UBUC

President's Guide

By Dave Liddament (Last updated by Trev and Ellen 2004-05)

1 Introduction:

Here is a list of all the stuff I did as president and all the things I wish I had done. Please make the effort to read it all, the only reason I did this is so that future presidents don't have to make the same mistakes I did and will hopefully do things I never thought of at the time.

I have written three sections; the first (section 2) is a diary of what I did and some observations. The second major section (section 3) goes through jobs and items in more detail, e.g. committee meetings. The final part (section 4) talks about things that I really would like to see done. If you have any questions then please don't hesitate to ask.

1.1 Description of Job

There are not many set jobs that you have to do as president; the role is what you make it. The things you do need to do are:

1. Organise committee meetings and to see that stuff gets down, not necessarily do it. 2. Go to captains meetings – either the DO or President has to be a student to comply with AU regulations. In the case of the President not being a student, the DO should be the Club Captain. 3. Plan the calendar of events for each term. 4. The President’s Project - this is something big that you want to change or look in to. The two major things I wanted to achieve were establishing the calendar of events and look into a club-towing vehicle. I also wanted to reduce the amount of crap on the mailing lists. I managed to achieve all my aims with varying amounts of success. 5. President’s Bulletin – not essential but a really good way of making sure the club knows what’s going on and reminding people of things they need to do, plus opportunity to advertise kit for sale etc.

2 Diary:

2.1 May/June

Get both new and old committee together to sit down for a meeting and work out what was done well, what was done badly and what could be improved. So much can be learnt from the previous committee. List all things suggested and then work out what each committee member can do in order to carry out improvements. It’s worth referring to the list of suggestions through out the year for a bit of guidance. Immediate jobs include:

1. The organisation of Skomer - this runs from the last week of term to the end of the first week of the holidays. See Skomer section later on. 2. Plan calendar of events for autumn term, see Calendar section. 3. Plan out lectures - TO + DO should do this, but make sure it is being done, this information is needed for the room bookings form, very important if you want any rooms for next year – make sure that someone has received and filled out the room booking form. 4. Make sure that the Direct Feed team start work ready to publish in Autumn Term 5. Update mailing list bris-ubuc-committee to have new committee on. 6. Make sure Treasure has filled in grant form - treasurer should have previous years copies. 7. Introduce yourself along with the D.O. to the AU chair and AU staff, so they know who you are. Particularly Lou Birbeck the Adminstrator, she is essentially God as the AU Chair changes so often.

There are also Club Captain & Treasurer training days in June.

2.2 July/August

There is plenty to do in the holidays, mainly continue to chase people up to do things for the calendar of events. Find trip organisers, people to run SDCs, etc. The other concern is FRESH, see Fresh section. Make sure that all van bookings for summer trips are confirmed with the Union at least a week beforehand.

Make sure the VP has booked PK and caravans for PK Pissup

2.3 September

Continue monitoring progress of Direct Feed, make sure the calendar of events is published in Direct Feed, you also need to do a version for the website. At this stage it’s good to make full use of the website – make sure someone is delegated to sort out the website by keeping it current. Get stuff to be copied in September, there will be a big rush in October when all the other clubs get back – a FRESH order form will go around, get a lot more copies of material than you think you will, otherwise frantic reprints will happen in the middle as you run out. Last year we contacted Diver and Dive and got them to send magazines to use so we could give them out at FRESH, well worth doing again I think – this was unsuccessful 2004-05 though.

2.4 October

FRESH. Prior to FRESH have a meeting with all those who will be on the FRESH stand. Run through possible questions that could be asked by potentially interested members. Make sure everyone is aware of what people with non-BSAC qualifications can do and what training they will need. I did a role play session which seemed to work very well. Make sure you stress the importance of getting people to fill in EVERYTHING on the membership form and medical. Make sure those helping on stand check the form thoroughly before they let a potential member leave – otherwise you’ll be spending the first month of term chasing people’s next of kin details or union card number. You need an intro meeting, normally on the Tuesday after FRESH. In the past this intro meeting has been very long and dull and has put people off. All that is actually required is a quick intro and an explanation of all the important facts that UBUC newcomers need to know. The introduction should not take more than 30 mins. Any longer people will get bored. One of Rob’s underwater videos is an excellent way of finishing the intro meeting, but don’t put it on for too long as people can nod off after a couple of minutes. Bring plenty of application forms and the receipt book along PLUS petty cash for those without chequebooks, we signed up more members after this meeting last year than we did at FRESH. This is mainly because we told anyone who was unsure to come along to the intro meeting. This is why the intro meeting must not be boring and should contain all the useful facts. The only things people need to know who are new to UBUC:

Training arrangements - (mention what PADI/ crossovers need to do as well as those who have never dived) Trips - (Mention when they are, how much they cost, point out that some are suitable for anyone with any diving qualification, this is very important) Kit Sale - Need to buy basic kit, kit sale is on (whenever), cost, etc. Socials - When, where, point out all are welcome Bit about the club - 2 boats, compressor, kit we have, the major trips we do, PK, Skomer, Summer expeditions, website. The committee - Each committee member introduces themselves and what they do. BSAC - Only that it is a diving agency, don't alienate PADI people - point out that we use BSAC as it is more suited to club environment. BSAC is a different system to PADI.

Most people in the club, myself included would have not joined if you tell them that after 3 years they will have spent in excess of £3000 on diving kit, trips, magazines, etc, etc, etc. I have to same I am very pleased nobody told me how much it would cost or I wouldn't be doing it and wouldn't have half the friends I have now, or half the fun. Keep the costs to specifically what they ask – How much is it to join? If they do want a deeper cost analysis compare the cost with an external non-BSAC course (PK charge £350 for PADI OW). As the years go on, more and more people have previous qualifications (PADI OW, AOW) and understand that it costs money.

Make the most of the weekends in October, a lot of good diving can get done this month, in 2000 we had 4 trips planned. PK Pissup is a big trip and very important – this falls under the organisational efforts of the VP, but it’s worth dropping an email to make sure it’s going OK (caravans booked etc). Might be worth doing another trip suitable for all abilities before PK piss-up, I was thinking of Skomer for a weekend. At the start of the year there are loads of people who join with diving experience, they want to go diving ASAP, this year there was only Swanage and PK that were suitable for all abilities, taking 30 or so people to Skomer for a weekend would be a very good freshers trip, please try this.

Things to do in October:

1. Make sure vice president has organised venue for Xmas meal, the earlier it is done the better the place will be and the better the price will be. Usually good to have somewhere with a late licence and a dance floor. 2. Sort out mailing lists over weekend after FRESH. 3. Fill in database (get all of the committee to help with this) 4. Go along to the highly interesting AU captains meetings 5. Get very pissed at all the socials and try and make every one feel welcome. 6. Fill in any grant forms you might need to do (Capital grant I think for this term) 7. At PK, make sure caravans are available for PK main AND BOOK THEM FIRMLY!

If you get through October and you still like diving, the committee are still talking to you and you think being president is the best thing you have every done then you are doing very well, keep up the good work! (if you don't feel that way nor did I but things can only get better!)

2.5 November

Stuff should start to ease off now, maybe time to do either your degree course or some of your President’s Project. As the weather becomes worse the number of trips will also reduce. Keep checking committee are all doing their jobs – TO and ETO (with supervision as necessary of DO) will have training running like a well-oiled machine and will give feedback through committee meetings. Also work out what any remaining money can be spent on.

2.6 December

Start looking into calendar of events for spring term, get stuff for Direct feed. Start doing both these jobs right at the start of December, they always take longer than expected. Get someone to start getting quotes for suit sale – probably the EO. If the EO is inexperienced, make sure someone scuba-savvy goes along with them to ensure a good deal. Xmas meal - get drunk, have fun, pull (a proven winning combination)

Also worth going with the DO to the DOC (Diving Officers Conference) - very enjoyable day out and you get to see what BSAC will chuck at you over the next year. Get treasurer to start collecting air bills/training bills at the start of December - a lot of people drop out after Christmas, so you might as well get all the money you can out of them at the start! You will also need to get someone (TO) to do the room bookings (forms from AU pigeonhole) for next term and go to the meeting.

Also hopefully have a week away somewhere warm for some nice tropical diving (I must be going soft).

2.7 January

Beginning of month make sure that the calendar of events is ready and on the web for the start of term. Do Direct Feed for start of term. Sort out PK dates and most importantly, Caravans. Start finding people to do a summer expedition, work out possible dates, stuff that happens in summer include NAS course (ask Tim Walsh), Skomer, summer expedition. Also have a review of finances (half year audit) with the AU, treasurer needs books up to date. Start suit sale, this means suits will definitely be in for PK and pre PK trips.

2.7 February

PK needs finalising now, check caravans are booked and then book vans, phone PK, advertise spaces. I did a lot of looking into the maximum numbers you could take on the PK trip. First weekend max 60, Rest of trip max of about 40, although this will be hard work 1.5 trainees for every Dive leader +. Try and encourage sports divers to get an IFC and OWIC before coming along otherwise they are just taking up space that could be used for trainees. Delegate most of the name collecting to the vice president as this should give them something to do. Also might be worth to have another social now.

2.9 March

Make sure you have everybody's PK money well in advance of PK. As a guide we made the deadline for collecting money 2 Fridays before PK. We also had a pre PK meeting 2 weeks before PK. This was used to pass on important info. Point out that it is early starts and you will have to do compressing etc. Good time to sort out lifts, etc. Give out standard PK handout. Try and run some trips that are for beginners who can't make it to PK, or who might want to get some extra diving in as well.

2.10 April/May

May is AGM month. Don't forget to advertise it well in advance (at least 6 weeks – 4 weeks official notice plus time for amendments to motions). Try and actively encourage people to get involved in running of the club, the more interest you spark up the better. Don't forget full agenda needs posting to the club 14 days in advance. AGM in week 23 of term, the day you pass on your responsibility to someone else. Then go out and party and pull (another proven winning combination) - the end of a year of hell has finally arrived. Don't forget however much you want to do it all over again on the night of the AGM it is not worth it. Having been president you can now sit back relax and pass on all your stresses to next years lot.

When it is all over try and not put your oar in too much, by all means answer questions and give advice but don't push things too much. However much you are trying to help, the next committee will only find it a hassle. Several ex-committee members have found it hard to let go in the past, try not to be one of them because at the end of the day you will probably cause more harm than good.

3.0 Specific points (in no particular order):

3.1 Very Important Points

These are suggestions that have been made to the committee and should be acted on.

1. Make sure that all the committee make notes, similar to this, as they go along, helps next years lot and should avoid the same mistakes being made year after year. Committee’s don’t actually do this so REMIND THEM REGULARLY! Maybe ask for updates sent to you so you actually have copies as they go along. 2. Use AU Union address for ALL correspondence. In the past people have used their personal addresses for stuff to be sent to. As people move on and move house at the end of each year these important letters don't get through. If everything goes through the student union then the above problem will be solved. Contact addresses: e-mail: bris-ubuc-committee@bristol.ac.uk mail: Underwater Club Athletic Union University of Bristol Union Queens Road Clifton Bristol BS8 1LN ALL EMAILS BETWEEN THE COMMITTEE, CLUB AND SUPPLIERS, UNION ETC MUST BE CCd TO THE COMMITTEE MAILING LIST – STRESS THIS POINT TO THE COMMITTEE, OTHERWISE YOU WON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON MOST OF THE TIME.

3.2 Calendar of events

This is one of my main aims for the year, to set up a calendar of events for each term. In previous years trips, SDCs and socials were organised as and when required. This meant that trips were often only advertised at most 2 weeks before it happened. Some people need a lot of notice of trips so they can plan not to do anything else that weekend. Also it always seemed to be only a few people who ever organised trips. Some people felt that if they didn't know anyone on the trip they couldn't go.

The calendar of events has many advantages:

1. Everybody knows when things are happening and they can plan accordingly. 2. Trips are planned and trip organisers can be found who wouldn't normally organise trips. (This year several people organised trips that wouldn’t have normally.) 3. Instructors for courses know when they are required and won't book to do other things. 4. People feel that the trips are open to everyone. 5. Experienced divers can be found to go on each trip.

There has been positive feedback to the calendar of events from members of UBUC, I strongly recommend that you keep it for future years. When you have a calendar remember to advertise events on it at least 2 weeks before they happen. These items should go on the weekly bulletins and in separate e-mails as required. Putting the calendar together is not overly complicated, here are tips from what I have learnt:

First work out everything that needs to happen in the term you are planning, trips, SDCs, instructor courses, socials, other events. Some of these things will have fixed dates, e.g. the social Score, ITCs. Fit these in first.Then fit everything else in.

SDCs need to be registered with BSAC two weeks before they happen, therefore it is best not to put them in the first 2 weeks of term. How long the will SDC take? Can it be done in an evening, spaced out over several evenings or done on a weekend?

Socials are best spaced out, aim for one every 3 weeks or so. If you have them too close together then people will not go to all of them.

Trips - think about what the weather is likely to be like. No point planning trips to Eddystone lighthouse in the middle of January, the weather will probably by sh*te. Also there is no point diving the Moldovia (50m wreck) in early March as not many people will be dived in to do dives of those standards. Trips also need to consider the slack times, HW and LW times, Spring or neap tides etc, however these details are more the domain of the DO.

Try and aim for at least 3 trips open to everyone each term. My biggest failing with the calendar of events was the fact there were not enough trips aimed for everyone and too many trips aimed for sports divers and above. Try to give as much information about each trip in advance; cost of a trip, who it is suitable for etc. Encourage trip organisers to get deposits a few weeks in advance of the trip. For trip budgets perhaps you should check out my club vehicle page, this gives some pointers to actual costs.

3.3 Committee meetings

The constitution requires that the date and provisional agenda for each committee meeting is published to the club at least 5 days before the meetings. I dedicated a web page that gave the dates of all the meetings and links to the agenda and minutes for each meeting. [This tends to get forgotten about, but is really very useful and should be maintained] IT IS A VERY GOOD IDEA WHEN YOU ADVERTISE THE MEETING TO THE COMMITTEE (2 weeks before, after last meeting) TO REMING SECRETARY TO PUBLISH TO CLUB 5 DAYS BEFORE. ALSO STRESS TO THE SECRETARY THE IMPORTANCE OF MINUTES APPEARING AS RAPIDLY AS POSSIBLE AFTER MEETING – BY MONDAY LUNCHTIME IF A FRIDAY MEETING I RECOMMEND.

The only sensible way to plan meetings is to have regular meeting slots. In my previous year on the committee meetings were scheduled as and when required, it took about 2 weeks to set a date that everyone could do which is not a very effective way of organising meetings.

Stick to a regular time and place, I suggest Friday at 6.30pm, giving an hour before training. Regular meetings also meant that the time for each meeting was relatively short (1 hour). The web is a good place to put committee meeting information as it dispenses with the need to send e-mails, BUT people do read emails more than looking at the web. The information is there for those who want it, and those who don't care aren't bombarded with e-mails telling them about stuff they are not interested in. Once again doing the web page using word is dead simple, ask if you want a demo.

3.4 Mailing Lists

UBUC owns several mailing lists. Here is what each one is for

bris-ubuc - This is the main list, it is for everyone who has passed their pool test or has a diving qualification. Information about socials, trips, SDCs and other interests is posted to this list. This list is moderated.

bris-ubuc-training - This is the training list. It is for everyone who is doing pool training. It has information about training, social and other interests. This list is moderated.

bris-ubuc-instructors - This is a list of all the instructors who help with the pool training. It is used only to pass information about pool training to the instructors. This is not for information about trips, socials, etc. The list is unmoderated, but only those on the list may send e-mails to it.

bris-ubuc-committee - This contains all the committee, anyone can send e-mails to this list. When replying to a query forward it to all the committee, this means that the other committee member know that the query has been responded to.

bris-ubuc-moderators - Both bris-ubuc and bris-ubuc-training are moderated lists. All e-mails sent to those lists get bounced to the moderators list. One of the moderators then has to approve the e-mail for it to get sent to the main lists. This prevents junk getting passed to the main lists. bris-ubuc-senders - This is a list of people who's e-mails don't get moderated. E-mails sent by people on this list get through to the main lists unchecked. The committee is on this list plus anyone who is organising a trip or SDC.

The lists have been unmoderated in the past, but people complained of too many e-mails. Since email overload means that people may miss reading some, summarise trips and other interesting stuff in the President’s Bulletin so they can catch it again. The decision to go to moderated lists did cause a lot of controversy at the start but I think everyone is happy with the present state of affairs. I would recommend that the lists remain moderated in future. The other point to remember is that all lists with over 100 subscribers need some form of control to stop too many e-mails.

3. 5 Trips

The organising of trips is something that really should happen at Committee level, however it is really up to the President and DO to take the lead and make sure trips get organised, either by delegation or conscription. It may the case that there is no point in planning trips out at the start of each term unless you consider the following:

Encourage people to organise trips who would not normally do them. This means that you get more people involved in the running of the club, and hopefully these people feel even more part of UBUC having arranged a trip. The best way to get trip organisers is to approach them, rather than wait for them to talk to you. The main reason for this is people lack the confidence to say they are going to organise trips. I think last year I got 5 or 6 people to have a go at organising a trip, who wouldn't have done so otherwise. Once people have found out how easy it can be to organise a trip they will probably organise more. Of course pair up inexperienced trip organisers with those who know what they are doing.

Try and cater for everyone. In the autumn term try to run at least 3 trips that are suitable for any diving level. There is PK pissup, which is the last weekend of October, (check that the caravan site is still open at this time of the year). I would recommend a weekend trip to Skomer the week before PK as this is another good place for all ranges of diving experience. Make the most of October while the weather is still reasonable.

Work out the required experience for the trips at the start of each term. This means that people can work out what trips they can go on and when they are. It is also a good idea to get deposits from people who want to go on trips, it means if they drop out at the last moment you won't have to worry about chasing them up. I would recommend the deadline for deposits the Friday a week before the trip. Have lots of club boat trips, they are cheaper and people learn a lot more from them. The more club boat trips you have, the more people will think this is the norm. Don't forget 5 years ago nearly all trips were done with the club boats and hardly any on charter boats. The club boats are underused and this is a common problem. For the last few years the problem with the club boats is that nobody (bar JL and Steve K) could tow them, this has been rectified after research into the club vehicle (see the webpage).

3.6 Socials

The vice president is responsible for organising all the socials. Always support events such as the AU night Score as the club receive money for each ticket sold. Recently we have been doing really well and it is not unheard of to sell 50 tickets. Socials are really important for making people feel part of the club. Try some other stuff as well as the usual pub crawls, curries and jester nights. Why not look into; ice skating, quiz night, laser quest, go karting, bowling. Even if you don't want to do it does not mean that others won't.

3.7 Christmas meal

Another thing that the vice president should organise. Make sure that it is booked up as soon as possible to get a good price. In the past the Christmas meal has been on a Friday, but last year it was run on a Saturday. A Saturday makes much more sense, people don't miss pool training, you have more time to organise stuff and you could cater for all those London members who find it tight pushed to get to Bristol in time for the Friday Xmas meal. The key for a successful evening is make sure you advertise it well in advance and try and get as many trainees as possible along, something I failed in doing when I was vice president. Also make sure there is somewhere to go after the meal - house party, late license pub etc otherwise the evening ends too early with many feeling unsatisfied.

3.8 Fresh

FRESH is obviously very important. You need to make sure that everyone on the FRESH stand knows how to answer all of the questions that are likely to be asked. Typical questions that need good answers are:

"I have trained with PADI I have done 4 dives and am an OW diver, will I have to do my training again?" "Isn't diving really expensive?" "I have never dived before what does it involve?" "I am a PADI divemaster do I need to do any pool sessions?" "I am a BSAC club diver, surely I don't need to do more training?" "I can't do pool training on Fridays" "I just want to train in the UK but want to dive abroad, can I do that?" *

• See section 4.4

A role play session prior to FRESH can help people to answer these questions. The following handouts are also required - General club hand out (Info about the club, upcoming trips, socials, etc) - Learning to dive (People with do prior diving experience or qualifications - Info on DL course, for BSAC SD or equivalent qualifications - Crossover from PADI OW and AOW to BSAC club diver - Crossover from PADI Rescue diver to BSAC sports diver - Training on Tuesdays - Training on Fridays

3.9 Presidents Project

All good presidents do some from of project. Whatever you choose make sure you document it so future presidents don't waste time repeating stuff done once already and instead can expand upon the work you have done.

3.10 Spending Money

The club gets a few number of grants and bits of income during the year. The tendency is to buy more kit like stabs and regs but use past committee members and people who have been in the club for a few recent years to find what would be best bought. Try and think of some more useful items we could spend on the club.

3.11 SDCs

Try and avoid running too many SDCs in the summer term, the summer term is best left for good diving while the weather is good. Alex recommended that SDCs that require some form of open water assessment or practical are not done in the middle of February when the water is very cold. He recommends the following and I think they are good suggestions:

Autumn term: PRM, SAR, ADT Spring term: DPM, CPF, O2, BH

3.12 Club Vehicle

Having spent a fair amount of time last year researching the club vehicle I have come to a number of conclusions, these are available on the web and so won't be repeated here. The president should collect copies of driving licences if they are to drive hired vehicles for the club. That way the president can check that the drivers meet the requirements: (held a full licence for 3 years, over 21). In order to drive minibuses they need a valid minibus permit, these only last 2 years.

For club boat trips the best way to do things is to hire a Long wheel base van by filling in the van booking form in the AU office and giving it to AU Administrator Lou. Try and get lots of trips with the hired vans and take the club boats out lots. Club boat trips are cheaper and people learn a lot more from them. The more club boat trips you have, the more people will think this is the norm and the more trips people will organise with them. (I have said this once already, so this shows it is an important point!)

3.13 PK

You want to start advertising the main PK trip around mid Feb, but have the caravans booked from January. Realistically you are limited to a maximum of around 40 people for the week and 60 for the weekend. (I would not recommend any more than these). Start with the standard PK e-mail. Only sign people up for the trip when they have got a suit sorted, passed their pool test, paid the full trip cost or a large deposit (check caravan prices as they change yearly) and joined BSAC.

Max number of trainees = instructors * 1.5 for the week.

During the week before the week before Porthkerris (week 19 normally) have a PK meeting, where everyone comes along, you can tell them about PK, sort out transport (see club vehicle page for my recommendations), sort out veggies etc.

Job allocations:

Vice president - collects names Secretary - sorts out food DO – worries! President - sits back and relaxes (I wish, Ellen!) (and checks caravan allocations for pulling potential)

3.14 Skomer

Make sure Skomer is advertised before every one starts doing exams and stops. (Just after AGM is a good week). List of who is going and when is useful for DO. In recent years Skomer has actually run at a loss. Do some serious budgeting. Make sure you check all prices before advertising as they change yearly. Even 8 pounds per day is the cheapest diving you will do anywhere.

3.15 Summer expedition

Keep up the tradition of summer expeditions. Skye started it all off, Ireland was good. Please make sure the trips are open to everyone. Planning normally starts around Christmas time.

These trips are very important and must not stop. It shows that reasonable inexperienced people can organise superb trips. The potential for learning on the trips is huge. People shouldn't even think about becoming an Advanced Diver until they can organise trips like these.

3.16 The Committee Hate Each Other

The past 3 years (and I am sure many before my time) of committees have had their fair share of arguments and fall-outs. To a certain extent it is good that people on the committee disagree with each other, but try and not let it ruin friendships. I can think of several people who got on well at the start of the year and hated each other by the end. Coming from somebody who pushed their friendships to the limits while on the committee I would recommend trying to resolve problems with other committee members as soon as possible (I will be the first to say that I was not good at this). Try having committee socials where you can leave politics behind. If it all goes wrong during the year then try to sort it out at the end. It's silly losing friends over a year on the committee. It is important to stress throughout that no decisions taken are personal. Although you will have a lot of business with certain members of the committee, and less with others, be aware not to form cliques where some can feel marginalised.

4 What I would have done, if I had my time again

PLEASE, please consider all of these ideas. Some are simple to implement, others might need a lot of consideration, if you want any clarification on any of the below then please ask. Stressing that the committee is a unit and all information MUST be shared is important – otherwise some can be left out as others do everything without telling the committee.

4.1 Membership Application Form

2004-2005 we have examined the old membership form and made a new one based on feedback from various presidents. If it needs changing, then make sure it is done for the new committee.

4.2 Video Evenings and club library

Go through the club library and pick out all the videos the club has. Arrange evenings for members to view these videos. The videos I have in mind as being very useful include "Outboard engine maintenance" and "Guide to using VHF radios". Maybe having watched the videos have a demonstration where everyone can have a play. Obviously you would have to pretend to transmit on the radios and not do it for real. Another very simple yet useful idea.

4.3 Database

The UBUC database automatically produces the following 1. Names and e-mail addresses for those on the mailing lists. 2. List of those who need to do training. 3. Next of kin information for trip organisers. 4. Automatic completion of trip registration forms for the DO 5. List those who owe the Training Pack fees at Christmas

All these tasks normally take a while, but could be done at the click of a button. Ask Dave to show you how it works.

4.4 Xmas Trips Away

OK, now things start getting a bit controversial. I think it would be nice to encourage a trip abroad, Christmas is a good time to do it because the weather is crap in the UK so you’re not going to miss any good diving. The other holidays are busy. Easter we have PK and summer there are loads of UK trips.

OK, take a deep breath. Right, now a lot of people come up at FRESH and ask if the club do any trips away, they only want to do warm water diving and don't want to dive in the UK. Well the honest answer to that question is UBUC is not really the right club for them. However there is no reason why this should not be the case. If you (the committee) have got a trip lined up for the Christmas holidays then you can advertise it at FRESH. Now when some warm water diver asks to join, you can cater for him or her. (After all, the Ski club just organise big trips away for their members). You can say there is a trip lined up for them. Now this person will hopefully sign up. UBUC get 25 pounds, they would not have signed up before and they will now. UBUC has made more money than it would have before and you never know this person might decide go on UK dive trips as well, even better for UBUC. The point is this extra person will not hinder UBUC in any way but will only improve matters (even if this is just financially). The other thing is there will be several more people like them. Brilliant! All of a sudden UBUC membership might be able to be boosted by 20 or so (that's another 500 quid, not bad, huh). A typical argument (and a crap one at that) is that UBUC might turn in to a warm water diving club only. Well this is nonsense - UK diving is cheaper and more accessible and most people will still do it even if you run trips to warm water destination 3 or 4 times a year. Also, occasional trips abroad are organised within this club and are generally well-supported – for example, Adam’s Red Sea trip during Christmas 2004.

It is essential that a potential trip abroad is organised so that at FRESH you can tell people about it and hopefully get more to sign up.

Christmas 2004 a successful Red Sea trip worked really well.

4.5 Supporting Club Boat Trips

This section only relates to club boat trips. Aim for at least 3 club boat trips a term, one of which YOU as the President should organise. This gives you much more leverage for press-ganging other people into organising one. The only way you will get more club boat trips is by offering more support to the organiser as described below.

In 2002, the committee decided that during the course of the year, each person on the committee had to run a trip. With 8/9 people on the committee, this starts to fill up the calendar and shows the club that the committee are leading by example. This is a very good idea. In order to encourage people to organise trips it needs to be as easy as possible for the trip organiser to do their job. This is an area that could really be worked on. I see the committee as a group of people that look after the club, organise the big trips and socials. This is more or less what they do now. However one thing the committee should really focus on now is to make the job of trip organisation as easy as possible by offering support to those who need it.

In addition to finding people to organise trips, find suitably experienced advanced divers and dive leaders to help with trip organisation. Don't pick any old AD or DL, pick those who actually know how to do all the stuff with the boats and are responsible enough to look after club activities. After all it will probably be this person that everyone looks to for advice / safety information.

A highly supportive AD will do wonders for helping someone with their trip organisation. There are other areas that could also do with support, finance is a major area as is transport. I recommend that you allocate someone on the committee to be responsible for transport on club trips. This person is responsible for booking vehicles that are required and advising on which combination of vehicles is best and how much this will cost, what should be loaded in each vehicle, who can drive them, etc. All this information is available on the club vehicle page.

Another big area is money. I think the treasurer should be involved with the organisation of every trip to offer advice. The treasurer should sit down with the trip organiser and work out a budget for the trip (most of the info you need is on, that's right you've guessed it, the club vehicle page, however this information should be reviewed for each individual trip, ask me if you have any questions.) Once a budget has been agreed by the treasurer, the trip cost can be set. A set trip cost means that everybody knows where they stand at the start of the trip. Club members will know how much the trip is going to cost, what level of diving experience is required and where you aim to go. They can decide if they can afford the trip, safe in the knowledge that the price quoted won't change.

Of course some trips might lose a little bit of money for the club, others might run at a slight profit, but overall the club should break even. I don't think it will take long for the treasurer to get a good feel for how much trips cost, I can generally give a price per head for a trip which is within 5 pounds of the actual cost. Don’t forget the ‘voluntary’ 10 % for the club along with other fees that were brought in at the 2003 AGM (see website). Another advantage of getting the treasurer involved from the start of the trip organisation is that the trip organiser will not have to pay large deposits up front, instead the club will. While some people might be able to afford to put down a £100 deposit for accommodation on a trip, most people, myself included could not. Once the trip is over the treasurer can then give out cheques to those who purchased items on the trip (e.g. petrol, parking/launching fees, etc) Now when somebody is delegated the roll of organising a trip they should be able to get diving advice from the allocated AD/ DL and information about transport and finance as well. Remember: the easier you make it for someone to organise a trip, the more likely trips will get organised and the more likely they will run well. Giving more support to people to organise trips with the club boats is very beneficial to the club.