The meeting started at 7:42PM "T-Mobile Time" (which was 7:41PM Cingular time). The start was delayed five minutes to allow traffic-impaired Board members to arrive.
There were two old Game Storm accounts, besides the Game Storm 8 account and the new account opened for Game Storm 9. The "Game Storm odd" account had $1,695.43 in it (this account was closed and the money moved temporarily to the OSFCI general account to save the fees that were being paid for it) and the "Game Storm even" account had about $4000. There is also now the new account, opened at the request of the Game Storm 9 committee, with $100 (the minimum needed to open the account). (Additionally, there was a "Game Storm Extra" account, with $70–that formed part of the $100 needed to open the new account.) John W needs direction on what should be done with the amount sitting in the OSFCI account (from Game Storm "odd"). Aaron C: Every Game Storm has had a surplus, and every one has paid OSFCI their portion, so what's left in any of the accounts is Game Storm money. It was agreed that the old funds would be rolled into the Game Storm 9 account.
Otherwise, there's a bunch of money in the OSFCI accounts, including about $12,000 in the merchant services account. Marc will determine how much of this is OryCon 28 and OryCon 29 memberships (and how much of the surplus and overhead fees should go to OSFCI) before any transfers are made–the total amount for these two events should be far less than the $12,000 in the account. (All the big bills–except for paying the artist–have been paid for OryCon 28, and there's still about $24,000 in the bank, including the credit card account.) Paul: We need to determine what the net amount (after credit card fees) is that goes to Ory 29 before the transfers are made.
Paul: Where is the mail going? David Schaber is still the registered agent for the various events and funds, is he getting the mail? John L picks up all the mail, and he forwards it to the right person–ignoring the "David Schaber" on the address. Isn't Sam the registered agent? Only for OSFCI, not the events and funds. Paul: The minutes from the September BOD meeting says that "Taxes are due on October 15th" (he's assuming this refers to the Federal 990 forms)–were they filed? They were due by May 15th, and you can get an automatic three month extension, making it August 15th–where does October 15th come from? John W: This was a date suggested by Sam. There's no strict deadline. Paul: You have to pay $20 a day each day that they are past the deadline, according to the IRS web site. John W: Not from my experience in filing forms that were two and three years past due.
Paul: OSFCI is still using the calendar year? (Yes.) OryCon 27 (2005) should have closed their books by February, 2006. John W: Because the OryCon 27 treasurer abruptly left the position, there was no one to wrap up the books. (We know the final balance, because we have the amount in the bank account–just no detail on the income and expenses.) John L: The IRS does want to know some breakdowns on the income and expenses, detailed by a few categories, which means we can't just use the bank balances at the end of the year. John W: We can estimate the breakdowns, based on other years. Paul: The events are supposed to file year-end statements with the corporation, so that OSFCI can use this information to file the state and federal forms in May. If the event is not forthcoming with the information, the OSFCI Treasurer needs to extract the information from them.
Paul: Another thing not mentioned so far is that the corporation was dissolved again on October 6th, for the third time in the last four years. (It's better now.) The Assumed Business Names all expired earlier this year, because they weren't renewed. Right now, these entities technically don't exist, and anyone could go on line and register any of the names ("Susan Petrey Fund", "Endeavour Award", "OryCon", "Game Storm", etc.) for their own use. These need to be renewed every two years. Patty: The last time this happened, she and Sam went through and renewed them, and she thought that Sam was going to handle this now. John L: All the renewal forms were given to John Williamson at the annual general meeting in late May. John W: They're probably still sitting in my files–I'll take the blame for it.
Linda: We should be able to take care of the renewals online. John L: The last time I looked, you could not renew an ABN online if it has already expired. Aaron C: Is there a written timeline of OSFCI actions that need to be taken care of? (No.) Because we've managed to keep this corporation going for about 28 years now…no one ever wrote these down? Paul: Every year, the Treasurer files a tax form, and every two years we renew the Assumed Business Names. (Also, the annual form needs to be filed for the corporation itself, giving the current officers of OSFCI.) Andrew: While we're refiling the forms, can we take Mr. Schaber's name off of them?
Aaron N: Speaking of which, he (Aaron) is the registered agent for OSFCI in the state of Washington (and he's received about 200 credit card offers because of it). When it comes up for renewal, do we want to continue the registration there? There doesn't seem to be a need for it, since we only ran Game Storm over there the one year. If we need to register again in Washington, we'll take of it when that need comes up.
Aaron N: We need to set up a corporate calendar so that these things get taken care of properly.
John W: Getting back to the OSFCI Treasury, we have about $13,000 in the account right now. Linda: Could we get a balance sheet so we know the specifics of what we have?
Patty: A few months back, Gene Armstrong said at an OryCon meeting that some of the OryCon 27 surplus (we think $1000) was supposed to go to the Endeavour Award. Has he ever brought this up to any of the officers? This was supposed to come through (Gene says) as part of the wrap up of OryCon 27, but since the treasurer of OryCon 27 disappeared and went to Mars, we didn't have a wrap up of OryCon 27. Patty told him to contact once of the OSFCI officers concerning this, but he has not so far. (He asked Patty again about this during the recent OryCon.) Linda: He did mention something about money, but gave no specifics.
Aaron N: Is this an OryCon issue or an OSFCI Issue? It was an OryCon issue, but since OryCon 27 is no more and the funds went to OSFCI, it's now an OSFCI issue. Andrew: Why don't we just go ahead and give $1000 to Endeavour from the OSFCI general funds, since that seems to have be the intent before the OryCon 27 treasurer turned into raspberry jam. Andrew moved that we do this, the motion was seconded and passed by the Board. Andrew: In an ideal world, we would have received a written request of this from the OryCon 27 committee.
Paul: How many people attended, what is the projected surplus? John L: There was a grand total of 1332 memberships numbers used (the "roughly 1400" estimate given at the convention was before we discovered that several badge numbers had been skipped during the convention–we don't know why). Four of those are being rolled over to next year (two of the people bought memberships twice, the others just couldn't attend), and there were 33 program participants (or guests) who didn't come, and we won't count them. That gives us 1,295 people who either paid for their memberships or were program participants or guests who did attend. Last year, the membership database had 1,322 people, but that included some duplicates, and the non-attending program participants weren't purged. So we're probably a couple dozen ahead of last year.
We didn't do a good job of keeping track of how many were one-days–unfortunately, we used the same format for the at-con registration cards that were used for OryCon 20, and we didn't sell one-day memberships at that convention. So the reg cards didn't have any "which day?" checkoff place, and we didn't think to track it manually until sometime Saturday morning. Aaron C: How many badges had to be reissued to people who'd been told that there's couldn't be found? John L: About 12-20–no idea why, since most of the time the badges were there at Pre-Reg. Aaron C: I noticed that some of them didn't have numbers. John L: They all should have had numbers–the same number they had originally, since we checked them on the pre-reg list before issuing new badges. All the badges issued at At-Con Registration included numbers.
Linda: Do we have an estimate on the surplus from the convention? Marc: Assuming the art show sales end up at the usual level, about $20,000, which also includes money left in the account from OryCon 26. Linda: We'll start OryCon 29 with a clean account, so that the final accounting there will be more accurate. John L: There were probably a couple dozen people making use of the $10 student discount. It might be a good idea next year to extend it to one-day memberships–$5 off for a daily membership, to go along with this year's $10 off for the weekend.
Paul asked about the lack of communication to the dealers, and how much we lost from the unused dealer space. One potential dealer sent in a check and form, had the check sent back a couple of months later (saying that the room was full) and got to the convention and was told that there was space waiting for them. (Too late for that dealer.) There were several empty spots in the dealer room. John L: On the topic of dealers, Lord Ronin asked to have brought up the subject of his OryCon dealer space. He canceled at the last minute because of the Marriott's no-smoking policy (after being told about the new policy last summer) and he wanted OSFCI to discuss refunding his money. It was decided by the Board that this was an OryCon matter. Is an OSFCI dealer policy needed, as regards to cancellations? OryCon has had a policy for several years, and it was felt this was new business and should be discussed later.
Debbie presented an updated, proposed charter for the Fund. This included a clause that would allow the Fund to separate cleanly from OSFCI, if need be. Paul: As for the financial report for the third quarter of 2006, the Fund brought in some interest on its investments but there are never any expenses during this quarter. There will be a lot more activity in the fourth quarter. Debbie: The Fanthorpe contest didn't draw a lot of entries. She will try to have the entries they did receive posted on Brian Hunt's Fanthorpe web site. No decision yet if this will happen again next year.
Debbie spoke with Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) about the possibility of a financial suit against OSFCI making the Petrey funds with OCF vulnerable. The reply from OCF was that this has never happened–however, the legal actions against the Catholic Church have shown there is a slight potential for this to happen. (However, when the tax forms are filed, the money with OCF goes in as part of their funds, not as part of OSFCI's.) Andrew moved that we table the proposed charter until Sam has a chance to look it over. This motion was passed by the Board.
The Board approved Sarah Bryant's appointment as the Administrator of the Endeavour Award.
Having said this, this is where we stand. After two years at the Marriott at the same room rate ($99), they are raising the rates substantially (to $106–the rack rate is $189 a night) after their major remodeling this coming year. After the contract for 2007, they are offering a contract for 2008, 2009, 2010 that would raise the room rates about 5% a year, with a 75% attrition clause. (We pay penalties if we don't fill 75% of our room block –the entire block was filled this year, weeks before the convention.) Patty talked to several experienced people at Smofcon this month–all of whom said that 5% increase with a 75% attrition clause is an excellent deal compared to the rest of the industry. Patty recommends that, even if we still want to talk to other hotels before making long-term decisions, we take the offer from the Marriott for 2008. She may be able to convince the Marriott to tie the room rate to the consumer price index rather than a flat 5%–but if we delay in signing, Marriott corporate may raise the prices a lot more after the remodeling is done. She will insist that we have an opt-out clause, such as 18 months to back out of the contract for the year in question.
The rates would go up–but costs for the convention would not. Only two items go up: there is now a one-time fee for the Internet connection, and we only get two suites comped instead of three. The space rental prices remain the same. And the hotel has been good to us–the extra AV equipment that we needed when some of our rented equipment didn't show up…the hotel only charged us for half of it. We are going to run into some complaints about the room rates, but there doesn't seem to be any place in town that we can do better with. Andrew: Is there any advantage to signing a three year deal? Patty: Yes, the corporate revenue people have a policy of raising the room rates 10-15% any time a hotel completes a remodel such as the one the Portland hotel will be going through.
"Loki, get down from there now!"
Back to the meeting, now that the devil cat is off of the kitchen counter…
…So the local people are trying to get the contracts in place with their regulars before the corporate people direct them to raise the rates. Andrew moved (with a slight change by John L moved that Patty be requested to negotiate and recommend for signature a three year contract (which the 18 month opt-out clause). The Board approved this unanimously.
One correction of the Criss-Hoffert proposal: Aaron Curtis was supposed to be listed as "tentative" on the proposed committee list. Melvin didn't have a chance to prepare a proposed committee list for his presentation.
Andrew had some reservations about the Criss-Hoffert proposal about the two paragraphs under "Other Financial Issues" (regarding both the possible limitations of complimentary memberships for program participants and their guests, and providing transportation for guest of the Guests of Honor). Since the last two OryCons seemed to have made plenty of money, while covering these expenses, Andrew feels the Board should express the opinion that it's perfectly reasonable to maintain both of those procedures and expenses through the next convention. Patty agreed, since the comped memberships are about the only thing we provide to these participants. Steve: We haven't had a chance to see the financial numbers for OryCon 28, but the intent of this section was to indicate a desire to take an active look at all aspects of the convention rather than rubber-stamping everything. Debbie: It's definitely a good idea to take a fresh look at everything.
Karyn: A lot of people came up to her at this year's convention, excited about working on next year's.
There was some discussion about how the proposed "pirates" theme will fit with the GOH, since he often writes fairly hard science fiction. Paul: Are you ready to spend up to 20 hours a week for your life this next year, running this convention? Steve: Absolutely. Karyn: We do have a lot of new people on the proposed committee list, since attracting new committee members has been a problem. At the same time, we're hoping the experienced people who have been working on OryCon will mentor these new people. Andrew volunteers to run programming for either of the bids, especially with the possibility of having Ursula Le Guin on the program. Steve: We need to bring in some new people to work with Andrew. Andrew has been talking to some people to bring them in on the programming staff–he does need someone to handle the IT side of programming.
Andrew: In the absence of a full committee list from the other (Krehbiel) bid, I feel that we need to give more weight to the first (Criss-Hoffert) bid. Karyn: Are you willing to train people in running programming during OryCon 29 with the idea that they might take over for OryCon 30? Yes.
Patty: Melvin, are you primarily interested in running OryCon 29 or OryCon 30? Melvin: I'm primarily interested in OryCon 30, but people have asked me if I wanted to put a bid forward for 29, and I thought I should do so. Marc: Melvin, if you do not end up running OryCon 29, are you still interested in working on the art show? Yes.
There was a lot of discussion of including new people on the committee, including a lot of mentoring by the experienced folks. Paul suggested that the size of the committee be lowered a little, as it might make committee communications work a little easier. Patty suggested having a strong executive committee, since seems to have helped the committee run a lot better. She was up mixed thoughts about the bid–she felt that Criss-Hoffert would bring in more new people, but Melvin's been running the art show, which is in many ways a microcosm of the convention.
Debbie: OSFCI several years ago put together some criteria for what is needed in a bid, including a committee list consisting of at least a few of the key areas (such as treasurer). Since we only have one bid right now that meets these criteria, and Melvin has said he's mostly interesting in OryCon 30, it seems like we only have one bid to consider tonight. Since Andrew seems to be running programming no matter which bid is approved, could Debbie get Andrew a list of Petrey winners so that he can include them in the program?
Paul moved that the Board accept the Criss-Hoffert bid. The motion was seconded. John L moved that we table the motion until we have a chance to discuss it a little more.
Ruth asked for more information on the people who are listed for running registration…do they have much experience? Karyn: No, but they are eager to learn. She is planning on encouraging people to ask questions of the experienced folks rather than blindly plowing ahead. There was some discussion on what is needed to both encourage people to get the information they need, and also what is needed to oversee people so that they will perform their needed functions.
John L: Can these bids be combined–can Melvin be included as a vice-chair with Karyn and Steve (or, at the very least, be part of the executive committee) while working on an OryCon 30 bid? Yes. The original motion to table the discussion (until more discussion took place) was untabled, and the Criss-Hoffert bid for OryCon 29 (including their treasurer) was approved by the Board.
The meeting was then adjourned.
| Memberships | $2,886.08 | (82 memberships overall) | |
| Dealer Tables | $290.00 | (w/ 4 membs.) | |
| Pass-Along Funds | $1,000.00 | ||
| $4,176.08 | |||
| Expenses | |||
| Bank Fees | $ 45.00 | ||
| Web Site Domain/Hosting Fee | $75.00 | ||
| PRs & Flyers Printing | $73.18 | ||
| Postage for PRs | $39.00 | ||
| Reg Supplies | $27.07 | ||
| $259.25 | |||
| Net-to-Date | $3,916.83 | ||
(Doesn't include money spent from, or reimbursed to, Potlatch account for OryCon)
| Committee Members | First Appointed | Term Expires |
|---|---|---|
| James Fiscus, Chairman | October 1996 | Novermber 2008 |
| Page Fuller, Treasurer | October 1996 | Novermber 2008 |
| Karyn Hoffert, OSFCI Rep. | July 2005 | November 2007 |
| Geri Jeter | November 2002 | November 2007 |
| Ruth Sachter | November 2002 | November 2007 |
| Marc Wells | November 2003 | November 2007 |
Prior to deposit of the money raised at OryCon and following convention and Award expenses, we have $159.19, which will rise to $1, 659.16 when all the money and matching funds are in the account. While we will need about $1,000 more to fully fund us for 2007, we expect to receive half the money raised by CBR at their planned Radcon auction.
Sarah and the Committee are aware of the potential conflict of interest should her son have a book entered. In such a case, the Chairman will manage the judging of Jay's book.
MOTION: The Board of OSFCI ratifies the appointment of Sarah Bryant to the Endeavour Committee.
| Committee Members | First Appointed | Term Expires |
|---|---|---|
| Sarah Bryant, Administrator | October 2006 | November 2009 |
| James Fiscus, Chairman | October 1996 | November 2008 |
| Page Fuller | October 1996 | November 2008 |
| Marilyn J. Holt | September 2000 | November 2008 |
| Sara Mueller | October 2003 | November 2007 |
| Alan Rosenthal | January 2006 | November 2009 |
| Sheila Simonson | October 1996 | November 2007 |
| Shawn Wall, Treasurer | November 2005 | November 2007 |
Pirates have been ever-present in fictional literature, as well as in ordinary life. One has to look no further than the chief officers in many modern corporations who have been featured in the evening news. As society become increasingly complex, ordered and pre-arranged, there is no doubt that the archetype of "pirate" will continue to exist, whether in fiction or real-life.
I have been on OryCon committees for the last five years. At OryCon28 and 27, I worked in Gaming, endeavoring to expand the miniatures gaming area and improving gaming attendance. While some feel that gaming belongs in another convention, there is a large segment of gamers who attend OryCon regularly, and now have more reasons than ever to attend. At OryCon26, I worked as a programming assistant, and in OryCon25 and 24, I served as Hall Costume, expanding the Hall Costume awards, and generating more interest on the part of the membership to attend OryCon in garb. I also have experience handling money as the treasurer for GameStorms 7 & 8, working closely with John Williamson in treasury matters.
OryCon will continue to rely on its membership base, dealers and artists for the bulk of its finances. It will continue to utilize fliers, web sites and event calendars to help promote itself. I expect that OryCon29 will see a continued return of its regulars members, as well as see an increase in new memberships.
The remaining positions will be filled as soon as possible, following the Board's final review.
GOHs should continue to receive complimentary memberships, room and per diem award. However, support for a significant other may need to be reassessed if their inclusion affects travel and room costs.
I look forward to hearing from the OSFCI Board about the proposal. I also welcome any questions, concerns and suggestions.
Sincerely,
Steven Criss
| Chair | ||
| Art Show | $3,000 | |
| Chair/Misc. | $1,000 | |
| Contingency | $1,500 | |
| Dealers | $625 | |
| Hotel | $11,000 | |
| Registration | $1,300 | |
| Treasurer | $200 | |
| $18,625 | ||
| Events | ||
| Dances/Events/Tech. | $3,000 | |
| Masquerade | $300 | |
| Opening Ceremonies | $100 | |
| $3,400 | ||
| Member Services | ||
| Child Care | $1,000 | |
| Fanzine Room | $100 | |
| Hospitality | $4,000 | |
| Internet Café | $1,500 | |
| T-Shirts | $1,100 | |
| $7,700 | ||
| Operations | ||
| Logistics | $1,500 | |
| Office | $200 | |
| Rangers | $75 | |
| Volunteers | $50 | |
| $1,825 | ||
| Programming | ||
| Gaming | $100 | |
| Guests of Honor | $4,000 | |
| Program | $1,500 | |
| Writer's Workshops | $50 | |
| Video | $100 | |
| $5,750 | ||
| Publications | ||
| PR/Pocket & 'Zine | $3,500 | |
| Souvenir Book | $7,000 | |
| $10,500 | ||
| Total Expenses | $47,800 |
Income:
| Pre-registration through Dec. 31, 2006 | (200 @ $25 each) | $5,000 |
| Pre-registration through June 30, 2007 | (300 @ $35 each) | $10,500 |
| Pre-registration through Oct. 31, 2007 | (600 @ $45 each) | $27,000 |
| At the door Memberships | (150 @ $55 each) | $8,250 |
| Total Registration | (1250 members) | $50,750 |
| Income from Art Show | (rough estimate) | $1,250 |
| Income from Dealers | (booth & table sales plus 50 @ 25) | $4,000 |
| $5,250 | ||
| Total Estimated Income | $56,000 |
| Total Estimated Expenses | $47,800 |
| Total Estimated Net Income | $8,200 |
I propose to Chair OryCon 29 and request OSFCI for a management agreement delegating the authority to conduct and manage the convention to myself. OryCon 29 will use OSFCI's insurance, mailing permit and will be conducted as a charitable, educational and literary event, in compliance with OSFCI's status as a not-for-profit corporation.
I have headed the OryCon Art Department for the past 2 years. Prior to that, I have been primary staff for the art show for a number of years. I have previously headed the Office. With the aid of the OryCon chairpersons emeritus, I feel I can draw the necessary expertise in those areas I have not personally headed. Between being on the committees for a number of years, and from my experience with the art show, I feel I have the necessary experience to lead OryCon to a successful 29th year.
Please find attached a proposed budget.
Our hotel will be the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront, with whom OSFCI is currently negotiating a contract, with a target date of the third weekend of November, 2007.
We have an acceptance for a writer Guest of Honor, Robert Charles Wilson.
I have not filled the posts I have been informed are considered key, but I have some prospects I have not had time to fully pursue, and I have tentative acceptance on some of the other posts.
OryCon will continue to offer Child memberships to attendees under the age of 12. Cost will be half the prevailing membership rate at the time of purchase. Memberships purchased for a child under 12 must be made by an adult who will attend the convention with the minor for whom they are responsible. OryCon 29 will not offer a senior rate, but may offer a student rate. OryCon will continue to offer of complimentary memberships to Programming Participants and Guests. Guests of Honor will continue to receive complimentary memberships, room and per diem.
OryCon 29' s special challenge will be making certain that we have enough staff and support to run the convention, as our pool of volunteers and people interested in working on the committee has been declining. I recognize this as a significant challenge and will be working to recruit not only from within our ranks but will also try to recruit, train and develop new talent from the general con population.
A meeting schedule has not yet been established, but will likely follow the pattern and timing of past OryCons.
Sincerely,
Melvin Krehbiel
| Chair | ||
| Art Show | $3,000 | |
| Chair/Misc. | $1,000 | |
| Contingency | $1,500 | |
| Dealers | $625 | |
| Hotel | $11,000 | |
| Registration | $1,300 | |
| Treasurer | $200 | |
| $18,625 | ||
| Events | ||
| Dances/Events/Tech. | $3,000 | |
| Masquerade | $300 | |
| Opening Ceremonies | $100 | |
| $3,400 | ||
| Member Services | ||
| Child Care | $1,000 | |
| Fanzine Room | $100 | |
| Hospitality | $3,000 | |
| Internet Café | $1,500 | |
| T-Shirts | $1,100 | |
| $6,700 | ||
| Operations | ||
| Logistics | $1,500 | |
| Office | $100 | |
| Rangers | $75 | |
| Volunteers | $50 | |
| $1,725 | ||
| Programming | ||
| Gaming | $100 | |
| Guests of Honor | $4,000 | |
| Program | $1,500 | |
| Writer's Workshops | $50 | |
| Video | $100 | |
| $5,750 | ||
| Publications | ||
| PR/Pocket & 'Zine | $3,500 | |
| Souvenir Book | $7,000 | |
| $10,500 | ||
| Total Expenses | $46,700 |
Income:
| Pre-registration through Dec. 31, 2006 | (200 @ $25 each) | $5,000 |
| Pre-registration through June 30, 2007 | (250 @ $35 each) | $8,750 |
| Pre-registration through Oct. 31, 2007 | (550 @ $45 each) | $24,750 |
| At the door Memberships | (100 @ $55 each) | $5,500 |
| Total Registration | (1110 members) | $44,000 |
| Income from Art Show | (rough estimate) | $1,250 |
| Income from Dealers | (booth & table sales plus 50 @ 25) | $4,000 |
| $5,250 | ||
| Total Estimated Income | $29,250 |
| Total Estimated Expenses | $46,700 |
| Total Estimated Net Income | $2,550 |