8/7/26 BOD Zoom Link, Home Office contract, Symposium Hotel contract, Symposium planning, Fusion
BOD Meeting Zoom Link As I mentioned in the previous post. There’s a new Zoom link for BOD meetings: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86703686612?pwd=UM3tuQe3HBtBNycGvI1icThZsfVvl7.1 It is posted to the home page calendar events and works for every BOD meeting. They happen on the 3rd Thursday of the month at 7PM Central. Every member is always welcome to drop in and observe. Home Office Contract We’re currently negotiating the next multi year contract with IMI, the company that provides our home office services. Our current 3 year contract expired July 1. Home office services provide all the behind the scenes support to keep this organization running. Don Gossard our office manager has been indispensable. I lean on him heavily. We talk multiple times each week. Without his support and expertise I could only get done 40% of what I’m currently doing. I would be lost without IMI and Don. He brings a deep knowledge of management practices, administrative structure, marketing, the hospitality industry (hotels and contracts) plus extensive skills in website management, book keeping and accounting. He maintains our CRM (Customer Relations Management) software… Membership Works, the primary tool we use to maintain our membership records and run symposiums with. The contract isn’t cheap but we get a huge bang for our buck by paying trained, licensed, bonded, insured, professionals to help us get our work done. Some have suggested we go back to hiring a retired member or friend part time to answer the phone and do some book keeping. We could do that but who would take care of the other 85% of what IMI does for us? While it might sting a bit to pay for the services I feel strongly it makes sense to do so. If you feel strongly about this give me a shout and let’s talk about it. Symposium Hotel Contract We’re very close to inking a deal with The Wyndham Denver Tech Center hotel for the 2027 Symposium. It was the same price as the Antlers Hotel in Colorado Springs a few years ago. We’ll be getting the next revision of the contract any day now. Over all things look great. The hotel is 25 minutes from Denver International Airport and close to both field trip locations: Precision Glass and Coors Brewing. We will have use of all the meeting rooms as well as a 9000 square foot ballroom. Fingers crossed we get this signed and can move ahead with event planning. Symposium planning The board is looking at some changes to the traditional symposium schedule to make it a bit less expensive to participate and more inviting to non-members. There are hundreds of local folk, some who do scientific boro work, some in quartz, some in artistic. I’m doing what I can to make the symposium appealing to these folks who might be very interested in learning what we have to teach. If we can generate interest from non-members to attend it will help our finances and quite possibly bring in new members as well. Fusion Planning for Read More …
