Duplicate Bridge Association of Atlanta

Board of Directors – Meeting Minutes

November 13, 2007

 

 

Present:  Jack Feagin, Susan Wolfe, Judy Fendrick, Donna Holland, Richard Holland, Kevin Collins, Bob Heller, Nicolas Hammond and Richard Browne

 

President Jack Feagin called the meeting to order. 

 

Items highlighted in blue require future discussion and/or follow-up action.

 

1.  Minutes:  None presented.

 

2.  Financial: 

 

Donna presented a printout from Quicken of the 2007 deposits and expenses from the DBAA’s bank account.  The board reviewed other financial issues relating to Regional income and expenses that pass through the DBAA’s bank account.

 

3.  Old Business: 

 

Sectional Tournaments-2008 – Bob reported that the Magnolia Manor Hotel is scheduled to reopen as a Doubletree Hotel in February, 2008.  We can get this facility for the March and December Sectional tournaments in 2008.  We will need to terminate the contract with the Holiday Inn in Decatur, which will cost $1,000.  The Doubletree will have a better hotel rate and free parking, so turn out is expected to be better than at the Holiday Inn.  Judy moved that we change the location of the March Sectional tournament to the Doubletree Hotel.  Motion approved.

 

Entry Fees – Sectional Tournaments – Sectional tournament costs continue to increase.  Hotel costs and director fees are the two biggest expenses.  Other districts around the country are increasing their fees.  Discussion took place on whether to increase to $9 or $10.  We now give each player 2 $1.50 food and beverage tickets when they buy their entry, so the entry cost is minimized to that extent.  We have to pay the hotels for this food/beverage cost anyway.  Motion was made to raise the entry fee for sectional tournaments to $10, starting with the December Sectional.  Motion approved. 

 

 

4.  New Business:

 

Marketing Bridge– The Board believes that teaching seniors and retirees should be one of our goals, but we also need to promote bridge in the middle age group as well.  Sources where we may want to consider advertising could be singles clubs, ski clubs, parents of children in AJB, colleges and other social groups.   Emory has a Continuing Ed course for bridge.  DBAA needs to be the marketing source for clubs and teachers.

 

Each Board member will check on possibilities for bridge advertising. 

 

Teaching Bridge– Some bridge teachers believe Easy Bridge is a good method.  The Unit and District help with subsidizing teachers.  Past attempts at mentoring programs faltered.

 

 

DBAA Website – We need to revise our website so that menu items are easier to follow.  Larry Rich will update our site if we give him the suggested changes.  We need to have links that easily show the playing options for locations, schedules, Junior Bridge and links to other sites.  We also need to have Google search bring up our site if someone types in “Atlanta bridge game.”  Susan moved that the board authorize Larry to redesign our website with more menu items, similar to the AJB site, at a cost of $100.  Motion approved.

 

Each Board member will review other Bridge sites to identify ideas for our site.

 

Unit Activity – DBAA Reps – Historically, DBAA has consisted of all of the Unit reps.  Our by-laws indicate if reps come from the Metro Area, they can be on the DBAA board.  Having more people will create a better Board.  We will welcome all Unit reps to the board.

 

 

Meeting adjourned at 7:30 pm. 

 

Next meeting:  Wednesday, December 5, 2007 – TBD (during Sectional)

 

Respectfully submitted,