PROCESS FOR ELECTING CHAIRPERSON OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
After the election of new members for the Board of Directors is completed, the current chair or designee will inquire of the board members as to their interest in serving in the position of chairperson. This inquiry will be conducted by email and a specified amount of time, limited to a maximum of five days, will be stated in the email.
A board member may place his/her name in nomination or be nominated by another board member. If the nomination is made by another person the Chair or designee will inquire of the nominated person as to their willingness to serve if elected. No person who wishes not to serve in the Chair position shall have their name placed on the ballot.
Once all nominations are received the Chair or designee will make out a ballot and mail to all board members. If any individual received votes from a majority of board members on the first ballot then that person will be the Chair for the following 12 months beginning on May 1. If no one receives a majority on the first ballot then the Chair or designee will place the names of the top two finishers on a ballot and have a runoff election for the position.
The tally of votes for each candidate will be a matter of record and provided to all members of the board.
This policy was passed by the board of directors November 30, 2016
DONATION ACCOUNT PROTECTION
A unanimous vote by the LBHA Board of Directors will be required to spend, invest, transfer, or remove any funds from the LBHA Donation account for any reason.
This motion was passed by the board of directors February 22, 2023.
ANNUAL CONFERENCE PROJECT OFFICER GUIDELINES
Our Annual Conferences are open only to our members and their guests. The dates and locations will be with the approval of the Board of Directors after the Site Selection Committee has submitted choices to the board at its annual meeting two years prior to the conference. If the Site Selection does not submit choices the Board of Directors will appoint a Project Officer (PO).
There is no requirement that Conferences must be held in June. However, the conference is not to interfere with the June 25 anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. If a western conference is scheduled for June or early July it must be within a one day drive of the Little Big Horn Battlefield, i..e., Billings, MT; Sheridan, WY; Bismarck, ND; or Rapid City, SD. A conference at one of these locations should be held either the week before the anniversary or the week after. Every effort will be made to coordinate with the Custer Battlefield Historical & Museum Association so as to avoid coinciding with its annual meeting in Hardn, MT. The CBHMA always holds its meeting the weekend closest to the anniversary of the battle. The LBHA will hold western conferences at sites other than those mentioned above but they will be held on dates that pose no interference for members who want to be at the Little Bighorn Battlefield on or near the battle anniversary date.
Conferences will be held west of the Mississippi River in odd numbered years and east of the Mississippi River in even numbered years unless otherwise approved by the Board of Directors. Our conference must be held at a location that has a strong connection to the Custer story. In approving conference sites, the Board of Directors will give consideration to site accessibility (airport) and adequate conference center facilities and lodging.
PROJECT OFFICER
Once a Project Officer has volunteered, and been approved to run an Annual Conference, their first responsibility is to select a Co-Project Officer to assist in the planning and implementation of the conference. It is imperative that a Co-Project Officer be appointed. In the event the PO becomes unable to perform his/her duties the Co-Project officer will take over.
In order for the PO to understand what our conferences are about it should be necessary that they have attended past conferences and obtained a final report of prior conference from the Chairman of the Board of Directors (Chairman). POs may enlist volunteers to help, with the approval of the Chairman, and the PO will be responsible for monitoring the progress of any volunteer.
HOTEL CONFERENCE CENTER
After site and dates of the conference have been selected it is necessary to get an approved conference center/hotel under contract for guest rooms. ALL financial arrangements must be cleared with the Chairman before contracts are finalized. This includes, but is not limited to: hotels and food service. Before entering into any agreement the contract must be reviewed by the Chairman and our LBHA attorney before they are signed.
The hotel/conference center selected should have lodging blocked out to accommodate all our projected registrants at a “preferred” LBHA room rate. The hotels will normally hold this room rate to be offered from Tuesday through Sunday. The PO should negotiate strongly to not have to pay for meeting rooms at the hotel. The PO should tell hotel management that the amount our group will spend on drinks and food should more than cover the cost of meeting rooms.
Adequate facilities for programs/presentations, food service, awards banquet, book/sale room, and auction. Arrangements should be made to have a “secure room” for conference and auction items (mugs,cups, programs, auction items, name badges, and misc items). Ascertain that there are no competing events on Saturday that would negatively impact the programs/presentations and the awards banquet due to excessive noise.
Keep in mind that hotel/conference center locations should be convenient and within safe walking distance of local restaurants (for those without vehicles) if possible. Hotels should provide courtesy airport shuttle for both arrivals and departures.
FINANCIAL
The LBHA has an established Conference checking account with a beginning balance of $600 for start up capital. Reimbursements will be made to POs, upon presentation of valid receipts, if advance deposits or payments need to be made by credit card by the PO. At the conference prior to yours you will be required to make a full report to the board at the general membership meeting as to your general conference plans/tours.
Following the conference the PO will be responsible for making a final financial report that includes all revenue, expenses, and auction proceeds. This report may also include any suggestions for future POs with regard to your successes and areas for improvement. The financial report is to be submitted to the Chairman within 30 days of the end of the conference.
Your budget should be calculated to show a reasonable surplus remaining at the conclusion of the conference. The budgeted surplus is needed for unforeseen contingencies and/or for a small profit. Do not attempt to budget a large surplus at the expense of member attendance.
AUCTION
The PO should make a plea in the December and March Newsletter for items to be donated to the auction. This should be separate from the news release concerning the general conference,
The auction (silent and live) will be held Friday evening at 7:00 pm. Silent auction tables will be needed and spaced around the perimeter of the room. A podium and microphone will be required for the auctioneer. Volunteers will be required to setup the room, expedite the proceedings, and collect the funds.
Funds received from the auction are NOT conference funds. Auction funds should be turned over to the Chairman immediately following the auction. The Chairman will be responsible for seeing that auction funds are deposited into the LBHA checking or business savings account as soon as possible (preferably the following day).
A cash bar should be provided during the auction.
REGISTRATION FORM
The registration form is extremely important. A sample will be provided, as an example, by each PO to their successor. Registration forms should be ready to be mailed with the December Newsletter and again in the March Newsletter. There should be an incentive for members to get their registration (and funds) in early. It is suggested that a lottery system to give away a “free” room (or 2) at the conference for all who register by a certain date (typically 6 weeks prior to the start of the conference) be implemented. The hotels will usually give the LBHA complimentary rooms based on total rooms sold. The POs have historically been a beneficiary of this perquisite. After the deadline date for the lottery eligibility there should be a “late registration fee”. This really helps to get a reliable attendee number well ahead of the conference to aid the PO in final preparations.
The registration fee should be set to the lowest point possible to encourage as many members as possible to attend. It should not be set so low as to not cover conference expenses. The fee should be itemized on the registration form to allow members to make selections for their spouse/partner/guests if they do not want the entire full registration package. Book room dealers who register will be charged a fee, in addition to their registration for their table(s) which is typically a minimum of $30 per table.
On the registration form an email address is required because as they are received an email confirmation needs to be sent to the registrant. The registration form should also include a place for attendees to note if they will be using a wheel chair or other handicap devices on tour buses. The bus company should be notified of all needed accommodations.
REGISTRATION AT HOTEL
Member registration should take place at a visible location (lobby) in the hotel beginning Wednesday afternoon at check-in time and continue through Thursday.
A member “welcome” bag should be given to each member and guest, who pay for the “full” registration. The welcome bag should also include: local information, programs, mug/cup, and any other pertinent information. Local Chamber of Commerce or Tourism Bureau normally is glad to supply the bags and local information.
Signage should be on prominent display welcoming LBHA members to the Annual Conference. A “special” welcome to “First Timers” is strongly encouraged.
BUSES/TOURS
As bus tours have become a major expense of our conferences, bear in mind distance of travel and time involved. Bus trips should be planned not to exceed six hours. If there is an optional tour on Thursday it should conclude at a time so the members can be back at the hotel in time to have dinner and attend the board of directors meeting.
Contract for coach buses and be sure the buses have restrooms and a working speaker system. Each bus will have its own “tour guide” (LBHA member preferred) and someone to monitor the proper count so we do not leave anyone behind. Ascertain, for budget purposes, from tour locations any entrance fees and if they are per person or per bus (Custer Battlefield is per bus). Be aware of handicapped accessible, or not, at tour locations. Be sure of opening and closing times of tour locations and limits on numbers admitted at one time. That also applies to any lunch locations you may use as it could cause a delay in seating everyone together. With regard to gratuity you should work with bus company for guidance,.
If there is an optional tour on Thursday it will be separate from the full registration and itemized as such on the registration form.
ADVERTISING
There should be a press release in the first LBHA Newsletter following the annual conference (usually September) followed by additional information in the December and March Newsletters and on the LBHA website. Design the registration form, with final approval of the Chairman, and have copies enclosed in the December and March LBHA Newsletters and on the website as well.
NAME TAGS
The name tags should include names of registrants and guest (LARGE font), town and state (smaller font), number of annual conference, and a graphic consistent with the theme of the conference. The name tags should be sized to fully fit the name badge holders.
“Ribbons” should be attached to the bottom of the badge holders designating: (Chairman, Board Member, Project Officer, Presenter/Speaker, First Timers, Officers, Secretary/Treasurer, Newsletter Editor, Research Review Editor, etc.). This printing could be done on the name tags if you prefer.
PROGRAMS/ITINERARY
We should always have a quality color printed program (Four Star Printing, the LBHA preferred printer, has done these for years and knows what we need). The program cover should be consistent with the conference theme and the interior should include a detailed conference itinerary (meals & tour(s), with times, locations, program speakers and topics).
MUGS/CUPS
The only souvenir that is required is a commemorative mug/cup. The mugs are normally ordered by the dozen. As the mugs/cups need to be ordered in advance of your knowing the final conference attendee number, you may have to order an extra dozen as a “cushion” to be safe. It is recommended that the mugs/cups be designed consistent with the theme of the conference.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
The annual Board of Director’s and general membership meeting will be held Thursday with theatre style seating and the dais large enough to accommodate the Board and recording secretary. There must be an American flag in the room. The Board meeting is to begin at 6 pm.
WELCOME RECEPTION
A welcome reception is to be held following the Board of Director’s meeting on Thursday evening. Though the welcome reception is for all LBHA members a special emphasis is to be made to welcome the First Time attendees, including special recognition and a group photo for purposes of the Newsletter.
The PO should use this reception to outline the conference and remind attendees as to the departure time of the Friday morning tour. A cash bar should also be provided.
FOOD SERVICE
Thursday breakfast and dinner are typically on your own. Those members/guests on an optional tour will receive lunch as part of their tour fee.
Friday breakfast is normally, but not always, provided in the full registration prior to loading out for the bus tour. It is encouraged to provide a breakfast in order to make certain folks are in the hotel prior to leaving on the tour. Lunch will be included in the Friday bus tour as well. A Friday night buffet dinner is suggested before the Auction. This keeps the members from getting scattered around town at different restaurants and missing the Auction.
Saturday breakfast and lunch are “on your own”. The annual awards banquet is held Saturday night and is typically a sit down plated premium dinner including Prime Rib or equivalent, choice of seafood, and/or vegetarian dinner (if available) and is to be specified on the registration form.
Tickets should be printed for each included meal. For all included meals at the hotel, except the banquet, the PO must assign someone to collect meal tickets to ensure no one eats who did not pay and you are not charged for extra meals by the hotel. For the Saturday banquet meal tickets should be printed that contain the meal choice (Beef, Chicken, Fish, etc.) to aid the servers and show proof of purchase.
A cash bar should be provided at the pre banquet reception and during the banquet.
No alcoholic beverage service will be included in registration. All alcoholic beverage consumption will be the responsibility of the individual through cash bar service.
ANNUAL AWARDSD BANQUET
There is no need for a speaker at the awards banquet. The PO will welcome members and introduce the Chairman of the Board of Directors. There is normally recognition of the Board, officers, first time attendees, military veterans and special guests. Committee chairmen will recognize and award recipients.
Period dress is always encouraged and a special photo is taken to be included in the Newsletter.
There should be a podium with microphone, any audio/visual aids needed, tables to hold recipient awards, and an American flag.
SPEAKERS/PRESENTERS
There MUST be at least one speaker presenting a topic on the Battle of the Little Big Horn. You can consider a panel discussion on this topic as opposed to one speaker. Speakers should be limited to a presentation of no more than 45 minutes to allow time for Q&A. It is the responsibility of the PO to keep speakers on the allotted time schedule. Presenters are encouraged to use audio/visual aids in their programs. All programs and speakers should be cleared with the Chairman before making any commitments. We do not pay honorariums for speakers and it is strongly suggested that speakers should be selected from membership is possible. It is suggested that speakers/presenters be limited to 4 (2 in morning and 2 in afternoon).
The lecture room is to be set up with theater-style seating.
BOOK ROOM
The book room will consist of tables for registered dealers and an area of chairs for members to gather. There will be prominent signage to direct people to the Book Room. The book room must be a secure area that can be locked.
It is the duty of the Chairman to make certain the PO is presented with a copy of these guidelines and to answer any questions the PO may have.
This policy was passed by the Board of Directors on April 9, 2022