Annual Convention
The Annual Convention of The Augustan Society, Inc., has traditinally been held on or about the date of the Annual Meeting, which has been set as the second Saturday in August of each calendar year.
There are valid reasons — usually financial — for canceling the Annual Convention at times. It is presently the policy of the Board that Annual Conventions should not be held until there is expectation of greater participation. One might suspect that the opening of a public Headquarters would create such expectation.
The 2021 Annual Meeting was held via Zoom teleconference, which was found generally satisfactory. While the primary motivation was the pandemic, it is planned to continue to hold the Annual Meeting this way for the foreseeable future due to greater accessibility.
Hosts
Each Annual Convention is organized by a Host, appointed by and serving at the pleasure of the President.
Host duties include:
- Selection of a hotel;
- Identifying meeting space, which might be rented, in a guest room, or a public space;
- Selecting restaurants suitable for Fellows Dinner and Banquet, plus other restaurants suitable for casual breakfasts and lunches;
- Recommending social activities as may seem appropriate; and
- Should attendance be expected to exceed twelve, the Host should attempt to solicit a speaker. Authorization for comping his meal (perhaps plus one) or any honorarium must be obtained from the President and be within the budget.
Hosts are not authorized to obligate the Society nor are they expected to pay for any activity other than their own. Such arrangements are possible, where appropriate, but require prior Board approval.
Location
The location of the Annual Convention is presently rotated about the United States based on the availability of volunteer hosts. The intent is not to repeat in the same region on consecutive years, and to eventually see all regions represented in proportion to the membership. There is no prohibition against meeting outside the United States, but one would not expect such a proposal until there was a substantial membership in such other country.
Headquarters Staff might be asked to host the Annual Convention in Orlando when a Host or location become unavailable during the year of the convention, or when it's decided to avoid the expense of an out-of-town convention. Should this not happen for an extended period, it may be prudent to hold a convention in Orlando occasionally that new Directors might tour the storage facilities and thus obtain a better understanding of the challenges at Headquarters.
Once a Headquarters has been opened, it is recommended that the Annual Convention be held in that location every other year, with the pattern of varying locations observed in the off-years.
Activities
The Annual Convention normally spans from Thursday to Sunday. Normal events are:
- Thursday:
- An informal welcome dinner, organized by the Host, paid by the attendees;
- Friday:
- Meetings of Sub-Groups and Committees;
- Presentation of papers;
- The Fellows dinner. Nominally restricted to Fellows, others may attend as the guest of a Fellow.
- Saturday:
- The Annual Meeting, including (regardless of a quorum being had):
- The announcement of the results of the Elections;
- A State of the Society address from the outgoing Chairman (or President if no Chairman has been elected), or his appointee.
- A meeting of the Board of Directors. At this meeting the new Directors will be installed, outgoing Directors excused, and such other business as may come before the Board (this presumes the election was held and all new Directors can be installed). This meeting will replace the usual meeting time of the third Saturday.
- The Annual Banquet, semi-formal or formal, generally including:
- Presentation of Fellowship insignia earned in the prior year to those in attendance;
- Presentation of the Balling or Metzler Award for the prior year;
- After-dinner talk or film, attendance warranting.
- Sunday:
- Social activities, generally focusing on the host city.
The above is history, not prescription. Especially considering the present gap in conventions, it may well be that an entirely different format might be more apt when they resume.
