AGM Chairman's Report 2009

[Suzanna]

WOMEN IN BUSINESS CLUB

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2009

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

The last 12 months have been very busy for the WIBC and it has continued to grow and evolve into the success it is today. Membership is high and still rising, the finances are in a healthy state and we have been represented during the year at a number of events. Regular networking meetings have taken place in Calpe, Javea, Altea
International Women’s Day

This is our most established fundraising event of the WIBC calendar In 2008 this took place at the Salones Canor in Teulada on Friday 7th March from 10am – 6pm. Our IWD event takes the form of a business exhibition with a live interactive stage running throughout the day. Stands were only available to WIBC members. The funds were raised by payments for stand space, advertisements in Female Focus with the space donated, raffles, the sale of pins and donations. Entrance was free to visitors.

Female Focus was our main sponsor for this event and gave us major coverage in its publication. Other media outlets also gave us space to promote the event.

Other Exhibitions and Talks

In 2008 we were again offered, free of charge, exhibition space at the Denia Association’s Street Fair and Expo’s Costa Blanca.

The stand is manned by WIBC member volunteers, who promote the club and generally inform the public of our activities. The WIBC pins were sold at these events. Members also used these events to promote their own businesses.
The past year we have also been invited to give talks about the WIBC and our fundraising for a number of other groups namely, HELP Benidorm, the Monte Pego Ladies Luncheon Club and most recently JUGS, a group from the Calpe U3A.

WIBC Annual Party

On Sunday 18th May 2008 the WIBC Annual Party was held on Portet Beach, Moraira. Even with inclement weather the turnout was good and the general feeling was that this type of event was a good idea due to the little amount of organising necessary and indeed expense.

Christmas Extravaganza

The Christmas Extravaganza was held at the Diamante Beach Hotel, Calpe on Tuesday November 25th 2008 from 10am - 6pm. Again it took the form of a business exhibition with a live interactive stage running throughout the day. Stands were only available to WIBC members. The funds were raised by payments for stand space, raffles, donations, WIBC pins and white ribbons. Entrance was free to visitors. We also had a Santa in the foyer greeting visitors and collecting the toy donations for the toy drive.
The Hotel Diamante were obviously impressed by our event the previous year as they pulled out all the stops to help promote 2008’s exhibition with live Madrid radio interviews with Candy & myself and they also invited top celebrities to the opening ceremony. These celebrities waived their appearance fees due to the cause we raise funds for and the hotel paid their expenses.

The WIBC Christmas Party

The WIBC Christmas party was held in the Restaurant Mediterraneo, Teulada on Monday 15th of December and organised by Sue Coley. This as always was a purely social event and had an added element of a small raffle.



Sponsors

We have had outside businesses show an interest in helping promote our events as sponsors. This will obviously help to absorb any costs that are incurred with our fundraising events and thus provide more money towards the victims of domestic violence. I think you will all agree that this would be a good step forward for us in the coming year and help the club become even more highlighted.




Closing & Thanks

In closing I would also like to thank the membership as a whole for their interest, input and efforts, which makes this a lively and thriving club.
Thanks must go to the volunteers within the club without whom our events could not be possible and also those from outside the club.

Thanks to the number of sub-committees that have been formed, as we grow larger and stronger. They have worked extremely hard this year to make the events a success. Please remember that without volunteers for these sub-committees, the events would not happen.

Thanks must go to all our sponsors and donors throughout the year. Particularly to Mark and Lesley of Female Focus who have supported the group from its 1st IWD event. Our relationship with them is very strong and we will endeavour to hold them as our main sponsor.

And lastly thanks to the rest of the members of the committee for their support and dedication. I know that they have all worked hard this past year working for you to keep the club moving along as effortlessly as possible. With our finance committee hard at work trying to spend the hard earned money we have raised, even with Val tight on the purse strings, I am sure you will be pleased with their positive approach and look forward to hearing their report. Yvonne has diligently made sure that all the local press and webmasters are fully aware of our group. So I thank you all.

[Glenys Graham]

Hi Suzanna,
you must be so proud to be chairwoman of this fantastic organisation. Very well done and thank you for a better insight of what the club has acheived, I was very moved and feel proud myself to be a member. I will try and help out where I can.
Thank you to all the committee members for their help and support given to me since I joined WIBC.

All the best
Glenys