Business Board Meeting Feb 26, 2024

1. Call to Order

Chair, Ross Berenson, called the meeting to order at: 6:07  pm Eastern



2. Roll: 

Present: Afton Benson, Ross Berenson, Benjamin Domask-Ruh, Mike Sullivan,

 Luther Bangert, Noel Yee, Niels Duinker, Martin Frost

Absent: Aslynne Howes, Sofia Noethe

Recorder: Luther and Benjamin

 

3. Approval of Agenda

Motion: Benjamin

Second by: Noel

Discussion: 

Vote: Passes unanimously


4. Approval of Minutes: 

Business Board Meeting (Link)

Motion: Benjamin

Second: Luther

Discussion: 

Vote: Passes unanimously

 

5. Reports 

Please keep verbal reports to 5 min or less except for festival discussion.

 

 

2024 Festival Report (Noel Yee & Afton Benson)

Discussion: 

Afton: People are registering for championships, joggling. About 50 scholarship applications so far. 25 people have registered since Mackenzie and Lisa have started posting for the IJA Instagram account. Lisa Hall and Emily Brancel will run workshops. Taylor Glenn is also helping set up workshops. Vendor registration process has been confusing for people trying to sign up.

Noel: We’ve worked with Jonathan Perry to get IJA disc golfs printed for the disc golf trip. Getting closer to a fire show location and securing permits. Again, Mackenzie and Lisa have been doing great with the posts and we have a lot more coming leading up until the festival.

Ross: I have three acts confirmed, and another contract out and many things in the works. 

Noel: Exciting prospects for the flow show.

Afton: Our hotel room block is 50% sold. A huge jump from one social media post.

Mike: I think we’ll make the block easily.

Martin: Can we ask people to cancel their rooms if they don’t think they’re going to come, in order to open up room for other jugglers.

Afton: I’d rather not encourage people to cancel their rooms. 

Benjamin: I contacted the museum in Green Bay about the Planting the Juggling Seed show, haven’t heard anything back yet. I need to check in with the library again.

Afton: I was hoping that opening the festival packages around Black Friday would encourage people to buy packages as gifts for Christmas, and I found out from a juggler at Mondo that this did happen.

Financial Report (Afton Benson)

Discussion: 

Afton: The report is showing a loss, but it’s not completely up to date yet. One negative balance on the IRC’s due to an account balance from a previous expense being caught up.

 

Future Festival Site Report (Mike Sullivan and Jake Darrow)

Working through interest from Little Rock, AR – we had received a bid from them in 2010, declined due to many factors. Not much has changed, and AR is less desirable as an IJA destination now, but we will see what they send us as an initial proposal.

 

We had a contact from Ogden, UT that fizzled out because of logistics with ground links to SLC International, and no suitable convention space.

 

Jake and I are signed up to attend the Small Market Meetings Conference in Zion, UT in September. It will be Jake’s first industry conference and IJA’s first since Craig Lewis and I attended SMMC in Wichita in 2022. We need to develop some hot leads prior to that or before that to stay on track for booking a 2028 destination.

 

Noel: Would like to put in a push for Little Rock if it is possible, there’s a lively juggling scene there.

 

Mike: Mostly waiting on preliminary prices for hotels from Little Rock. 

 

Discussion: 

 

eJuggle Report (Scott Seltzer)

Discussion: 

 

Membership (Marilyn Sullivan)
Membership Data

Discussion: 

Ross: Several new members. 

Benjamin: I’ve been working as a mentor for the American Circus Alliance, and my mentee recently signed up as an IJA member.

Ross: Perhaps in the future we can find a collaboration with them .

 

[ Luther left at 6:43pm ET ]

 

Marketing Report (Matan Presberg)

Discussion: 

 

IRC Report (Erin Stephens)

Discussion: 

 

YJA Report (Benjamin Domask-Ruh)

Discussion:  

YJA | Club YJA MONDO ’24 Feedback + Notes

Badge Book Feedback | Mondo ‘24

 

Ross: What would 500 cost? Only $2 less per book.

Noel: Could we print stickers elsewhere? 

Benjamin: Yes, but it becomes a lot more of a complex process.

Martin: Having the publisher handle distribution will make things easier.

Ross: What’s the out the door price, getting the book shipped to a customer? Processing fees and such?

Benjamin: Unsure at the moment. Trying to figure that out.

—

Benjamin: Special workshops about teaching a juggling curriculum? Would be great to have someone teaching such a topic.

 

OpsO Report (Ross Berenson)

Discussion:  

Afton: Deena added her comments to the Festival RFP survey, linked in ClickUp. 

Ross: Please look through it when you have time (everyone). Possibly use survey monkey? (Cost. Reconfirm costs)

 

6. Motions for Consideration

  1. Motion to approve the 2024 IJA Budget.

Author: Afton Benson

Motion: Benjamin

Second: Ross

Discussion:

Benjamin: Anything specific you want to bring attention to? 

Afton: Not really. Need to communicate budgets doesn’t stay consistent from year to year due to approval in one budget year. 

Martin: Is YM cost in there?

Afton: Yes

Vote: Passes unanimously

 

7. Varia:

eJuggle Sensitive Content (Ross) – How do we handle such situations?

 

[ Mike left at 7:16pm @ et ]

 

[ Neils left at 7:16pm @ et ]

 

Ross: What should we do about the article?

General: Do not allow the series to continue.

General: Is Estaban interested in researching more and digging deeper into the topic? 

 

8. Confirm Next Meeting

Next meetings will take place on…

for the next vision meeting

March 4, 2024 @ 6pm et

for the next business meeting

March 18, 2024 @ 6pm et

 

9. Adjournment

Meeting adjourned at 7:38 pm Eastern. 

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