IUCAB Executive Committee meets in Vienna

The Members of the ExCom of IUCAB assembled in Vienna on 7th October 2011 for their Autumn 2011 Meeting. The meeting was hosted by the Austrian Member Association Bundesgremium der Handelsagenten represented by former IUCAB Vice President Mr. Walter Krammer (President of the Vienna Association of Commercial Agents) and Mr. Christian Rebernig (Secretary General of National Austrian Association).

In attendance were the President Mr. Kriton Phitidis and Vice Presidents Mrs. Simonetta Maffizzoli, Mr. Jan Björnum, Mr. Josep Rifà, Mr. Olivier Mazoyer, Mr. Ralf Scholz, Mr. Uwe Kroiss and Secretary General Mr. Jaap van Till.

A brief summary of the main topics discussed:

• the IUCAB International Congress held in Marrakech in June of this year received a very positive evaluation and Mr. Oliver Mazoyer (President of APAC) and the APAC Staff were sincerely congratulated with the excellent organisation of this highly successful and inspiring event. A video documentary of the Congress and individual video interviews with Participants have been finalised by APAC and will be publicised shortly on the IUCAB website;
• further improvements of the IUCAB website were discussed and approved and will be implemented shortly;
• structuring of IUCAB ExCom activities for the future was extensively discussed and specific tasks and responsibilities were attributed to each Member of ExCom;
• following an application received from U.P.A.C. (The National Association of Commercial Agents in Congo – Brazzaville) for an affiliated Membership of IUCAB, the ExCom decided to admit U.P.A.C. as an affiliated Member. ExCom highly values and welcomes the opening of the African continent to the profession of commercial agency and will review the developments within U.P.A.C. with the U.P.A.C. Board on an annual basis;
• ExCom met with Mrs. Vida Kozar M.Sc., Director of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia. Mrs. Kozar is in the process of establishing a National Organisation of Commercial Agents in Slovenia and received full support from ExCom. The Austrian Association of Commercial Agents will provide Mrs. Kozar guidance and assistance in establishing this new National Association which may then become eligible for IUCAB Membership;
• the ongoing process of National IUCAB Associations participating to the Database Project was extensively discussed and ExCom is happy to see that significant progress has been made. Ultimate aim is to achieve that the vast majority of National IUCAB Associations participate in the IUCAB Database by next year’s Annual Delegates Meeting;
• the next meeting of the Secretarial Working Group (SWG) scheduled for 27th January 2012 in London was discussed. Mr. Olivier Mazoyer will take over the role of Chairman of the SWG from former IUCAB Vice President Mr. Paul Wakeling (Secretary General of the UK Member Association MAA);
• next year’s Annual Delegates Meeting to be hosted by the French Member Association FNAC was discussed and prepared in general lines. It was agreed that Secretary General Mr. Jaap van Till will meet with the FNAC President and Secretary General in November/December 2011 in order to prepare next year’s annual event in detail.