MINUTES OF MEETING OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS' CLUB, HONG KONG 2014-20Ls ON 13 DECEMBER 2014 at 10:00 a.m.
BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT President (Chairman): Jitendra JOSHI First Vice President: Neil WESTERN t Correspondent Governo 1 I Carsten SCHAEL Florence DE CHANGY Tara JOSEPH q, Peter HUTCHISON Angie LAU Nan-Hie IN Francis MORIARTY Journalist Governors: Wyng CHOW Cammy YIU ) Associate Gove rs:
Andrew CHWOROWSKY Timotþ S HUXLEY I Simon PzuTCHARD Thomas CRAMPTON Apologies sc,r I MEETING CALLED TO ORDER The Chairman called the meeting to order at 10:07a.m. 2. PRESENTATION AND APPROVAL OF MINUTES ) It was resolved to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 22 November 2014 with the amendment for NW's return to the meeting room to be noted as 10:58a.m. Proposed by TH Seconded by AC FoT: CS, FDC, AL, INH, FM, W'C, CY, AC, Abstain: TJ, PH SP, TC Motion carried 3 PRESIDENT'S REPORT JJ reported: 1 Disciplinary Matters i. An apology had been received in person and in writing from a member discussed in the last month's meeting. year issued police complaint against a ngn- 11 Another member suspended-The 1'or a has now a member at the Club. Club had taken legal advice and would cooperate with any police enquiry, all witness statements and correspondence had been kept on file. 111 The Board watched a CCTV video showing an incident near the front office involving an absent member and a non-member. A notice by registered post would be issued to the member concerned to attend a disciplinary hearing on the same date as the next Board meeting on24 January 2015. 1V The Board watched another CCTV video showing an incident outside the Club between some members. JJ and GC explained the situation and how it escalated inside the Club with a member assaulting GC. Thát member had returned to apologise in person and the Board discussed the matter-. It was agreed to send the member a letter acknowledging his apology, but that the matter was on the record as the Club took an extremely dim view of his behaviour; his membership category would be changed forthwith. JJ agreed to write a reminder in his Presi Club. AL suggested that prooess and proc established at committee level and could bc the Constitution Committee could look into extenuating circumstances, matters should be heard on a case-by-case basis and it was hard to legislate ahead of timc. 2 Condolences on the d.e4th of Ri-cha{d.lones On behalf of the Board, JJ sent uondolences over the recent passing of Lamma-based cameraman Richard Jones, and noted that plans for a wake in January are under discussion with 1:-Ius f_-t___l-lrtúrlus. It was resolved to approve the President's Report Proposed by TH Seconded by CS Unanimously Accepted 4. REPORTS FROM COMMITTEE CONVENERS FINANCE TH reported: Finance Committee meeting on L0 December 2014 Members attending: Tim Huxley (Convener), W'yng Chow, Cammy Yiu, Andy Chworowsky, Thomas Crampton, Anna Healy Fenton, Robin Fox, Elaine Pickering, Erik Floyd Also attending: Gilbert Cheng, Alex Lee Apologies: Jitendra Joshi, Neil Western, Simon Pritchard, Tara Joseph, Connie Bolland, Douglas Vy'ong, Jake van der Kamp, John Whitcomb 1 Meeting called to Order Treasurer called the meeting to order at 12:45 p.m. 2. Financial Controller's Comments on November 2014 Financials: Revenue & Surplus - November 2014 Total revenue fõr the month of November was 53,649,255 which was under last year by $50,129 and behind budget by $258,265. Nct Surplus vember was $10i,633 against budget surpluJ of $289,600 resultingin a of $187,967. The weakei performance relative to the strong result in O d to the fact that there were only four weekends in November and also late cancellation of two Club events had impacted MDR revenue as it had not been possible to fill the venues at such short notice after the cancellation. Food and Beverage Cost Food costs for the month were $790 ,937 or 34.4% against sales, which were IYo more than the budget. Beverage costs for the month were $481,637 or 37.6yo, which were 0.1olo above budget. After Add-in wines take away & wine home delivery, the total cost will be $519,915 or 38.55%. Revenue Cost CostYo Beverage Sales $1,280,852 $481,637 37.60% \ù/ines take away 954,062 $28,160 52.09% Wines home delivery 13,695 $10,1 l8 73.88% Total $1.,348,609 s519,915 38.55% Other Income/Other Item Subscription income and Entrance fees for the month were $1,973,309 and $142,000 respectively. It was noted that subscription income was behind budget as there was a lower than anticipated number of HK$ 950 per month subscription payers. Catering Expenses and Administration Expenses Total catering expenses were over budget by $11,467; Total administration expenses were over budget by $6,056.; more website maintenance cost due to revise the contractor terms &, fee1' more consultant fee due to the training course for staff to comply with the license (these are a government requirement). Current month revenue - December 2014 F&B revenue budget for the month of December 2014 is 54,412,540. F&B revenue up to 8 December 2014 (Monday) was $1,078,800, which was over last year by $130,553 and behind budget by $59,920. Bookings for New Year's Eve remain poor, but may pick up in the run-up to the event. 3. FCC Charity Ball2015 budget TH welcomed AC and TC to the meeting and the budget for the 2015 Charity Ball was presented. The committee reviewed the Budget income & expenses for 2015. AC pointed out that this was conservative as it was hoped that items such as sound & lighting would be donated and would therefore improve the bottom line. It was noted that the margin of net funds generated (before donation and raffle ticket) was very low and quite marginal, being only about 2.5 pct above the cost of staging the event and the return was low compared to other such events. TH pointed out that whilst the cost of a ticket to the Ball was expensive compared to other such events, the cost of a table was amongst the lowest. It was suggested that a different pricing structure be introduced with 'Platinum'/'Gold'/'Silver' tables priced at different levels which may generate both more from ticket sales and possibly allow a number of tickets to be made available to Club members at a more affordable price, thus increasing the level of Club involvement in the Ball. It was also suggested that the Correspondent issue covering the Ball might be cut back as the sponsors may feel that increasing the funds allocated to the various PLK programmes was more worthwhile than an advertisement in a publication with limited circulation. The budget will be tabled to the Board for approval on Saturday. 4. Any other business 5. The meeting rYas adjourned Discussions at BOG meetine: TH reported that November hadn't been a great month and was under last year's hgures, primarily due to there being only four weekends in the month, which made a significant difference. A couple of Club events got cancelled, which affected revenue from the MDR and not being able to re-use the room. During the first quarter of 2015, there will be an increase in the rent under the existing lease agreement together with an upcoming salary review, some of which are contractors, which the committees will include in their budgets. December was looking okay so far and hopefully it would be a solid run into Christmas. The Charity Ball committee had submitted their budget for 2015 and TH said he was very pleased to see AC and TC at the Finance committee meeting in order to give some background on the Ball budget. It was a conservative budget and hopefully some costs would be sponsored and withdrawn. TH went through the figures and reported there had been a productive discussion about how revenue could be increased through ticket sales and getting more Club members to attend. V/hilst the cost of a ticket is quite high, the cost of a table is amongst the lowest compared with other charity events in Hong Kong. TH explained that there was a possibility of generating more from ticket sales if tables were graded and a block of discount tickets could be given to members to entice them to attend the Ball. The Board discussed ticket sales and how to get more of the membership to attend the Ball. TJ suggested band members could come to the Club to speak or meet members, but it was dependent on the bands and whether they would want to do that. It was resolved to accept the proposed Charity Ball Budget on the basis that thc cvcnt would bc opened up to more members of the FCC through a review of tickeltable prices. Proposed by WC Seconded by INFI Unanimously Acccptcd FM asked what the event cancellation cost was and GC replied that if it was less than 7 days, then it was 50olo of the costs. It was resolved to accept the report of the Finance Committee Proposed by FM Seconded by TJ Unanimously Accepted PROFESSIONAL TJ reported: Minutes for Professional Committee Meeting, Monday. L December 2014 Board members: Tara Joseph, Nan-Hie In, Florence de Changy, Jit Joshi sent his apologies. Other Committee members: Keith Bradsher, Douglas Wong, Nick Edwards Other FCC members: Brian ZiÍtel, Ernst Herb Invitees: Gilbert Cheng, Clement Li, Hilda'Wang 1) Minutes of the 3 November2014 meeting - Approved Speaker Issues/ Proposed Speakers: Event Review/Host Confirmation DATE SPEAKER HOST December Tues. Dec.2 evening Matthew Torne, Director Florence Updated title - "The Education of Joshua Wong: Making of a Protestor" Thurs.Dec.4 lunch Kevin Delaney, Editor-in-chief and Founder JitÆara Quartz Fri. Dec.5 lunch Rex Tso, Boxer Francis/Jit Updated title - "The New Cantonese Boxing Star: A Conversation with Rex Tso" Sebastiao Salgado, Photographer Tara Legal expert to speak on Sun Hung Kai bribery trial Tues. Jan 13 lunch Prof.Ymo Brunetti , European Economist Advisor to Swiss govt. Topic on prospects for European economies in 2015. J* 20 or 2l lunch (tbc) Dennis Ho, Canto pop singer ) Topic: on being blacklisted by the Central Govt. Jeannie Cho Lee, \ù/ine expert Nan-Hie "Wine Fraud and China's Wine Revolution" Feb. lunch(tbd) Stephen Bertin, internet security expert March 2015 Thurs.Mar.5 Dinner Panel on French entrepreneurship: Florence Upcoming Events Proposed SpeakersÆvents: 1) Lawrence Brahm accepted committee's suggestion to talk about pollution in China rather than his new book on Fusion Economics. Quote Yes, I would be very pleased to speak in 2015 on the subject of China's pollution. Chris Brown of the EU is copied here. My work as advisor to China's Ministry of Environmental Protection was under an EU-Strategic Dialogue frame agreement. I think it would be opportune for me and Chris to present together. V/e will be able to brief the FCC on our actual recommendations to China, what we think is being followed and being done, what is not, what the problems ahead are, business opportunities, and risks. We will present a very frank, rational and open set of views on this problem which is far deeper than just the visible pollution one sees (breathes) each day. This may be very interesting. The recommendations are discussed in brevity within the book Fusion Economics which looks atalarger set of ideas on a global level. But yes, we can focus on China for the talk. My next visit to HK could be late January. I am basically commuting between Beijing and Kathmandu these days with month long spells in East Africa. Unquote -Approved by Committee for Lawrence Brahm to be the sole speaker for 26 Jan 2) Ms. Jo Farrell has a Club exhibition "Living Histrcry: Bo-und Feet" at the Main Bar on April 2014. She would also like to do a photo-book launch/ ttlk at the Club on the history of bound feet in China, the influence of Confucianism and the anti-foot binding movement. - Declined by Committee 3) January - Nick Bonner suggests to screen his .Flying". the film ii a romantic comedy and is a UIlBel ion with a North Korea cast and crew. their first 'girl Dower' film made purel candv-hued throwback to a chirpv Technicolor time when pluck wins out and "postmodem" was not vet invented. this "let's put on a show!" is a tale of a young woman miner's dream of becoming an acrobat. helped bv the multinational trio of Kim Gwans-hun. Nick Bonner and Ania Daelemans, "Comrade Kim" has the makings of a cult heroine on college campuses and targeted art-houses. The film premiered at Toronto International Film Festival in2012 as well as becoming-tLg-firsl North Korean f,rlm to be shown to a South Korean public audience at the Busan International Film Festival the same year. T Hong Kong_to g1{r1at9 audience on 23lanuary 20tS January i{tþe FCC is interested. He does not iequire can schedule arouncl Lhis tilrre, then Nick Bonnei would appreoiate a contribution to the flight frorn Beijing. In previous years, Nick Bonner states that the FCC has screened all three of his North Korean docìmentaries lThc Game of Their Lives, A State of Mind, Crossing the Linc). - Declincrl hy Committee 4) Frcnch Chamber of Commerce [o suggest poteutial speakers to the Club, on the general topic of French entrepreneurs in Hong Kong. This event has been approved in principle by the Committee. Florence has the follsr.l,lng update: The French Chamber of Commerce suggests to have a dinner event onThursday 5 March 2015. from 6:30 p.m. onwards. Potential speakers on entrepreneurship : Jean Baptiste Dabadie - Paòking & packaging, French Chamber SME Awards winner 2008 Damien Dernoncourt - Chairman John Hardy Pierre Gabison - Lighting, IKEA supplier Olivier Partrat - Mõsquito repellent, French Chamber SME Awards winner 2011 - Approved by Committee for Dinner, Thurs. March 5 with the title: Pou,rquoi Hong {o"g? (W^tw Hong Kong?). Panel participants to be further discussed. Florence mentioned complimentary wine may be provided hy a sponsor. 5) 6 Jan or 7 Jan Jeannie Cho Lee is a high-profile wine expert gnd ar{hg1,_best known as Asia's first úaster of Wine. She's also the CEO of Le Pan Med a and currently ranked No. 25 of Decanter's Power List of 2013. Committee has suggested as the talk topic L "Wine Fraud: How to Spot It" -- Nan-Hie has the t'ollowing update: Jeanie Cho Lee has agreed to talk about counterfeit bottles but she also wanted to expand the discussion topic to be about 'Wine Fraud and China's Wine Revolution.' Lee also has iequested a date change- to either 27 January or 28 January or 1 I February. - Approved for 11 February as a dinner event, with Nan-Hie to host. 6) Laura Poitras as a guest speaker. Her latest film is "CitizenFour", which includes coverage on Edward Snowden and his stay in Hong Kong -- Nan-Hie following up. 7) V/ith the Sun Hung Kai trial expected to be completed by end of the ye-ar, prospective speakers e.g. QC David Perry from the legal team, to come and speak - DoIg updated that the verdict will be out tÈe week of 15-Dec, and thaithe winning side should be more likely to accept our invitation to talk. - Committee approved for Doug to offer 5 - I Jan as lunch talk date options. S)) To invite Federation of Students representatives and Anti-Occupy representatives to speak at separate events - Francis and Florence following up. 9) Ernst suggests Ymo Brunetti, Advisor to Swiss govt., head of study group of positioning Switzerland as the financial center of Europe - Committee approved for Tuesday, 13 Jan for a speech on the prospects for European economies in 2015. 10) Florence suggests Hong Kong based Frenchman Stephen Bertin, to speak on internet security. - Committee approved to find an appropriate speaker to speak on internet security as a general topic. 11) Nan-Hie suggests Canto pop singer Dennis Ho to talk on being blacklisted by the Chinese Govt. due to her involvement with the Occupy Movement - Committee approved for a lunch talk either on 20 or 21 Jan. 12) Doug suggests to identify speaker to speak on the recent Taiwan elections and KMT shakeout - Approved by Committee with Florence to reach out to the Taiwan Cultural Office and also to a Professor at Baptist University who is well versed on this subject. Will also invite the new Mayor if and when he comes to Hong Kong. 13) Identify speaker on e.g. Art/Cultural of Hong Kong, on Occupy Art - Tara and Brian to follow up 14) Identity speaker on Shanghai Connect - Tara to follow up. 15) Ernst suggests Tobias Brander. He is a professor of theology at Chinese University and is a specialist of the Hakka churches, which have produced some leading Chinese political figures not least Sun Yat Sen. He is also a prison chaplain here in HK and has spoken on that topic at the club a few years ago. - Committee approved to pursue further. Anv Other Business l) Date and time of the next meeting confirmed - Monday, 12 January 2015. Discussions at the BOG TJ apologised for the cancellation of one of the speakers, which had affected the Club revenue. November had been an interesting month with a good mix of events. The beginning of 2015 was light in terms of what had been scheduled, but would pick up in January. She invited Board members to the meetings. TJ reported that one Board member had recommended that the MDR layout be changed, as it was old- fashioned and awkward, as well as off-putting for speakers. She suggested that the Board think of other layouts and discuss with the House committee. TC said he would make a presentation in AOB later on different possible layouts. The AV system and film projection system in the MDR needed replacing, which would probably be a big expense, but the projectors' quality was poor and although the AV was better, there were still some TSSUES. TJ stated that it takes a huge amount of effort to organise an event, especially if it was in a different format, resulting in a lot of work for the Club management. She described an event the previous day and thanked Club staff for helping to organise it. There was a need to keep the balance and be flexible for future events. JJ agreed that it had been a fabulous event and applauded the staff involved, he hoped that it would help to raise the Club's profile. CS believed that removing the platform in the MDR would give more flexibility as the Club had a broad variety of events and it was fairly limited at the moment, the main bar also needed an upgrade. JJ recommended that a list of priorities needed to be produced with input from the Professional committee and other committees. It was resolved to accept the report of the Professional Committee Proposed by TC Seconded by WC U Accepted MEMBERSHIP SP reported: Membership Committee Meeting On Monday, S December2014 at 12:30 p.m. Jitendra Joshi, Neil Western, Wyng Chow, Simon Pritchard and Cammy Members attending: Yiu Also attending: Gilbert Cheng, Joanne Chung and Carman Chung Apologies: Tim Huxley, Douglas Wong and Marilyn Hood 1 Resignations, Absent Member Applications & Reactivations Therõ were 3 Ábsent Member appiiõations, 3 resignations and 5 reactivations for the month of November 2014. 2 on hand this month and the number of active members as of 5 December 2014. 3 New lvlembers The new members admitted this month won't be granted their membership rights until January. Considering the possible membership movetnents including. absentees.andrcsignations,.the Committee-recommended to accept aìotal of 13 new applications including (2) Correspondent applicants and (11) Associate applicants. There is (1) replacement applications under Corporate membership. 3.1 New for Correspondent Membership. The Committee suggested that !e shoul orting and supplementary articles to verify his current job status. He shoul nature and his specific area ofresearch. 3.2 New application received fo should provide more clips or the committee make a decisi committee meeting in January 2015 upon receiving her reply. 3.3 for rship, whose application was presented in 20 his current articles and clarified that his itin pub shiP Convenor h¿s spoken with him and considered his businèss te publisher. The cõmmittee suggested he apply for Associate Me edures- 4. r Corre as eithe August as activ rate of members approved since the special prom a good promotionaf èffo.t and incentiv€. Zl perc_ent of them (77 me absent members or resigned, in which 39 of thèm have permanently the current promotional pric-e has achieved the objective of rètaining mo during the past four years. A report of the reason of resignation and the joining period before resignation were presented. 5. Review of Membership Status Change by Finance Committee There was in total I suspended account as of 17 November 2014 and no members' account has been suspended on December 2014 as the posting date will be on 15 December 2014 at 3:00p.m. 411804 was suspended on 17 November 2014. The committee suggested trying to chase his company for updating contact and follow normal procedures. 6. Suspension Record (December 2013 - November 2014) A7i80 was posted oà two successive occasions. The reminder letter and 2"d letter has been sent and his credit privilege was withdrawn on 20 September 2014. Confirmation from the bank was received on I December 2014, the concerning member's direct debit authorisation has been setup and the committee commended to resume his credit privileges. 7. Absent Member Status The Committee reviewed Absent Members A9485 and 48595. Since their usage of the club was over 6 weeks in the last 12 months, a letter will be sent to them by mail and by email, requesting them to confirm their residential details on or before the next Membership Meeting in January 2015. 8. Application for Silver Membership 45360 joined the club on January 1990 and he is now 77 years old. He has been an active member for 24 years and 10 months. The Committee recommended accepting his application as a Silver Associate member. 9. Application for Reinstatement of Membership 9.1 48203 became a debtor in February 2003, and settled all past dues in September 2003. He was involved in a Singapore off,rce in late 2003. His application for reinstatement was presented in the meeting in May 2013 but it was rejected atthat time since membership was full. Letter received from Mr Chworowsky to the Committee for reinstatement. In November's meeting, the Committee decided not to accept his request and suggested that he should apply for a new Associate membership. The new application form was received and the committee recommended categorizing his application as "Label A" on the new applicant list. 9.2 A9894 became a debtor on27 August 2013, and settled all past dues on 27 November 2013. He wrote to the Committee for reinstatement. The Committee decided not to accept his request for reinstatement and suggested that he should re-apply for a new Associate membership under the normal procedures and the new joining fee of HK$25,000. 49593 became a debtor on 2 April 2013 and left Hong Kong in April 2013. He settled all 9.3 past dues on 17 November 2014. He wrote to the Committee for reinstatement, saying that he returned to Los Angeles to take care of his ill father. The Committee decided not to accept his request for reinstatement and suggested that he should re-apply for a new Associate membership under the normal procedures and the newjoining fee of HK$25,000. 10. Report of Silver Membership Reports of an analysis of Silver membership status have been issued with joined year 20,25 and 30 and age reach 65,70 and75. 11. InductionCeremonies No Induction Ceremony in December 2014. 12. Deceased Members t2.t A4314 joined the club on24 November 1984 and passed away on26 September 2014. There is no outstanding amount in her accounts. 12.2 C5733 joined the club on 25 October 1991 and passed away on 27 November 2014. No spouse record is found. As of 30 November2014 the outstanding amount is HK$l,711 and this would be waived accordingly. 13. Date of Next Membership Committee Meeting The next Membership Committee Meeting is scheduled on Monday, 19 January 2015 at 12:30 p.m. Discussions at BOG meeting: SP reported that there were 11 Associale applicants_ and 2-Correspondent.appl-icants, _further information had been requested from two other correspondents and would be considered at the January meeting. There was one replacement application rgndgr C_orporate membership. He showed the Board the accélerated group and hõw they were compiled and split into two A and B-titled sub-groups' It was resolved to accept the new members as follows on pages 44 I3 new appli.cati.on,r including (2) Correspondent applicants and (l l) Associate applicants There is (t) replacement application under Corporate membership. Proposed by TH Seconded by CS Unanimously Accepted SP reported that there had been three applications for reinstatement and they had invited. to. rejoin throulh the normal process. The Board disðussed absent membership as the committee were iooking ro^ adjusithe terms witÏ a suggestion of capping the number of visits per year rather than the number of days. It was resolved to accept the report of the Membership Committee Proposed by PH Seconded by TC Unanimously Accepted SP showed a list of silver members and explained there would be a high number of silver members in the future with the resulting financial implications He confirmed the list didn't include absent mcmbcrs. Thc Board discusJed the categorios and how silver membership and life membership were acquired. It was agreed that the long-term view needed to be considered and the Memorandum and Art^icles of Associãtion would need tõ be changed when the matter was addressed. The Board discussed the matter and SP stated that if there was an Article change, that it should be rship facilþ for dealing with matters of to fund the Club in their retirement. JJ ail so Board members could review it with a view A proposal with the information, statistics and form members that the resolution would be tabled at an EGM. PRESS FREEDOM FM reported Minutes Press Freedom Committee l0 December2074 Present: Geoffrey Crothall, Joyce Lau, Cammy Yiu, Peter Hutchison, Francis Moriarty Apologies: Jitendra Joshi, Sarah Charlton, Neil Western By Invitation: Gilbert Cheng (GM); Chan Hoi-lo Meeting opens at 7:10 p.m. The minutes of the previous meeting approved. 1) Follow-up discussion on having a statement ready for the decision in the Gao Yu case. NW has been reminded. 2) A paper was presented by the Office showing the views received via social media and through direct communication regarding the statement of concern issued on behalf of the Club regarding the arrest of a foreign photographer during the protests in Mongkok. FM said many of the views criticized the statement, while a few were in support. GC said responding to social media comments as not a path he would recommend, and other members agreed. The committee thanked those who had taken the time to express their views and would hold of issuing any formal response until fuither discussion at the first meeting of next year. It was felt that we should examine the process of how statements are released in urgent situations. 3) FM raised the issue of press ID, saying it was likely to emerge as an issue at the Occupy Central shutdown. He said we needed to take an in-depth look at what we can or cannot supply to reporters, e.9., vests saying "press" in large letters. It was also suggested that we progress on the idea of having cards printed, along with a phone app, giving numbers to call in an ') emergency for legal, medical or other assistance, as well as numbers for the FCC, HKJA, etc. 4) JL updated on the HRPA. She thanked Staff for their work on the successful cocktail for judges, organization reps and supporters. Two supporters we had hoped would attend were unable to because they had separately suffered injuries, but were now recovered. JL said that in addition to a $3,350 donation already reported to the Board, there was also another $30,000 anonymous donation to give out cash awards. FM reported that he had spoken to the Association of Project Managers dinner and they had donated the proceeds of their annual raffle, $11,800, to the HRPA. JL said that Mrs. Anne Marden had already confirmed her annual donation of $40,000, but it was unclear whether the anonymous donor who last year matched that donation would do so again. In addition, JL reported that another anonymous donor, who had attended the cocktail, wishes to see the HRPA expand into supporting student journalism and was willing to underwrite the effort at $25,000 annually over the next three years. Discussion followed on how this might be done. FM said he and JL had both made efforts to reach individuals at three universities and would seek their views on how to proceed. FM said it would be good if something could be done this year and then improved upon for subsequent years. Members discussed possible timetables and practicalities. CY said the focus should be clearly on student j ournalists. 5) FM said a longtime judge had requested pushing back the date of the Awards luncheon from April to May so judges could have more time. CHL said we had chosen April so as not to conflict with the HKJA's fundraiser. JL said she would keep trying to reach the HKJA to confirm the date, but perhaps we might wish to go ahead with our own timetable. 6) There was a discussion of how the Coordinator should cover certain unanticipated costs within the terms of her contract. GM said internal costs could be accounted for, but external costs would need some sort of requisition and approval. CY suggested a process on this could be done. FM said that if she needed approval for something that arose, he would explain to the Board and seek approval. The meeting ended at 8:10 p.m. Discussions at the BOG meeting: FM reported that during the Occupy Movement clearout, reporters had to show ID to get out of the protest sites and if they couldn't show something that identif,red themselves as reporters then they were deemed demonstrators, having their names taking down and possibly opening themselves up to prosecution or enquiry. He suggested that the Club should issue some kind of identification or pass for reporters, but JJ and AL stated that the Club couldn't accredit or issue any form of identification as it could expose the Club to legal liability. FM suggested the Club produce a card or phone application with helpline numbers for reporters and it was agreed to discuss another time. Various donations for the HRPA had come in and were listed in the report. FM said that there had been a discussion as to how the Coordinator should bill certain unanticipated costs, such as the recent cocktail, which was a new event. JJ thanked TH for helping to funnel all the donations and promoting the HRPA. It was resolved to accept the report of the Press Freedom Committee Proposed by AC Seconded by INH Unanimously Accepted PUBLICATIONS AL reported: Publications Committee Minutes Friday, 5 December 201421:00 p.m. In Attendance: Absent: Co-Convener: Angie Lau Co-Convener: Peter Hutchison Jonathan Hopfner Felrx Uhan Paul Bayfield Terry Duckham Cammy Yiu Joyce Lau By Invitation: Gilbert Cheng Joanne Chung Roy Tam 1. WEBSITE UPDATES: Many of the updates that our own FCC was to the committee's grateful satisfaction. The changes include: o updates to bio page witñ more hoard m rofessionally taken. CY will follow ùp with photographer are consistent hue. 'l'hank the board membeis whó have gott urge the remaining board members who have not yet done io, to make an appointment to get their picture taken to o pages of committees on website. o on top ofspeakers' pages for ease ofuse o Offering on-line booking option for events o Expand"description of ban{uet rooms for events/ will be reviewed by committee before upload to website HOWEVER: In effecting changes on website, we have discovered the very frustrating.slownesrs_of our current vendor. We are beholden to them for updating our website. Panta Rei is charging us $6600 for the Correspondent landing page, but has also iñformed us that the landing page for The Corre_spondent won't be worked on unti[ january. Unfortunately, we've been waiting since August. CAUSING US TO REVISIT THE ISSUE of thê lack of control that we have over our own website. For the best future of our website, we no longer should depend on re.strictive and. closed programming dependency on are simple ones if we revamp our website using Wo but onlyto gain ultimate control of our website and our change or evolve the website. The committee felt that we should investigate how much this would cost, and perhaps uqe the- dollars we were going to invest into an app into a website that would also be mobile-friendly. The cost could be between $50,000 - $100,000 Would like to gauge Board thoughts on issue that we'd like to pursue for 2015. 2. THE CORRESPONDENT: How to cover Occupy Hong Kong for another month? Looking to engage HKU journalism students/ interns to provide intimate look/feature on individual stories of protesters. Human Rights Press Awards: Encourage Joyce Lau in write-up to welcome donations from members. For mere $3000, you can sponsor one award. 3. COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR REPORTI nla Next Meeting: TBD Discussions at BOG meeting: AL reported that the Club was tied to the current vendor and restricted to using their specific language and coding on the website. There was no\ry a desire to remove that burden in order to have more freedom, which would likely entail some costs, but in the long run it would be cheaper than current costs. It would also give more control over the website, elevating the experience into a more modern and mobile-friendly one. TC recommended some software and agreed to send details to AL via email. JJ asked how long was left on the contract with Panta Rei and GC confirmed it was another 9 months. However, CS thought moving to a new platform would not affect the contract terms. FDC asked about the staff who were adept at using the website and AL listed them. She thanked the committee, GC and his team for all the recent changes to the website. It was resolved to accept the report of the Publications Committee Proposed by AC Seconded by FDC Unanimously Accepted ARCHIVE CS reported that there would be a meeting the following Monday and extended an invitation to Board members to attend. HOUSE CS reported: House Committee Meeting on 9 December 2014 Members attending: Carsten Schael, Cammy Yiu, Walter Kent, Robin Howes Also attending: Gilbert Cheng; Joanne Chung, Allen Youngblood 1. Bert's, Entertainment and Event Matters l.l. AY reported that the special performer on 10 January will be Ines Trickovic. Due to Chinese New Year, there will be no special performance in February. The next one for March 2015 will be announced in due course. 1.2. The committee will further explore the cooperation with various consulates to continue bringing international musicians for performances into the club. 1.3. AY will follow-up on a musician introducing himself to the club. 1.4. The Quiz Night on 12 November had a cover of 93 and achieved a very respectable net profit. 1.5. The booking for the New Year's Party has not yet reached the breakeven point. Some tables for senior members will be added. 2. Members 2.1. Afew general comments and complaints 2.2. Following the occasional use of the was the club, committee members had a longer di door had to check membership cards before al members decided against suchcheck, but might revisit this issue in future. 2.3. Following CY;s complaint about insuihcient WiFi coverage in the Health Club, staff added another router to improve the signal. a J Health Club The gym equipment requires maintenance but the supplier's quote was very high and alternatives will be explored by the management. 4. ia rrosion. A srnall wall leakage will also have to be addressed in the beginning of next year. 4.4. JC reported that shc had finally found o contractor that coulcl produce a large size canvas print to reþlace the damaged one in the Hughes Room. 4.S. fne kìtchen drainage .*ill be inspected by another contractor this week. 4.6. Replacement speakers for the Main Bar will have to be installed but might require a new mixer and cabling. This will be handled in the new year. 5 staff 5.1. Staff injured at work accumulated 630 sick leave days (9 December). 5.2. The daily temporary staff rest area is Bert's is now covered by curtain's to provide more privacy. 6. Any Other Business 6.1. Committee members were informed by CS that Florence de Changy had resigned from the cted, as 6.4. An amendment of the by-laws regard on the Verandah will be drafted and presented to the Board for approval' 6.5. Staff will foltow up on a merchandise inquiry about a new FCC cloth hag (similar to FCCJ). 6.6. Al JazeeraTV will now be shown on the screen in the lounge area next to the bunker. 6.7. Staff was 'thumbed' by a rude member. Disciplinary steps are being considered. 6.8. Following a member query, staff will investigãte the possibility of glass bottle recycling' 7. Next Meeting Wednesday 14 January 2015 at 6:00 p.m. Discussions at the BOG meeting: upgrading such as the gym equipment, where nteñance. Other ways of dealing with it would ensive. The Main Bar speakers need replacing and r would probably bc nccdcd, therefore a system In Beft's Bar, curtains have been put up which works very well in making it clear that it was a cordoned-o ff ¿rea for staff who were hupi,y with that arrangetnent. GC cxplained that members could still use the pool table, but there was no bar service. CS thought it was a fairly decent temporary solution for not being able to provide staff with a separate resting area between shifts. Tattersalls Club's reciprocal relationship is now active and would be updated on the website. A member had complained that there was too much flickering from screens around the bar and would rather have them turned off. The Club would look into finding some service providers to recycle glass. The injured member of staff situation was quickly discussed. FDC queried whether TVB should still be shown and the Board briefly discussed why TVB was used to show the Occupy Movement protests, but it was agreed that as the protests had now stopped then there wasn't a need to have TVB and alternatives would be explored. It was resolved to accept the report of the House Committee Proposed by INH Seconded by TH Unanimously Accepted Q,{W left the room at I l:4la.m.) JJ read the following Resolutions: 13 December2014 CERTIFIED TRUE COPY A certif,red true copy of the Memorandum and Articles of Association of The Foreign Correspondents' Club, Hong Kong is enclosed. DECLARED STATEMENT We hereby declare that The Foreign Correspondents' Club, Hong Kong has power to carry on any club business, as set forth in the Memorandum of Association, for the purpose of Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance, Cap.376. For and On Behalf Of THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS' CLUB, HONG KONG Jitendra Girjashanker JOSHI President Carsten SCHAEL Correspondent Governor House Committee Convenor ENCL: Certified True Copy of the Memorandum and Articles of Association It was resolved to accept the Declared Statement Proposed by TH Seconded by AL Unanimously Accepted 13 December2014 CERTIFIED TRUE COPY RESOLUTION The Board of Directors of The Foreign Correspondents' Club, Hong Kong resolved on 13 December 2014 to authorize the following person to èxercise on its behalf the continuggs anq qersonal supervision of the operation, keepiñg, management and any other control of the club (including the club-house): Name: Cheng Chik Kong ID NO: E521xxx(x) Position: General Manager For and On Behalf Of THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS' CLUB, HONG KONG Jitendra Girj ashanker JOSHI President Carsten SCHAEL Correspondent Governor House Committee Convenor It was resolved to accept the Resolution Proposed by PH Seconded by NW Unanimously Accepted 13 December2014 THE I hereby confirm my Board of Directors of The Foreign Conesp'ondents' Clu6, 2014 for exercis-ing on its behalf the continüous and person management and any other control of the club (including the club-house): Agreed and Accepted By, Name: Cheng Chik Kong ID NO: E521xxx(x) Position: General Manager Date: It was resolved to accept the Notice of Acceptance of the Authorisation Proposed by SP Seconded by INH Unanimously Accepted 13 December2014 CERTIFIED TRUE COPY RESOLUTION The Board of Directors of The Foreign Correspondents'Club, Hong Kong resolved on l3 December 2014 to approve the constitution, which would be the Memorandum and Articles of Association and the By-Laws, made for the pu{pose of the club. Such constitution shall contain details showing that the club is operated as a club under the Ordinance for the purpose of the business declared in its application form. For and On Behalf Of THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS' CLUB, HONG KONG Jitendra Girj ashanker JOSHI President Carsten SCHAEL Correspondent Governor House Committee Convenor It was resolved to accept the Notice of Resolution Proposed by WC Seconded by FM Unanimously Accepted 13 December2014 CERTIFIED TRUE COPY The Board of Directors of The Foreign Correspondents' Club, Hong Kong enclosed herewith a certified true copy of our constitution, which would be the Memorandum and Articles of Association and the By-Laws, made for the purpose of the club. For and On Behalf Of THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS' CLUB, HONG KONG Jitendra Girj ashanker JOSHI President ) Carsten SCHAEL Correspondent Governor House Committee Convenor ENCL Memorandum and Articles of Association By-Laws It was resolved to accept the Certified True Copy of the Constitution Proposed by INH Seconded by AL Unanimously Accepted 13 December2014 DECLARED TRUE STATEMENT This is a declared true statement made by The Foreign Correspondents' Club, Hong Kong on 13 December 2014 as to the criteria and procedure for recruitment of members to the club and such criteria and procedure shall tally with thé objective as provided in the constitution of the club. For and On Behalf Of THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS' CLUB, HONG KONG Jitendra Girj ashanker JOSHI President Carsten SCHAEL Correspondent Governor House Committee Convenor It was resolved to accept the Declared True Statement Proposed by PH Seconded by AC Unanimously Accepted ñoÍu,D ñ lnUle./ ) lncluue5t l, -l-- //ffrÍ^Tn\ tt\Ll CY reported: F&B Committee Meeting on 9 December 2014 Cammy Yiu, Nan-Hie In, V/alter Kent, Philip Nourse, Anna Healy Fenton, Members attending: Chester Grucza Andy Chworowsky, Anthony Beaurain, Robin Howes, Adrian Peirse, Zeb Apologies: Eckert, Cathy Yang FCC Staff Chef George, Gilbert Cheng, Alex Lee, Joanne Chung Attending: By Invitation: Agenda F&B issues AOB 1. Approvll of Last Month's Minutes 1.1. Minutes approved 2 Food & Wine schedule (Insert Food Promotion Calendar December 2014 & January, February 2015) a J F&B issues 3.1. Correspondent's Choice Red and White wines doing "excellent" sales. 3.2. Argentinean wine of the month - Revenue over $ 63K. 3.3. Auitralian Wine Social - Revenue $ 4,888. 3.4. Nicholas Feuillatte Champagne Dinner - Revenue $23K' 3.5. Argentina Food Promotion - Good sales - for on. 3.6. Belgium Food Promotion - Very good sales - $lOK revenue per day. 3.7. aza - Very $39K revenue. 3.8. veûue. 3.9. g up; beer going down; spirits remain neutral. 4 AOB 4.1. Apology received from Member for his inappropriate comment and actions toward our staff regarding the staff resting period at Berts. 4.2 F&B Committee decided to reduce "available portions" of Won Ton soup to 4 daily portions (from 6 portions) - as wastage is current at 50o/o percent. Note - that this menu item is requested by primarily "2" members. 4.3. Christmas sale on 2 Dec, generated total income of HK$ 36,892 (wine sales only - HK$ 23,960 I 459 bottles). Another Pre-Christmas Market / bin end sale will be held to sell off remaining 22 cases of wine. 4.4. Staff note a possible net loss on the New Year's eve event - if we don't get the numbers up. Need 400 attendees to break-even. Date for next meeting: Tuesday l2noon - 1:00p.m. on the following dates: l3 Jan 2015, Tue 10 Feb 2015, Tue 10 Mar 2015, Tue 14 Apr 2015, Tue I2May 2015, Tue Discussions at BOG meeting: ) CY reported that there was a big list of December promotions and upcoming January and February promotions. The Correspondent's Choice red and white wines were doing some am¿Lzing sales with promotions going very well with a good response from the membership. With regard to beverage trends, the wine sales were going up, beer sales doing down with spirits remaining neutral, which would probably inform the committee's decisions for next year. The won ton soup had been discussed and the daily portions would be reduced due to 50oá wastage. There would be a Christmas sale with bin end sales doing very well. There will be another pre- Christmas bin sale as there were 22 cases of wine to move out on Tuesday, 16 December. The pricing policy was discussed quickly. øJ krt the room, FM took the chair at I I:42 a.m.). CY said that the wine committee had tasked the staff with reducing the number of wines by the glass to less than20 as currently there are more than 32 wines available by the glass. Q'{ï4/ returned I I:43 a.m.) .) Mutty wines have been changed and rotated on the menu, therefore many of the 22 cases of wines are wines that are being discontinued. (JJ returned I I:44 a.m.) AC asked whether anyone had asked about the lack of pizza and nobody had. As the Club wasn't producing pizza anymore, FDC asked whether the oven was being used and it was confirmed that it was for bread and other bakery products. INH asked about the New Year's Eve party as there was a loss of HKD 60,000 and queried whether it was worth to consider cancelling it. The Board discussed the matter and it was agreed that it couldn't be cancelled due to the commitment to the band and that the Club would probably be full as people would turn up on the night. CY commented that it was an arøzingly good deal considering the amount of choice of unlimited beverages. JJ recommended advertising what is on offer and AL reminded the Board to use the Club's Facebook page and Twitter to do so. (AL left the room I l:47 a.m.) It was resolved to accept the report of the F&B committee Proposed by WC Seconded by TH Unanimously Accepted CONSTITUTIONAL JJ reported: Constitutional Committee Meeting On Monday, S Decembet2014 at 7:00 p.m. Members attending: Jitendra Joshi, Kevin Egan, Simon Pritchard, Francis Moriarty Also attending: Gilbert Cheng, Chan Hoi Lo, Joanne Chung Apologies: Neil V/estern, Jane Moir Review of Companies Ordinance and M&As The Committee^ conducted a detailed review of revised FCC Articles prepared by JM to ensure ð"-pii*ã. *itn tn. new Companies Ordinance, and adopted the changes by and large, pending clarification on a number of points. Inter alia, the Committee agreed to the fbllowing changes: - Article 3 will now incorporate the old Memorandum, which is redundant under the new Ordinance. - Articles 44-45 include more precise language mandated by the Ordinance to cover financial committees. - Article 52ptes indemnification fo - Articles 63'-81 on of meetings, co have for been imported "Model Aftiõles" ar ch¡hs and companies to use. - Within those Model Articles, the Committe that our AGM be held between May 15 and f "Club". les at the December Board meeting, with a view to had enough time to review the changeg. (NB: d a numbei of points by email, and agreed to the The Committee recommends that the Board issue a circular to members announcing_lhat it is the Board's intention to ftof¿ a General Meet les in February'.This would be øff"*.¿ ùV itt" fo.-ul Notice with the s¡ui_n-g the circular would give members more time to draft any additional the Notice. An outline the e for suc giUte lttreY least 5% which on c The meeting was adjournecl. Discussions at BOG meetins: JJ reported that the last committee meeting had been a very productive meeting in which a new set of Articles had been signed off. He drew the Board's attention to the changes listed in his report, such as Article 47 and Articles 63-81. He asked the Board to take the Articles away to read before reviewing and voting on them in January. They would then be submitted to the membership before being ratified at a special general meeting with other resolutions to be voted on such as the silver membership issue and term limits. FM suggested that Articles could be submitted to the Companies Registrar with a covering letter advising that further amendments may arise following the EGM, which would follow separately. JJ agreed it was worth trying. (AL returned I I:49 a.m.) After a discussion, the Board agreed that a circular should be issued in early January advising the membership that it was the Board's intention to adopt the changes to the Articles. They would then be submitted to the membership in mid-February before Chinese New Year and the membership would be invited to submit other resolutions if they so wished. Once all resolutions were received then a formal notice of the EGM would be circulated. (GC left room I I:57a.m.) AC advised that the membership should be reminded of the procedures in the circular, such as the requisite number of correspondents needing to sign the resolutions. JJ agreed it was a good point and stated the minimum threshold for submitting a resolution mandating the Board to vote on that resolution would need members who represent 5%o of the total voting rights. Currently, 5Vo of the members translated into 25 Correspondent members, but would change if there were more Associate members. It was agreed that the wording would include "should anyone wish to submit an additional resolution this is the timeframe involved" and that the membership needed to be informed of the correct process. FM thanked Jane Moir and the rest of the committee for their work, as it was a hard and dogged task. It was resolved to accept the report of the Constitutional Committee Proposed by WC Seconded by TJ Unanimously Accepted WALL ,) CY reported: Wall Committee Meeting on I I December 2014 Members attending: C-ammyliu, Carsten Schael, Bob Davis, Robin Moyer, Becky Gaunt and Apologies: Sarah Charlton ALso attending Gilbert Cheng, Joanne Chung l. Current Exhibition DEC - Xyza Bacani, photos of modem day Hong Kong. The committee has requested two black and white prints from the Xyza Bacani exhibition for inclusion into the FCC photo collection. 2. UpcomingExhibitions 2.1. JAN 2015 - Becky & Nic Gaunt - "Obsession". Opening reception on 8 Jan 2015, Thurs. 2.2. FEB 2015 - TBA 2.3. March 2015 Catherine Karnow: 25 years of Documenting a Changing Vietnam. Carsten following up 2.4. APR 2015 (first week) - HRPA follow up ã.S nÞn 2015 iremaining 3 weeks) Lee Fook Chee exhibition confirmed. Robin will with Edward Stokes on final photo selection. 2.6. MAY 2015 - Ryan Pyle. Cammy to follow up. 2.7. JLIN 2015 - Arthur Éacker "Reirospective".^Abuse Carsten following up 2.8. JUL 2015 - Steve McCurry: of Domestic Workers. Carsten following up J Exhibition Proposals FEB date avaiiable. Committee looking for prospective exhibitions èir work covering human rights in Asia. Sarah osed by an FCC member. Sarah seeking more (No uPdate at this time) 3.3. Proposal by Philip Newsome - Macau Grand Prix Archives - DECLINED 4 Jören "Typhoon Yolanda/H aiy arf' exhibition' other copy will be given to exhibitor. The e exhibitions as well. mounted on the wall space near the bar, which stration is taken down. Date for Next Meetings: 6:30P.m. I JAII LV L)) VV ¡iuur'ùu Discussions at the BOG meeting: Cy re exhibition was being well received, and explained that the imag^e_s_ were taken ic helper in her sparã time. lhe committee had requested two of Xyza's black- included in the FCC photographic exhibition' e a full schedule from January up to July next year s looking for proposals for Fehruary' In.January, Obsessiõn and the committee was awaiting more decided to print hard-copy books of exhibitions, othcr kept jn the Club's Archive collection and been framed and would be mounted on the wall (GC returned I2:01p.m., FM left the room at I2:0lp'm-) ;ililJJïl ä$'ffå",iffft ing the suÍ,mer äåifl".Y:::tittiJr:1:ïi: xhibition with a "'mixture of both photographs (FM returned l2:03 p.m., WC left the room l2:03 p'm.) It was resolved to accept the report from the Wall Committee Proposed by TH Seconded by INH Unanimously Accepted CHAzuTY BALL Discussions at the BOG meeting: TC reported that most issues such as the budget had been covered under the Finance section of the meeting. AC said that the security would be increased next year and the band had been decided upon. It was resolved to accept the report of the Charity Ball Committee Proposed by TH Seconded by TJ Unanimously Accepted 5. ANY OTHER BUSINESS t. TC showed the MDR configurations in the form of a Powerpoint presentation, listed advantages and showed the difference in costs. (PH left room I 2: I2p.m.) The Board discussed the different configurations and it was agreed that the House committee should look into it in more detail. (PH returned I2: I4 p.m.) ii. AC reported that the panel quiz show was still going ahead with a date being sought in late January/February. GC said he would liaise with AC to find a suitable date. AC briefly outlined panelists/teams and appealed for more women to join in order to create a good gender mix for the panels. 6. DATE OF NEXT MEETING AND ADJOURNMENT It was resolved to adjoum the meeting and reconvene on24 January 2015 at 10:00 a.m. Proposed by TH Seconded by AC Unanimously Accepted The meeting was adjourned at 12:20 p.m. ûc Boaú{ ,Áutlrofized Signatwe Drtc ; iAl,i 2015