The AGM

As business meetings go, the yearly AGM should be pretty straightforward, and unless anything contentious is on the agenda should go pretty smoothly.
And so it was with the AGM of the Royal Southampton Yacht Club today.  Over the years as business editor of a major regional newspaper group I  found myself attending a good many annual general meetings. Both of companies big and small, member organisations like the Royal Southampton and others to which I have been a member, both in publishing and other interests.
I suppose the most contentious I can recall was that of a social club which until that point had survived on a membership of men only. The issue was whether the doors should be opened to the ladies as members. That was one of the more heated of AGMs I attended.
There was another, one of my favourites, a corporate occasion when I was always invited by the directors to join them for lunch, usually in a posh hotel. And one organisation of which I was, and still am a member, for several years held its AGM at the House of Lords.
Then again another organisation of which I am a member held its annual meeting this year at Sir Ben Ainslie’s Land Rover BAR headquarters at Portsmouth, base for the British sailing campaign to win the celebrated America’s Cup. That was pretty interesting, although that was probably because of the tour of the base, rather than the business of the meeting.
Today’s meeting at the Yacht Club was pretty much routine with election of Flag Officers and others as anticipated. Reports presented, questions asked, and members given the opportunity to voice their opinions or make suggestions in an open forum.

And mercifully, I was home in time for lunch!