Get ready for our next blog post as we deep dive into 'B' for Budget Planning in the “Trafo Baden Eventplanning A-Z” series.

From overcoming attendee count uncertainties to mastering Daily Delegate Rates (DDRs), we're breaking down the barriers to budget success. Stay tuned for exclusive insights, challenges, and expert tips to make your event financially flawless.

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This article is written by our IMA Germany member Oya Karabulut.

My first contact with IMA was overwhelming for me, a huge thunderclap into a completely new perspective on my job. Today I go to work in a completely different way than before I met IMA.

My company Gleiss Lutz hosted an "Assistants' Networking Hub" at our Frankfurt office on 21 June 2023. My first thought was "motivational speaking doesn't make the job of an assistant any better". I've been working as an assistant in various law firms since I was 16 years old. My colleagues persuaded me to take part in the event and, I was proved wrong: motivational speaking makes every job better!

We were able to attend great presentations on key competences for the assistant of the future, skills in the context of "new work" and digital transformation, the "winning team" and the right attitude towards one's own role and the definition of one's own "WHY". This was followed by an interesting exchange of ideas and a chance to get to know each other at the after-work event. This was the first time I heard about IMA.

As part of this event, an annual IMA membership was raffled off, which was won by my dear colleague Christiane. I was incredibly happy for her because this enabled her to attend the international conference in Cape Town. When do you ever get the opportunity to travel from Europe to South Africa to attend a conference?

For personal reasons, Christiane wanted to give up her prize and - although we didn't even know each other - thought of me, for which I am very grateful. Without her, my trip to South Africa would not have happened in this form.

I spoke to my employer, who kindly gave me time off for the duration of the trip and then everything happened very quickly.

I arrived in Cape Town on the morning of 26 October 2023 after an almost 12-hour flight. That same evening, there was a welcome reception where I met wonderful people from so many different countries. I felt very comfortable and warmly welcomed from the very first second. The community is really very special and radiates warmth. I was able to meet so many interesting people from so many different countries. I was overwhelmed.

We had an exciting African evening in the Gold Restaurant and the get-together brought us even closer together. It was an unforgettable evening, which began with extensive drumming by all the IMAs and continued with a small performance by singers and dancers in very colourful costumes. Afterwards we were served many different dishes and at the end members of the staff sang for us on site.

The presentations on the following 27 October 2023 were incredibly interesting. I was able to take away so many insights and valuable approaches. Sonja de Wet guided us so wonderfully through this interesting day. She was wonderful.

Quinton Coetze - Business lessons from the wilds of Africa - Entrepreneur and Wildlife Conservationist

The first speaker with the most entertaining presentation of the conference for me, as he skillfully drew parallels to the need for cohesion and cooperation between people in the business world using many examples of the simple but very efficient coexistence of the San San, where he lived for a time. In many short film sequences, he showed how these people appreciate nature on the one hand and make use of the resources on the other, acting in a very sustainable way. The audience alternated between laughter and amazement during his interesting presentation.

Prof Thuli Madonsela - Shaping an ethical workplace - advocate and professor of law at Stellenbosch University

The soft-spoken woman has a strong professional background as a professor of law and was involved in drafting the new constitution on equal rights laws, equal treatment in the workplace and various post-apartheid constitutional laws, among other things. She spoke about the principles she has established in the world of work, which she also passes on to her students. As a single mother and former ANC member, she courageously took action against corruption in the country years ago.

Alinda Nortje - "Employee Engagement" - Founder and CEO of Free to Grow

The former social worker and community worker spoke about company culture. With her organisation, she wants to encourage and enable people in communities and organisations to realise and connect themselves. She did a learning exercise with us using Japanese numbers, which I found very interesting. “Free To Grow” now specialises in employee engagement and related learning and development activities.

Helen Monument - Chair: World Administrators Alliance

Helen Monument, who is well known to most IMAs, presented the Global Skills Matrix set up by the organisation, which is a good compass for assistants around the world on how to position themselves when applying for jobs, negotiating salaries and so on.

Ronald Samuels - Building Bridges - CEO: Botswana Insurance Life and author

His presentation about his own eventful and sometimes tragic story of his childhood and youth during apartheid touched me the most. He is the author of the book "The bitter olive", his biography, and based on extracts from it he taught us the following lesson:

In the end, it's not what happened to you that counts, it's what you do about it that matters.

In his presentation, he also spoke at length about the role of assistants and how we can achieve better results in our daily interactions through communication, mutual appreciation, cohesion and confidence in our own high value.

In the evening, the traditional gala dinner also took place in the Congress Centre with the theme "Denim and Diamonds". The hall was beautifully decorated and the tables were set in an unusual way. We danced for a long time and it was a very exuberant atmosphere, which also spread to the service staff.

What touched me the most was the immense solidarity and goodwill among all the participants. You rarely experience something like that in life. At least I do, working in the shark tank that is Frankfurt, where there is always a society of elbows.

My first contact with IMA was overwhelming for me, a huge thunderclap into a completely new perspective on my job. I am no longer just the little assistant who follows her boss's instructions. I am a key person, an ambassador between two worlds (I do build bridges!), my job is important and significant. Today, I go to work in a completely different way than before I met IMA. I am eternally grateful for that.

The event has massively boosted my self-confidence, my self-worth as an assistant. I feel like I'm an important link in the chain, having spent the last 25 years literally wandering through various offices in Germany. I am someone. And I am infinitely grateful for that.

My onward journey through South Africa only reinforced this feeling. I hired a car and bravely drove 2,557 kilometres along the Garden Route and Route 62 through left-hand traffic. I encountered many friendly and warm people and the most exciting animals. It broadened my horizons quite a bit and I am so grateful for this enrichment.

Oya Karabulut, member of IMA Germany

This is the second edition of our platinum partner https://www.trafobaden.ch/enTrafo Baden's series on event planning. 

"A" for AV Services, which play a pivotal role in ensuring your event is a memorable and engaging experience. However, along with their importance, AV Services come with their own set of challenges.

In this article, we dive into the world of AV services and explore how to overcome common hurdles.

Click to read more

This is the first article of 12 in a series from our platinum partner Trafo Baden. 

An article by iBabs - our Gold partner

Let’s take a look at what the process is with executive session minutes and how executive session minutes differ from taking board meeting minutes.

If and when the time comes to take executive session minutes, they must be treated separately from the minutes of the main meeting before or after which the executive session occurs.

This is a type of confidential meeting that doesn't tend to involve ‘outsiders’. In this case, outsiders are considered those that aren’t members of the board, such as staff or advisors, but this can vary. However, unless explicitly stated, minutes should still be taken to keep a record of the session.

Read more and see examples on iBabs:

How To Take Executive Session Minutes (With An Example) - iBabs

You can try iBabs Board Portal for free.

An article by iBabs - our Gold partner 

Without a proper meeting follow-up structure, projects can take much longer to complete. Board members likely won’t be able to keep up with any meeting tasks without clear notes and due dates.

A meeting usually covers a lot of topics and discussions. So, it’s human to forget to follow up on quick actions made during its course. But if this issue persists, it can significantly hinder board productivity and waste everyone’s time and energy.

Without a proper meeting follow-up structure, projects can take much longer to complete. Board members likely won’t be able to keep up with any meeting tasks without clear notes and due dates.

So, how can directors and secretaries prevent this issue? A good approach is to note all action items in the meeting minutes and ensure their proper management. This simple change will make your meetings far more productive.

But that’s just the start — let’s explore the best ways to keep track of action items and ensure a sound meeting follow-up process.

What are meeting action items?

A meeting action item is any task that has been discussed and approved during a meeting. It could be simple, such as setting a time for another meeting, or more complex, requiring research and planning. In any case, the details and expected outcomes should be finalised during the task assignment and highlighted in your meeting notes and minutes.

An action item should be assigned to an individual or a team along with a responsible party. For example, creating social media posts should be assigned to the digital marketing team, while the marketing manager should be tasked with ensuring its correct and timely execution.

Their importance

Meeting action items allow projects to proceed faster. With a robust follow-up process and deadlines, everyone does their part to keep the momentum going.

Sometimes, action items follow a sequence — one task’s completion leads to the initiation of another. For example, if the sales team create a spreadsheet of their monthly activity and reasons for missing revenue targets, subsequent actions could include:

• Setting up a formal meeting with the department head.
• Organising a sales training session.
• Researching new sales technology.
• Creating performance scorecards to break down each member’s performance.

Examples of action items

Here are some examples of common action items that arise from a meeting:

• Following up with a potential client, customer or prospect
• Preparing a presentation
• Exploring new tools and technology
• Putting together the next board meeting agenda
• Finalising a plan
• Organising files and folders

How to optimise action item management

Here are the best ways to manage action items and ensure a sound follow-up structure:

Add clarity and detail

Keep every action item clear and detailed. For example, allocating a task with just a title, ‘Prepare sales presentation’, is too vague. Add further information about what it should entail. A well-written, descriptive action item will help avoid confusion.

Keep all action items in one place

If various action items are kept in different places, it can lead to confusion between teams. It can also be demoralising for anyone who accidentally missed their responsibilities. To avoid mix-ups, store all action items in one place so they are easier to manage and track.

Sort your action items

There are multiple ways to sort your action items, such as by:

• Status (in progress, not started, completed, etc.)
• Priority (low, medium or high)
• Deadline (closest to furthest)

By sorting your action items, it’s easy to visualise pending tasks and catch up with assignees.

Mention deadlines and assignee(s)

Assign individuals or teams to each action item and set a reasonable delivery date. Communicate with the assignees before setting a deadline based on urgency and their current workload. Giving clarity ensures that individuals are aware of their responsibilities.

Maintain open communication

Within a meeting, action items can be assigned without full knowledge of the entire process. Sometimes, an assignee will only realise the absence of essential elements once they start the task. They should be able to communicate this information and add a preceding action item before theirs can be done.

It’s also vital to inform them of any changes to an action item or its priority. This will impact the individual/team responsible and may also extend to other action items.

Track progress

Utilise tools to track the progress of action items. Check on the action item tracking document regularly, and don’t hesitate to give the assignees a nudge on incomplete tasks ahead of or on the deadline. If they haven’t updated the tracker, remind them to do so.

Meeting action item template

Lots of businesses use project management tools to track action items. We recommend using a board portal, such as iBabs, so everyone can update their task status easily in a secure environment that protects your sensitive information. It’s also good practice to colour code for a clearer picture of progress.

Here’s a simple template that you can use for your business:

Conclusion

Utilising an efficient and organised follow-up process keeps everyone aligned and on track with their responsibilities. Sound action item management leads to productive meetings and increases momentum.

If you want to optimise your follow-up strategy, iBabs can help. This virtual board meeting software provides a dashboard where administrators and directors can see the progress of each action item, communicate and exchange documents.

 

You can try iBabs Board Portal for free.

Diana Brandl talks to Karin Hélène, Executive Governance Officer of IMA Global and Head of the Director General’s Office of the European Spallation Source (ESS).

Karin Hélène is Head of the Director General’s Office of the European Spallation Source (ESS), a European intergovernmental research facility under construction in Lund, Sweden. ESS will probe materials and processes down to the atomic scale using beams of neutrons, with a wide range of applications from engineering to energy to the life sciences.

Karin is Swedish and has an extensive international background, having lived, studied and worked during a period of almost 20 years in the United States, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Thailand. She started her career as Executive Assistant in 1987 in Saudi Arabia and has worked within the private sector, the Swedish government and for non-profit organisations. She has worked at ESS since 2011.

Karin was nominated and runner up for the Swedish Office Professionals Award in 2014, she believes in life-long-learning and is constantly looking for opportunities to develop her role, her most recent training focusing on the role of Chief-of-Staff and Management.

Karin Hélène is the former Chair of International Management Assistants (IMA) in Southern Sweden and member of the Swedish National Board. Since 2020, she is a member of IMA Global Executive Committee where her role is Executive Governance Officer. Since 2018, she has represented Sweden at the World Administrators Summit.

In 2015 she founded an internal network for assistants and support personnel at ESS and since a few years she is a mentor for students of the certified Executive Business Assistant education.

Go to the podcast here

An article by iBabs - our Gold partner

Meeting minutes are some of the most important documents for a business. They remind you why certain decisions were made and fulfil your organisation’s legal requirements, becoming essential as evidence in investigations.

This makes correctness vital when recording minutes from a meeting. You need to present an accurate account of the proceedings that can prove helpful in the future. This article is packed with helpful advice for meeting administrators and assistants on how to be more effective when taking meeting minutes.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions

As an administrator, it is easy to feel as if you should remain in the background to perform your tasks in meetings. However, your task is essential to the governance of the organisation, so don’t be afraid to ask important questions to ensure you carry it out accurately.

Here are some of the questions you might have to ask in a meeting to make sure your minutes are on point:

• “Can you clarify this?”

If you don’t understand something, just say. The chances are that the point was not clear and others may have also been confused by it. It is better to get it right straight away than to take up valuable time to make sense of it later.

• “Are there any corrections from the previous meetings?”

Ask attendees to rectify any mistakes from the previous minutes before you get into the next meeting. This saves discussion time in the future.

• “Can I see a copy of the agenda?”

Having a copy of the agenda helps you create a framework for the minutes, saving you time. Knowing what is happening and when means you can concentrate on what is being said rather than the structure of the meeting.

• “Do you mind if I record the meeting?”

Having an audio or video recording helps accurate minute taking. However, some meetings might feature private information that attendees do not want on record, so ask first.

Tips for taking expert meeting minutes

1.    Understand the topics

Once you have the agenda for the meeting, research the topics up for discussion. This will make it easier to follow the conversation in the meeting.

2.    Meet with the chair in advance

Another way to ensure you understand the areas of discussion is to meet with the chair beforehand to gain an insight into how the meeting will run.

3.    Create a template

Having a framework that you can use for every meeting you minute takes a lot of the work out of the process, making your life easier.

4.    Listen

It seems obvious, but active listening is essential for following the discussion. If you are clued up on the topics and have a template, you are better able to dedicate yourself to listening carefully.

5.    Be assertive

You need to do all you can to carry out your job properly, and that includes speaking up if you need a point clarifying or repeating.

6.    Check attendees in

As meeting attendees enter the room, mark them off on your minute template. This helps you keep track of attendance for the official record.

7.    Sit by the chair

The seat next to the chair is the best place to ensure you can hear the entire discussion, as attendees direct their speeches towards them.

8.    Take clear notes

Keep the notes brief and clear and ensure they communicate the nature of the discussion as well as the decisions and action points. They don’t have to be word-for-word but should show the nature of the events accurately.

9.    Write the minutes as soon as possible

It is best to write up the minutes whilst they are still fresh in your mind. This helps you make them as accurate as possible without having to wrack your mind to remember key elements of the meeting.

10.     Mix up your language

Keep the minutes fresh by mixing up the language you use. Rather than just saying ‘agreed’, try swapping it for synonyms like ‘concurred’.

11.     Use professional language and grammar

Your minutes need to reflect professional actions, so they should be written formally. Use active language rather than passive, for example.

12.     Adapt for remote meetings

Many meetings take place in a hybrid or fully virtual manner now. Work with the chair to talk about how they will keep attendees engaged and in order, and be prepared to interrupt if there are any glitches or drop-outs.

Technology to help minute taking

Using a board portal, such as iBabs, you can save your minutes directly to the cloud and collaborate with attendees and the chair between meetings. This helps you ensure the previous meeting’s minutes are accurate and approved before the next meeting. You can also annotate the agenda through the portal, making writing minutes faster.

 

Request a demo of iBabs

This article is written by Gina Theofilidou, Chair of IMA Greece

In today's fast-paced society, it is more crucial than ever to find a place to belong and actively engage in a community. As social beings by nature, humans have a tremendous need for belonging and community. When we actively engage in a community, we not only feel a sense of belonging but also contribute to its expansion and success.

What advantages come from belonging

If we were to describe belonging, I would say it is the feeling of acceptance, inclusion, and importance as a part of a group or community. It is an essential human need. Belonging is the source of one's sense of security, identity, and purpose. It enables us to both foster a sense of community and while allowing us to enjoy our individuality.

Emotional Wellness: Belonging to a group provides us with a sense of emotional support, which helps to minimize feelings of loneliness, isolation, and alienation. In a safe setting, we may openly express ourselves, share our experiences, and elicit sympathy and understanding from others.

Personal development: By interacting with a variety of people, we increase our self-awareness, boost our self-esteem, obtain new perspectives, and learn important life skills.

Shared Objectives and Values: People get a sense of fulfilment and significance when they have a sense of shared purpose.

Social Support: Communities provide a vital network of support during trying times. When we need one other for emotional support, practical help, or collaborative problem-solving, we can rely on one another. We have many instances of this kind of inter-member support in IMA! Every national team can provide best practices and ways for helping its members.

That is the one part of belonging, the easygoing one perhaps.

But there is another side, and it is different because in that side, belonging it is a win-win situation. It involves give and take. It comes with benefits and responsibilities. It involves dedication and enjoyment. It comes with accountability, accountability of our own decision to do that crucial step aiming to expand our horizons and unlock new opportunities.

Depending on their mission, associations are active, dynamic organizations that are essential to society or the labour market. Associations speak with one voice on behalf of its members, shape public policy, and promote advancement in their fields. Associations make a vital contribution to the expansion, development, and advancement of the communities and professions they represent through their devotion and dedication.

Can you imagine the difference in our daily work or how we are treated in the companies or what would have happened in our profession, if there were no people that have taken the responsibility to create, to inform, to promote the importance of our role? If we are here now, is because some one took the responsibility to react and chose not to be a pathetic receiver of what was happening.

People who share common goals, interests, and a desire to work together establish associations. More than benefits and privileges come with membership in an association; there is also requirements to actively support and contribute to the mission and core principles of the group.

Although there might not be specific responsibilities assigned upon application approval and, in truth, I don't believe that, given our positions and experience, we need to have something in writing before we can respect it, follow it, and perform it, as members we do have duties to:

Active engagement and participation in association activities and initiatives, attending meetings & events, sharing insights, thoughts, ideas, offering support and contributing to discussions, while upholding values and ethical standards.

Contribute to the Association's Goals by offering our knowledge, abilities, and resources and by actively serving on committees, mentoring others, or actively taking part in initiatives.

Share Successes and Challenges. Celebrate milestones, achievements, and request for feedback when we are facing challenges. We are all dancing in the same rhythm in our offices.

Encouraging a favourable community culture by valuing different points of view and promoting a secure and inviting atmosphere.

Acting as an Ambassador. You chose to be here, so here you are. Be happy to be here, then! because you can influence how industry standards, rules, and regulations are shaped. Create an elevator pitch with your colleagues in the network outlining who you are, what you do professionally, and why joining an association is important to your career advancement if you don't believe that you can effectively explain it to the world.

Provide constructive feedback and ideas to the Board Members for enhancing the association's programs, initiatives, or communication channels. We are all a part of the larger picture; we are the team, we are IMA.

Harness the Power of social media! Be the voice of the reasons you joined!

Use your social media networks to distribute association updates and content that has been provided by the association. By doing this, you raise awareness of it and show that you support its initiatives.

Participate in online debates: Participate in online forums, groups, and discussions pertaining to the association's industry or field of study. Share your perspective, pose thought-provoking queries, and participate in worthwhile discussions.

Highlight association initiatives and events, and when you attend, document and post about your experiences online. Post pictures, share your essential insights, and inspire participation from others.

When sharing content about the association and the profession, using hashtags and tagging other members makes it more discoverable. Ask you board members about which hashtags to use or propose hashtags, tag other users to promote connections and dialogue with people who share your interests.

Belonging to an association is not just joining a group, it's discovering the power within you to make a difference, grow exponentially, and shape the future of your field. Together, we unlock endless possibilities, inspire one another, and create a community where our collective efforts create lasting impact.

Embrace the strength of belonging! Embrace the strength of responsibility!

Gina Theofilidou, Chair IMA Greece

Virtual Business Support Professional, Owner of Your Distance Assistance

It is with our deepest regret we have to inform you that our founder, Mrs Sonia Vanular, passed away last night (26 February 2020) at the age of 98.

Sonia was not in a very good condition since a year and a half and even more recently, her health state was slowly decreasing this last two weeks.

It goes without saying that her passing is a big loss for our association. It is thanks to her that IMA now exists.

She was the one who had a vision back in 1974 when she founded EAPS. She passionately encouraged our members to develop their role and to recognize the value and worth of the profession.

EAPS changed name in 1998 to EUMA and again to IMA in 2017, but Sonia was always there fully and actively supporting every change to meet the requirements and changes of our profession. She followed her baby very closely and saw it growing into an association of more than 1600 members in more than 30 countries worldwide. Today, IMA is the only international network for management support professionals and we would not have been here without Sonia.

Sonia loved life and we are sure we will all remember her with our personal memories and stories.

Let’s all join forces and work together in order to keep her heritage alive for many more years to come. Let's continue to honor her tremendous and beautiful legacy.

We will keep her in our prayers.

Rest in peace Sonia, we will miss you.