AOAI INTERNATIONAL MEET POLICY AND ITS PROCEDURES

Adopted and unanimously approved by the AOAI Board of Directors on February 21, 2021

Three revisions to the Policy were unanimously agreed to at the AOAI Board of Directors meeting on September 11, 2022.        The revisions are on page one in the third paragraph under Purpose and two sections on page two under Treasurer duties. All revisions are in red text with the removed wording being stricken through and the new wording added in bold italics.  All other sections remain as originally published with an effective date of October 1, 2021.

Effective date October 1, 2021

PURPOSE

The purpose of this POLICY AND ITS PROCEDURES is to: 1) revise procedures that will effectively allow the Meet Committee to conduct AOAI International Meets, 2) hold an International Meet that best serves all our members and 3) have continuity in all International Meets.

Following this POLICY AND ITS PROCEDURES will: 1) encourage “stand alone” AOAI International Meets and 2) allow a Meet Committee, with prior Board of Directors (BOD) approval, access to AOAI resources including the AOAI registered trademark logo, the AVANTI magazine, the AOAI.org web page, the AOAI-operated Mail Chimp account for membership e-mail Blasts and any other social media/electronic accounts operated solely by AOAI.

This POLICY AND ITS PROCEDURES must be read, agreed to and initialed by the Meet Committee chairperson(s) before the AOAI (BOD) will grant a sanction for a Meet. There are certain other obligations listed under the Treasurer Duties which must be adhered to prior to issuance of a Meet sanction.  These obligations include and are not limited to; application to the AOAI BOD for an insurance rider covering all Meet activities, establishing a separate bank account for the Meet a Board reviewable Registration credit card and cash handling process with the AOAI Treasurer and an after-Meet financial statement to the AOAI BOD.

This POLICY AND ITS PROCEDURES list requirements established by the AOAI BOD for an International Meet.  Any variation to this POLICY AND ITS PROCEDURES must be approved by the AOAI BOD prior to implementation. Failure to adhere to these requirements may be cause for the AOAI BOD to rescind a Meet sanction or take other actions as the BOD deems necessary for the best interests of the entire AOAI membership. Failure to adhere to the POLICY AND ITS PROCEDURES could impact eligibility for hosting future Meets.

Any AOAI sanctioned Meet should have a Host Chapter/Meet Entity and would ideally be supported by at least one other Chapter. Whenever possible, Meets should end on a Saturday or Sunday. All registrants must have valid membership in AOAI. Sufficient commitment from the sponsoring membership along with an effective planning process is critical to a successful Meet; cooperation among the various committees is of the utmost importance for success. All positions and classifications included in this POLICY AND ITS PROCEDURES are encouraged for AOAI International Meets; it is understandable that some Host Chapters/Meet Entities may choose to not utilize all committee positions.

The adoption of this policy by the AOAI BOD supersedes any and all previous policies. This revised POLICY AND ITS PROCEDURES will go into effect October 1, 2021 and are intended to re-establish the past practices of International Meets held before 2020.

PLANNING

The Host Chapter/Meet Entity must select a Meet Chairperson, Secretary, and Treasurer. In addition, Committee Heads may also be established. Some or all of these persons should be part of the exploratory and/or Meet Planning Team.

Sponsoring Host Chapters/Meet Entities should communicate their request for holding a meet to the AOAI BOD 36 months, or as soon as practical, prior to the anticipated meet date. Preliminary data for the site location, Meet date, and budget analysis must be furnished to the AOAI BOD for formal approval.

After board acceptance, the Host Chapter/Meet Entity should establish the necessary committees to finalize the site, budget, and agenda. A progress report should be made to the AOAI BOD on a regular basis, at least every six months.

The planning process should start at least three years prior to a scheduled meet with planning meetings every three months for the first year and increasing to monthly for the last six months.

Ensure that all sponsors, donors, and volunteers receive their appropriate recognition, both verbally and in writing. These are the people who make any event a success.

SEED MONEY

To encourage active AOAI Chapters/Meet Entities to sponsor International meets, an interest-free loan of seed money will be available to help with the start-up expenses. This is considered a loan and must be paid back no later than 60 calendar days after the final day of the meet.

In the request for funds, the active sponsoring AOAI Chapter/Meet Entities must submit to the BOD a statement of expected income and expenses, and a timeline for when these items are expected to occur.

After review by the BOD it will be determined what, if any, funds will be advanced for the request.

The amount that AOAI will advance to an active chapter sponsored International meet will be for no more than $2,500.

All requests are subject to review and approval by the AOAI BOD.

MEET CHAIRPERSON

The Meet Chairperson should select at least one guest speaker and shall be in charge of the overall operation of the international meet, and is responsible to the AOAI BOD.

SECRETARY

  • Shall prepare the meet agendas for planning meetings and final Meet agenda
  • Set up meeting room logistics and schedules when provided by site committee chairperson
  • Record all committee meeting minutes with action items and due dates
  • Send copies of committee meeting minutes to the meet committee chairperson and the AOAI BOD

TREASURER

  • Prepare meeting budget and revisions using standard accounting practices
  • Submit to the AOAI BOD a budget that states the beginning balance, income and expenses, and ending balance for Board review.
  • Establish a separate Meet checking account and deposit monies received
  • Ensure financial details remain in order
  • Pay only Meet Chairperson approved invoices related to the budget
  • Ensure all legal documents are prepared
  • Obtain insurance verification from AOAI BOD
  • Establish method to collect registration fees via credit cards a Board reviewable Registration credit card and cash handling process with the AOAI Treasurer
  • Receive all prepaid registration forms and ensure all registrants are AOAI members
  • Send acknowledgement with appropriate maps and directions to all pre-registrants
  • Submit final financial statement to AOAI BOD within 60 days of Meet completion

SITE COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSON

  • Select committee to establish most efficient site
  • Participate in negotiating site terms
  • Oversee operation of site committee functions

HOTEL

  • Assemble negotiating team 36 months prior to meet
  • Establish requirements for site
  • Create plan for hotel negotiations
  • Send out plan to local hotels for quotes
  • Compare hotel packages
  • Secure hotel site 24 months prior to meet
  • Any and all contracts are discouraged, but if necessary they must be pre-approved by the AOAI BOD and will be the sole responsibility of the host chapter/entity

REGISTRATION

  • Design registration form for publication
    • Develop web page for on-line registration
    • Design computerized spread sheet to be used for pre-registration and walk-in registration to include the following:
  1. Number registered for each tour
  2. Number registered for each food event
  3. Size and quantity of t-shirts / souvenirs
  4. List of Avantis to be judged / displayed
  5. Create name tags
  • Walk-in registration
  • Establish separate area for walk-in registration
  • Provide cash box
  • Schedule volunteers for walk-in registration
  • Duties of volunteers for walk-in registration:
  1. Verify AOAI membership
  2. Collect and record all money transactions related to cash box
  3. Process purchase of additional meal and tour tickets
  4. Send all money collected to meet treasurer promptly
  5. Acquire needed supplies such as bulletin board and stick pins, easel, markers, pencils, Post-it Notes, stapler, paper clips, writing tablets, envelopes, pens

REFUND POLICY

The AOAI BOD recommends that, in the event a member prepays amounts for an AOAI event, the member may request a refund. Such claims for refund must be made to the event organizer before the start of the event. The amount of the refund, if any, shall be at the sole discretion of the event organizer.

PACKETS

  • Acquire and assemble items for registration packets
  • Copy of members original registration form
  • Prepaid meal and tour tickets
  • Schedule of events booklet
  • Name tags and dash plaque
  • Include local and Avanti related items
  • Packets should be tagged for each preregistered member
  • Provide separate table to hand out packets for pre-registered members

BANQUET

  • Establish menus and cost for all food and beverage
  • Ensure adequate seating arrangements
  • Coordinate with the banquet facility to ensure all meals are served as agreed
  • Coordinate with master of ceremonies for awards program

HOSPITALITY

  • Select an area adjacent to registration
  • Solicit donations for food and soft drinks
  • Schedule volunteers to monitor the hospitality room at all scheduled times
  • Purchase necessary supplies such as plates, plastic ware, glasses, and napkins
  • Ensure that adequate supply of soft drinks and snacks are available
  • Establish a means for membership contributions
  • Set up bulletin board for announcements, messages, and listing of pre-registered members
  • Ensure donors receive proper recognition

SEMINARS

  • Provide technical Avanti related presentations
  • Schedule rooms and times

TOURS

  • Acquire Meet committee approval of proposed tours
  • Advise registration of selected tours and price of each tour
  • Acquire tour registration count from pre-registration spread sheet
  • Where possible personal transportation should be used
  • Coordinate with tour companies for schedule and drivers
  • Solicit volunteers as guides for each tour
  • Coordinate with walk-in registration for available capacity on individual tours to protect over booking

MARKETING COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSON

  • Select committee to achieve the goals of marketing and publicizing the meet to maximize attendance
  • Participate with the Meet Planning Team

ADVERTISING

  • Create Meet graphics and text for publicity
  • Compile Meet booklet
  • Schedule of events and agenda
  • Necessary maps and articles for tours and local points of interest
  • Advertising of vendor services
  • AOAI and Chapter recognition
  • Design and acquire dash plaques

PUBLICITY

  • Create a plan for distributing publicity for maximum exposure
  • Provide Meet notices and preregistration forms to all Avanti chapters and their newsletters
  • Provide Meet notices to all Avanti vendors
  • Provide notices to local chamber of commerce and visitor’s bureau
  • Post notices with local automotive services and vendors
  • Notify local media sources; newspapers, websites, and television stations

SPONSORS

  • Check with the local visitor’s / convention bureau for any monies that may be available
  • Solicit sponsorship from other Avanti Chapters
  • Solicit items from local and Avanti related businesses for the registration packets
  • Solicit sponsors for auction items, raffle items, and car show awards
  • Ensure that all sponsors of awards and donations of auction and raffle items are given proper recognition

AUCTION

  • Select proper location that will ensure safety of displayed items
  • Select a time and place for winners to pick up auction item(s)
  • Gather all Avanti-related items for auction
  • Determine if silent auction or auctioneer is to be utilized

SOUVENIRS

  • Select items to be considered
  • Coordinate design of logo for the meet
  • Solicit bids for chosen designs.
  • After approval of bids purchase necessary items
  • Establish separate table for display and sale of souvenirs with a volunteer for transactions
  • Furnish cash box, bags, and other necessary supplies to properly record each transaction
  • All money to be promptly deposited with treasurer

CAR COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSON

  • Coordinate with the AOAI Chief Judge
  • Provide judges with hats, t-shirts or some visible identification
  • Provide judges with meals during judging
  • Provide judges with clipboards, pencils, and judging sheets
  • Coordinate with chief judge on all aspects of judging
  • Where possible the drive through judging process should be used
  • Appoint appropriate people for car committee positions
  • Coordinate with all car committee persons
  • Select a master of ceremonies for awards banquet
  • Judging sheets should be available at the awards presentation

JUDGING

  • Chief Judge to select necessary and appropriate judges who must be current AOAI members with appropriate Avanti judging experience and/or knowledge of the cars
  • AOAI Judging Form (Appendix B)
  • Comply with established AOAI Judging Guidelines (Appendix A)
  • Chief Judge to have absolute and final decisions on all judging issues

AWARDS

  • Coordinate type and design of awards with committee chairperson
  • Acquire necessary and appropriate awards

VENDOR / SWAP MEET

  • Establish price per vendor / space
  • Solicit national and local vendors, determine necessary equipment needed
  • Assign required space for each vendor
  • Ensure vendors have sufficient materials at their site

PHOTOGRAPHER

  • Furnish appropriate camera for photos and digital imaging
  • Determine proper location for photos
  • Identify each Avanti and its owner with a photo
  • Prepare digital imaging for awards presentation
  • Make photos available to each participant

PARKING

  • Establish appropriate parking for registered Avantis
  • Coordinate with host hotel a car washing area
  • Provide hoses and buckets and towels
  • Maintain the car wash area, regularly

SECURITY

  • Establish sufficient security with the host hotel for both Avantis and trailers

AUTHENTICITY JUDGING

A newly created Authenticity Judging process has been defined with its own selection and judging criteria.

These Avantis will have their own judging guidelines, 400 point judging form and their own awards package. Relative to the authenticity judging process all decisions by the Authenticity Chief Judge will be final.

CONCOURS JUDGING, APPENDICIES

Appendix A: Judging Guidelines, Revised – November 2020

Appendix B: Judging Form, Revised – November 2020

APPENDIX A: Judging Guidelines (rev.11-20):

Judging Guidelines for AOAI International Meets

THE AOAI BOARD OF DIRECTORS REQUIRES AN APPROVED FIRE EXTINGUISHER TO BE DISPLAYED WITH ALL AVANTIS !

 

  1. Classes & Awards
  2. Whether there will be multiple classes or just one class, the overall results will be the same, as each Avanti is judged against common criteria.
  3. Each award is based upon the number of points received during judging.
  4. The following awards are based upon 100 point judging:
  • Minimum number of points required for a First Place Award = 94
  • Minimum number of points required for a Second Place Award = 87
  • Minimum number of points required for a Third Place Award = 75
  • A best of show award will be presented to the Avanti with the greatest number of points.
  1. Only one award per Avanti, per AOAI judging event.
  1. Chief Judge – Judging Committee.
  2. The Chief Judge will be appointed in accordance with existing AOAI directives.
  3. The Chief Judge will recruit and train a three person Judging Committee.
  4. The Judging Committee will monitor the effectiveness of the Judging Criteria, and make changes as necessary.
  5. If the Chief Judge cannot be present at a national meet, the Chief Judge will appoint one person from the Judging Committee to fulfill the commitment.
  6. The Chief Judge and at least one person from the Judging Committee will monitor the judging to ensure rules compliance.
  7. The Judging Committee will be responsible for recruiting the field judges.

III. Field Judges

  1. There will be a minimum of four volunteer field judges.
  2. Each volunteer judge must be an AOAI member.
  3. Request for volunteer field judges by the Judging Committee, should be published in the AOAI Magazine.
  4. Judges will be assigned to either a two, three or four person team.
  5. Each judge will be furnished with some type of identifying badge, hat/cap, vest or other clothing apparel.

 

  1. Judging
  2. If possible and convenient, each Avanti will be driven to a climate friendly location to be judged (i.e.: in the shade, out of the rain).
  3. Each judging team will judge each vehicle at the same time.
  4. Each judge will independently judge each Avanti.
  5. The judges on a team will not judge the same area of an Avanti at the same time.
  6. Judges are not permitted to converse with the owner while judging an Avanti.
  7. Judges will not compare notes, nor point out discrepancies to each other.
  8. Each judge will deposit the judging sheets into a collection area immediately after judging each Avanti.
  9. A “scoring team” (minimum of 2 AOAI members) will tally the scores and assign the final award level. (see section VI.)
  1. Judging forms
  2. The Avanti owner’s name will not appear on the judging form. The registration number will tie the Avanti to the owner.
  3. Each Avanti will start with 100 points.
  4. There will be no points deducted because of modifications or non-original equipment.
  5. Judges may award one (1) “Bonus” point per category for exceptional condition of one particular item that was prepared by the owner. Example: In the judge’s opinion, the owner did an exceptional job of cleaning and preparing tires and wheels.
  1. Totaling points
  2. The Chief Judge, assisted by at least two other “scoring team” members selected by the Chief Judge, will:
  • Count and record the total points from each Avanti’s judging sheets.
  • Compare the total points with the point spread sheet to determine the appropriate award.
  1. No person may alter the points as they appear on the judging sheets.
  2. The total points from the sum (average) of the judging sheets will be the final decision.
  3. In case of a tie for Best of Show, duplicate awards will be presented.
  4. The Best of Show winners may receive only one AOAI award

APPENDIX B: Judging Form (rev. 11-20):

 

            Official Vehicle Judging Form – AOAI International Meets

Is a fire extinguisher present & displayed with the vehicle? (Required as of 1/1/20)  Yes___No____

Registration #___________ Model Year__________ Award Earned___________

Note: Convertible tops must be up during judging.

  1. Exterior deductions (40 points max.)
  2. Body and Paint: deduct 0 to 18 points…………………………………….. _______
  3. Bumper chrome or bumper paint: deduct 0 to 8 points …………………….. _______
  4. All glass and rubber trim around glass: deduct 0 to 4 points …………… _______
  5. Wheels and tires: deduct 0 to 6 points ……………………………………. _______
  6. Weather stripping: deduct 0 to 4 points …………………………………… _______

 

  1. Engine compartment deductions (15 points max.)
  2. Underside of hood, hood pad: deduct 0 to 3 points……………………… _______
  3. Wiring: deduct 0 to 2 points ………………………………….. …………… _______
  4. Gen. cond. of engine and engine compartment: deduct 0 to 10 pts …… _______

 

III. Interior deductions (25 points max.)

  1. Front seats: deduct 0 to 5 points …………………………………………….. _______
  2. Rear seats: deduct 0 to 5 points ………………………………………….. _______
  3. Carpet & mats: deduct 0 to 5 points…………………….…………………… _______
  4. Dash, instrumentation, console: deduct 0 to 4 points……………………. _______
  5. Door panels and headliner: deduct 0 to 4 points…………….. ………… _______
  6. Seat belts: deduct 0 to 2 points………………………………….. ………. _______

 

  1. Trunk deductions (10 points max.)
  2. Trunk lid hinges, springs: deduct 0 to 2 points………………………….. _______
  3. Underside of trunk lid: deduct 0 to 2 points……………………………… _______
  4. Carpet: deduct 0 to 4 points ………………………………….…………… _______
  5. Weather stripping: deduct 0 to 2 points……..……………………………. _______
  1. Undercarriage, chassis  deductions (10 points max.)
  2. Exhaust condition, tail pipe extensions: deduct 0 to 3 points…………….. _______
  3. Overall cleanliness: deduct 0 to 7 points ……………………………….… _______

 

TOTAL POINTS AVAILABLE………………………………….….       100

Bonus points awarded (+) ………………………………………. ________

Points deducted (-) ……………………………………………….. ________

Total points awarded……………………………………………… _______