2008 National Directors Face to Face Meeting

Wednesday September 10, 2008

8:00 am start - Granville Island Hotel - Vancouver BC

AM Session (with BMW Group Canada rep Rob Dexter)

1. Introductions

The meeting began with the directors introducing themselves and providing a quick recap of the club they represent.

Phil also introduced Rob Dexter of BMW Group, who then gave us a quick recap on his position as club liaison at BMW Group.

Phil gave a quick overview of the BMW Club of Canada and how we have worked with BMW Group, and the BMW Club of Canada involvement with the International Council of BMW Clubs.

Phil commented on the IC survey results. Canada responded well, but not all regions around the world responded as was hoped for. IC will likely extend the time frame of the survey and will once again ask clubs to promote this survey to get better response rate.

Phil advised that IC has asked him to serve another term, and that we would need to address that issue at this meeting with regards to his term as national president. Directors congratulated him on this and agreed we are glad to have him on IC and that we could deal with the term issue. [this was dealt with during the meeting under item 9: review of bylaws etc.]

Phil also let directors know that IC had voted on the FOM submissions, but as in previous years, we would not release the result of our FOM submission until we can make arrangements for a presentation event. We’d like to surprise the recipient.

Regarding FOM submissions for next year, Phil reminded all that submissions are due in early December and that any nominations and submissions need to go to him, then national can approve, and Phil can submit to IC. Directors are reminded to look at the membership in their clubs for potential. Nominations should be for members that have served their club and the BMW community for many years. Rolf can provide the appropriate document that needs to be completed for a nomination.

2. Chapter reports on activities

As noted, the introductions included quick chapter recaps on activities and membership. A membership update will be requested from all after the meeting.

3. Discussion of ways the BMW CC is willing to support BMW

Phil gave a quick overview of the BMW Club of Canada and how we have worked with BMW Group, and the BMW Club of Canada involvement with the International Council of BMW Clubs.

Overall, we have had a good working relationship with BMW Group Canada, and the efforts to continue that relationship are a key focus for the club and BMW Group CA.

Although we had a list of topics to cover, the actual discussion was more informal, and various things were covered in somewhat random order.

IC - BMW Classic - formerly BMW Mobile Tradition. updated for awareness and perception.

Rob Dexter was pleased to announce and spoke of the new customer package that is provided to all new owners, and commented on the special pages [both English and French] that promote the clubs. This has taken a while to fully implement, but is now in place, and will be updated when the customer info package gets updated. Rob passed around a couple of samples but did not have enough for all. Not sure that all saw the package.

Rob indicates that they also now have approval to provide a link from the www.bmw.ca site to the national club site, and that this will happen in the near future with one of their web updates.

The creation of a poster promoting the clubs is still an active item, and will happen. Time frame will be after our new logo based on the new CI is accepted. Also BMW CA folks will be involved to help come up with content for the poster that is consistent with what BMW Group has for marketing and promotion standards at the dealership level.

Dave Cook asked if it would be possible for Trillium or any other club to offer 1 year complimentary membership to any new BMW purchaser in Ontario. It would require follow up by the club and working with BMW Group, but the intent is to expose new buyers to the club, and hope for a reasonable rate of renewals.

Some discussion on this followed as to whether this could be a national initiative as well. Despite costs and administrative effort, approx. 2/3 of the directors thought this might be worth considering and exploring more. Some clubs have attempted something similar in the past [BC mainland had an intro offer] and the renewal rate was not that high. There are BMW owners and there are enthusiasts, and most club members are enthusiasts, which is only a portion of the owners.

Jim spoke to and noted the fact that he had been involved in giving a presentation to his local clubs dealer group to promote awareness to these folks. It was quite productive for the BC club and help inform people about the club and the IC meeting. Jim used a PowerPoint presentation, and that template can be shared with others as an idea if desired. It is a great way to work with the Dealer Advertising Group and promote club awareness to dealer staff.

Rob commented on the enthusiasm of the clubs, and that his group wishes to continue to work with the clubs, but that he also has to sell the value of the relationship between BMW Group and the clubs to others in his group, in particular those at higher levels that control funding.

The big question for the clubs to provide Rob and BMW with an answer to is:

"What is the value of club membership for a non enthusiast?"

Helping Rob to answer that question may help with funding.

Before he had to leave Rob Dexter had several interesting bits of news to share with the clubs:

He has gotten approval from Lindsay Duffield to work on and prepare a club loyalty purchase program. This would be a special offer for valid confirmed members that would possibly offer options similar to the VIP Program BMW Group has.

Question was raised about how MINI fits in the simple answer is they are welcome as club members as ownership of BMW is not a requirement. Phil explained that BMW wants to keep the MINI brand distinct, and not tied in with BMW automobiles.

After Rob left, Phil also recapped the transition from Kevin Marcotte to Rob Dexter and his efforts of working with Rob to keep him updated on the nature and value of the club.

   a.        Ambassadors of the brand

   b.        Show & shines

   c.        Car & bike displays & event support as requested

   d.        Support of BMW owners through value-added activities of organized club and chapters

   d.        other

4. Discussion of ways BMW Group Canada is/may be willing to support the BMW CC

     See the notes in 3 above for what was covered, as the discussion did not follow the point by point items listed below

     a.       Direct financial support

     b.       Owner's manual

     c.       Dealer posters and letter

     d.       Member parts discounts at participating dealers

     e.       Link on BMW Group Canada website

     f.       event support (e.g., cars)

     g.        surplus merchandise

     h.       new and used car  & bike deals

     i.       other

5. Discussion of MOA in Canada

Phil provided a brief overview of how MOA has been operating in Canada, which has included active involvement at Motorrad events and recruiting of members in Canada.

Rob noted that he recently became aware of this and felt it was not good and needed some investigation.

Phil suggested the approach should be to work to have no new solicitations and no new club affiliations. That said we would need to work to fill the void of benefits MOA provides to riders in Canada.

Various opinions and concerns about MOA actively seeking members in Canada were voiced. It is not clear that we can stop them or even should, and the comparison of car members belonging to several clubs including BMW CCA were brought up. The big difference being that BMW CCA does not come to Canada actively seeking members and does not allow the creation of Canadian chapters.

Since work was started on this topic in the past at the IC level, it may be best to have them work on this on an ongoing basis. The MOA situation of them recruiting Canadian members at Canadian bike events, including those hosted by BMW Motorrad Canada is a concern to our bike chapters.

As we move forward, it needs to be determined if MOA membership deters from local club membership. To that end we need to develop reasons for riders to belong to Canadian clubs. Riders are a unique community, and MOA does offer them some things that local clubs cannot offer. Hopefully we can encourage riders to join Canadian clubs first and foremost, and that those Canadian clubs offer riders unique Canadian membership values, and a Canadian perspective on things.

6. BMW CC and chapter logos – the new CI and updating

Background

BMW Clubs that are part of an umbrella club [national and the member clubs] and recognized by the International Council of BMW Clubs have been able to use the trademarked name ‘BMW’ and the BMW logo commonly known as the roundel as part of their identity if the IC guidelines for same have been followed.

BMW AG and the International Council have had regulations in place since the founding of IC in 1981, and the guidelines are regularly reviewed.

The most recent guideline was posted in 2001 and updated in 2004.

Since the use of the BMW name and logo need to be protected to maintain the value and image of the brand from a copyright and trademark standpoint, a review to update what clubs can use was initiated in 2007. This update of the usage guidelines and regulations is intended to bring them forward and better merge with BMW AG and BMW worldwide Corporate Identity [CI] guides.

Earlier this year, the initial working draft of the new concepts and guides were released, so that clubs could review them and familiarize themselves with them prior to the 2008 IC meeting where the final document would be released.

The latest working version was posted for national directors to view and review prior to this meeting, where we would need to move forward with implementing the new guide and design rules.

[The BMW logo, commonly known as "roundel", was created and registered in 1917. The logo is remarkably simple and projects an identity that is smart, clear, sporty and image-conscious. It is one of the most distinctive logo designs in the world, speaking highly of a brand-led company. The 1929 Dixi was the first vehicle to carry the famous BMW logo.]

We reviewed the new BMW guidelines document, and then viewed several documents relating to the new rules and the layout of the logo. Essentially there is now only one shape option, the BMW name identifier must be on the top line in the specified BMW Type Font in black, with the club name on the second line in the same font, but in 50% black. The local clubs logo has been moved to the bottom and its size is determined by several rules, including the length of the club name line. There are two bounding bars, and the BMW Roundel has been moved to the top right outside the bounding bars.

We had the option to review what the new BMW Club of Canada logo could be like based on the new rules and several options created by IC and BMW AG using the new guide, and well as several idea options provided by Chris and Rolf.

We decided to discuss and vote on the format options for the new national logo based on those samples. Options included whether or not to do only 2 lines at the top or 3 where the third line would be the bilingual line. We also explored the option of changing the first line designation to be plural [BMW Clubs] instead of singular [BMW Club] as the length of that line and the club identifier line [of Canada] affect the width of the logo and the space for our club identifier graphic.

We explored the ties to the previous stylized half maple leaf with side bar that was used on the previous parallelogram version of our logo with regard to significance of retaining some of that styling.

As we reviewed the options, it was suggested that instead of trying to mimic the flag in the logo graphic area, that perhaps a simple maple leaf on white in that area would best represent our identity, along with changing the top club identifier line to the plural form since the national club is an umbrella club for our country.

After due discussion and consideration we voted on the options provide by IC, and new options we had brainstormed. With the noted exception that designing the new logo by club consensus did not allow for graphic creativity, it was decided we should progress with moving to the new logo using the plural form on the first line and only Canada on the second line which avoided the need for a bilingual third line leaving us space to place a decent sized solid red maple leaf as our graphic symbol of Canada.

Rolf will create a master sample document with our proposed new logo that Phil can send to IC for approval. Thanks to our agreement at the meeting, we may be the first to get approval. Phil will need to sign the logo use agreement with BMW AG and IC.

Rolf can also provide the Adobe Illustrator mock up files and PDF versions of the files shown at the meeting to member clubs.

Note:

Per the minutes of the IC meeting, IC will provide:

a. A toolkit and templates on DVD will be provided by ICBO before Jan 1, 2009 which includes the BMW typeface (also the national distributor)

b. An FAQ will also be prepared

c. Suggestions for magazines will be added

d. Deadline is now Jan 01, 2011

e. Continue to deplete existing merchandise supply in the interim

f. Questions and verification should be sent to ICBO/Kati

g. Importers will be notified by BMW Classic to provide assistance to clubs in this endeavour

LUNCH (with BMW Group Canada)

We had lunch in the meeting room, but Rob Dexter had to depart early.

PM Session (without BMW Group Canada)

7.      Sponsorships (Bill Brown)

Directors took the time to discuss the option of sponsorship programs as a way of adding revenue to the national club so we could continue to defer dues from the chapters to national, and also be able to have face-to-face directors meetings more often.

Phil reminded us that in his line of work, cold calls on sponsors rarely work, and that we would need to use our networking skills and targeted contacts to seek sponsors that would benefit the club.

We shared comments from the clubs that already have some local sponsorship in place. Income from sponsorship at the local level varies, and helps fund things like the club web hosting and newsletter in return for exposure for the sponsor.

Directors discussed the options and merits and challenges of sponsorship for the national group. Our main vehicle might be the national web site, but sponsorship from running web ads on the pages may not bring in much revenue.

      We will need to review web logs and exposure and what the going rate is for web ads, as well as the added cost of maintaining and alternating them to ensure good exposure.

Overall, we were in favour of some form of sponsorship by a vote of 12-1.

Regarding running banner ads on the web site, the vote was 11-2 in favour.

Directors discussed the message, and target sponsor base we could approach, and ways to contact them. We agreed on the need to identify what we are selling or have to offer to sponsors, including brand awareness, and a target audience of enthusiasts that spend money on their cars.

We are selling:

            Potential access to our member base

            That we are an ‘Official BMW Club’

We must check with BMW Group Canada on sponsors they feel will be ok, and may also prefer.

Suggested target for sponsorship would be $5,000 per year.

Each director is asked to provide names and phone numbers of potential sponsor businesses.

Issues to consider include that sponsors may want more access to member lists than national and the local clubs are willing to provide, as we already state we will not sell member lists.

We will also have the challenge of dealing with sponsors that want print media and access to local clubs and their newsletters, which would entail some form of cost sharing with the local club if that were to happen.

8.      Executive Director

Phil explained that due to the clubs nature, and the many things that we would like to work on as we move forward, having an extra member on the board who can help coordinate things [as was recently done for the IC meeting] would benefit all. The idea would be to add an executive director to the board to help with club matters. In light of the recent work done by Jim, Phil suggested we might consider asking him to take on this role. It would be a position without a detailed description other than to assist the board in a variety of matters for a term of up to 5 years.

Moved by D, seconded by Roger, and passed unanimously that we ask Jim to become executive director on the board of directors of the BMW Club of Canada.

9.      Review of BMW CC Constitution & suggestions for changes

Phil started a discussion regarding the possible need to add some clarification and minor amendments to the bylaws in order to deal with the current nature of the national club.

The first item reviewed was how we had previously agreed to have a rep from the club whose director was elected as president. This was to ensure QC had a voice and vote, as normally the president does not vote expect to break a tie.

The next item covered was to consider extending the terms of directors and officers. This would be to ensure stability and continuity, but is also a concern as Phil has Vice Chair position on the IC council and has been asked to serve another term.

Updating the terms of directors could help address this situation.

After discussion it was decided to amend the terms of directors set forth in item 11 page 5 of the bylaws from 2 year terms to 4 year terms. Moved by RD seconded by DC motion carried unanimously.

The term of board officers was also discussed for review in the same context of whether to extend the term from 2 to 4 years. Part of this would be to accommodate the term that an officer would need to serve to cover an IC appointment. This applies mostly to the president who would be the club rep eligible for an IC board position.

After discussion of this situation without the president in the room, it was moved seconded and carried that: the board executive officers term should continue to be 2 years with the option of extending the term to match any IC board term that person was asked to serve.

Other items reviewed and clarified included: Unaffiliated members, disgruntled members

The need to possibly clarify the wording and intent of item 13 ‘Each Director shall be responsible to serve as a conduit to and their Chapter or Club members.’

The need to correct the wording in item 65 about lifetime membership, as the second paragraph erroneously states ‘Honorary’ when it should say ‘Lifetime’

During the discussions, somehow we talked about virtual clubs including groups like bimmerforums.com which is a for profit group that according to some has about $2 mil in  annual revenues.

Virtual clubs are an issue compared to our 'brick and mortar' type clubs.

There was discussion of the option to have an unaffiliated section or ways for people to join the BMW club of Canada without joining a local club.

The question of where can a disgruntled member go and still be a club member also came up. [not happy with local club but wants to still belong to BMW Club Canada would be the example]

Don raised the point that he felt from the motorcycle side of things there could be the possibility of somewhere between 1-2000 membership opportunities if there were a way for people to sign up with out affiliation to a local club.

That seems like a large number of potential members, and it would be good to get more info on this segment and how we might be able to include them.

There was also quick discussion of local bylaws and constitutions. Most club have them, but not all. Two clubs recently incorporated. It would be good to be able to review local bylaws as needed to ensure they conform to both national and IC guidelines for clubs.

10.      National responsibilities and future planning

We briefly discussed the need to work together more to benefit both the national club and the member clubs. To that end, director participation and input is needed.

Among things that need to be dealt with

            We moved seconded and carried that Phil sign the agreement with BMW re the Corporate Identity [new logo guide and use] on behalf of national.

Rolf reminded all that directors can activate an account on the club electronic forum, and the forum system has a user and privilege based system that allows for restricted access to certain forum areas. This could be a way for directors to share and post director only information.

There are currently two active forums on the national site, but the one to log into and join for sharing and directors work should be the one at:

http://bmwclub.ca/SMF/

Once a director has created and account and logged into that system we can extend your access privilege. One of the things director will have access to is posting events to the calendar section. The link to club calendar from the main page goes to that calendar, so it is a good way to post event info. If this system is used and updated regularly, we can place an RSS feed link to the events on the main page and other locations on the club site.

If you have questions about the forum and the web site please contact Rolf.

11.      Annual budget, bank account & budget projection (Rolf Drommer)

Rolf handed out an updated spreadsheet with the current status of our budget and finances. This included allowances for the meeting. It was noted that if all expenses for the meeting went to the max we would be in a deficit position before year end.

While briefly discussing the expenses of the meeting, several directors noted that the per diem allowance might be waived, as they were able to partake in the BMW hosted BBQ on the arrival evening, and IC hosted breakfast buffet on the morning of the meeting. Based on that Phil and Rolf suggested and others agreed that as possible they would not claim the per diem expenses.

Rolf reminded all that the allowance for transportation was to be the max, but the actual to be reimbursed should be for 50% of the actual transportation cost up to the max from the original estimate. This would help greatly, and early comparisons of flight costs compared to actual fares currently available indicate our allowance figure was generous if all booked properly on economy class return flights.

As per the original notes about the meeting costs, it was expected that the directors home club would reimburse and support their director for the difference in costs between what national can reimburse and actual costs.

12.      Other

Adjournment – followed by group dinner at the Sandbar Restaurant at 6pm