I'm Giving You The Business (Again)
Mar. 6th, 2006 11:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kevin_standleeI've been offered (and I've accepted) the job of Chairman of the 2007 Worldcon Business Meeting, taking place at Nippon 2007, next year's Worldcon. This does mean that I'll be chairing two consecutive Worldcon Business Meetings, which some people say is bad form and/or is bad for the WSFS legislative system; however, Nippon 2007 knew I was chairing the L.A.con IV meeting, I think, and took that into account when they offered me the job, and I'm grateful to accept. (Besides, I chaired the 2002 and 2003 meetings and heard no complaints about consecutive chairmanships then. If it's really that troublesome, surely someone would have brought it to my attention.)
This will be the fourth country in which I've chaired a WSFS Business Meeting (USA, UK, Canada, and now Japan) and my fifth time in the hot seat overall (1995 Glasgow, 2002 San Jose, 2003 Toronto, 2006 Anaheim, 2007 Yokohama). I think only two other living people (Tim Illingworth and Don Eastlake) have presided over meetings in more than one country. (I include the caveat about "living" as Bruce Pelz presided over the meetings in The Hague as well as several US Worldcons. Before then, I have no records and do not know what happened.)
I've also held all of the other head table positions (Deputy Chair and/or Parliamentarian, Secretary, Timekeeper) at least once. Indeed, since the late Ross Pavlac gave me my "big break" and accepted me at Timekeeper of the 1991 Business Meeting in Chicago, the only years I have not on the head table in some function are 1999 Melbourne (was leading the BDP Split amendment team), 2004 (involved with 2-year lead time amendment), and 2005 (Events/WSFS Division Manager; couldn't double-hat, and beisdes, Tim Illingworth had dibs on the job).
The complete list through next year is:
1991 Timekeeper
1992 Timekeeper
1993 Parliamentarian
1994 Parliamentarian
1995 Chairman
1996 Deputy Chair/Parliamentarian
1997 Secretary
1998 Timekeeper [Emergency Holographic]
1999 [Not on head table]
2000 Deputy Chair/Parliamentarian
2001 Deputy Chair/Parliamentarian
2002 Chairman
2003 Chairman
2004 [Not on head table]
2005 [Not on head table]
2006 Chairman
2007 Chairman
A story I've told before is how I was first allowed onto the head table by Ross Pavlac. At that time (early 1991), I was probably viewed as, at best, a West Coast version of Robert Sacks, a notorious Business Meeting gadfly, and Bruce Pelz made up his Standing Rule Two, which was "Shut Up, Kevin" (Rule One was "Shut up, Robert") due to my hogging the floor on minor technical matters. Ross came to the 1991 BayCon. I mentioned to him that I'd seen an item in the Chicon V progress report advertising for a Business Meeting Timekeeper, and that I'd be interested in applying for it.
He asked, "What is the one piece of equipment the Timekeeper must have?"
Wondering if this was a trick question, I answered, "A stopwatch?"
"You're hired," he said. Apparently a previous Business Meeting with which he'd been involved had been delayed by a would-be timekeeper failing to bring any sort of timekeeping device.
I bought a stopwatch for the 1991 Worldcon Business Meeting. I still have it. In fact, I think probably the majority of Worldcons since then have used that stopwatch, which I keep brining with me along with the (now rather the worse for wear) bell to sound when time runs out. I've only had to replace the battery in the stopwatch once or twice that I recall, but then, I don't use it for much of anything else. (I also bought the gavel that is the current Gavel of WSFS, but that's another story.)
I thank Nippon 2007 for entrusting me with such an important position, and, as I've done in the past, hope to live up to that trust.
This will be the fourth country in which I've chaired a WSFS Business Meeting (USA, UK, Canada, and now Japan) and my fifth time in the hot seat overall (1995 Glasgow, 2002 San Jose, 2003 Toronto, 2006 Anaheim, 2007 Yokohama). I think only two other living people (Tim Illingworth and Don Eastlake) have presided over meetings in more than one country. (I include the caveat about "living" as Bruce Pelz presided over the meetings in The Hague as well as several US Worldcons. Before then, I have no records and do not know what happened.)
I've also held all of the other head table positions (Deputy Chair and/or Parliamentarian, Secretary, Timekeeper) at least once. Indeed, since the late Ross Pavlac gave me my "big break" and accepted me at Timekeeper of the 1991 Business Meeting in Chicago, the only years I have not on the head table in some function are 1999 Melbourne (was leading the BDP Split amendment team), 2004 (involved with 2-year lead time amendment), and 2005 (Events/WSFS Division Manager; couldn't double-hat, and beisdes, Tim Illingworth had dibs on the job).
The complete list through next year is:
1991 Timekeeper
1992 Timekeeper
1993 Parliamentarian
1994 Parliamentarian
1995 Chairman
1996 Deputy Chair/Parliamentarian
1997 Secretary
1998 Timekeeper [Emergency Holographic]
1999 [Not on head table]
2000 Deputy Chair/Parliamentarian
2001 Deputy Chair/Parliamentarian
2002 Chairman
2003 Chairman
2004 [Not on head table]
2005 [Not on head table]
2006 Chairman
2007 Chairman
A story I've told before is how I was first allowed onto the head table by Ross Pavlac. At that time (early 1991), I was probably viewed as, at best, a West Coast version of Robert Sacks, a notorious Business Meeting gadfly, and Bruce Pelz made up his Standing Rule Two, which was "Shut Up, Kevin" (Rule One was "Shut up, Robert") due to my hogging the floor on minor technical matters. Ross came to the 1991 BayCon. I mentioned to him that I'd seen an item in the Chicon V progress report advertising for a Business Meeting Timekeeper, and that I'd be interested in applying for it.
He asked, "What is the one piece of equipment the Timekeeper must have?"
Wondering if this was a trick question, I answered, "A stopwatch?"
"You're hired," he said. Apparently a previous Business Meeting with which he'd been involved had been delayed by a would-be timekeeper failing to bring any sort of timekeeping device.
I bought a stopwatch for the 1991 Worldcon Business Meeting. I still have it. In fact, I think probably the majority of Worldcons since then have used that stopwatch, which I keep brining with me along with the (now rather the worse for wear) bell to sound when time runs out. I've only had to replace the battery in the stopwatch once or twice that I recall, but then, I don't use it for much of anything else. (I also bought the gavel that is the current Gavel of WSFS, but that's another story.)
I thank Nippon 2007 for entrusting me with such an important position, and, as I've done in the past, hope to live up to that trust.
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no subject
Date: 2006-03-07 03:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-07 05:10 pm (UTC)You know, in 1993, we thought we might actually need a Sergeant-at-Arms, which has otherwise been a rarely-needed and mostly-ceremonial post. There was sufficient rancor building up over the Chris Carrier Affair that we'd recruited people to be ready in case we had to actually expel someone from the room.
The main reason we don't have a Sergeant-at-Arms (not since "Staff Sergeant-at-Arms TR Smith last carried the can of mace -- the spice, not the thing you spray into someone's face or a bludgeon -- into a meeting some years ago) is that we have no jobs for that person to do. Now if a BM chair found someone willing to do a bunch of meeting setup like seeing to the catering, working with the Secretary to make sure the meeting papers are properly distributed, etc., then I might consider appointing him/her to the position, but it still wouldn't be head-table, because the officer's task keeps him/her on the meeting floor.
no subject
Date: 2006-03-07 06:57 pm (UTC)swords
Date: 2006-03-07 07:54 pm (UTC)I remember the incident but not the details.
I do have a sword (or several) that can be loaned for the purpose. i suppose the duties that you are suggesting a SAA to do would currently be undertaken by the secretary. Which is a pity since it would be really cool to be the WSFS SAA
Sparks
Re: swords
Date: 2006-03-07 08:06 pm (UTC)The current Serjeant-at-arms in ordinary(the MOD's spelling) is a Major general.
I think he gets to slam the doors in Black Rods face. there are other Serjeants in arms who do the day to day security. The websites aren't very clear on the matter
S
Re: swords
Date: 2006-03-07 08:19 pm (UTC)I have a feeling that brandishing a sword might be frowned upon by the convention weapons policy, though.
Re: swords
Date: 2006-03-07 08:24 pm (UTC):{
actually maybe this is something to discuss with the secretary, as you say I'd be quiet happy to help out, sorting stuff out for the BM. I've not really got a job this worldcon partly since I'm not sure what I'd be doing if I did win TAFF. But since I'd be probably sneaking off to the BM anyway...
S
Re: swords
Date: 2006-03-07 08:38 pm (UTC)Re: swords
Date: 2006-03-08 12:35 am (UTC)Seriously, the Secretary might appreciate someone standing by the door and telling people what papers to pick up (given that many of them can't read the signs no matter how big they are). The Secretary of this year's meeting is Pat McMurray.
Sparks, you've signed yourself out of LJ, in case you didn't notice.
Re: swords
Date: 2006-03-08 10:01 am (UTC)*shudders* I had to take a giant spanner through after the 1995 Worldcon, and that was in my checked luggage. Ghod only knows what they would have made of it today.
Gone are the days that i could fly to Greece from London Heathrow with a parachute and an Ammo box (with explosives warning stickers on it) full of tools (It had this stickers since It was my pyro box normally) Nobody batted an eyelid.
I'll probably talk to Pat at Eastercon and see what he'd like done.
S