packet and the number or number of tables assigned.

Additionally, a volunteer list needs to be created in order to have assistance with the set up so that only mart dealers and their assistants enter during the set-up time. Their job will be to prevent pre-sales between dealers, to help find table locations, and to set up electrical cords, etc. These volunteers should receive a reminder of their assignment at least a month prior to the meeting.

15.0 HOSPITALITY

The Hospitality Committee chair should be identified early in the planning process. This committee is mainly responsible for planning and staffing the hospitality room in the hotel. In some cases, the registration area will be located within the hospitality room so that staffing the registration table and hospitality room can be combined. The hospitality room is the area where members can gather for social interaction and relaxation. The hospitality room is very important for a friendly and welcoming atmosphere to our meetings and is always an integral part.

Most hospitality rooms have included displays of musical instruments loaned by local members. The instruments can be demonstrated from time to time throughout the meeting. If large instruments are planned such as pianos, access to a loading area is required. There should be ample room for tables and chairs so that attendees have a place to sit and converse. The room needs to be secured especially if instruments are placed on display. All these factors need to be considered when discussing potential room assignments with the hotel staff when the hotel requirements are discussed.

It is helpful to have refreshments available from time to time throughout the meeting especially for those who remain at the hotel rather than travel on one of the external tours. A bulletin board should be made available for daily announcements. A table should be provided for the notebook that contains the Chapter reports for members to peruse. It may be helpful to have brochures for local attractions and restaurants. Sign-up sheets for open houses are usually located in the hospitality room.

The Hospitality Committee should supply MBSI enrollment forms and brochures at the Registration desk, in the Hospitality area, and with the hotel’s permission possibly somewhere in the hotel lobby.

As the start of the meeting approaches, the Hospitality Committee Chair needs to determine the staffing schedule for the hospitality room and solicit volunteers, primarily from the host chapter, to fill the necessary slots.

Assisting with moving instruments/displays into and out of the Hospitality room needs to be planned and coordinated.

Lastly, as the meeting progresses, members of the Hospitality Committee serve to welcome attendees and answer questions about the meeting and other local attractions.

16.0 BANQUET ENTERTAINMENT

The banquet concludes the formal portion of the Annual Meeting. Open houses or other informal activities may be scheduled the following day before attendees head for home but are not a part of the actual meeting.

Early in the planning process, your planning committee should think of potential options that may emphasize the theme of your meeting although that is certainly not required.

You may have a unique opportunity to showcase local talent that would be appreciated by those who attend your meeting. The best entertainers typically contract gigs several years in advance so it is best to start early. Let them know the audience they will be playing for so they can tailor their remarks and select appropriate content. The length of the entertainment program is typically about 1 to 1 ½ hours.

A deposit is normally required when the contract is signed. This should be provided by your planning committee’s account from seed money requested and provided by MBSI.

The banquet entertainment usually occurs after the meal and in the same room. The layout of the room including the tables and seating should accommodate the space needed for the entertainment. Depending on the type of entertainment you select, the hotel may need to provide not only the space but also risers and electric power. A sound system may be needed provided by the hotel or an outside vendor. Sometimes a piano will need to be rented and moved into and out of the hotel. If a band is contracted, they may need to set up and rehearse in the afternoon. Occasionally a small dance floor is provided.

Examples of entertainment provided in recent years include silent movies accompanied by a live pianist, a ragtime pianist, a large bell ringer group, and a swing band. Whatever you choose, keep it light and fun as the attendees are at the end of the last day of the meeting.

Another option is to make use of local automatic musical instruments to provide the entertainment. This approach is in the spirit of MBSI and may result in a significant cost savings.

Traditionally the table favors are distributed to all the registered attendees immediately after the end of the entertainment and before everyone leaves the room. Having a

microphone and sound system available that may be a part of your entertainers’ equipment is suggested to help coordinate the distribution of the favors. At some meetings, the favors are used as table decoration and are distributed on the tables prior to the banquet.

17.0 PROXY VOTES

The Registrar or an appointee is responsible for handling the proxy votes. Each proxy vote represents permission from one member to let the president of MBSI (or the vice president in the event of the unavailability of the president) vote on behalf of the member if that member does not attend the annual meeting.

Proxies are important now that the number of attendees at the annual meeting is declining. If the number of attendees at the business meeting is less than a quorum, then business cannot be conducted at the annual meeting. This becomes more likely with each passing year. The quorum rules are determined by the statutes governing New York State Not-For-Profit Corporations, of which MBSI is one.

The quorum provision in the MBSI by-laws provides:

“The presence, either in person or by proxy, of the lesser of 100 or 10 % of the members in good standing and entitled to vote shall constitute a quorum at the annual meeting. For purposes of this section, if two individuals are both entitled to vote as part of the same household membership, both shall be counted as members in determining whether a quorum is present.”

Therefore, if MBSI has more than 1000 members, a quorum would be 100 members. If MBSI has less than 1000 members, a quorum would be 10 % of the number of members. Remember that a household may have two members.

ACTIVITIES FOR PROCESSING PROXY VOTES

The goals of the tabulation of the proxy votes are to determine at the business meeting the total number of floor votes and the total number of proxy votes and to determine if the quorum is satisfied. The Registrar should create two master lists of members: one to tabulate the proxies (the proxy list), and the other to record the members entering the business meeting (the attendance list). Proxies received can be checked off on the proxy list and attendees to the business meeting can be checked off on the attendance list. Anyone attending should be removed from the proxy list.

ISSUE A PROXY SOLICITATION EMAIL

The first activity is to issue an email to all members who have email addresses. All other members should be contacted by mail using the same form. All members should grant proxy votes even if they are planning to attend the annual meeting. If these members do attend, their proxy will be cancelled and they can vote in the normal manner at the business meeting.

Mass emails can be sent by the editor of the MBSI Journal. You should perform this activity around the first of April.

The following is an example of such an email. Just change the date for the current year and talk about any unusual issues. This email has a dues increase proposed.

MBSI NEEDS YOUR HELP

Please grant your proxy votes to assure a quorum at the annual meeting.

Whether or not you are planning to attend the annual meeting in person, MBSI would appreciate your submitting the following proxy authorizing the president (or vice president in the case of the unavailability or incapacity of the president) to vote on your behalf so that there will definitely be a quorum at the meeting, either in person or by proxy. The status of the COVID-19 pandemic could negatively affect attendance and it is important that a quorum be present. If you do attend the meeting in person, the proxy will be of no effect, and you will be entitled to vote there in the usual way.

(This area is reserved for items that require a vote from the membership, such as voting for officers and trustees.)

Membership in MBSI is by household. There can be one or two members in the household.

PROXY STATEMENT

The undersigned hereby appoints the president (or vice president in the case of unavailability or incapacity of the president) to vote on behalf of the undersigned at the annual meeting of the MBSI, (September 4, 2022) with all powers that the undersigned would possess if personally present. This proxy will remain in effect should any postponements or adjournments of the business meeting be required. If the undersigned attends the meeting personally, this proxy will be cancelled, and the undersigned will be able to vote as usual.

Granting a proxy is very simple.

If there is one household member reply to this email:

PROXY GRANTED (your name)

If there are two members, reply:

PROXIES GRANTED (your name) (other member’s name)

Example: Proxies granted John and Mary Doe

Please submit your reply before August 1, 2022.

TABULATE PROXY SOLICITATION RESULTS

When the results of the email arrive, indicate in your proxy list (derived from the member list), who has granted proxy votes. This can be done by simply checking off the name from the list. There may be one or two names per email. Responses from non-members or lapsed members must be deleted, since they are not eligible to vote.

The closing date of August 1 is just a guide to encourage members to submit entries in a timely manner. You can add names of members whose proxies are received after this date.

ADDITIONAL PROXIES AT REGISTRATION

When a member registers for the meeting, check to see if the registrant intends to attend the business meeting. Sometimes spouses of members have no interest in the business meeting but are eligible to vote or a member is not sure about attending. Give these members a proxy statement and let them print their name(s) on the statement granting the proxy or proxies. If they do come after all, the process at the business meeting itself will take care of this situation. Add these names to the proxy list if they are not already on it by checking off the name. Use the same proxy statement as found on the sample email.

REGISTRATION OF ATTENDEES AT THE BUSINESS MEETING

In order to obtain a total of all the floor votes and proxy votes, attendees must be checked as they enter the business meeting venue or by visiting all the tables to obtain the same results. As an attendee enters, check to see if he or she is on the proxy list. If so, remove that name (uncheck it), since he or she has come to vote in person and the proxy is cancelled. In any case, add the name of each attendee to the attendance list (again by checking off the name). The tabulations can be closed a few minutes before the start of the business meeting itself. More than one helper can be used to avoid bottlenecks at the entrance by dividing the workload alphabetically. For example, one helper processes names ending in A-M and the other N-Z and their lists will have that part of the alphabet.

FINAL TABULATION Just before the actual business meeting begins, the helpers should count the number of entries checked off in the proxy list and the number of entries checked off in the attendance list. Give both of these numbers to the president. The president will add both of these numbers together. If they meet or exceed the quorum requirement, the meeting can proceed. The number of votes on any particular issue can be obtained by counting the “yea” votes on the floor and adding the number of proxies if the president is in favor.

CLOSING NOTE TO USERS: We would appreciate your suggestions about how to improve this manual, which will likely always be a “work in progress” that is regularly updated based on accumulated experience and changing circumstances. Let the MBSI Meetings Committee Chair know if there are things that should be added, if errors need correction, or if further clarification is necessary.