In attendance:
Mike O'Hara, Baltimore
Graham White, Dublin
Murt Rice, Dublin
Amy Bolger, NYC
Kevin Bolger, NYC
Chie Noguchi, Kyoto
Naoki Odoro, Kyoto
Joel Metz, PDX
Sam Houston, TO
Anais Fritzlan, TO
Anja Recher, Switzerland
Kazumato Ogura, JPN
Michael Dailey, Philly
Ben Stewart, NYC
Tatsuya Oki, Tokyo
Kaoru Nakamura, Tokyo
Stefan Frohlich, Zurich
AZ, DC
Ashira Siegal, NYC
Justin Gullickson, Calgary
Daisuke Nishimura, Tokyo
Chris Kim, NYC
Judith Max, NYC
Proposal 1: The IFBMA shall host an online open forum patterned after www.mycmassive.com/forum/ to replace the messengers@dccourier.com mailing list as the official IFBMA communication tool.
Decided: Such an online open forum should not supplant the mailling list, it can effectively augment it and expand its usefulness as a communication tool, and provide a venue for the much-touted online open forums. PHPBB2 (the software that both mycmassive and portlandmessenger.org use) is free, easy to maintain, and provides the necessary functionality. Joel will look into this upon his return home. (Editor's note - I'm home now, and PHPBB2 looks remarkably easy to use. i should have this implemented by the end of July, at the latest)
Proposal 2: The IFBMA shall establish a minimal level of organization that must be demonstrated by a BMA for that BMA to place a bid for a Championship, drafted by the 2005-6 IFBMA Council and placed on the agenda for Sydney. The intention is to prevent one or two representatives from a city suddenly throwing in a wildcat bid, to facilitate the professionalism of IFBMA-sanctioned Championships and to encourage messengers to focus on building BMA activity in their cities.
Decided: It was decided that while on paper a good idea, many cities have small enough messenger communities to make BMA-style organization superfluous, and other cities have different modes of organizing, which makes determining a standard of organization difficult. It was seen that it would be better to more strictly enforce the proposal and bidding process as it stands now, and more explicitly define what should be expected of potential cities, both at the proposal and bid stages. The council was given the mandate to more clearly define these expectations.
Proposal 3: The IFBMA shall develop a commercial license under the auspice of the Union Cycliste International and administered by local cycling authorities in conjunction with municipalities. The IFBMA Council could approach the UCI about what such a license would entail; the research would be an agenda item in Sydney. The intention is to regular who can work as a messenger by bicycle by requiring licensure. Potential benefits: access to third-party liability insurance not controlled by courier companies, personal injury insurance, and membership in international and local bicycle advocacy groups. Potential costs: everyone would have to agree to some form and degree of regulation.
Decided: After much grumbling about UCI involvement, licensing, and other contentious parts of this item, it was decided that at its root was interest in perhaps seeing what the IFBMA might be able to do in its incorporated state as far as providing insurance and advocacy options.
Proposal 4: The IFBMA shall provide contact information including email and snail mail addresses from competitors to BMEF so that BMEF may distribute informational paperwork and notify people of injured messengers worldwide.
Decided: That while the currrent mailing list is horribly out of date, and there are privacy issues with releasing its contents without express consent from those listed therein, we should begin applying an opt-in arrangement for the official list of surface mailing addresses as far as sharing them with the BMEF and CMWC/ECMC/NACCC/etc mailings, in the forms of checkboxes on CMWC/ECMC/NACCC registration, and other forms of general email solicitation, possibly a collection form on messengers.org
Proposal 5: The IFBMA shall begin the process of incorporating the IFBMA as an internationally recognized non-profit corporation by appointing committees in each country to research the legal options for incorporation in that country.
Decided: That Steve (IFBMA Council member) will go ahead with incorporating the IFBMA as a non-profit in Switzerland, as this is the most painless method, being without monetary cost or need to prove actual non-profit status at our income level. The IFBMA, once incorporated, will be in a position to take over legal ownership of the CMWC/Cycle Messenger World Championships trademark.
P r o p o s a l 6 : T h e C M W C s h o u l d b e h e l d e v e r y t w o y e a r s , a l t e r n a t i n g w i t h N A C C C & E C M C .
Decided: Proposal was scrapped, as this issue will be dealt with when lack of a potential host city becomes an issue.
P r o p o s al 7 : C h a m p i o n s h i p s s h o u l d b e p l a c e d o u t s i d e o f t o u r i s t / h o l i d a y s e a s o n s .
Decided: Proposal was scrapped, as event date should be left up to the judgement and scheduling possibilities of the host city - dates will always be inconvenient for someone for one reason or another.
P r o p o s a l 8: T h e I F B M A s h a l l d e v e l o p a c l e a r d e f i n i t i o n o f " o u t - o f - t o w n e r" f o r p r i z e s a t C h a m p i o n s h i p s .
Decided: Scrapped as irrelevant, as there has never been an "out-of-towner" category at any CMWC, ECMC or NACCC.
A new IFBMA council, for the term lasting until the Open Forum at CMWC 2006, was chosen:
Anja Raecher (Bern/Zurich)
Sam Houston (Toronto)
Steve Frolich (Zurich, returning)
Justin Gullickson (Calgary)
Judith Max (NYC, returning)
As for the situation of CMWC 2007 proposals, and what to do if there are no proposals at the time of the second Open Forum at the CMWC 2 years prior to the date in question, the following was decided:
In the event that no proposals for a given CMWC year are brought forward by the 2nd Open Forum at CMWC 2 years prior to the year in question, a 60 day grace period will be allowed for potential late proposals, after which time no further proposals will be accepted under any circumstances. In the event that there are still no proposals at the end of this 60-day grace period, there will be no CMWC held in the year in question.
This new modification of the by-laws will take effect immediately, which has bearing on the 2 cities currently considering proposals - Dublin, IE and Kyoto, JP.
Due to low Australian attendance at CMWC in the year prior to the planned CMWC in Sydney, concerns were voiced as to their preparedness. Not a whole lot has been heard as of yet from Sydney organizers, and many of the Open Forum attendees were hoping to hear more of their plans. To the end of clarifying their actions towards the CMWC and being sure that they are aware of the support offerred by the international community, the Council will draft and send a letter to Sydney checking on their status, and, more importantly, offerring any assistance possible.