Minutes of the IPEC-Americas

Committee Chairs Meeting

Facilitator: Chris Moreton, FinnBrit Consulting

IPEC-Americas Planning Meeting, Hilton Head, SC, January 15, 2013

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Agenda• Welcome and Introductions.• Organizing a working committee.• Maintaining project momentum with volunteers.• Staff support.• Timings.• Committee budgets.• Antitrust statement.• Develop templates for meeting agendas (keep them concise)

including.• Develop templates for meeting minutes (keep them concise and

limited to the topic, key points from the discussion and any decisions and/or actions and due dates.

• Executive Committee and Legal review of Agendas and Minutes of meetings.

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Introduction• With the move to the new IPEC-Americas

offices, we are changing how we operate.– We will no longer meet at Buchanan Ingersoll

and Rooney, but at IPEC-Americas’ offices.

• Apart from some obligations (e.g. the antitrust statement), the content of the following slides are suggestions.– If you think we should change things, make the

proposals and we can discuss them!

• What is decided/agreed today will need to be ratified by the Executive Committee.

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Organizing a working Committee

• Can we expect the Chair to do everything for the Committee?–Most unlikely since we all have day jobs – Committee Leadership teams:• Chair• Vice Chair• Secretary (Note-taker or scribe)?

– Do we need back up (Assistant Secretary)?

• Balance between manufacturers and users, and between age and experience, in the Teams (where possible).

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Maintaining project momentum with volunteers

• Use of consultants/technical writers to prepare drafts for discussion (‘straw men’), and minutes.– Budget and timing

• Realistic timelines (for volunteer efforts)– Are quarterly meetings sufficient today?

• Interim (monthly?) conference calls to maintain progress, and address urgent issues?

• How do we address more urgent issues?

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Staff support

• Distribution/e-mail lists.• Administrative support.– The IPEC-Americas staff will not be taking

minutes.– The IPEC-Americas office should be copied in

on all Committee communications.• Chase up when agendas or minutes are

late.

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Committee budgets

• Things we need to consider– Cost of staff support (includes

conference calls, etc.)– Cost of consultants/technical writers– Cost of legal support

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Antitrust statement

• Must be read at the start of each meeting or conference call

• Must be included in the agenda• Must be recorded in the minutes

NOTE: these are obligatory to preserve our 501.c(3) status.

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Content for meeting agendas

• Attendees and Introductions• Antitrust statement• Approval of previous minutes• Matters arising from previous minutes• Topics for discussion• New Business• Information• Future events, etc.• Any other business

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Content for meeting minutes

• Attendees in person and by phone (listed separately)

• Antitrust statement• Topics discussed• Decisions• Actions and due dates• Information• Future events, etc.• Any other business

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Executive Committee and Legal review of Agendas

and Minutes• Agendas to be available for legal review at least one week

before the meeting for quarterly meetings. • Agendas reviewed by the IPEC-Americas Executive

Committee prior to the meeting.• Draft minutes to be available to counsel by the end of day

Friday of the week after the meeting week. • Legal review of draft minutes when available within two

working days.• Amendment within two working days of notification by

counsel• Review of final draft minutes by IPEC-Americas Executive

Committee five working days after legal review and amendment.

• Final approval of the minutes at the next quarterly meeting.

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End note

• This only works if we all are disciplined and work to the timelines.

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