For the small team of AMPS Council members organising this event, the two weeks leading up to the post AGM 'Meet The Sustaining Members' event, was a time that we just had to go with our instincts. And a fine sunny winter's day saw us proved right.
The Sustaining Members had been invited along to AGMs for the last couple of years but were shoe-horned into slots before and after the AGM meeting proper, which was proving less that satisfactory for all concerned. So following discussion with some of the previous attendees and findings drawn from last year's AMPS questionnaire, a different approach was chosen.
A high proportion of the respondents to the questionnaire had stated that they would be happy to stay on to an event after an AGM meeting so it seemed logical to move the 'Meet the Sustaining Members' Event to after the meeting, and to hold it in pleasant surroundings, large enough to accommodate the number of members and 'sustainers' who might attend.
So plans were laid for the meeting to move from the business of Theatre 7 to the splendour of the Green Room in Pinewood's admin block with the proximity of the bar; plus to make it more of an event, we would provide a buffet lunch.
What we proposed was a strict timetable for the AGM business itself so that we knew what time there was to be available for the social side of the day. There was to be a half hour later start to the morning's proceedings and stricter scheduling for the business meeting.
Twelve Sustaining members accepted our invitation to come along and show some of their products/services in the form of a mini exhibition, with most of the rest coming along anyway.
Our surprise was that nearly 80 members turned up and everyone was delighted with the day. All the exhibiting sustainers were pleased with the event, the way it mixed the social and informative, the contacts made and ideal nature of the venue.
Some of the Sustaining members took their 'stands' very seriously with a large range of equipment, multiple staff and display boards, which caused comment from others who preferred a slightly simpler approach. However there should be no reason why such an event could not accommodate all shades of approach now that we have proven that the concept works.
The post event response has made the AMPS Council think that this approach should be repeated next year, with a few minor changes. We obviously rely heavily on the support of the Sustaining Members for this to work and accordingly we would like to thank all of them who exhibited - Akai, AMS Neve, Audio Developments, Audio Ltd, DTS, Harrison, Nagra, Richmond Film, Sennheiser, SSL and Sony. The AMPS Council extends particularly thanks to those companies who contributed to the costs of the catering - and to Pinewood Studios for their magnificent support by providing all the venues for the day.
KSA