Gentlemen and fellow tablers, you can no doubt understand my overwhelming feeling of pride at becoming the 77th President of the National Association of Round Tables Great Britain and Ireland and I wish to thank you for your support .

Following the tragic events at the Majestic Hotel the week before Conference we were all apprehensive about what Conference 2010 would be like.

However following the efforts above and beyond the call of duty Marcus Grover, Conference Officer and his team of Lynda Wieland, Peter Manley, Ian Pritchard and Taff Bowen gave us a Conference that we should all be proud of and I would like to offer my sincere thanks on behalf of the members of RTBI for all their efforts

Having spoken to each and every member of the Board that you have elected for 2010 -2011, you should know that we are active members of our movement just like you, we all hold down full time employment in addition to our Tabling responsibilities and we do not receive a salary for the work we do for the movement.  Therefore, it is with great pride that I lead this team on a journey whereby we will work hard for you and deliver what is expected of us.  I am confident in their ability and so should you be.

Following the AGM in Eastbourne, Simon Brady has been appointed as our CEO and his role is to develop a long term strategic plan working alongside the National Board and National Council.  We are committed to working together to ensure the longevity and success of our movement.

In addition, this year saw the advent of the Regional based workshops that David Weaver and his membership and development team organised and they have proved popular and beneficial to those who attended.

They aim to enhance your knowledge about Table and ultimately get more out of table and will not only supply you with knowledge and skills that will be beneficial to you in your Table life but also in your business and private life.  These will run again throughout this coming year, the dates are already in your current directory and I implore you to grab these opportunities, so benefit by booking in now.

We must continue to invest in the future. I believe that we as current members have an obligation to ensure that the movement that is Round Table is here for generations to come so that they too can enjoy the benefits of being a member that we all have.

The members who attended the AGM this year made the decision to allow the Board to continue to invest by voting for the increase in capitation that is required to underpin future projects and the day to day running of our movement.

There are many aspects that will make up the long term plan and the one that needs our concentration is RETENTION.

We need to reduce resignations. 
Over the last 5 years, the figure has been consistent at 13%. 
We need to work together to move forward, small chunks at a time.

If we can reduce the figure by 1%, it may not sound much, but it equates to 53 members or four active tables. 
We can’t continue to lose between 700 and 850 Tablers a year.  In simple terms, it is unsustainable.

That is why we need to embrace this challenge in a positive manner. 

I would like to remind you of the three point plan I put to you as part of my election promise in Eastbourne last year

• We will always be positive. 
• We will assist clubs in creating a varied and exciting programme. 
• We will build strong tables.

RETENTION equals Membership Opportunities.  So let’s make our programmes varied, attractive and exciting. 
Tell everybody about how much fun we have so people will want to join and more importantly they will want to stay.

Then we will succeed.

Thank you for your support and I look forward to meeting you throughout my travels in my new Presidential car kindly sponsored by Geri Ori of Brooklyn Motors www.brooklynmotors.co.uk.

Kilsh

John Kilshaw
National President 2010 - 2011