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Welcome to the Reps Corner! 

 

ICES Representatives,

 

As my term of Representative Liaison comes to a close, I invite you to join me on “Mouse's Wild Ride!”  First, came the prep for the 2009 St. Charles Convention (I boarded the car).  After putting together the agenda for the Representatives’ Breakfast, I checked my e-mails and discovered that I needed to change a few things.  Email me for a copy of the agenda for the Representatives’ Breakfast in your honor.  Please make a copy and bring it with you to convention (now that you have joined me, have a seat, buckle up and hold on tight).

 

The 2009 St. Charles Convention Show Directors have provided ICES members with information online for Convention Registration, Airport Shuttle, Cake Room Registration, Volunteer Sign up, Karaoke and First-Timers Meeting (the car begins to move, while we handle a few house keeping items).  Make arrangements before arriving at convention.  Note that shuttle reservations and cake room registrations must be submitted by July 10.  The theme for the banquet is “Black and White Night” for those who would like to join in the festivities.  Don’t forget to turn in your tickets for the Banquet Seating after you pick up your registration packet at Convention.  Now is the time to inform your members of the approaching deadlines!

 

Are you keeping up? YOU are cordially invited to the President’s Convention Reception Wednesday, July 29, 2009, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.  What a delightful way to begin convention.  Madame President, Glenda Galvez, has a relaxing social planned for you.  Email me for a copy of the details for a charming evening with the President (grab a bonbon, as the car rounds the bend at 30 mph).

 

Max and I have sent a memo reminder to you to pre-register for the Representatives’ Breakfast.  The breakfast is free for the Representatives or the Alternate taking their Representative’s place, but you must pre-register. Encourage your Alternates and incoming Representatives to attend the breakfast as well.  Email me for a copy of the Representatives’ Breakfast Form.  If you have not done so, please fill the form out and mail or e-mail it to Max Valbuena (info on the bottom of the form).  We begin the Representatives’ Breakfast promptly on at 7:00 a.m., on Thursday, July 30, 2009.  Give yourself a few minutes to sign in and pick up your Representatives’ packet by arriving at about 6:30 a.m. (so much to see and do, as the car hits 60 mph).  Don’t forget to pick up your Representatives’ Breakfast tickets from 2:00-4:00 p.m. and 7:00-8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 29.  You will not want to miss a moment of the excitement we have planned for you! 

 

Don’t forget to remind your members about the Special Meeting for the Bylaws. You may also want to remind your members of proxy voting procedures (the car runs into road construction at 90 mph).  The proxy procedure will come into play quite extensively for the Special Meeting. Since voting will take place at the Special Bylaws Meeting on Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. and the General Membership Meeting on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 8:00 a.m., please give TWO proxies to your proxy holder if you wish them to vote for you at both meetings.  Proxies may be copied from the May 2009 ICES newsletter or downloaded from the home page of the ICES web site (www.ices.org).

 

Bonnie Blackburn has all of her ducks in a row and is ready to show you how to be the best Representative you can be with the Representatives’ Orientation at 2:00 p.m. Friday, July 31^st.   This wonderful learning tool will answer all of your Representative questions (duck crossing ahead, as the car hits 120 mph).

 

(Due to inclement weather the car slows down to 55 mph while we handle packing a few luxuries).  You and your ICES members will want to make room in your luggage for comfortable walking shoes, a camera, pen and pad for taking notes, money or credit cards, your sugar art display, snacks and dingle dangles to give or trade with other ICES attendees.  We love to chat about the sugar arts, so strike up a conversation with someone you have never met!     At convention you will see confection displays like no other you have ever seen before. Bring lots of film or memory cards for your camera.  You will attend demos you may never see again, so take in as many demos as you can.  You may go to the Vendors’ Hall where you can make purchases for a fraction of the cost and shop ’til you drop, so have lots of $$$$$ in your possession. You will meet authors of the books you have at home or heard of, so chat with them; they love it.  If it is your first, second or hundredth time to go to Convention, you will leave in AAAAAHHHHHHH, exhausted, and with a smile on your face!

 

This is the time when many reports are due.  Have you submitted your Financial Report and your Representatives Activity Form?  Contracts are due to me at Convention.  Have your contract filled out and ready to turn in to me at the Representatives’ Breakfast (check your rearview mirror; the 2009 St. Charles Convention is closer than it appears, as we hit 95 mph).  This will give you more time at demos, in the Vendors’ Hall and the cake room. 

 

Grace McMillan will not be bringing brochures to Convention (the ride is getting a little rough, as we hit 125 mph).  If you wish to order brochures, she will be glad to mail brochures upon request up until the week before Convention. After Convention, there will be a new Publicity Chair.

 

Just in case you missed the ICES Membership Survey online, now is the time to get your members involved.  Send them an e-mail, letter or give them a call.  The ICES President and Board of Directors are interested in membership input. The more we know what you think, the better we can serve you. To that end, we have put an ICES Membership Survey online. We invite all ICES members to visit www.ices.org and click on “ICES Membership Survey” right above the “Welcome to ICES!” title. It will only take a few minutes of your time and will help ICES immeasurably. Invite your members to be active by taking part in the online survey (be a backseat driver with your input, as the car hits 150 mph)!

 

Our Interim Membership Coordinator Helen Osteen would like to thank you for supporting her during these past few months.  Many of you have sent updated e-mail addresses, etc. for your members.  This has made the Membership Coordinator’s job easier to assist all ICES members. Your support has made ICES the wonderful caring and sharing organization that it is today (with your support the car hits a whopping 180 mph)!

 

Email me for a copy of the corrected minutes of the Midyear Meeting. Please file them in your Reps’ Handbook.  Speaking of handbooks, I will have the latest version at the Representatives’ Breakfast for you.  I would like to include your newsletters on the disk.  If you have old newsletters you think other Representatives would benefit from, please e-mail them to me.  We are always looking for fresh ideas to make our Days of Sharing more enjoyable.  You may also send tips, recipes, sweet ideas, etc.  This will be a caring and sharing time for you to extend your fun ideas to other Representatives (with the wind whipping through our hair, the car crosses the finish line at 220 mph). 

 

I couldn't help but smile because I am still alive and there was so much team work put into what started out to be just an ordinary day.  Who would have thought team work really does make the dream work?  I enjoyed being your Representative Liaison and I leave with the memories of many wonderful experiences with the members and the Representatives of ICES!!!

 

Remember that we are all volunteers in a sweet, sugary world.  As always, if there’s anything I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to ask.  I can’t always promise I can do it, but I can promise to try.

 

Sweet Regards,

Fran Tripp

ICES Representative Liaison

www.ices.org 

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Special Memo from Nominations/Elections Chairman: 

Dear Reps:

It is almost time for convention; are you ready? I am preparing for our election and I need some volunteer ballot counters. It is difficult to set an exact time for counting, because counting cannot begin until the GMM ends. It could be as late as 1:00 in the afternoon before we can begin counting if the meeting lasts until noon. 

Remember that ICES is a volunteer organization and I appreciate everyone who will volunteer. Please be aware that once we enter the room to count the ballots, no one may leave until the election results are finalized. If you are giving up a demo or demos in order to volunteer, THANK YOU very much. 

Please let me know if you can help us.

Gayle McMillan

ICES Nominations/Elections Chairman

E-mail gvmcmillan@aol.com