1. STAFF CONTACTS HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT Joanna Horton J_Horton@imeche.org INTERNATIONAL MEMBER DEVELOPMENT Iman Kouchouk iman_kouchouk@imeche.org iman_kouchouk@imeche.org INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Tom Owen T_Owen@imeche.org COMMUNICATIONS Kevin Manning K_Manning@imeche.org Committee golden rules EUROPE REGION

2. Setting up a Committee ESSENTIALS Constitution Use the one from Spain or Switzerland as basis and edit to suit local country requirements. Minimum size 5: Chairman – ideally FEng (CEng if none) Vice Chairman Treasurer - CEng Secretary Young Members representative Local bank account Inaugural AGM between February and May (inform members well enough in advance!). Official election of first Committee at AGM. Communication to HQ of results. RECOMMENDATIONS Hold an initial meeting with the proposed Committee to establish a way of working. Set up an initial event to judge the membership response in the country. Identify the geographical split of membership in the country. Identify your key enablers (e.g. Industry, Universities, Young Members). Contact other Committees in the Europe Region via the ‘Near you’ links on the IMechE web page for support and advice. Golden rules for Committee set-up and leadership Running Committee meetings ESSENTIALS Select a location which is easily accessible for all Committee members and where you can have some privacy (a quiet pub or an office of one of the committee members). At the beginning, use face-to-face meetings and avoid the use of audio (Webex, BT Meetme) or Skype as it’s important to build relationships. Set up SMART objectives for the different Committee members. Use the Committee members to set up initial technical visits or lectures. Remember to keep good records of expenses (note: expenses for the initial meetings can generally be claimed). RECOMMENDATIONS The first year is all about establishing the ground work: setting up a good way of working and allocating who does what in the committee. Establish links with HQ to provide support and set up the mailing lists. Understand your membership: where they are and what do they want. There are no stupid questions. Ask other Committees for help when you need it. After 1 year with a Committee ESSENTIALS Hold an AGM between February and May every year (inform members well enough in advance!). Official election of committee at AGM. Official auditing of annual accounts at AGM. Communication of results to HQ. RECOMMENDATIONS As far as possible, re-elect the same Committee: continuity is key at the beginning. Launch additional support activities to enlarge the Committee e.g.: Industrial Liaison Officer. Academic Liaison Officer. Young Member Representative. Retired Member Officer. If your country has difficulties due to travelling or distance, launch local support groups to cover the pockets of membership. Try to organise at least 4 events (1 per quarter) plus an annual dinner. Organize networking events in addition to the regular Committee meetings in order to involve more people. No subject is off the books when it comes to visits, conferences or lectures – the only basic rule is that it should be engineering-related. Ask other Committees for lecturers they can pass on to you. EUROPE REGION www.imeche.orgImproving the world through engineering