Minutes of IMCoS AGM 2024
Draft for approval at 2025 AGM
Meeting Held on Saturday 15th June 2024 at the Royal Geographical Society (RGS), London, UK.
Executive Committee members present were:
Mike Sweeting – MS (Chairman)
Cinzia Viviani – CV (Treasurer)
Ljiljana Ortolja-Baird – LOB (Editor & Web Coordinator)
Wesley Brown – WB (International Chairman)
Mark Clark- MC (General Secretary)
Apologies
Peter Walker – PW (Financial & Membership Administration & Web Coordinator)
Jenny Harvey – JH (Advertising Manager & Web Coordinator)
Christine Rafalko – CR (Member at large)
Mark Rogers – MR
A total of 10 other members were present. Apologies from Francis Herbert.
1 Chairman’s opening remarks and Welcome – MS
MS welcomed EXCOM and society members to the meeting. It was noted that attendance was lower than in 2023 but with a much wider age range! Apologies were received and accepted from those listed above The Chair explained the Constitutional requirements of an annual AGM as a report to members regarding the preceding year, not the current one.
2 Approval of Minutes of AGM 2023 – MS
2023 minutes were made available on the website the statutory time prior to the AGM. Hard copy was circulated to those present. The Chairman highlighted the fact that last year was one of change with four EXCOM member positions up for renewal. He reminded those present that a number of international matters were in progress during the year, and that it had also been carried unanimously that the Society’s annual subscription should go up. (This appears to have little or no effect on subscription renewal rates, as we will see.) Comments were invited at this point. No comments made.
The adoption of the minutes of the AGM 2023 was proposed by LOB and seconded by CV. The minutes were deemed to be a true record and duly approved.
3 Chairman’s Annual Report – MS
The full text of the Chairman’s annual report is available to members on the IMCoS website. The Chair told members that although the AGM report is on the year 2023, the Committee was happy to answer questions on matters to date. Also, updates on membership and accounts at this AGM will be correct up to May 2024 due to the reporting method previously in use. MS read the report in full.
4 Treasurer’s Report and Presentation of Annual Accounts for 2023 – CV
All those present were given a written Financial Summary of 2023, which was then ran through by CV. She reported that the Symposium and the International Map Fair have raised interest in the society, which has been reflected in the finances to a degree. Income to December 31st 2023 was £38,751 – slightly higher than the previous year of £37,617. Despite a modest increase of £936 in the cost of editing and admin fees, a modest profit of £1,047 for the year was still registered. Although membership subscription went up in 2023 by £923, there was a decrease of £416 in advertising (combined journal and website). This suggests it would be wise to discover new ways of generating income on advertising. Possibilities suggested included increasing the rate for web banners to actively seeking new formal sponsors. Strong reserves have been retained in the bank account, as well as an unexpected £1,712 in bank interest being received, (compared to a mere £326 in 2022). As there was no June Reception as there had been in 2022, such related costs were not incurred and there were no additional costs at all to the Society from the 2023 International Symposium in Helsinki. The UK national event in May produced a modest profit of £163. The annual figure for website costs included enhancements for security and a billing add-on, in order to be able to receive increased membership fees from Institutions; (now £75 per annum rather than the £60 standard subscription).
A separate mechanism on the web site for donations has been added, knowing the generosity of our members. We continued to support the Warburg Institute lecture programme with £200 in 2023 and will do so again in 2024. We received a donation of £350 from the 2023 International Map Fair, (down from the generous £800 of 2022, which had been increased because of the Covid gap).
EXCOM has agreed to repairs to the Sea Atlas in the society’s possession, at a cost of £500, to prepare it for future sale. Our independent examiner, Mr Jeremy Edwards, kindly agreed to review and approve the accounts to 31st December 2023. MS and LOB have agreed to be added as bank signatories in place of Mrs Valerie Newby and Mr David Dare.
CV then invited any questions re the accounts.
The Chair informed the AGM that reserves amount to £94,000 which gives scope for exploring how to market more effectively in the next 2 to 3 years. Members were also asked to note that by the end of May 2024, membership income from subscriptions was already £18,730 – with seven months still to go. The total in the previous year was £20,674! He noted how well Journal production costs have been controlled, despite materials being more expensive. Thanks were due to LOB for this.
5 Journal Editor’s Report – LO-B
The four 2023 journals were published on time without any difficulties. Contributions came in equal numbers from authors in Europe, UK, USA, and Asia, with a few from members in Australia and Africa – which keeps that ‘international’ word in the title well alive. These articles covered a wide range of map history topics and geographical areas. It is hoped that readers will enjoy this diversity and find something of interest in the issues. There have been no changes in editorial operations. LOB is in her 11th year as editor and Bobby Birchall is in his 6th year as typesetter. Henry Ling Ltd has handled the printing for 10 years, and Francis Herbert continues as Consultant Editor. LOB is happy with the team. The major change has been in the number of advertisers. In 2013 there were 30 and this number remained fairly consistent until 2020 when it fell significantly. Sadly, the decline in numbers of advertisers continues, despite the small effect on income, and the last issue was down to 18 advertisers. The trend is obvious and looks like it will have a continuing financial consequence. However, it also impacts on the amount of content needed to fill 64 pages, which is the ideal number in terms of printing and mailing costs. It was observed at the previous AGM that printing costs were rising. In fact, the full costs of the most recent issue came to approximately £4,600, of which £2,570 is the cost of paper and printing; and £1,900 is postage. Unless more advertisers are sourced, and perhaps more is done regarding marketing, it could become difficult to meet the rising costs.
6 Website and membership report – MS for PW
PW has provided the figures up to May 2024 – circulated to the meeting as hard copy. (Chair showed PW’s graphs of membership which illustrate the changes.)
MS explained that this is useful in one sense as members have a May-on-May comparison over 5 to 6 years. However, it does not correspond with the reporting year, or the financial year, which is a source of confusion. Membership was 426 people in 2019, and it is 387 as of the end of May 2024. 75% of that loss is from Germany and the UK. Five years ago, UK membership was 114 and is now 101, the main cause being death. Germany was 27 and is now 19. MS feels that in the future, the role of active National Representatives can have a significant effect on numbers. In the same period there has been a small rise in membership in the US and in Australia.
97% of membership are now contactable by email, which helps costs, speed and number of possible contacts to members. Institutional memberships have risen slightly over the five years. Junior memberships (under 25) are low. Chair intends to look, with PW’s help, at the demographic of the age that people start as members to aid targeting potential new members.
7 International Matters – MS for WB
The symposium in Helsinki was well attended and the December 2023 journal has an excellent write up of the event. The Eastern Finland trip afterwards took members right up to the border with Russia and was a wonderful experience. The 2024 Symposium is scheduled for Valetta, Malta in October, from the 14th to 19th 2024 – a 4 day conference followed by a one day trip to the island of Gozo. The hosts are the Malta Map Society, with Joseph Schiro chairing. The Maltese members are enthusiastic and supporting in good numbers already. Each day has excellent speakers. The next Symposium will be in Portland, Maine, in the north east of the US, 11th to 14th September 2025, with an optional post-conference three day tour of the area. The title of the conference is ‘Reflections and New Perspectives in Mapping Maine’ with additional focus on New England and Canada. Canada was initially considered as a venue, but Maine was eventually chosen because of their willingness and ability to host. The Osher Map Library is an excellent collection and a centre for cartographical research with a very active education programme. EXCOM are considering the future direction after 2025. Recently, the Japan Map Society proposed a visit, which they would organise, although this is still in initial stages of discussion. WB concluded by stressing the importance of having keen National Representatives and listed the recent new reps in Hong Kong, Iceland, Japan, Malaysia, Canada, Eastern and Western USA.
9 Any Other Business – MS
The Chair invited items of AOB.
One new attendee introduced himself. He is a retired neurologist from Genoa who loves maps and is keen to be more involved in our Society. He would also like to increase interest in maps in Italy.
Regarding the advertising issue, it was noted that Jenny Harvey (who could not be with us) is in the process of looking for new advertisers and marketing opportunities. It was suggested that one issue is the smaller number of medium-sized UK map dealers. LOB also commented that many dealers are now not exclusively in maps but also sell antique prints and/or rare books. Also, their use of Social Media has increased, while ours is still hindered by lack of a suitable person to promote the Society this way.
10 Close and thanks – MS
The Chair thanked members for their attendance and contributions. He closed the AGM at 11.24am to facilitate preparations for the opening of the London Map Fair.
