Tuesday 20th February 2024 start time 18:30 at Paola Premises
Present Committee Members:
Mario Borg (MB)
Edward De Gabriele (EDG)
Mitchell Camilleri (MC)
Frank Farrugia (FF)
Present Attendees:
Kevin Casha (KC)
Mike Borg (MIB)
Krista Attard (KA)
Kurt Paris (KP)
Josmar Muscat (JM)
Andrew Cutugno (AC)
Start of AGM:
Start of AGM was delayed by 15 minutes due to quorum not being reached.
The committee welcomed everyone to the meeting, and the agenda was read out.
Approval of 2023 Minutes:
KC and AC asked to go over the last AGM minutes, to check with regards to some details. Last AGM meeting minutes were provided and read. KC suggested listing the number of eligible members on AGM minutes. It was confirmed that all attendees of the AGM were eligible members. KC also noted that it would be ideal for any suggestion or intervention made by members to always show the name of the member making that suggestion or intervention.
The committee asked if there were issues with regards to the previous AGM minutes, however there were no further comments. The 2023 AGM minutes were unanimously approved.
Approval of Annual Report 2023:
The Annual Report of 2023 was sent out two weeks prior to the meeting as per the MIPP Statute. KC asked to read the report before voting. MB suggested having the document passed around whilst a summary is given.
The 2023 Annual Report was shown and all points were explained.
When going over website points, KP mentioned that there were some issues with payment methods on the website. The committee noted this in order to rectify the situation.
With regards to the convention, EDG and FF mentioned that the two largest challenges faced were the costs incurred with regards to venue and catering, as well as the difficulty in finding speakers, noting that over 50 potential speakers were contacted – with 2 accepting however cancelling their engagement closer to the event, leaving the committee to find replacements on a much tighter timeframe than would be ideal. KC suggested that these challenges should also be listed in the annual report. It was also clarified that despite criticism about the lack of female speakers, more female speakers were approached than male, however all of the potential candidates were either unavailable, uninterested in attending, or demanded fees which were far higher than the budget allowed for. When asked by KC about the returns from the convention, EDG clarified that although the convention made significant financial losses, MIPP noted a clear and sharp increase in memberships, use of MIPP services, course enrolments and online engagement in the wake of the event. KC suggested hosting more regular events with foreign speakers on a smaller scale, focusing on one foreign speaker at a time, in an effort to reduce costs and make such events more feasible from a financial point of view.
During the marketing overview, AC asked how MIPP memberships had been affected since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. The committee clarified that the number of paid members had increased over the previous term and now stands at 91 valid and paid-up members, however noted that there were many individuals who made regular use of MIPP’s offerings such as studio rental and courses, yet showed no interest in becoming members of the organisation. KC also asked whether MIPP is keeping a mailing list of such individuals, which FF confirmed was the case.
Whilst the overview of courses and events was being given, KC asked about the reception to MIPP’s social night concept, and KP asked for clarification about which events proved to be more popular amongst the community. EDG and FF explained that although members showed a positive reception, it was clear that members preferred to have allocated time after an existing event for such socialising. With regards to other event feedback, it was noted that hands-on events were by far the best received, with workshops being fully booked in less than 24 hours in some cases. It was also noted that photographers carrying a strong brand and online presence attracted the largest audiences. This was especially noted in the cases of Lorella Castillo and Emma Tranter – who both gave talks about their body of work. Panel discussions were also popular, likely due to the engaging and polarising topics chosen, such as the topics of ‘Knowing Your Worth as a Photographer’ and ‘How Much Does Equipment Really Matter?’. Critique night had mixed reviews. The format was good and worked well. It was very insightful and the majority of the those who submitted had positive reception to the critique received, although some took the criticism more harshly. KC proposed to name it as Assessment rather than Critique in order to make the concept less intimidating. This was noted and agreed upon by the committee. AC asked whether workshops were always done in the MIPP studio. EDG clarified that this depended on the situation, with workshops such as the Theatre Photography workshop being held on-site, in that specific case as Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta. It was also noted that the least popular events were those that discussed very niche and specific topics. It was found that MIPP’s current member pool is not large enough to warrant talks on such topics as there simply are not enough people who are interesting in extremely specific subsets of photography. KC asked whether the recording of talks for online use was explored. FF explained that this was the original intention and plan, however the committee found that the vast majority of speakers who were asked for their consent requested for their talk not to be filmed. KC asked whether snippets were considered, and MC clarified that snippets for promotional and advertising purposes were already being done. KC proposed that the MIPP should select certain well known photographers and do 5 min interview videos about them and their career, and whilst the person is talking there would be photos taken by that person going up on the screen. It would provide an advert for both the photographer and the MIPP. This suggestion was noted and would be taken into consideration by the incoming committee.
When concluding, the committee thanked the sponsors who helped MIPP in cash and in kind throughout the year, these being Avantech, Photo Images, ILAB and Filterpixel. The committee also noted and showed gratitude to the various members who assisted MIPP, especially during the 2023 convention.
The Annual Report was voted upon and unanimously approved.
Approval of Audited Account for 2023:
EDG went over the audited accounts for MIPP for the financial year of 2023.
KC and AC suggested a more detailed breakdown of the accounts above and above what is required by the auditing process and to be more specific in certain areas, as well as placing accounts next to the accounts from the previous year for comparison. EDG agreed with the concept, and noted that due to the smaller committee, himself and other committee members had to double up on roles and duties, meaning that with regards to the accounts and bookkeeping, the standard required by MIPP’s accountant and auditor was deemed to be the essential standard to be upheld, and the format presented during the AGM was in fact prepared by said auditor. The suggestion to keep more detailed sub-sections of the accounts was noted to be passed on to the incoming treasurer.
KC remarked that the incoming committee should be cautious with it’s finances in order to leave more of a financial cushion in the future. EDG agreed and noted that the investments made during 2023, particularly with regards to the MIPP Studio, had paid themselves off within the same year, and already exceeded the 2023 income amount in the first 40 days of 2024, showing that although the investments made were significant, they have allowed MIPP to have a much more robust cashflow and therefore it was anticipated that the MIPP’s financial standing would greatly improve due to these investments. KP suggested having a calculation of cost per rented hour for the studio hire, to be able to more accurately gauge the exact amount of profit being made. With regards to MIPP’s cost of operation, EDG clarified that this was calculated to be just under €300 per month, meaning that €3600 could cover MIPP’s operations for an entire year. This was what led the committee to ensure to keep the bank account above €4000 and stop investments from breaching that limit.
KP suggested setting a budget for MIPP, to which the committee stated that this can be done at the discretion of the incoming committee, during their first committee meeting.
KP also suggested more tracking of data overall, such exact attendance numbers with a demographic breakdown per individual event, rather than ballpark figures.
A vote was taken to approve the audited accounts for 2023. KC and AC abstained, stating that they had questions which they would like to raise as other matters. All others present voted in favour and the audited accounts were approved.
Nominations for the 2024 Committee:
The committee presented the 7 nominations that were received for the 2024 committee. Frank Farrugia (President), Carmela Kolb (Secretary General), Mike Borg (Treasurer), Mitchell Camilleri, Josmar Muscat, Kurt Paris & Krista Attard. Since the number of nominations did not exceed the number of positions available, no election would take place and no tellers were required. A vote of confidence was put forward and the new committee was unanimously approved.
Other Matters:
AC asked for clarification regarding the funding that was applied for on behalf of MIPP in 2022 and why this was not listed in the accounts.
The committee clarified that the grant of €35,000 was applied for by past-President Dr. Charles Paul Azzopardi and was handled in his personal capacity, meaning that the funds could not be audited into the accounts of MIPP given that they were not received into MIPP’s bank account. AC asked under what context the grant was given and the committee showed the extract available on the Arts Council website showing that the grant was awarded to Dr. Azzopardi for use for an MIPP Outreach Campaign that included a convention as well as the publication of a book.
KC stated that the MIPP should have a detailed breakdown of how those funds were used. The committee noted that they were aware of a breakdown of expenses, these could not be directly verified as MIPP was not directly involved with the transactions.
KP mentioned how the photographers in the book did not get remuneration for their photos that are featured in it. KP also asked whether there was written consent to use the images, given by the photographers to MIPP. MB stated that it was agreed with all the involved parties. KC noted how a copy of the Arts Council funding proposal should have ideally been presented to the committee.
AC mentioned how he had asked for details about the funds when he was in committee, however they were never provided and this was one of the reasons he had resigned from the committee.
The issue of liability in any potential disputes regarding the 25th Anniversary Book was raised by KC and AC and it was noted that such liability would lie with the publisher as MIPP is not selling any copies of the book.
With regards to the Arts Council, KC proposed that Arts Council are to be contacted and informed that any applications made on behalf of MIPP’s name should be made directly by MIPP with all the necessary signatories, and that funds transferred only to MIPP directly. This was agreed upon by all present.
KC asked that members should be able to view the accounts should they request to do so, and that the same applies to all committee meeting minutes. The committee clarified that this was the case, with the exception of discussions to events or initiatives that were not yet announced in order to not hinder the work of the committee. It was also clarified that such discussions would always be available in the minutes once the necessary announcements were made.
FF concluded by taking a moment to state that 2023 was a big year of growth for the MIPP. He thanked everyone that was involved or that assisted him and to all the members and everyone that contributed in any way.