[n° ou bulletin] 

Titre :	32 - October 2015 - FISM Rimini - Meeting of General Assembly -
Type de document :	texte imprimé
Auteurs :	FISM Board , Auteur
Année de publication :	2023
Importance :	4 pages
Format :	A4
Langues :	Anglais (eng) Langues originales : Anglais (eng)
Note de contenu :	Dear Delegate, Dear Friend in Magic, Lots have been said and written about the Convention in Rimini. The results of the competition have been published in all Magic Magazines and the editors didn’t fail to relieve their respective feelings about the memorable happening that took place from July 6th to 11th in Italy. I’m sure you expect me to reflect upon this “26th World Championship of Magic”. So, before giving you a summary of the decisions we came to during the meeting of the General Assembly, it’s my pleasure to share my personal thoughts with you. Before doing so, I think it may be of interest to recall the necessary background information on how a World Championship of Magic comes into being. When a Magic Society, together with a PCO (Professional Convention Organizer) and/or a Convention Centre apply for the organization of a FISM Convention, the BoD sends them a file with all existing rules and conditions. If the prospective organizers are sure they can meet these demands, they have to invite at least two of the three board members for a site inspection. These persons have to evaluate if all requirements can be fulfilled and if the necessary infrastructure is available. A detailed report of this inspection is then sent to all members of the G.A. In case of a positive recommendation by the Board, the organizers draft a Bid Book with all useful and practical information about the planned convention: the venue, the proposed programme, the anticipated budget, hotel and tourism information etc. During the meeting of the G.A. at the FISM convention prior to the one applied for, the candidates have 20 minutes to defend their candidature after which a vote is taken to decide if they agree with the venue or (in case there are several candidates), which one has their preference. A hosting contract is then signed by both parties and from there on, the organizers are entrusted with the practical realization of the planned event and, apart from some well defined tasks to be taken care of by the Board, they take full responsibility. As not all promises of the future organizer can be enforced, it’s possible that by the time the convention takes place, some of the original plans have been altered or that some circumstances have forced the organizer not to stick to all points originally agreed upon. This can be due to unpredictable budget restraints, an increased financial risk etc. In an ideal world, FISM should be able to organize its conventions itself and take full responsibility. Hopefully a time will come when FISM will have the necessary assets at its disposal to meet the essential expenses. Till then, I think we have to be grateful to those societies who set their shoulders to this tremendous task, willing to take substantial personal financial risks. This being said, it’s my opinion that Rimini may not have been the best FISM ever, but that no- one can deny that the organizers did their utmost to reach that goal. The many positive reactions I received, lead me to think that they came quite close. The superabundance of activities, the talent featured in the shows and lectures and the cosy and copious “White Dinner” will cherish the memory of everyone who was present. The core business of a FISM Convention is, and will remain, the world championship and we all have to agree that the level of the stage competition not only measured up to the superlative one in Blackpool, the quality of the close-up competition was by far the best we’ve ever witnessed. Of course I am not deaf to the many complaints I received. It’s true that most of the competitors were not treated with the respect they deserve and this was also the case for the judges, who felt that they were “tolerated” rather than “welcomed”. It’s also difficult to accept that magicians who had registered and paid three years before in Blackpool had no better seats than the ones who registered just before the convention and that many of those who had paid a supplement of 200 € for VIP seating, experienced the same problem. Most of us suffered the indignation of a predominant and often hindering interference of the television crew and equipment and many were shocked that most of the time the FISM name and logo were barely noticeable. The theatre, built inside the big convention hall, also deviated in a considerable way from what was promised, but I must admit that the lack of tiered seating was partly compensated by the excellent quality of the video rendition on the big screens. We all know that while trying to do the best we can, we’re never completely safeguarded against possible mishaps. The important thing is not to linger over what went wrong, but to look forward to the future and see how we can profit from the experience, keeping, and if possible, improving what was good and drawing the necessary lessons from what went wrong. The meeting is held on July 11th, 2015. 71 of a total of 98 Societies, representing a total of 399 votes, are delegated. After welcoming the delegates and opening the meeting, I read the minutes of the meeting held in Blackpool in 2012 and the triennial report 2012-2015. Both are approved unanimously Endorsement of the FISM accounts 2014 and 2015 The Finance Review Committee, composed by: - Héctor Carrión, Secretary General of Flasoma - Jean-Claude Mugny, President of the ‘Club des Magiciens de Lausanne’ - Bradley Jacobs, President of FISM North America, having audited the accounts, gives its approval. After a brief introduction by Mr. Jacobs and additional information* given by me, the approval is confirmed by the General Assembly. *I explain that, thanks to a considerable effort to reduce the expenditures during the triennial period, the net assets of the Federation have grown from 19.592 € to 81.904 €. As I wrote when venting my thoughts about the Convention, I admit that up to now, FISM has been living on a shoe-string budget, but voice the hope that in the not too far future it will be in a position to organize its conventions/championships independently, keeping full control over all budgetary and organizational aspects. To my great pleasure, this announcement is received amidst loud applause. Changes to the Statutes The proposed changes to the articles 4.5, 4.6, 6.1, 8.1.1, 11.3, 11.5, 12.3 and 14 are accepted by a large majority of 346 votes. Changes to the Contest Rules and Procedures The proposed changes to the articles 1a and 6b are adopted with a majority of 303 votes. Election of one International Vice-President for the period 2015-2018 According to the statutes, a new International Vice-President has to be elected. The two candidates are Mr. Craig Mitchell (South Africa) and the current International Vice-President, Mr. Gerrit Brengman (Belgium), who offers himself for re-election. First there is a vote for whether or not it is necessary for the candidates to be allowed time to introduce themselves to the assembly. There are 83 votes in favour and 306 against. Subsequently, Gerrit Brengman is elected with a majority of 333 votes (84,10%) against 63 (15,90%) for his opponent. Venue for the FISM World Championship 2018 There are two proposals for the hosting and organization of the next World Championship: - Mr. Kim Wist, President of the Finnish magic society ‘Suomen Taikurit Ry’, proposes the Messukeskus Convention Centre in Helsinki (Finland) as the venue and a shared organization by the club and Messukeskus. - The second proposal is from Mr. Kang, Yeol-woo, President of the ‘BIMF’ Magic Society (South Korea). The venue is the ‘Exposition and Convention Center’ (BEXCO) in Busan (South Korea) and BIMF (The Busan International Magic Festival) the organizer. A detailed site-visit report, favourably assessed by the Board of Directors, had been sent to the delegates and both candidates had presented their respective bid books to the delegates a reasonable time before the meeting. Now both of them are given 20 minutes to amplify on their bid. Busan (South Korea) is elected with a majority of 248 (63,75%) out of 389 votes cast, against 141 (36,25%) for Helsinki (Finland). Any other business The interventions, questions and interesting suggestions, formulated by some of the members of the Assembly, have to be interrupted when I am called away for some urgent business concerning the television and competition arrangements. Unfortunately, this departure is interpreted by several members as being the end of the meeting. By the time Gerrit Brengman can take over, quite a number of them have already left the room. The Delegates who get up to speak are: - May Closa (Spain) - Kate Medvedeva (Russia) - Dahlia Pelled (Israel) - Serge Odin (France) - Magic Christian (Austria) - Miguel Puga (Spain) - Gustavo Lorgia (Colombia) To make sure that their interventions can be beneficial to everyone and that they are rendered in a correct way, Gerrit asks them to summarize their topics in an e-mail to the BoD. As soon as we receive the reactions we’ll share them with all delegates and, where advisable, comment on them. After this, Gerrit thanks the delegates and closes the meeting. Additional Comment The BoD thinks it’s expedient to remark that, due to circumstances out of its control, the conditions of the assembly didn’t meet the standards we are accustomed to. The meeting room turned out to be rather inadequate and we regret that the available translation service (as used for the award ceremony) was not put at our disposal.

[n° ou bulletin] 32 - October 2015 - FISM Rimini - Meeting of General Assembly - [texte imprimé] / FISM Board , Auteur . - 2023 . - 4 pages ; A4.
Langues : Anglais (eng) Langues originales : Anglais (eng)

Note de contenu :

Dear Delegate, Dear Friend in Magic, Lots have been said and written about the Convention in Rimini. The results of the competition have been published in all Magic Magazines and the editors didn’t fail to relieve their respective feelings about the memorable happening that took place from July 6th to 11th in Italy. I’m sure you expect me to reflect upon this “26th World Championship of Magic”. So, before giving you a summary of the decisions we came to during the meeting of the General Assembly, it’s my pleasure to share my personal thoughts with you. Before doing so, I think it may be of interest to recall the necessary background information on how a World Championship of Magic comes into being. When a Magic Society, together with a PCO (Professional Convention Organizer) and/or a Convention Centre apply for the organization of a FISM Convention, the BoD sends them a file with all existing rules and conditions. If the prospective organizers are sure they can meet these demands, they have to invite at least two of the three board members for a site inspection. These persons have to evaluate if all requirements can be fulfilled and if the necessary infrastructure is available. A detailed report of this inspection is then sent to all members of the G.A. In case of a positive recommendation by the Board, the organizers draft a Bid Book with all useful and practical information about the planned convention: the venue, the proposed programme, the anticipated budget, hotel and tourism information etc. During the meeting of the G.A. at the FISM convention prior to the one applied for, the candidates have 20 minutes to defend their candidature after which a vote is taken to decide if they agree with the venue or (in case there are several candidates), which one has their preference. A hosting contract is then signed by both parties and from there on, the organizers are entrusted with the practical realization of the planned event and, apart from some well defined tasks to be taken care of by the Board, they take full responsibility. As not all promises of the future organizer can be enforced, it’s possible that by the time the convention takes place, some of the original plans have been altered or that some circumstances have forced the organizer not to stick to all points originally agreed upon. This can be due to unpredictable budget restraints, an increased financial risk etc. In an ideal world, FISM should be able to organize its conventions itself and take full responsibility. Hopefully a time will come when FISM will have the necessary assets at its disposal to meet the essential expenses. Till then, I think we have to be grateful to those societies who set their shoulders to this tremendous task, willing to take substantial personal financial risks. This being said, it’s my opinion that Rimini may not have been the best FISM ever, but that no- one can deny that the organizers did their utmost to reach that goal. The many positive reactions I received, lead me to think that they came quite close. The superabundance of activities, the talent featured in the shows and lectures and the cosy and copious “White Dinner” will cherish the memory of everyone who was present. The core business of a FISM Convention is, and will remain, the world championship and we all have to agree that the level of the stage competition not only measured up to the superlative one in Blackpool, the quality of the close-up competition was by far the best we’ve ever witnessed. Of course I am not deaf to the many complaints I received. It’s true that most of the competitors were not treated with the respect they deserve and this was also the case for the judges, who felt that they were “tolerated” rather than “welcomed”. It’s also difficult to accept that magicians who had registered and paid three years before in Blackpool had no better seats than the ones who registered just before the convention and that many of those who had paid a supplement of 200 € for VIP seating, experienced the same problem. Most of us suffered the indignation of a predominant and often hindering interference of the television crew and equipment and many were shocked that most of the time the FISM name and logo were barely noticeable. The theatre, built inside the big convention hall, also deviated in a considerable way from what was promised, but I must admit that the lack of tiered seating was partly compensated by the excellent quality of the video rendition on the big screens. We all know that while trying to do the best we can, we’re never completely safeguarded against possible mishaps. The important thing is not to linger over what went wrong, but to look forward to the future and see how we can profit from the experience, keeping, and if possible, improving what was good and drawing the necessary lessons from what went wrong. The meeting is held on July 11th, 2015. 71 of a total of 98 Societies, representing a total of 399 votes, are delegated. After welcoming the delegates and opening the meeting, I read the minutes of the meeting held in Blackpool in 2012 and the triennial report 2012-2015. Both are approved unanimously Endorsement of the FISM accounts 2014 and 2015 The Finance Review Committee, composed by: - Héctor Carrión, Secretary General of Flasoma - Jean-Claude Mugny, President of the ‘Club des Magiciens de Lausanne’ - Bradley Jacobs, President of FISM North America, having audited the accounts, gives its approval. After a brief introduction by Mr. Jacobs and additional information* given by me, the approval is confirmed by the General Assembly. *I explain that, thanks to a considerable effort to reduce the expenditures during the triennial period, the net assets of the Federation have grown from 19.592 € to 81.904 €. As I wrote when venting my thoughts about the Convention, I admit that up to now, FISM has been living on a shoe-string budget, but voice the hope that in the not too far future it will be in a position to organize its conventions/championships independently, keeping full control over all budgetary and organizational aspects. To my great pleasure, this announcement is received amidst loud applause. Changes to the Statutes The proposed changes to the articles 4.5, 4.6, 6.1, 8.1.1, 11.3, 11.5, 12.3 and 14 are accepted by a large majority of 346 votes. Changes to the Contest Rules and Procedures The proposed changes to the articles 1a and 6b are adopted with a majority of 303 votes. Election of one International Vice-President for the period 2015-2018 According to the statutes, a new International Vice-President has to be elected. The two candidates are Mr. Craig Mitchell (South Africa) and the current International Vice-President, Mr. Gerrit Brengman (Belgium), who offers himself for re-election. First there is a vote for whether or not it is necessary for the candidates to be allowed time to introduce themselves to the assembly. There are 83 votes in favour and 306 against. Subsequently, Gerrit Brengman is elected with a majority of 333 votes (84,10%) against 63 (15,90%) for his opponent. Venue for the FISM World Championship 2018 There are two proposals for the hosting and organization of the next World Championship: - Mr. Kim Wist, President of the Finnish magic society ‘Suomen Taikurit Ry’, proposes the Messukeskus Convention Centre in Helsinki (Finland) as the venue and a shared organization by the club and Messukeskus. - The second proposal is from Mr. Kang, Yeol-woo, President of the ‘BIMF’ Magic Society (South Korea). The venue is the ‘Exposition and Convention Center’ (BEXCO) in Busan (South Korea) and BIMF (The Busan International Magic Festival) the organizer. A detailed site-visit report, favourably assessed by the Board of Directors, had been sent to the delegates and both candidates had presented their respective bid books to the delegates a reasonable time before the meeting. Now both of them are given 20 minutes to amplify on their bid. Busan (South Korea) is elected with a majority of 248 (63,75%) out of 389 votes cast, against 141 (36,25%) for Helsinki (Finland). Any other business The interventions, questions and interesting suggestions, formulated by some of the members of the Assembly, have to be interrupted when I am called away for some urgent business concerning the television and competition arrangements. Unfortunately, this departure is interpreted by several members as being the end of the meeting. By the time Gerrit Brengman can take over, quite a number of them have already left the room. The Delegates who get up to speak are: - May Closa (Spain) - Kate Medvedeva (Russia) - Dahlia Pelled (Israel) - Serge Odin (France) - Magic Christian (Austria) - Miguel Puga (Spain) - Gustavo Lorgia (Colombia) To make sure that their interventions can be beneficial to everyone and that they are rendered in a correct way, Gerrit asks them to summarize their topics in an e-mail to the BoD. As soon as we receive the reactions we’ll share them with all delegates and, where advisable, comment on them. After this, Gerrit thanks the delegates and closes the meeting. Additional Comment The BoD thinks it’s expedient to remark that, due to circumstances out of its control, the conditions of the assembly didn’t meet the standards we are accustomed to. The meeting room turned out to be rather inadequate and we regret that the available translation service (as used for the award ceremony) was not put at our disposal.