2023 Annual General Meeting: detail for members

The 2023 Annual General Meeting of Technorama Incorporated will be held at 1730 AEDT Saturday 2 December 2023.   Because the meeting is being held in conjunction with Technorama TR23, the main attendance will be in-person.  However members may choose to attend by telepresence and the meeting will be run as a hybrid event.  Unless advised otherwise, remote connection will be via GoToMeeting with online voting for elections.

If you have any questions, please drop a line to [email protected] or reach out to us via the contact form on this website.   If you have a last minute membership access challenge, need to confirm attendance or apology, or if you have an admin challenge:  drop an email to [email protected] and we will try to help.

Ordinary business

No notice of motions (special or ordinary) has been received, so this year’s AGM will be a standard agenda.

To assist you with the process, further explanatory notes on the motions will be distributed shortly.

Elections:

It being an odd year for the purposes of rule 14(5), the following positions are declared vacant and nominations are called:

  • Vice President
  • Treasurer
  • One ordinary Committee member

If you would like to stand for one of these positions, nominations must be received by 14:59:59 AEDT on Saturday 25 November (one week prior to the meeting).

 

Note: If you are a paid-up member of Technorama Incorporated, then you are eligible to nominate.

Who can vote in the election?  All attending members in good standing (ie: you were paid up as a member on 1 March 2023 when the AGM was announced) will be eligible to vote at the AGM.   Voting will be electronic, and fully secret ballot.

AGM Packet:

All the important files may be downloaded here:

Additional information for any member who wishes to stand for an elected role to Committee:

All the best,

John Maizels
Returning Officer

 

Technorama 2023 Annual General Meeting

This is formal notice that Annual General Meeting of Technorama Incorporated for the 2022/2023 Financial Year will be held during Technorama TR23.

Time: 1730 AEDT  Saturday 2 December 2023

Place:  Level One Auditorium, The Chatswood Club, 11 Help Street Chatswood 2067

This will be a hybrid meeting, and members not in physical attendance will be offered the opportunity to dial in.

The cutoff for special business motions has passed.  If you wish to submit an ordinary motion, this will need to be with the Secretary by COB Wednesday 15 November.  AGM documents  (with forms, instructions and nomination process) will be distributed as required by our rules on 17 November.

Elections:  This year, under the newly updated rules,  we are electing Vice President, Treasurer, and one ordinary committee member.

Nominate! Information on how to nominate for these positions will be advised to members on 15 November.

Our previous Annual General Meeting was formally delayed to allow discussion on proposed new rules, and the updated rules were accepted at the meeting.  If you’d like to read the updated rules, the document is here.

We hope all members present at TR23 will take the opportunity to participate in our governance.   Naturally, we’ll tell you all the good things that we’ve been doing and plan to do, and we’ll answer your questions.

All are welcome to sit in on the meeting, but you will need to be a member to nominate or vote.

If you’d like to discuss taking a role on Committee, drop a line to [email protected] or contact John Maizels or Josh Pearson.

 

Updated 2023-11-12

Nominations open for TR Committee

Nominations for the Technorama Committee elections are open, and everything you need to know is in the downloadable form.

Being involved with the organisation at a committee level opens up a whole raft of opportunities, and is a great way to engage with the larger tech community.   Plus you’ll get to work on interesting projects (like the annnual events), and help directly to shape how Technorama engages with the tech community and the sector as a whole.

If you have questions, send a note to [email protected] or [email protected] if the question is about process.

Nominations close at 14:59:59 AEST on Tuesday 4 April 2023, and paperwork must be submitted by then.

Some tips for the process:

  • you don’t need to print or forward the actual pdf, although you may if you wish
  • copy the text from page 2 of the pdf and paste it into a note (the pdf is formatted so that you can do that);
  • put your name in the appropriate places and tick the box that applies (you want to be President, right?);
  • forward to a member in good standing to second – assuming you’re happy to self-nominate, which you may do.
  • the person who seconds can then send the email to returningofficer@ or send it back to you for you to do the deed

Also a note about membership.  It is too late to become a new member at this stage – under the rules, memberships must be approved by the committee.

However if you have a lapsed membership (especially if that’s because you never received a renewal from Zenbership) you may renew your membership and reinstatement is immediate.  You may log on to the membership system here and if you are coming back after an absence:  use the last email address that we had for you, and use the “request  password” process to update your profile in MembershipWorks.   Any problems?  Send email to [email protected]

2022 Annual General Meeting: reconvenes 1800 4 April

4 April 2023  Update to AGM:

The nominations period has closed, and if you’re a paid-up member (did you renew?) you may vote for candidates in the 2022 election.  Successful candidates will be announced at the reconvened meeting, which will be held (using the same credentials as previously published, since it is a reconvened meeting) at

1800 AEST on Tuesday 11 April


22 March 2023  Update to AGM:

The AGM was well attended, with 17 members and several observers present.  It ran for a bit over two hours.

The three constitution motions were debated strongly, then passed unanimously and without amendment.  The fourth motion was amended to read:

Motion 4
  • To adjourn this meeting until 11 April 2023, declare all committee positions vacant at the reconvened meeting, and move to conduct an election for all positions under newly adopted Rule 14.

The effect of this motion is that Technorama Incorporated will move to hold elections for full committee, and the process for nomination and election will be announced by 26 March such that nominations may open on or before 28 March.  As the motion states, the AGM was then adjourned under Rule 31, with the consent of the meeting.

 


Note the date:  The 2022 Annual General Meeting of Technorama Incorporated will be held at 1800 AEDT Wednesday 22 March 2023.   In keeping with Technorama policy, the meeting will be entirely virtualised, using GoToMeeting and online voting.

If you have any questions, please drop a line to [email protected] or reach out to us via the contact form on this website.   If you have a last minute membership, attendance, or admin challenge:  drop an email to [email protected] and we will try to help.

Special Business Motions:

This year several motions have been proposed to improve and streamline the operation of the Technorama Incorporated Committee, and to move Technorama into line with best practice as exemplified by a number of our Sector Peak Bodies (including CBF, CBAA and CMTO).

To assist you with the process, further explanatory notes on the motions will be distributed shortly.

Elections:

Because the outcome of Special Business Motion 3 changes the Committee structure,  we have decided to run the meeting in two blocks.  With approval of the meeting, we  will

  • run the agenda through to the conclusion of Item 9 (proposed constitution changes)
  • declare committee positions vacant, consistent with the rules and decisions as adopted to that point
  • adjourn the meeting for an appropriate period under existing Rule 31
  • issue the call for nominations, open for a week
  • open voting for a week
  • reconvene the meeting and announce results

This allows nominations to proceed in accordance with the outcome of AGM motion 9.3.  Details of how the nomination process will work will be distributed shortly after the meeting adjourns.

As is usual, the newly elected committee takes office once the reconvened Annual General Meeting is adjourned

 

Note: If you are a paid-up member of Technorama Incorporated, then you are eligible to nominate.

Who can vote in the election?  All attending members in good standing will be eligible to vote at the AGM.   Voting will be electronic, and fully secret ballot.

AGM Packet:

All the important files may be downloaded here:

We look forward to having you join us, and while we can’t offer you physical hospitality, we do promise an interesting meeting.

And if you missed the mailout to members sent on 1 March 2023, it is available here.

 

All the best,

John Maizels
President, Technorama Incorporated

2021 Annual General Meeting: detail for members

Note the date:  The 2021 Annual General Meeting of Technorama Incorporated will be held at 1900 AEDT Tuesday 21 December 2021.   In keeping with Technorama policy (as the world catches up with what we’ve been doing since 2015), the meeting will be entirely virtualised, using GoToMeeting and online voting.

If you have any questions, please drop a line to [email protected] or reach out to us via the contact form on this website.   If you have a last minute membership, attendance, or admin challenge:  drop an email to [email protected] and we will try to help.

Elections:

This year nominations have been called for offices of Vice President; Treasurer; two ordinary committee members for a period of two years, and one ordinary committee member for a period of one year.

If you are a paid-up member of Technorama Incorporated, then you are eligible to vote.   Nominations have closed and the election started at 0900 on 15 December.

Nominations were received from:

  • Vice President – Josh Pearson
  • Treasurer – Jim Parish
  • Committee – Trent Geddes, Mike Tobin, Stephen Wilkinson and Chris Deacon

Who can vote in the election?  All members in good standing (ie: you were paid up as a member on 7 December when the AGM was announced) should automatically have receives a voting email advice from ElectionBuddy.  The fully electronic vote is audited, but totally anonymised.  The Returning Officer can not identify who voted for whom.

Information on the candidates who are standing, and any information they provided, is included in the ballot paper.

Important:  voting is only online, and will close at 16:59:59 AEDT on 21 December ahead of the meeting start.  This will allow the Returning Officer to advise the results to the meeting.

You can follow the voting progress here:

If you did not receive a ballot paper, then most likely your membership is in arrears.  We know that the renewal notice might have got lost in your inbox, and so we have a cunning plan.  Up to close of business on Monday 20 December, you still have the opportunity to renew your membership and then vote.  Once you have renewed your membership, send an email to the returning officer, and once we have validated that your membership has updated you will be sent a voting token and instructions.

Note: The outcome of the 2019 election tested our rules thoroughly. At this election we had the simultaneous combination of a casual vacancy; merging of Treasurer and Secretary positions into one;  the consequential requirement to elect an additional ordinary committee member to ensure a full nine member committee; and the subsequent situation where number of  nominees matched number of positions.  This highly unusual  situation resulted in the need to draw lots under rule 14(5)(c), to determine the three candidates who would serve a two year term during 2019-2021, and the two candidates who would retire at the 2020 AGM.

It also resulted in an anomaly in election for ordinary committee members, which will be corrected this year.  If you want further detail, see the 2019 AGM minutes for details of the 2019 election, and the Board Page for details of the current committee.

AGM Packet:

All the important files may be downloaded here:

And in case you are interested, the nomination process/nomination formage is here (but no longer valid as the election has started):

We look forward to having you join us, and while we can’t offer you physical hospitality, we do promise an interesting meeting.

All the best,

John Maizels
President, Technorama Incorporated

Hannah Murray joins Technorama Board

At the December Committee meeting, the Technorama Board appointed Hannah Murray to a casual vacancy on the Board. Many of you will know Hannah from her current role at the CMTO, and her previous role at the CBAA.  As well as being steeped in technology, she comes with a wealth of experience in radio, music and event management, and is a passionate devotee of Klezmer.   You can read about Hannah in her bio entry on the Board page.

For Technorama, Hannah will take on management of the highly successful Technorama Tuesdays webinar program for 2020, and is busy already mapping out next year’s series of events.

Hannah also joins the TR20 Local Arrangements Committee, working with Josh Pearson and the team to select the venue and then deliver the TR20 event.

We also bid a temporary adieu to Julie Spencer who is taking a sabbatical.   Julie will return to active service with Technorama next year.

Results of Elections

Following the Annual General Meeting, the following people are your Board for the next year:

Who Position  Retires
John Maizels President 2020
Josh Pearson Vice President 2021
Jim Parish Treasurer 2021
Jim Parish Secretary 2020
Chris Deacon Committee Member 2020+TBD
Trent Geddes Committee Member 2020+TBD
Julie Spencer Committee Member 2020
Mike Tobin Committee Member 2020+TBD
Frank Wilcox Committee Member 2020+TBD
Stephen Wilkinson Committee Member 2020+TBD

How the election process worked

At close of nominations, the returning officer had received one nomination for VP,  one nomination for Treasurer and five nominations for Committee.

The VP and Treasurer positions were therefore declared filled without an election.

Being an even year, three Committee members were to be elected for two year terms.  Additionally one additional member was to be elected for a one year term, to fill a casual vacancy.   However when Josh Pearson was the sole nomination as Vice President and chose to vacate the position of Secretary, every possible combination of acceptable outcomes led to creation of an additional casual vacancy for Committee.  That resulted in five positions to be filled with five nominations, so all those who nominated were declared elected.

Under rule 14(5) of the Constitution, the assignment of two year terms (three) and one year terms (two) is to be decided by agreement or drawing of lots.

This will be determined at the first meeting of the new Committee.

Find out more about your Committee members here.

Technorama AGM: Wednesday 26 September 2018 at 20:00

The Annual General Meeting of Technorama Incorporated will be held on the evening of Wednesday 26 September 2018.   In keeping with Technorama policy, the meeting will be held entirely virtualised, using GoToMeeting and Sparklevote.

If you have any questions in advance of official notices, please drop a line to [email protected] or via the contact form on the website.

Nominations are open for offices of President,  Secretary, and two ordinary committee members.  Nominations will close at 23:59:59 on 19 September.

The AGM packet, with full details of agenda and nomination process, has been distributed to members.   If you have not received the packet, or if any of the material is unclear, please contact the Secretary via [email protected].

 

John Maizels
President, Technorama Incorporated

Emma Couch and Julie Spencer join the Technorama Board

The Special General Meeting which updated the Technorama Incorporated constitution increased the size of the Technorama Board from seven to nine, and created two casual vacancies.

Emma Couch

Julie Spencer

At the Board meeting held on 19 June, the Board unanimously voted to appoint Emma Couch and Julie Spencer to fill the positions as Ordinary Committee members. Emma and Julie will hold these posts through to the 2018 AGM, when they become eligible for election.

John Maizels, President of Technorama Incorporated, has welcomed the appointments as a significant positive step in the development of Technorama.

“The Technorama Board has worked hard to ensure that we can provide skills-based leadership.  Both Emma and Julie bring a wealth of professional and personal experience that plays directly to Technorama’s core missions.”

Emma Couch has been heavily involved with Community Radio as a broadcaster, organiser and trainer and has a solid technical bent. Julie Spencer started in Community radio before moving into a professional career which puts her in the upper ranks of broadcast engineers in Australia as a hands-on project manager and facility developer.”

“We are very fortunate to have such passionate and committed people in our ranks, especially at a time when Technorama has been focusing on improving diversity, gender equity and skills within the technologist community.”

Read more about Emma Couch and Julie Spencer on our “About/Meet your Board” page, and contact them directly via their Technorama email addresses.

Our Constitution and Rules

At a Special General Meeting held on 19 May 2018, the members present unanimously adopted a new set of rules to govern Technorama.  These replaced the model rules which had been in use since the Association’s formation.

The new rules were lodged with NSW Fair Trading after the meeting, and became effective from 31 May 2018.

The updated ruleset brings Technorama into line with best practice for Board turnover, and make it possible for the organisation to be truly virtualised by adding provisions to permit electronic equivalents of the face-to-face provisions that dictate how meetings and elections are managed.

Both of these actions improve our ability to be correctly representative of members.

The full story behind the new rules can be found on the SGM 2018-1 page, and the new ruleset is live for download or reading from our corporate details page.   Note that the deprecated rules and the for-approval version have now been masked to obviate any confusion.

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