[ivfdf-news] This is no longer a low-volume list!

Thu May 24 12:12:53 BST 2007

The official description of ivfdf-news is "Keep up-to date with
announcements about IVFDF. This has a very small number of messages a
year".

Can discussion of the 2008 event be moved to something like
ivfdf-cttee or ivfdf-2008, and ivfdf-news be left the low-volume event
news list that it is described as at ivfdf.org? As a punter, I only
need to know the date, the programme, the location, the ticket prices
and how to book.

Tom

On 24/05/07, Richard Mason <rjmason at exedata.fsnet.co.uk> wrote:
>
>
> Hi Cait,
>
> I am glad that you are now all registered successfully, and apologies for
> the sarcastic comment - I was just astonished that we only had two member
> societies on the list, and I just couldn't believe that as the proposers of
> the vote, that your names weren't the first on the list of registered
> voters.  I am very glad to see that this list is now growing and we are
> making progress.
>
> It just really frustrates me that nothing seems to be happening in this
> process until we are right at the end of the 3 week deadline and things get
> stirred up again.  We shouldn't have been in the position where we needed to
> delay the vote.  It is now 3 months since IVFDF and we still don't have
> confirmed hosts for 2008.  If the vote goes against Sheffield, then it
> leaves very little time for someone else to pick up the pieces.
>
> We seem to have hit delay after delay in confirming 2008, and I think that
> it reflects badly on all of us.  We have all got to do better in the future
> if we want IVFDF to take its rightful place amongst the best festivals in
> the calendar.
>
> Kind Regards
>
> A very frustrated me!
>
>
>
> ========================================
> Message Received: May 24 2007, 11:17 AM
> From: "Cait Leach"
> To: rjmason at exedata.fsnet.co.uk, ivfdf-news at ivfdf.org
> Cc:
>
> Subject: Re: [ivfdf-news] Request for Member societies to identify their
> voting members - and Deferral of VOTE
>
>
>
> Hi Richard.
>
> Yes, Sheffield Ceilidhsoc do want to vote for themselves which is why
> yesterday afternoon at 4.23 I sent the following email to the email address
> that Ian Thompson specified:
>
> "Hi, apologies for the delay- exams are in full swing at the moment and
> little else gets past the work filter.. Voting reps for Ceilidhsoc are
> cait.leach at ntlworld.com and ceilidh.soc at shef.ac.uk (our secretary Lucy)."
>
> Apologies for having to make such a point out of this, but I feel some
> comments are unnecessary.
>
> Caitriona
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Richard Mason
> To: ivfdf-news at ivfdf.org
> Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2007 10:02 AM
> Subject: Re: [ivfdf-news] Request for Member societies to identify their
> voting members - and Deferral of VOTE
>
>
>
> Hi all,
>
> I can't believe that after all the emails we only have two societies who
> have put forward voting members by the deadline, and that we have to delay
> the vote. I am sorry, but that is woeful.... and Sheffield, don't you want
> to vote for yourselves?
>
> Please bear in mind that currently the situation is that Sheffield have not
> been confirmed as hosts of IVFDF 2008, and that unless they do get
> confirmed, or someone else offers and is confirmed, there will be no
> official IVFDF in 2008.  So if you want something to do next year, then get
> yourselves registered!!!
>
> Since (by and large) member societies have probably had a change in
> committee since IVFDF this year, possibly to people who have never been to a
> Reps meeting, and so that people are not voting in a vacuum, it might be
> useful to have some guidelines on what the criteria are for voting for or
> against a particular proposal.
>
> Andrew, as constitution guru, could you summarise what the constitution
> actually says on the matter (if anything).
>
> My personal take on it, from having been involved for a while, is as
> follows:
>
> 1) A group should be approved as hosts for the festival if they have
> demonstrated their ability to organise it.
>
> This will include (as a minimum)
>
> a) Booking suitable venues
>
> b) Booking bands
>
> c) Producing a balanced budget
>
> d) Producing an advertising plan.
>
> 2) Underwriting can be applied for by the organising committee, to protect
> themselves from losses that are outside their control (ie major snowfall
> stops anyone getting there, or main band pulling out due to injury as
> recently happened).  To be granted underwriting, a committee is expected to
> have made 'all its best efforts' to avoid losses.  This is a bit of a woolly
> phrase, but its meant to mean that if a committee enters into a festival
> ignoring a forseeable risk and gets caught by it, then that would not be
> 'best efforts'.  Such risks in the past have included, not getting firm
> bookings on venues/bands/etc, not advertising the festival, or most famously
> guaranteeing food sales to a university.
>
>
>
> I am sure that others will correct me if I have interpreted the situation
> incorrectly.  There should be no reason now for people not to get registered
> and vote.
>
> If you still feel that you are lacking information, either on Sheffield's
> plans, or on what is expected of you as a member society, then please do
> send a message to the list - because there are probably others feeling the
> same.
>
> Lets get this situation resolved one way or the other....!
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ========================================
> Message Received: May 24 2007, 12:13 AM
> From: "Ian Thompson"
> To: ivfdf-news at ivfdf.org
> Cc:
> Subject: [ivfdf-news] Request for Member societies to identify their voting
> members - and Deferral of VOTE
>
> OK folks it is now after 11:55pm on the last day
> of the 3 week notice period. Anyone claiming that
> they didn't know this was coming ... should have
> read the e-mail I sent 3 weeks ago!
>
> To date I have received notification of
> representatives from 2 (two) member societies .
>
> Exeter Folk Soc
> Gog Magog
>
> I am still waiting for named representatives from
> the following groups who were at IVFDF Reps Meeting in 2007 or 2006
> Sheffield Folk Soc
> New Scotland SCDS
> Glasgow Uni SCDS
> Warwick Folk Soc
> Cambridge Strathspey and Reel Club
> Cambridge Round
> Durham Folk Soc
> Rag Moris Bristol
> Aberdeen University SCDS
>
> As I don't have a quorum of representatives I
> cannot start a vote. Having considered the
> constitutional situation I have made an executive
> decision to take the following pragmatic action.
> I will delay the vote itself by 5 days. This should allow the following: -
>
> 1) During the next 5 days can I request that EACH
> (member) society sends the names and valid e-mail
> addresses for their 2 voting members to
> ivfdf-reps at ianthompson.me.uk [this will enable me
> to stream mail appropriately]. If your society is
> unable to pick 2 people in this time scale please
> at least e-mail me so I know you exist.
>
> 2) slightly more time for relevant information to
> be received by those voting. [see separate message]
>
> I would however wish to point out that the 2008
> organising committee have had 3 weeks notice that
> this deadline was due and should have provided
> information to both the list ivfdf-news and their
> advisors to allow the advisors to make a suitable
> considered response. When voting, representatives
> should bear this fact in mind before making their
> decisions as I feel it is a practical
> demonstration of the 2008 committees ability to meet deadlines.
>
> So the new schedule is as follows
>
> * Now until 23:59 on the 28th May - societies to
> notify me of their voting members.
> * 00:00 29th May to 23:59 4th June Poll are open for voting.
> * 00:00 5th June to 23:59 11th June dispute period.
> * Final result out 12th June (birthday gift to
> myself - it will hopefully all be over)
>
> In response to Alison's question about the amount
> of underwriting - constitutionally only Sheffield
> can alter the proposal, so only they can reduce
> or increase the amount. The deadline for that has
> now passed. All that remains now is for
> representatives to vote on whether they feel that
> 2008/Sheffield have provided enough information
> to justify their request for up to £1000 of
> underwriting should their festival fail to make the profit they predict.
>
> Representatives (and advisors) can only make this
> decision (and provide a their reports to
> representatives) on information available to
> them. If they feel that they do not have the
> information they need to support the request then
> they should vote accordingly.
>
> Regards
>
> Ian
>
>
>
>
>
>
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tom.richards at gmail.com; 01993 779 133; 07981 159 793
"Corporation: An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit
without individual responsibility" - Ambrose Bierce