Amicus has declared the administrative burden of their Annual General Meetings a thing of the past thanks to a revolutionary interactive registration and voting system from IML.

 

Client background 

 

Previously, Amicus operated a show of hands voting system to capture their members’ vote and employed a complicated and lengthy registration process. Each method generated a high level of administration, incurring high costs, due to the number of administrative staff required to be on-site at the conference.

 

Furthermore, members wishing to address the conference had to indicate to staff that they wished to speak. They would then have to wait for a roving microphone to get to them. This system excluded those lacking the confidence to speak and those not wishing to draw attention to themselves.

 

The IML solution

 

Amicus contacted IML in need of a system that would automate their entire voting and registration process, rendering it faster, more accountable and fair.

IML’s Meetings Manager system provided Amicus with a complete solution.

 

Registration

 

Prior to the event, IML sent delegates a bar-coded attendance card, onto which their personal details had been stored.

On arrival at the AGM, staff simply scanned delegates’ barcodes, transferring all information to a personal SmartCard.

IML’s SmartCard registration system is rapid, and registered each delegate within ten seconds, eliminating the lengthy registration queues of the past.

Amicus made real cost savings, due to the drastic cut in administrative staff required for the registration process.

 

Voting

 

The voting process was made simple and fast with IML’s interactive Communicator keypads. Delegates simply inserted their SmartCard into the top of the keypad and cast their vote by pressing 1, 2 or 3 on the keypads. These numbers would correlate with the options presented to them. For example 1 = For, 2 = Against and 3 = Abstain.

The show of hands voting system previously employed by Amicus meant that yet more staff had to be employed to manually count the vote. This system was also susceptible to human error and could never be proved 100% accurate. Furthermore, delegates wishing to cast a minority vote may feel to intimidated to do so.

Unions operating a paper-based poll card voting system suffer further drawbacks. Staff collect in votes and manually calculate them. Often, members must wait until the next day to learn of the results. In contrast, IML’s system calculates all live votes in seconds and the results are instantly displayed on screen in front of delegates.

A serious disadvantage to the poll card system is its susceptibility to calculation errors. In contrast, the IML system is fully compliant with the Data Protection Act and is proven 100% accurate and fair. A scrutineer’s report gives a detailed breakdown of activity during voting, providing a full and clear audit trail.

 

John Gibbins, Amicus Conference Manager was impressed by the efficiency of the system:

 

"The system supported the conference organisers in capturing members’ votes in a timely manner and provided the chairman with tools and information that allowed him to conduct a fair and smooth-running meeting. The use of SmartCards to identify individuals minimised any administrative burden. These are clearly issues of key importance at conference."

 

Microphones

 

A microphone is built into every Communicator handset. Delegates wishing to speak simply activate the microphone by pressing a button on the handset. Coupled with IML’s Microphone Queuing software, this functionality enables a more organised and structured debate.

 

“The microphone queuing function allowed a larger number of members to voice their opinions on resolutions that would otherwise be impossible and gave all members an equal opportunity to speak. During voting, the positive feedback provided by the handset display contributed to a high level of confidence among delegates."

John Gibbins, Amicus Conference Manager.

 

Benefits

 

• IML’s Meetings Manager significantly reduced the amount of staff needed, allowing Amicus to make real cost savings.
• Because the IML system is fast and efficient, Amicus were able to reduce the duration of the AGM from four days to three, again delivering major savings.
• IML’s systems are fully customisable with logos and fonts, allowing the system to be fully integrated into the design of a conference.
• Bespoke software requirements.

 

Client testimonial

 

“The IML system allowed event organisers to deliver a professional, effective and equitable conference, giving Amicus members the best possible opportunity to express their views on key issues for our organisation.

 

“The feedback that we have had from our delegates since the conference has been unanimously positive and we feel very confident about using IML’s service in future conferences."

John Gibbins, Amicus Conference Manager.