Annual General Meeting 2019

Annual General Meeting (AGM) of The Sri Lanka Association of Professional Conference, Exhibition and Event Organisers (SLAPCEO) was held on February 09, 2019 in the presence of over 30 attendees.

Nalin Ariyaratne (Jetwing Events Pvt Ltd) was appointed as Incoming President of SLAPCEO, Shanti Outschoorn (Intertrade Lanka Management Pvt Ltd) was appointed as Secretary, Aasim Mukthar (Lanka Exhibition and Conference Services Pvt Ltd) was appointed as Treasurer & Ziyan Ameen (Aitken Spence Travels Pvt Ltd) as the Immediate Past President on the occasion.

Hosted by Taprobana Wadduwa by Asia Leisure, which opened the gates of its beautiful resort and warm hospitality to welcome SLAPCEO members, the AGM concluded successfully.

At the AGM, the following office bearers were appointed:

• Paddy Paul (Golden Isle Travels Pvt Ltd) was re-appointed as Committee Member
• Janice Hakel-Ranasinghe Jamaldeen (Kairos Events Pvt Ltd) was re-appointed as Committee Member
• Oshadee Withanawasam (The International Institute of Knowledge Management Pvt Ltd) was re-appointed as Committee Member &
• Nadeeka Prabani De Zoysa (Aitken Spence Travels Pvt Ltd) was newly appointed as Committee Member of SLAPCEO.

The chief guest on the occasion, Kumar De Silva, Chairman Sri Lanka Convention Bureau congratulated the newly appointed SLAPCEO committee and incoming President. In his speech, he noted the recent challenges faced by the industry and that the SLCB is doing everything in its power to improve the situation of MICE segment with SLAPCEO’s support.

Form of Proxy

If you are a Full Member, and will not be attending the AGM (or are uncertain of attending), please do click on the link & submit your form of proxy. The deadline for submission is 5th February 2019.

It is important to submit your proxy because it helps to establish a two-thirds quorum (17 out of the 25 Full members must attend in person or by proxy). It is only then that business can be transacted at the AGM.

Given below are SLAPCEO’s Full Members – if your company is listed, kindly submit the form of proxy through the link above.

• Lanka Exhibition and Conference Services Pvt Ltd PV11907
• Intertrade Lanka Management (Pvt) Ltd PB249
• Aitken Spence Travels (Pvt) Ltd PV1262
• Diethelm Travels Lanka Pvt Ltd PV1926
• Walkers Tours Limited PV64362
• Jetwing Events (Private) Limited PV10798
• Golden Isle Travel (Pvt) Ltd PV73070
• KAIROS W/A 60866
• B Connected (Pvt) Ltd PV166
• S W R D Bandaranaike National Memorial Foundation Gazetted May 1973
• Asia Tours Pvt Ltd W/A 60178
• DAV Technologies (Pvt) Ltd PV64937
• NKAR Travels & Tours (Pvt) Ltd PV7314
• M&S Travel Solutions Pvt Ltd PV69633
• Columbus Tours Pvt Ltd PV7557
• CDC Events & Travels Pvt Ltd PV96271
• Conference & Exhibition Management Services Pvt Ltd REG?
• Cinnamon Hotel Management Ltd. PB7
• Beyond Boundaries Global Pvt Ltd PV92058
• Helanka Vacations Pvt Ltd PV61942
• The International Institute of Knowledge Management Pvt Ltd PV95698
• MICE.lk Pvt Ltd
• Travelmate Lanka Pvt Ltd
• Live Productions Pvt Ltd
• Delmege Travels Pvt Ltd

Appointments & Resolutions

Nominations closed on 25 January 2019, with only one self-nomination being received. Meanwhile, the Board already submitted their nominations for the posts of President, Secretary, Treasurer and Committee Members.

As the number of nominations thus received did not exceed the number of vacant positions, no election would need to be held. Instead, the nominees may be appointed with the resolutions being approved by a show of hands at the AGM.

RESOLUTIONS OF THE MEMBERS OF SRI LANKA ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCE EXHIBITION & EVENT ORGANISERS TO BE ADOPTED At the Annual General Meeting to be held on 9^th February 2019, at Hotel Taprobana, Wadduwa.

1. Receive, consider and adopt the Annual Report of the Office Bearers on the affairs of the Association, and the Financial Statements of the Association for the year

It IS resolved THAT the Annual Report of the Office Bearers on the affairs of the Association, and the Financial Statements of the Association for the year ending 31 December 2017 be adopted.

2. Resolution to reappoint the 3 Committee Members, and 1 new Committee Member

WHEREAS six Committee Member vacancies were announced, and nominations to fill these positions were called from the membership on 18 January 2019,

WHEREAS three valid nominations were received by the stipulated deadline of 25 January 2019- two nominations for re-appointment by the Board and one a self- nomination,

WHEREAS the Board made careful consideration & evaluation of all nominees & confirm their suitability for service as Committee Members,

WHEREAS the number of nominations received are less than the number of vacancies, the positions being uncontested,

Now Therefore be it resolved:

THAT Ms JOYCE PADMINI PAUL (Representative from Golden Isle Travels Pvt Ltd) be re-appointed as Director and Committee Member of the company, whose 2 year tenure as a Committee Member ends pursuant to Article 70 of the Company’s Articles of Association and being eligible, is proposed by the Board for re-appointment

THAT Ms JANICE HAKEL-RANASINGHE (Representative from Kairos) be re-appointed as Director and Committee Member of the company, whose 2 year tenure as a Committee Member ends pursuant to Article 70 of the Company’s Articles of Association and being eligible, is proposed by the Board for re-appointment

THAT Mr HEMAL OSHADEE WITHANAWASAM (Representative from The International Institute of Knowledge Management Pvt Ltd)be re-appointed as Director and Committee Member of the company, whose 2 year tenure as a Committee Member ends pursuant to Article 70 of the Company’s Articles of Association and being eligible, is proposed by the Board for re-appointment

THAT Ms NADEEKA LEENIYAGODA (Representative from Aitken Spence Travels Pvt Ltd) be newly appointed as Director and Committee Member of SLAPCEO

3. Resolution to appoint President, Secretary and Treasurer

WHEREAS the offices of President, Secretary and Treasurer have fallen vacant upon the expiration of the tenures of their predecessors,

Whereas the Board made the following nominations pursuant to Article 60 of the Company’s Articles of Association:

• President – Mr NALIN LAKMAL ARIYARATNE (Representative from Jetwing Events Pvt Limited)
• Secretary – Ms SHANTI FELECIA OUTSCHOORN (Representative from Intertrade Lanka Management (Pvt) Ltd)
• Treasurer – Mr MOHAMED AASIM MUKTHAR (Representative from Lanka Exhibition and Conference Services Pvt Ltd)

WHEREAS the Board also called for further nominations from the membership on 18 January 2019

Whereas no nominations were received from the membership by the stipulated deadline of 25 January 2019,

WHEREAS all the offices  being uncontested,

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

• THAT Mr NALIN LAKMAL ARIYARATNE (Representative from JETWING EVENTS PVT LTD) be appointed as DIRECTOR &PRESIDENT of SLAPCEO
• THAT Ms SHANTI FELECIA OUTSCHOORN (Representative from Intertrade Lanka Management (Pvt) Ltd be newly appointed as DIRECTOR &SECRETARY of SLAPCEO
• THAT Mr MOHAMED AASIM MUKTHAR (Representative from Lanka Exhibition and Conference Services Pvt Ltd) be newly appointed as DIRECTOR &TREASURER of SLAPCEO

4. Resolution appointing M/S Baker Tilly Edirisinghe & Co as Auditors of SLAPCEO

it IS resolved THAT Baker Tilly Edirisinghe & Co be appointed as Auditors of SLAPCEO upon recommendation for the same by the Board of SLAPCEO

Minutes of Previous AGM

Minutes of the 5th Annual General Meeting of Members held on 24 November 2017 at 3pm at the Taj Samudra Hotel, Colombo 1.

Members Present in person or by proxy: 

Members Absent:

Invitees Present:       

1. Ms. Nimmi Guneratne
2. Ms. Selyna Peiris
3. Dr. Damian Fernando
4. Mr. Vipula Wanigasekera

Welcome

The meeting commenced on time as the President Mr Ziyan Ameen extended a warm welcome to all those present. He confirmed that a quorum had been reached to convene the meeting.

Ms Dinukshi Bandaranayake, representing Company Secretaries Marks & Patents Lanka Pvt Ltd, explained the procedural matters relating to the Agenda for the meeting.

Minutes

Minutes of the meeting held on 26 August 2016 were adopted – proposed by Ms Felicia Adhihetty & seconded by Mr Shaffaath Amidon.

President’s address

The President Mr Ziyan Ameen next delivered his address to the gathering, highlighting the achievements of the past year.

Treasurer’s address

The Treasurer Ms Shanti Outscoon presented the Financial Statements of the Association for the year ended 31 December 2016.

Resolutions

The Company Secretaries presented and explained the resolutions to be adopted at the meeting. Subsequently, the following resolutions were passed with over 75% majority of votes:

• Receive, consider and adopt the Annual Report of the Office Bearers on the affairs of the Association, and the Financial Statements of the Association for the year 

IT IS RESOLVED THAT the Annual Report of the Office Bearers on the affairs of the Association, and the Financial Statements of the Association for the year ending 31 December 2016 be adopted.

• Resolution to re-appoint 5 Committee Members

IT IS RESOLVED THAT

Ms Felicia Adhihetty be re-appointed as Director and Committee Member of the company, whose 2 year tenure as a Committee Member ends pursuant to Article 70 of the Company’s Articles of Association and being eligible, offers herself for re-appointment

Mr Gihan De Silva be re-appointed as Director and Committee Member of the company, whose 2 year tenure as a Committee Member ends pursuant to Article 70 of the Company’s Articles of Association and being eligible, offers himself for re-appointment

Mr Aasim Mukthar be re-appointed as Director and Committee Member of the company, whose 2 year tenure as a Committee Member ends pursuant to Article 70 of the Company’s Articles of Association and being eligible, offers himself for re-appointment

Mr Shaffaath Amidon be re-appointed as Director and Committee Member of the company, whose 2 year tenure as a Committee Member ends pursuant to Article 70 of the Company’s Articles of Association and being eligible, offers himself for re-appointment

Mr Hajreen Juhara be re-appointed as Director and Committee Member of the company, whose 2 year tenure as a Committee Member ends pursuant to Article 70 of the Company’s Articles of Association and being eligible, offers himself for re-appointment

• Resolution re-appointing M/S BR De Silva & Co as Auditors of SLAPCEO

IT IS resolved THAT M/S BR De Silva & Co be re-appointed as Auditors of SLAPCEO upon recommendation for the same by the Board of SLAPCEO

Lecture

The formal segment of the AGM was followed by a presentation on “INSURANCE FOR MICE” by Ms. Nimmi Guneratne

Special Event

Next was a “Sanwadaya” (or engaged discussion) on whether Sri Lankan MICE is “SEXY” enough. A distinguished panel from various industries were invited to lead the discussion.

“SEXY” being the abbreviation for…

• “S” – Smile, warmth, hospitality – discussion lead by Ms. Nimmi Guneratne
• “E” – Entrepreneurship – discussion lead by Ms. Selyna Peiris
• “X” – Excitement / Branding – discussion lead by Dr. Damian Fernando
• “Y” – Yield – discussion lead by Mr. Vipula Wanigasekera

Vote of thanks & Closing Remarks

The President thanked the gathering for their input & invited everyone to cocktails. The meeting was closed at 5.45pm.

Notice of AGM

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT the 16th* Annual General Meeting of the members of Sri Lanka Association of Professional Conference, Exhibition &Event Organisers will be held on Saturday 9 February 2019, 11:30 am at Taprobana Beach Resort, 354/16 Rathnayake Road, Thalpitiya bridge, Wadduwa

The Agenda for the meeting is as follows:-

1. Apologies for the absence and announcements
2. Adopt Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting held on 24 November 2016
3. The President’s address
4. Receive, consider and adopt the Annual Report of the Office Bearers on the affairs of the Association, and the Financial Statements of the Association for the year
5. Resolution to appoint President, Secretary & Treasurer of SLAPCEO
6. Resolution to appoint Committee Members of SLAPCEO
7. Resolution to appoint new Auditors Baker Tilly Edirisinghe & Co.
8. Any other business

Lunch to follow upon conclusion of the meeting.

By Order of the Board of SLAPCEO

Startup Lawyer (Pvt) Ltd
Company Secretaries
18 January 2019

Notes:-

• SLAPCEO was initiated in the year 2002, and later incorporated as a Company limited by guarantee in 2012. Therefore this would be the 06th Annual General Meeting since incorporation, but the 16th Annual General Meeting since its inception in 2002.

Activities Planned for 2019

1. Annual General Meeting of Members – 9 February 2019
2. Sports Day – March 2019
3. Members’ Networking Event – June 2019
4. IAPCO Edge Seminar – October 2019
5. CSR Activity – December 2019

Changes over the past year

2018 saw the following changes to the constituency of the Board & Membership

Resignation from Board of Directors:

1. Mr Gihan De Silva from the post of Committee Member / Director

Resignation / Removal from Membership:

1. 361 Degrees (Pvt) Ltd- Full Member
2. CITRUS Vacations Ltd – Associate Member
3. Colombo Courtyard Pvt Ltd- Associate Member

New Members:

1. MICE.lk Pvt Ltd
2. Travelmate Lanka Pvt Ltd
3. Live Productions Pvt Ltd
4. Delmege Travels Pvt Ltd
5. Shangri-La Hotels Lanka Pvt Ltd
6. GAC Logistics Pvt Ltd

Following is a record of the tenures of each member on the Board

The tenures of 3 Committee Members as well as the tenures of the President, Secretary & Treasurer will end by this year’s AGM

Achievements over 2018

1. SLITHM Executive Diploma in MICE
   SLAPCEO formulated the curriculum for SLITHM’s Executive Diploma in MICE. SLAPCEO members will have the opportunity of being paid resource persons. The program was launched on 4 January 2019. SLAPCEO is currently in the process of getting the Diploma accredited by IAPCO (International Association of Professional Congress Organizers). It has already been accredited as a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in Sri Lanka.
2. Destination Marketing with SLCB
   SLAPCEO was involved with SLCB in marketing and promotion of the destination with SLCB, giving input and guidance at monthly Marketing Committee meetings of SLCB.
3. CEAV
   SLAPCEO helped in organizing one on one meetings between 25 Spanish Travel Agents and 40 local suppliers with lunch, for the Confederation Spanish of Travel Agencies (CEAV)
4. Indian Exhibition Industry Association Open Seminar
   The President, Secretary and Treasurer of SLAPCEO were invited to the Indian Exhibition Industry Convention open seminar in Hydrabad, to represent Sri Lanka at this exhibition industry event.
5. ICCA Database Access
   SLAPCEO circulated leads generated by the ICCA database (International Congress and Convention Association) as provided by SLCB
6. SLCB Action Plan
   SLAPCEO assisted in formulating SLCB’s action plan for 2019. Identified des fairs road shows to synergize with sltpb. Ziy paddy on mark com board
7. Tourism Industry Skills Council
   The Tourism Industry Skills Council (TISC) is a company limited by guarantee with Board members representing the private sector (namely all the associations in the tourism industry), Ministry of Vocational Training and TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training). The representative from SLAPCEO, Ms Paddy Paul was appointed as Secretary of TISC.
   In 2018 TISC launched a RPL (Recognition of prior learning) program for all sectors of inbound and tour guides.
8. IAPCO Seminar
   SLAPCEO is organizing an IAPCO Edge Bespoke seminar (International Association of Professional Congress Organizers) scheduled for October 2019.
   IAPCO is a member-based organisation comprising conference organising/meeting planning companies whose aims are to raise standards in the meetings industry and to provide a quality assurance to clients. IAPCO has been a universally recognised benchmark for quality within congress organisation and the meetings industry since its foundation 50 years ago.
   This will be a stand-alone seminar, specially structured to suit the participants’ needs and the local conference climate. The programme is prepared in consultation with the IAPCO Education Task Force and SLAPCEO. IAPCO will send a team of experts as appropriate to the seminar.
9. AAOU Conference bid
   SLAPCEO assisted Sri Lanka to bid for the AAOU Conference set for 2020 (Asian Association of Open Universities)
10. MICE Mart 2019
    SLAPCEO and SLCB jointly held the first ever MICE MART in 2016, with SLAPCEO conceptualizing & organizing and SLCB sponsoring the event. Discussions are under way to organize yet another MICE MART in 2019.
11. NSBM-SLAPCEO MOU
    The National School of Business Management (NSBM) and SLAPCEO entered into an MOU to provide training, interning opportunities & lectures for their tourism related programs. Since then SLAPCEO members have conducted several training programs and provided numerous interning opportunities.
12. ATBC -ASPAC Conference 2019
    SLAPCEO provided consultation services to the local chapter of ATBC (Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation) to prepare their bid to host their join conference with Asia Pacific Network of Science and Technology Centres (ASPAC)
13. ICCA Meeting Industry Development Forum
    SLAPCEO assisted SLCB to organize the ICCA Meeting Industry Development Forum.
14. SLTPB Marketing Action plan
    Advised SLTPB on its marketing plan and tactics, specially with regards to aligning with SLCB’s marketing plan
15. Provincial Level Tourism Training & Education
    SLCB initiated a series of MICE training programs to be conducted at the provincial level. SLAPCEO has pledged resource persons for the program.The first of these programs were conducted in Negombo for hoteliers. The next will be held in Habarana

President’s Message

The time has come for me to say goodbye after my 10+ years tenure, holding almost all the positions in SLAPCEO as a Committee Member, Treasurer, Secretary & finally as the President for 4+ years & ending my SLAPCEO career.

While been in SLAPCEO, I was fortunate enough to represent this Association at the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau Board & also at many local & international forums. Not only this brought me many challenges & barriers, the SLAPCEO life also empowered me to face new opportunities & threats & also to work in joining hands with my industry colleagues for the betterment of the country.

I hope that I contributed my best & took the Association a few steps forward during the past years. I would like to urge my SLAPCEO colleagues to maintain the same momentum & take the SLAPCEO name forward in the industry.

Also, I take this opportunity to sincerely thank my SLAPCEO members & the Board of Management who has always been with me during thick & thin.

My career had been exciting as well as enjoyable with my fellow SLAPCEO members & I wish to thank them all for their tremendous support given. Not forgetting the support given to me by the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau & the Minister of Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs, Hon. John A.E. Amarathunga.

A sincere thank you goes to our Company Secretary Ms. Dinukshi Bandaranayake from Marks & Patents Lanka Pvt Ltd, and our Auditors B.R. De. Silva & Company for their assistance over the past year.

Finally, I would also like to take this opportunity to wish the very best to the incoming President, Mr. Nalin Ariyaratne & the Board.