Society Events
Conventions and AGM
The Society’s Annual Convention, held together with the Society's AGM, is the highlight of the year’s activities. It is generally organised by a Branch, or two Branches working together, and is held in one of the larger and more accessible towns in their area, usually in April or May. It provides an ideal opportunity to meet fellow members of the Society.
A typical Convention runs from Friday evening to Sunday lunchtime. Activities during the weekend include talks and demonstrations on printing and related crafts, an auction of members’ surplus equipment and supplies, a trade exhibition, a Bring-and-Buy sale, and a display of members’ work. On Saturday evening members enjoy a banquet with a guest speaker. Following the dinner, the annual awards are presented by the President. Sunday morning is usually set aside for visits to local places of interest, including local members’ workshops, and further talks are usually organised.
The Annual General Meeting is held during the weekend, usually on the Saturday afternoon, and various items of business are dealt with including the presentation of the accounts, the election of officers for the coming year, and the annual subscription. The AGM of the Publishing Group is also held during the weekend, usually during the Saturday morning.
Convention 2010
This will take place in Bournmouth at the Marsham Court Hotel, East Cliffe; for further details click Marsham Court Hotel. It will be held Friday 9th to Sunday 11th April 2010. The cost will be £160 per person for the weekend, including Sunday Lunch. The hotel is situated on the East Cliff near the Pier, facing the sea, and boasts some of the best views across the bay; it has free car parking. This will be the fifth event to be staged by the Dorset Branch since 1996.
The usual hotel facilities are available for the benefit of delegates attending, which include:
Walking distance to Bournemouth Pier - 5 minutes; Stunning sea views; Outdoor heated swimming pool; Sun terraces; Excellent restaurant; Bar snacks; Games room.
The Timetable for the 2010 Convention is now available - Click here Convention Timetable 2010.
All these facilities can be enjoyed by booking (Click here for Booking Form ) with Liz Nelson, the Booking Secretary by one of the following methods:
Write to "Liz Nelson (Booking
Secretary), Manor Farm,
Higher Eype,
Bridport,
Dorset
DT6 6AT"
Or, Telephone 01308 427080 (evening & weekends).
Or, Fax 01308 421145
Convention 2009
This was held 24th to 26th April 2009 at the Aston Hotel, Dumfries which is located on the wonderful 100 acre Crichton Estate and adjacent to Easterbrook Hall and Conference Centre; it proved to be an excellent Centre with excellent accommodation and food. Dumfries is the Region's largest town and the gateway to Galloway. Many of the main visitor attractions are linked with the Scottish national poet Robert Burns including Ellisland Farm near Dumfries where he lived for most of his life and wrote many of his best nature poems and songs before moving into Dumfries where he is buried in St Michael's Church yard.
Tim Honor opened the weekend with a talk on the battle of Jutland. A highlight for many was a hands-on talk by Ron Prosser on Fun with Paper Mechanics. A new member, Anthea Robson gave a talk on book-binding. Robert White, a stalwart of the Society in Scotland for many years spoke on Parsimonious Printing - very appropriate for a Scottish Meeting! The sale was well supported by local traders, supplemented by the usual sales of member's equipment, anything not sold was entered into the auction - always a popular features due to the real bargains which can be made.
The Annual General Meeting proved to be a lively affair effectively controlled by the chairmanship of the President. Ron Watson was re-elected as President, with Chris Green being elected as Vice-President. New appearances on the EC were Steve Hubbard as Secretary and Tony Jewell as Councillor (also acting as Advertising Manager).
Some Photographs taken at the Convention are presented below:
