AGM 2019 – Antenna – Doors 7.30pm Tuesday 3rd December

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All members will have had an email about our upcoming Annual General Meeting (if you have not had an email, please check your SPAM or check on the Hackspace Membership System HMS that you have your current email listed for contact purposes).

What is the Annual General Meeting?
I hope that the Annual General Meeting doesn’t sound like something a bit boring that you don’t want to go to where at best there will be some uncomfortable politicking and at worst some fool droning on about something you couldn’t care less about. This year is our 8th AGM (in our 9th year in existence as a community). The purpose of the AGM is to review the year and agree the accounts of the year for submission to HMRC. Also changes to our constitution can be suggested and voted on (with some chaired discussion). These need to be raised a few weeks before the AGM to be on the agenda, the sooner the better. We’ve already had a minor alternative/clarification of wording around trustee term lengths, an issue that was voted in last AGM. That stuff can be pretty dry we know…

 

Why do we need YOU there?
Our constitution requires that 20% of our members attend (or are represented by a proxy) at the AGM in order to reach a quorum. So in order for us to complete our “business” as an organisation we need at least 140 members to attend.
Many times it has been discussed that we reduce the quorum. Every time this has been suggested, it has been defeated. Why? The Nottingham Hackspace is a MEMBER RUN organisation. You, even if you only come down once a year, are an owner of our community. You have as much say and as much responsibility (you’ll have to pay the Queen £1 if we go bust) as any other member. By driving down the numbers needed to make major changes to our community, we’d effectively be changing the nature of how we work as a collective. Whilst it IS difficult to get many members to engage with the Annual General Meeting, it is a sign of the health of our democratic and constitutional, and I think pretty damn amazing group.

Will it be good? 
First off, this is NOT like our monthly meeting.
We can’t guarantee that you’ll love every second of being at the AGM, but really the AGM isn’t about the dry constitutional changes, its about being within and meeting the other, like minded members of our community. Our Hackspace is much more about the our collective of people than it is about any tool, document or bank balance. If you are uncomfortable at social events, don’t worry, you’ll be in good company, you’ll generally find our AGM to be a pleasant and easy to attend affair.

Antenna has a bar (which is open) serving both alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks. There will be a little food too. We’ll also be celebrating some of our triumphs for the year and laying out our plans for our 10th year of existence! Many of us will retire to a less formal atmosphere after to joke, sing and make merry… Well at least joke.

Essential Links for you:

Any questions then DO let us know! If you’d like to ask something privately you can message me on Slack or via my email.

Dominic
Co-Founder & Trustee
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