EFAM General Discussion

Found them as part of full package from 5.10.13. . .not my type of naming convention so it took me awhile to navigate search (easier than finding those delegate credential documents) but harder to find than the instructions in the eGroup appeared.

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Ann M. Piraino, CAP, CRC
Retired - Professional-Merited Member
Mount Rainier Chapter R&B Chair
Mount Rainier Chapter Parliamentary Advisor


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Show Original Message -------------------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 05-19-2013 08:46:55 PM
From: Ann Piraino
Subject: Proposed Amendment #16

This message has been cross posted to the following eGroups: EFAM General Discussion and General IAAP Discussion .
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Got the information on dues increase proposal and paper for Proposed Amendment 17.  Looking for what is Proposed Amendment 16. . .unsure of topic to search, didn't see on current lists, no clear update to full package - thanks for help.

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Ann M. Piraino, CAP, CRC
Retired - Professional-Merited Member
Mount Rainier Chapter R&B Chair
Mount Rainier Chapter Parliamentary Advisor


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This message has been cross posted to the following eGroups: EFAM General Discussion and General IAAP Discussion .
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Got the information on dues increase proposal and paper for Proposed Amendment 17.  Looking for what is Proposed Amendment 16. . .unsure of topic to search, didn't see on current lists, no clear update to full package - thanks for help.

-------------------------------------------
Ann M. Piraino, CAP, CRC
Retired - Professional-Merited Member
Mount Rainier Chapter R&B Chair
Mount Rainier Chapter Parliamentary Advisor


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This message has been cross posted to the following eGroups: Arkansas-Oklahoma Division and EFAM General Discussion .
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I just now was able to secure a room for EFAM in Anaheim!  Yes!
I would really like to share that room with someone that would be willing to split the expense.  The dates I have booked are checking-in July 26 and checking out on August 1, 2013.

Any takers?

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Tari Tibbits
Executive Assistant
Oklahoma City, OK

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I am one of the (many, I'm sure) unfortunate members who can't get a room at the Marriott Hotel. I am the only representative of my chapter attending EFAM and will be travelling solo from North Bay, Ontario, Canada.  This is not ideal and not nearly as fun as travelling with others, but I did it last year and feel that attending EFAM is worth it.

Last year, I had a room booked in Grapevine and advertised for a room mate to share hotel expenses.  I found one and it all worked out well.

This year, I don't have a room and would love to find a room mate who is willing to share their room.  I don't smoke and don't snore and am easy to get along with.  If you have a room at the Marriott and would like to share room expenses, get in touch with me.....cindy.bahm@sympatico.ca

Thanks!!
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Cindy Bahm
Administrative Assistant
Ontario Provincial Police

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Show Original Message -------------------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 05-02-2013 02:43:17 AM
From: Ann Piraino
Subject: Emails that sound like threats from HQ

Have you seen this one?
. . . .received an email from IAAP yesterday letting me know that if I don't submit my registration for EFAM by May 11th they will release my reserved hotel room. I see on the registration form that I have until May 23rd at the latest for early registration. I found this email from IAAP very distressing for two reasons: 1) it is not yet the deadline for early registration, and 2) it is my personal hotel reservation and I don't believe IAAP or anyone else has the right to cancel that reservation without my consent.

Also, folks for the Leadership Boot Camp got a similar "threat" about giving up their tickets if they weren't really attending although the person who got one had registered in January.

WHAT IS GOING ON HQ??????

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Ann M. Piraino, CAP, CRC
Mount Rainier Chapter Parliamentary Adviser
Mount Rainier Chapter Rules & Bylaws Chair
Mount Rainier Chapter Newsletter Editor
Member of Excellence Since 2008
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Julia--my same thought exactly!  Specific territories should not be called out.  I'm also curious, about Amendment 1, if the Florida Division communicated in any way with members in Bermuda?

As a side note, it seems to me, that with the current and proposed wording, both the US Federal District of Columbia (yes, Washington DC!) is NOT included, nor are ANY of the US Native American Reservations.  As these geographical areas are not states, territories or provinces.

I don't know if Canadian First Nations & Aboriginal Peoples have non-provincial or non-territorial status, but those geographical areas would also not included in the wording.

All in all, we are very North American-centric, which, unfortunately, belies the "International" in our name.


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Constance Boyer CAP-OM
Executive Assistant
Varolii Corporation

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Show Original Message -------------------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 05-03-2013 01:42:15 PM
From: Julia Watson
Subject: Amendments 1, and 3 to International Bylaws (proposed

This message has been cross posted to the following eGroups: EFAM General Discussion and EFAM 2013 - Anaheim, CA .
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I have a question regarding the wording in each of the amendments.  Since both Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands ARE territories of the United States, why  does Article IV, Section 2, Paragraph C state "... located outside the United States, its territories, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands of the United States or Canada" rather than "...located outside the United States, its territories or Canada"?

Thanks !
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Julia Watson, CAP
Office Manager
Mohr and Associates, Inc.
Shreveport, LA

Pelican Chapter President-Elect
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Julia--my same thought exactly!  Specific territories should not be called out.  I'm also curious, about Amendment 1, if the Florida Division communicated in any way with members in Bermuda?

As a side note, it seems to me, that with the current and proposed wording, both the US Federal District of Columbia (yes, Washington DC!) is NOT included, nor are ANY of the US Native American Reservations.  As these geographical areas are not states, territories or provinces.

I don't know if Canadian First Nations & Aboriginal Peoples have non-provincial or non-territorial status, but those geographical areas would also not included in the wording.

All in all, we are very North American-centric, which, unfortunately, belies the "International" in our name.


-------------------------------------------
Constance Boyer CAP-OM
Executive Assistant
Varolii Corporation

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Show Original Message -------------------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 05-03-2013 01:42:15 PM
From: Julia Watson
Subject: Amendments 1, and 3 to International Bylaws (proposed

This message has been cross posted to the following eGroups: EFAM General Discussion and EFAM 2013 - Anaheim, CA .
-------------------------------------------

I have a question regarding the wording in each of the amendments.  Since both Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands ARE territories of the United States, why  does Article IV, Section 2, Paragraph C state "... located outside the United States, its territories, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands of the United States or Canada" rather than "...located outside the United States, its territories or Canada"?

Thanks !
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Julia Watson, CAP
Office Manager
Mohr and Associates, Inc.
Shreveport, LA

Pelican Chapter President-Elect
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To everyone going to EFAM this year have a blast!  Will miss seeing "old" and making new friends.  Look forward to getting the updates. 
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Linda L. Rolfe, CAP-OM
Capital District Chapter
New York State Division
Northeast District

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Show Original Message -------------------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 05-07-2013 03:02:43 PM
From: Ann Piraino
Subject: EFAM & the Team that put it together

Yep, got my registration in and used my confirmation # I received as the roommate and all went well - my delegate also got registered so all accounted for in our room - thank goodness somebody sent me the information about cancellation since my name didn't show up (even though, apparently, the hotel knew I was there) or match up to the person with the credit card hold.

Sent my special message to Kathy and Emily to get my dairy-free meal as the option wasn't on the registration like it was for Montreal.  Always good to plan ahead as it helps the hotel banquet staff know about any special meals, gives me a special ticket so they can tell where I am, and saves me the worry of wondering what ingredients there are that might make me sick.  I love the fruit dessert since I cannot have cheesecake or ice cream.  For the past three years, I have not been sick at an EFAM with the help of that planning for the prepared meals.

And, I know why certain folks weren't 'invited' or sent the information to submit. . .a bit of miscommunication but it will work out for the best, I am sure.

For those who think I should walk a mile in the planners' shoes - not to worry, I have big feet and I have been in a lot of shoes. I am hoping we will remember that some of the things we changed need to be changed back or communicated much better.  For example, still not section to add any ADA accommodations needs like we had before (along with the meal selection - vegetarian does not necessarily mean dairy-free and we have lots of folks with wheat/gluten issues who need consideration as well which were not included this time).

I like picking my Marketplace time so I don't have to be with hoards swarming around will get to see the exhibitors and vendors.  There will be a bit of a challenge getting from session to session, but I have done with other organizations and I don't have an employer paying my way who expects certain classes from my PDP.

I don't need recertification points so I don't mind missing a seminar while I go to the business session - this is a lot of the point of the annual business of my association.

I no longer volunteer as we are not needed to help.  This year, only 35 people will be chosen with the 5-person coordination team making up the 40; previously we had as many as 150 volunteers.  That is a good thing - although you would get 1/2 your registration back if you served enough hours, you sometimes missed events or seminars because of your individual schedule - I like that improvement.

It is also great to continue to have full tables reserved so there is no scramble to get a seat and to give to a good cause each year. I am hoping if we get a memento this year it is not glass - they are difficult to pack for breakage - however pretty that is unless it is like the solid block with sailboat etching like Tampa (my Dad loved that).

Here is to another great adventure - hiccups and all!

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Ann M. Piraino, CAP, CRC
Mount Rainier Chapter Parliamentary Adviser
Mount Rainier Chapter Rules & Bylaws Chair
Mount Rainier Chapter Newsletter Editor
Member of Excellence Since 2008
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-07-2013 07:50:21 AM
From: Elizabeth Berney
Subject: EFAM & the Team that put it together

I say hooray for those members who understand what was trying to be conveyed about the rooms at EFAM.  Yes, maybe it could have been worded a bit gentler but if you know you are going and you hadn't registered yet I wasn't a bit worried.  I reserved my room last fall as soon as you could because I wanted to be there.  Just go and really have a blast and you will be very happy you did.  Have a great week and I hope the weather where you are is as beautiful as it is in Houston, TX this past week.  Make your day a great day.

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Elizabeth B. Berney, CAP
Quality Control Analyst, Exxon Mobil Corporation
http://www.iaap-hq.org/facebook/apps/efam/badge_nomenu.jpg" />
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LaTonya,
Well said! Not always what is said but how -- especially in an email.

Show Original Message -----Original Message-----
From: LaTonya Blount [mailto:noreply@egroups.iaap-hq.org]
Sent: Sunday, May 05, 2013 10:13 PM
To: Harvey, Ella
Subject: IAAP EFAM General Discussion: RE:Emails that sound like threats from HQ
I agree Angela that the "told" rather than "ask" feeling in the email is what sent many of those I know into a rage. I understand that they do not want to have the same situation as last year with the last minute cancellations but I deemed that to be related to location than anything else. I do not believe they are going to run into these same issues with Anaheim. This trip is bringing out many of us who had stop attending these meetings on a regular basis. This is actually my first meeting since NOLA. And I was one of those who attended yearly and stayed for a week.
What caused the ruckus with all of this is telling us that if we do not register by the end of this week that our room would be released from the room block. If early registration does not end until May 23rd then this should be the deadline for registration, although regular registration does not end for another month yet. You cannot put stipulations on attendees where you feel you can release rooms connected to our credit cards without our permissions. See the problem with this was that there was NOTHING in any of the documentation that said we had to register by a certain date. This would not go over well with any legal department or attorney. I was one of those who called and spoke to Kathy this past week to find out what was behind the email. My company decided that this year they would pay for me to attend and just made the final decision the week before. You can plan out every detail but the final decision comes down to how soon your company will respond and since mines knew that early registration ends on May 23rd, they were keeping in line with this. And when you report to SVPs, you have to catch them when you can.
Now with regards to paying for the room up front, that would not solve any problems. It just means that they would charge us for one night but it does not prevent you from cancelling or getting your money back for that one night. (Believe me when I say this.) This would in fact come across as a penalty for not registering before the imposed deadline. This does not make any sense to anyone. I would like to know how many repeat attendees attend the next year after a meeting where they were charged the one night stay.
I am a professional meeting planner and I understand what all goes into planning large conferences and events. I also know that threats or perceived threats do not go over well with members. (I am referring to the EFAM room block email and not the leadership one.) In case it is not known to most, one of the reasons some of us do not attend yearly is because of how we feel the registration is handled. We have had some surprises at some of these meetings and when you have to pay for these events yourself, unforeseen or unplanned hits on your credit cards or bank accounts is never a welcome surprise.
I am by no means attacking the work of those who put together or assist in the planning of these events but there is a way to do anything. Tell the members ahead of time about the one night charge, let them know that there will be a $150 hold on their cards (especially those using bank cards - Adams Mark, Denver CO), or if there is an expected registration deadline connected to the room block and it should coincide with the early bird registration deadline. You cannot run meetings on the fly because you fear you will not meet your attrition clause. This is not fair to anyone to include HQs or the members. This may in fact rub some the wrong way and cause a backlash as we are seeing on this thread, in the emails to HQ, and the phone calls.
I would suggest for next year's EFAM that a deadline for registration be included in the room block. Now the problem with this may very well be that people will be willing to pay the additional $100 registration fee but pick their rooms up at other hotels for half the cost of the host hotel. Backlash #1 attrition would not be met.
I think the real issue here was the wording of the email more than anything. All they really needed to know was that we were still coming and I think an email asking us to confirm would have taken care of this.
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LaTonya Blount CAP-OM
Insurance & Risk Financing Project Manager, Atlanta, Georgia Meeting & Event Planner aka The Networking Planner "When all you have is you, you better be able to get along."

Yep, got my registration in and used my confirmation # I received as the roommate and all went well - my delegate also got registered so all accounted for in our room - thank goodness somebody sent me the information about cancellation since my name didn't show up (even though, apparently, the hotel knew I was there) or match up to the person with the credit card hold.

Sent my special message to Kathy and Emily to get my dairy-free meal as the option wasn't on the registration like it was for Montreal.  Always good to plan ahead as it helps the hotel banquet staff know about any special meals, gives me a special ticket so they can tell where I am, and saves me the worry of wondering what ingredients there are that might make me sick.  I love the fruit dessert since I cannot have cheesecake or ice cream.  For the past three years, I have not been sick at an EFAM with the help of that planning for the prepared meals.

And, I know why certain folks weren't 'invited' or sent the information to submit. . .a bit of miscommunication but it will work out for the best, I am sure.

For those who think I should walk a mile in the planners' shoes - not to worry, I have big feet and I have been in a lot of shoes. I am hoping we will remember that some of the things we changed need to be changed back or communicated much better.  For example, still not section to add any ADA accommodations needs like we had before (along with the meal selection - vegetarian does not necessarily mean dairy-free and we have lots of folks with wheat/gluten issues who need consideration as well which were not included this time).

I like picking my Marketplace time so I don't have to be with hoards swarming around will get to see the exhibitors and vendors.  There will be a bit of a challenge getting from session to session, but I have done with other organizations and I don't have an employer paying my way who expects certain classes from my PDP.

I don't need recertification points so I don't mind missing a seminar while I go to the business session - this is a lot of the point of the annual business of my association.

I no longer volunteer as we are not needed to help.  This year, only 35 people will be chosen with the 5-person coordination team making up the 40; previously we had as many as 150 volunteers.  That is a good thing - although you would get 1/2 your registration back if you served enough hours, you sometimes missed events or seminars because of your individual schedule - I like that improvement.

It is also great to continue to have full tables reserved so there is no scramble to get a seat and to give to a good cause each year. I am hoping if we get a memento this year it is not glass - they are difficult to pack for breakage - however pretty that is unless it is like the solid block with sailboat etching like Tampa (my Dad loved that).

Here is to another great adventure - hiccups and all!

-------------------------------------------
Ann M. Piraino, CAP, CRC
Mount Rainier Chapter Parliamentary Adviser
Mount Rainier Chapter Rules & Bylaws Chair
Mount Rainier Chapter Newsletter Editor
Member of Excellence Since 2008
-------------------------------------------






Show Original Message -------------------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 05-07-2013 07:50:21 AM
From: Elizabeth Berney
Subject: EFAM & the Team that put it together

I say hooray for those members who understand what was trying to be conveyed about the rooms at EFAM.  Yes, maybe it could have been worded a bit gentler but if you know you are going and you hadn't registered yet I wasn't a bit worried.  I reserved my room last fall as soon as you could because I wanted to be there.  Just go and really have a blast and you will be very happy you did.  Have a great week and I hope the weather where you are is as beautiful as it is in Houston, TX this past week.  Make your day a great day.

-------------------------------------------
Elizabeth B. Berney, CAP
Quality Control Analyst, Exxon Mobil Corporation
http://www.iaap-hq.org/facebook/apps/efam/badge_nomenu.jpg" />
-------------------------------------------

I say hooray for those members who understand what was trying to be conveyed about the rooms at EFAM.  Yes, maybe it could have been worded a bit gentler but if you know you are going and you hadn't registered yet I wasn't a bit worried.  I reserved my room last fall as soon as you could because I wanted to be there.  Just go and really have a blast and you will be very happy you did.  Have a great week and I hope the weather where you are is as beautiful as it is in Houston, TX this past week.  Make your day a great day.

-------------------------------------------
Elizabeth B. Berney, CAP
Quality Control Analyst, Exxon Mobil Corporation
http://www.iaap-hq.org/facebook/apps/efam/badge_nomenu.jpg" />
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