Hello All! May I add a few comments to the current discussion? Attendance is a problem for other textile-related groups so we are not alone in our discomfort! I'm most familiar with EGA (Embroiderers' Guild of America) so will share a bit regarding their format. First, it is not referred to as a convention. It is called Seminar. There is a national seminar each year & there are regional seminars as well. EGA allows & encourages "partial" attendance i.e. Mon-Tues classes, Thurs-Fri classes. Several years ago, "early registration" (for the following year) was instituted. The early registration period occurs during Seminar (the current year) & includes a "non-refundable" deposit. While I don't have data on how many deposits have not been refunded, since there has not been an uprising, there can't be many! It appears that members are making a commitment almost a year in advance. The seminar committee, teachers & vendors can make better plans when there is an early in! dicator of attendance. Regular registration opens in the spring, filling up remaining slots while providing an inducement to register "early". As to the annual meeting, my EGA chapter has a representative who regularly attends so she votes for us. I'm a new member of IOLI so don't know the ins & outs here, but if we are counting individual votes (rather than chapter), why not consider a proxy system? It works for every major corporation with shareholders & even my HOA (homeowners' association) uses this method to establish a quorum. Sincerely, Susan Hottle, still seeing double after 1400 miles in 2.5 days in a car with an airedale.
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