PRO Member

Agenda for LJN AGM

It will be good to meet up with as many LJN members as possible this March for our first ever AGM meeting(date to be finalised).

The site has matured over the last three years and I think we are ready to start achieving good things for our industry.

We've created a steering committee and landscape and horticulture policy group and in our early days we really did get some good discussions going.

One of the things I'd like to see us do - and we've spoken about this previously - is to create a site committee so that we can, collectively, push government and other bodies, to do more for SMEs in landscaping and horticulture.

Please add your suggestions below for topics that should be included at our meeting:

The proposed agenda thus far:

  • Electing a steering committee
  • Electing an LJN chairman
  • Choosing an official LJN charity
  • LJN training group
  • Raising funds for projects
  • Organising a buying group

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PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Phil Voice on February 7, 2012 at 14:40

What about making this a topic for tomorrows live chat?

Anna McArthur said:

I agree with Linsey - I'd be interested if this was covered...

Linsey Evans said:

I want to raise the issue of what a garden designer does, how we add value, why our costs are justified, how we can work with the other gardening trades to raise awareness of the value of what we all do.  Wages in the horticultural sector are mortifyingly low.  Anything that can be done to address this is a good thing.  People will pay exhorbitant fees to architects, but baulk at paying reasonable garden design fees even when spending huge amounts on their gardens.  Hope this is not too woolly, but you get the general idea.

If you're going to discuss these kinds of things I'm definitely interested.


PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Steve Sonic Grounds Maintenance on February 7, 2012 at 15:16

Thats a proper agenda well done.

Phil Voice said:

The proposed agenda thus far:

  • Electing a steering committee
  • Electing an LJN chairman
  • Choosing an official LJN charity
  • LJN training group
  • Raising funds for projects
  • Organising a buying group

PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Rowly Hill on February 9, 2012 at 0:19

I don't want to put a damper on things but each proposed point in the agenda will need prior consideration before it can get to the voting/electing stage and I doubt (know) this cannot be done by the AGM turnout but should be put before the entire membership to vote for appropriate persons to hold the positions. All done on the forum and involving everyone who is interested and wants to contribute.

Committees, chairpersons, training group members, buying groups will need to know their roles and responsibilities beforehand - which should be posted for everyone to consider - then get nominees for the positions and then the membership should vote on who should take on the roles and responsibilities. All done on the forum and involving everyone who is interested and wants to contribute.

If the agenda is all about brainstorming, at the AGM, on how we go about achieving this/these goals then fair enough.

That's not meant to be a negative twist on the proposals btw but action points for consideration to make this work.


PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Phil Voice on February 9, 2012 at 9:04

Thanks for your thoughts Rowly

"If the agenda is all about brainstorming, at the AGM, on how we go about achieving this/these goals then fair enough."

Yes, I think we have to start from the meeting and let those who attend start to build the foundation from which we build on.


PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Phil Voice on February 13, 2012 at 14:21

I'm sorry not to have been able to participate in the discussion over the weekend.

Thanks for your suggestion Mick and everyone else's input. I think we need to drill down a bit more detail.

Coincidently, I looked into using www.anymeeting.com in the early days of LJN, but we ended up using Skype (Skype doesn't support the large free group conferencing it did back then. 

Bear in mind there is a 200 person limit.

We can use CoverItLive (we can certainly conduct live elections this way);.

Holding a meeting online

It's very clear there are some passionate views on how this event should take place and I don't feel there in necessarily a definitely right or wrong way to go about it.

I was kind of hoping to meet up with a few of you face to face because I do feel this is important but if it means we can facilitate more people then online is due for some further consideration.

What I will do however is still arrange to come to the UK before the end of March if I can. The consensus seems to be that Birmingham is the best place. I think this is a good place to start (I still wish to take in Scotland too).

Can I suggest we put aside this Wednesday's live discussion session to thrash out some more detail before moving on to crystallising an agenda.

If you feel up to becoming a member of a steering group then please give this some serious thought. If anyone does volunteer and is subsequently voted on It will mean setting aside and dedicating some time to some network duties.

If you feel your time will be in too much demand as the season moves up a pace then please do not put yourself forward.

In summary:

Wednesday 15 February 2012 8.00pm - live discussion to determine:-

Should an LJN meeting be held at physical location or online?

Decide on a structure for elections (i.e. should a group be called a committee or a steering group, how many people should be on this group (should there be sub-groups etc)?

Decide what LJN's role should be going forward? Think of an initial cause we should throw our collective weight behind.

  • Electing a steering committee
  • Electing an LJN chairman
  • Choosing an official LJN charity
  • LJN training group
  • Raising funds for projects
  • Organising a buying group

PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Phil Voice on February 16, 2012 at 17:03

Here is the transcript from last night's discussion

Attachments:

PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Phil Voice on February 20, 2012 at 19:05

The date and venue for the LJN inaugural meeting has beenconfirmed as the ibis hotel Birmingham 23 March 2012.

It's now time to turn to presenting a simple agenda to start the ball rolling toward making sure you all can be a force for good for our industry.

If you would like to put your name forward as a member of the steering committee (name of this group will be formally addressed at the meeting) as a volunteer then please indicate below.

If you do want to be involved then you will have to be prepared to put aside some time to and assist with tasks such as research, writing letters to MPs and government departments, liaising and lobbying groups such as the HTA, LANTRA and City & Guilds, for example, to ensure the SME is not forgotten.

If you'd like to represent LJN via its committee then please add you name below.


PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Phil Voice on March 21, 2012 at 7:51

Please print off a copy of this agenda to bring to the LJN meetings


PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Phil Voice on March 22, 2012 at 18:18
Hi Gaynor

I really enjoyed this afternoon...I think our discussions were valuable.
Once we've collated views from all four meetings we can put them into the mixing pot.

It was great to see you again:)
Permalink Reply by Sian's Gardening Services on March 22, 2012 at 20:07

Good meeting, thanks once again Phill for coming to south wales to meet some of the welsh peeps.  Thoroughly enjoyed it and raised some interesting topics - food for thought me thinks!!!! ( :

 


PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Phil Voice on March 22, 2012 at 22:16
It was good to meet you Sian:)

I think our discussion has given us all something to think aout.

All the best

Phil

PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Phil Voice on March 22, 2012 at 22:18
Thanks also to Tracy, Nigel and Andrew.

It was nice to be able to sit outside too:)

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