Dear members,
Following our General Assembly 2021, which was moved online, we are sending you the documents as well as a form for the vote. Please note that the deadline is on 31 December. The results will be communicated with the minutes at the beginning of 2022.
Here is a brief summary of the various items on the agenda of the General Assembly 2021.
The minutes were sent to you at the beginning of the year. They are attached to this email again.
Many of the planned activities for 2020 had to be postponed or moved online. The Spectrum Weekend in particular, could not take place. However, a very successful and well-attended Spectrum Lunch with Pro Helvetia took place in September 2020, a format that will continue in the future. The General Assembly and What's Next 2021 had to be moved online, and resulted in an increased attendance, in particular from an international audience. This edition of What's Next is still available on YouTube. The board warmly thanks ECAL and its team for the very efficient and smooth organisation.
In 2021, we faced similar restrictions, but a Spectrum Day could take place at ETH Bildarchiv in August, on the theme of archives, and encompassed a presentation of recent projects of the ETH Bildarchiv, a round table on the future of digital archives, and two artist talks with Batia Suter and David Dufresne. Around 45 people attended (the morning was members only and the afternoon open to the public). We held a second Spectrum Lunch with Estelle Sohier. One Spectrum lunch with Présence Suisse had to be postponed to the beginning of 2022 due to low inscriptions during a busy week of September, and a second one, on best practices exchange during the pandemic, was cancelled due to low interest. What's Next 2022 could be maintained in person in Geneva, while the GA was moved to online as a full day with a catered lunch was not compatible with the new mask mandate in Geneva, nor very safe considering the sanitary situation.
The account report for 2020 is here.
It resulted in a loss of 2'856.61 CHF, which is in large part the result of an increased workload for the events coordinator due to moving the main events of the year to online formats. As the association still had provisions, this loss doesn't result in debts for the association. Thanks to the efforts of the treasurer, Barbara Spalinger Zumbühl, to track the payment of the membership fees and send reminders when necessary, the income from membership fees is at a much higher level than in previous years, as almost every member has paid their fees.
Hilar Stadler, our account auditor, has approved the accounts and recommends that the accounts are approved and that the GA gives discharge to the board.
The budgets for 2021 and 2022 are linked.
Thanks to an increased income from membership fees, as well as the support of one foundation, and no special expenses for 2021, the budget is expected to result in a modest profit, which can be invested in the projects of future years.
The budget for 2022 is at equilibrium. The budget for 2022 encompasses all the envisaged projects for the year to come, but the programme might still change, especially in the context of the pandemic. It will be communicated at the beginning of 2022.
We have received the application of 8 organisations and 6 individuals across Switzerland. This interest is extremely positive and testifies to the interest of the association for a broad range of institutions and professionals.
The board recommends the approval of each collective and individual member who applied, and has no reservation about any of the applicants. Their names, titles, and websites are available in the form, and you are invited to vote separately for each of them.
Link for the vote: https://forms.gle/JtqhBQSmvVLqXQAv8
Deadline: 31.12.2021
For the Spectrum Board
Danaé Panchaud
President