Wednesday, November 14, 2007

A final post !

You can see part of Allan's speech from the IRRV Annual Conference by following the link below :

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Allan at Annual Conference!

Allan at Annual Conference 2007 in Brighton!

Thursday, October 04, 2007

The Final Countdown

Well it is exactly one week to the end of my term as President.I can't believe it,where has the year gone. I haven't had much time to think about it as September has been particularly busy.
Since my last update I have been in Belfast,Hamburg,Plymouth and Birmingham so yet more miles clocked up.
The first event was the Northern Ireland Conference,the last event to be held in Belfast City Hall before its refurbishment.It was a very succesful day again showing how the 4 home countries have similar issues but approach them in different ways.There is no doubt that in the UK we have 4 distinct local taxation systems and,as in Scotland,Northern Ireland are examining the way forward for property taxation as the means of funding local government.
My next stop was Hamburg for the TEGOVA Assembly.I can certainly recommend a visit to Hamburg where the architecture is superb as well as the various canals going through the city.We were treated to a reception in the magnificant Town Hall and had the pleasure of 2 evening boat trips.
This event is a great example of professionals from different countries and cultures working together to harmonise standards and it was fascinating to attend the Assembly,the Valuers' own version of the United Nations.
The last week has been back in the UK but still busy.First there was a trip to Plymouth to meet with the Western Association.Coincidentally Plymouth Argyle were playing and I witnessed their first home victory of the season.Then it was back to the Midlands to attend the West Midlands Association student day where I had the pleasure of welcoming new students to the Institute as well as presenting certificates to last session's successful students.I was struck by the enthusiasm of those who were keen to progress from Technician to full corporate membership.It's a shame that throughout the country we are finding it very difficult to provide local courses for the full qualification and this really is a challenge for us as we need to capture such enthusiasm .
Thoughts are now firmly focussed on Brighton next week.Annual conference is,of course,the climax for any President and I look forward to it,albeit with a little trepidation.The staff are all working hard preparing for the event along with Gary Watson who manages the Performance Awards,Tregartha Dinnie,our commercial partners and Bob Trahern,next year's President and current Chair of the Commercial Services Committee.I have no doubt that members and delegates have no idea how much efffort it takes to put on ,not only a conference but a gala awards dinner for over 900 people.It'll be all right on the night as they say.I certainly hope so!
This will be my last blog as President but I will be back after Brighton to reflect on the conference,the awards evening and the year in general.
I now look forward to meeting delegates,members and students at conference.If you have read the blog,let me know what you think of it,good or bad.I know that Bob is considering doing likewise next year so it would be good to know if people have found it interesting and,hopefully,entertaining.It was never meant to be serious.
See you in Brighton.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Northern Ireland Conference 2007

Above : The IRRV welcomes the Northern Ireland Minister for Finance and Personnel to Conference - from left to right - Colin Wilkinson (Chair, IRRV Northern Ireland Association), Michael Curry (Conference Chair), Rt Hon Peter Robinson MP MLA (Minister for Finance & Personnel) and Allan.


Above : Allan addresses the Conference

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Views from Atlanta



With the IAAO President


Golf winner Ian Gillanders receives his prize



Students' Presentation


Allan pictured with IRRV Scottish Association President Hillary Kelly and successful IRRV students at their presentation at Scottish Conference.
We are now well into the conference season with plans for Brighton now well advanced.We have an excellent programme supported by varied fringe events so there should be something for everyone at all levels.It will,of course,be brought to a climax with our gala performance awards night .
The awards finalists have now been announced and my congratulations go to them all.Commiserations go to those who were short listed but who didn't quite make it to Brighton.They should be proud of their efforts.I can assure everyone that it has been extremely difficult to select finalists,never mind eventual winners as the standards have been so high.I know that the awards are competitive and everyone wants to win but I hope everyone remembers that its the taking part,generating team spirit and sharing success that is really important.
As I am sure you will know (if you are a regular blog reader!) we had our Scottish conference in Crieff at the start of the month.Yet again,the event was a great success and the excellent weather returned!We are grateful to IBS for sponsoring the golf competition and congratulations go to Ian Gillanders who is this year's champion.As you would expect,I was never in the running but managed to win the "shot of the day".I have to come clean and admit it was a good strike but unfortunately in the wrong direction,possibly the furthest anyone has been from the green on a par 3!Thanks to Bill Loughry for telling everyone.
One of the highlights of my year has been meeting students throughout the country and I was delighted to present certificates to 35 successful students at Crieff.This demonstrates the support Scottish Councils are giving to education and training but,like conference,can only happen due to the hard work of the small band of Associaiton Executive members.The event was very special to me as it was my home conference and I'd like to thank all those delegates who wished me well in my Presidential year.
My next event was attending the IAAO conference in Atlanta from which I have just returned.It is really fascinating to see how events are organised in different countries.We were warmly welcomed and there is a real potential to work with our US colleagues in the training and education field.We did manage to find time to see some of the sights which included a tour of CNN HQ,a visit to the superb aquarium and the Georgia Dome.I also managed a bit of singing with the resident singer in a bar!Like our own conference,the last event is the handing over to the new president.Mind you,the new president had to take an oath of allegience to the Institute.I'm not sure if I will try that on Bob Trahern in Brighton!
This week I'm off to Belfast to take part in an Institute conference and that will be followed by TEGOVA in Hamburg the following week.That will conclude my overseas travel but I still have to attend the Western Association dinner (followed by a Plymouth Argyle match) before the climax in Brighton.
The last 4 weeks will certainly fly by.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Yet another month has passed by and there are now just over 50 days to the end of my presidential year.Can you believe it?
It's been another eventful few weeks.The last week in July I was in Coventry for the second running of our Shared Services Conference.Although it was a good event,the numbers were disappointing which is a bit surprising considering how topical the subject is.Mind you,as I said in my opening remarks,there is plenty of talk about shared services but examples of true shared working are hard to find.It did give me an opportunity,however, to see the Ricoh stadium which,as a football fan,was quite nice although Dee wonders why men get so excited about a bit of grass!It's not really worthy explaining.
The week finished with the South Eastern Association Dinner.Yet another great night with a good turnout in excellent surroundings.
August started with the Lancashire and Cheshire Association summer ball to celebrate their 100th anniversary.This was a casual event which went really well.I did manage a turn at the Proclaimers 500 miles as my party piece.Well,at least I enjoyed it.
The rest of the month has been spent carrying out performance award inspections.I've visited 10 Councils who were shortlisted for the Benefits Team of the Year and the Excellence in Customer Care awards.The standards shown are all of the highest calibre and with the Awards Panel meeting this Friday (24th) I couldn't honestly tell you who the winners will be.It's going to be so difficult to choose but all those short listed should be proud of their achievements.I've been struck not only be the high standards but the enthusism and commitment of staff.I look forward to seeing all the finalists in Brighton.
On the conference,we have visited the hotel to see the set up for this year.I'm particularly keen to ensure that the Performance Awards evening is one to remember and we've taken heed of comments received about last year's event to make sure everyone there gets a good view and feels part of the event.The price of this may be that we have to limit the numbers so if you are thinking of going you should get booked if you haven't already.
Before Brighton there is,of course, my home conference in Scotland.We're going back to Crieff and the Scottish Association have again put together a good programme including an address from John Swinney,MP,Finance Secretary which is a great coup. For obvious reasons this will be a very special event for me which I am really looking forward to.
I know that September will pass quickly and Brighton will be here in no time and I look forward to seeing friends and colleagues,old and new at Crieff and Brighton.Before then,I will be back to tell you what I've been up to in September.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

3 Months To Go

The last month has probably been the busiest so far and now there are only 3 months left of this fabulous year.I'm afraid my carbon footprint was particularly large as I flew up and down the country.Well here goes with a whistle stop tour of the last 6 weeks.
Unfortunately,June started badly with my partner Dee's son,Mark, seriously ill meaning we were unable to attend the West Midlands Association dinner.By all accounts it was a good night.
Mark spent most of the month in hospital,mainly in intensive care and Dee was not able to join me for most of my duties.Thankfully,he is now well on the road to recovery and I'd like to thank all of those who sent their good wishes.
The second week in June was particularly hectic.I had to be in the office on Monday,Wednesday and Friday for new Mmebers' training so getting to both the Fraud and Welsh conferences was particularly challenging.The first training session was at night so I ended up flying down to Bristol then driving to Kenilworth.I made the first day of the Fraud conference and then flew back up to Fife on the Wednsday only to fly back down so I could drive to central Wales.On the Thursday afternoon I drove back to Bristol then caught the plane back to Scotland.
In between the travel we had 2 excellent events.I thought the papers delivered at the fraud conference were first class and whilst delegate feedback has been good it is our only event which has seen a reduction in the numbers of those attending which is a concern.
The Welsh conference was also a great success with only a small number of Councils not represented.This is a great example of hard work being put in locally as this is still a relatively new event in our calendar.My thanks and congratulations go to Association members who helped to put this day together.
If that week's travel wasn't enough I flew back to London on the Friday night to see Mark in hospital and the following day flew to Vilnius (alone!) for our international conference.
This year we ran the conference with the International Property Tax Institute (IPTI) and there is no doubt it was a huge success with representatives from 23 countries attending.Mind you,it was really 24 as I had a delagate badge saying I was from ENGLAND.I'm still getting over that one!
I know that some of you will question why the Institute gets involved in overseas issues but I cannot overstate the high regard other countries have of us and whilst so many questions are asked here about our local taxation systems our European colleagues in particular look at us enviously.This was a really splendid event and I felt so priviliged that it fell in my Presidential year.
On my return I spoke at the Scottish Rates conference but only after the Scottish Parliament had voted in favour of Local Income Tax to replace council tax.This decision promises to generate significant debate and I look forward to the Institute playing a prominent role in this.Hopefully we will get the First Minister to address the Scottish conference in September on this highly sensitive and major issue.
The month ended with the London and Home Counties dinner.This was particularly timely as,with Mark out of hospital,Dee was able to attend the dinner with me and I have to say we both had a great night in the splendid surroundings of the Innholders building in London.
We are now in July and it has already been busy.Last week I had the good fortune to attend the garden party at Holyrood House and have afternoon tea with the Queen.Well,she was only a few yards away!This was followed by the East Anglian Association AGM,yet another example of a vibrant Association benefitting from the hard work of willing Association Executive volunteers.The meeting was followed by an afternoon at the races where I discovered something else at which I am useless,betting on horses.I did have a winner in the second last race only for my horse in the last race not getting out of the starting gate!
The week ended with a reception at the House of Lords at the Rating Surveyors Association reception,another enjoyable event.
With the full Council round the following week we stayed in London over the weekend taking in the Tour de France (in London??).The highlight of course was our Annual Reception at the Royal Courts of Justice.This is our opportunity to thank all those who work hard for the Institute and from my perspective it was a fantastic evening in a great setting.Thanks to all those who attended in making it such a great event for me.
The event also gave us the opportunity to celebrate our 125th year along with the launch of our celebratory magazine.Our magazines is another area where we are making great strides thanks to the sterling work of our very own "Scoop" Roberts although there are some dodgy photos in the latest Insight.Make sure you get your copies.
The last duty was to host the Past Presidents lunch.It's great to see so many of them still talking enthusiastically about the Institute.The most common factor,however,is how well they all look in retirement.I can't wait!
Well that was my whistle stop tour of the last 6 weeks.It's a bit calmer now as I go into my final 3 months in office but the time is being filled with Performance Award judging.What a great success our awards scheme is with record numbers of submissions.Unfortunately we can only have one winner in each of our categories but reading all of the submissions you cannot help but be impressed at all the good work being done in our industry throughout the UK not to mention the fact we also receive submissions from overseas.I'm looking forward to the inspection visits.I'm sure I will learn a lot.
We're now in the holiday season so I hope you all have the chance to have a good break.Mine won't come until after Ocober!

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Institute's Annual Reception - 9th July - Royal Courts of Justice, London

Above : Allan addresses guests at the Institute's Annual ReceptionAbove : Allan welcomes Institute Honorary Member Billy Jenkins and his wife and daughter to the reception

Saturday, June 30, 2007

SVQ presentation

At the IRRV Scottish Revenues & Benefits Forum last Friday, Allan had great pleasure in presenting Maureen Macaulay of Aberdeenshire Council with her SVQ certificate.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Northern Ireland Presidential Visit - photographs

Here are some photographs from the Presidential Visit to Northern Ireland (31 May/1 June 2007) :
Above : Allan with Northern Ireland Association Chair, Colin Wilkinson

Above : Allan meets the Lord Mayor of Belfast

Above : Allan addresses the Northern Ireland Association Annual Dinner

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Northern Counties


The Northern Counties photo is me with the Association President Christina Parkin and her husband, Alex Stepney and the 2 new corporate members Kim Devereaux and Joan Bailey.

The Grand Presentation!

The one with Bob is at our lunch at Claridges.

Bob forgot his jacket so we had a whip round and raised a fiver to go towards him buying a new one.

This is me presenting it to him.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Busy Time

Well it's been a hectic period since my last update in March.Unfortunately,Plymouth Argyle did not make it to the cup semis after an act of grand theft by David Magor's Watford.Mind you,had we got there,we might have needed a calculator for a game with Man United!
Presidential duties include regular invites to dinners and lunches from other professional bodies and last month I hosted our lunch at Claridges.It was an excellent event and just showed how different organisations can work together and share experiences.We all have the same goal to provide services in a professional manner and I was touched by the letters of thanks I received afterwards from those that attended.
Our major event of the year is,of course,our annual conference and performance awards and preparations are already underway but a number of us attended the LGC awards in London to see if we could get any tips.It was a splendid event and whilst we got a few pointers it did show what a good event we have.Perhaps the best part of our awards is that we have a particularly high number of front line staff there making it a very inclusive event.This is somethting we will strive to preserve.
Talking of the awards,I hope many of you are preparing your submissions.Visit the IRRV site for details.We hope to maintain the number of entries this year.I have no doubt the standard will be just as high.
I've attended a number of Association events of late.Firstly there was the Western Association...and yes you guessed it,held at Home Park,Plymouth.I was presented with a signed Argyle football which I will treasure.
Next there was the Northern Counties conference in Chester-Le-Street.This was a very well supported event at which I gave a presentation on the results of our Committee of Enquiry into Local Government Finance.You can see the report on the Institute's web site.There is no doubt we influenced Sir Michael Lyons although not to the extent that we would have wished.The conference was followed by a dinner and I was lucky to share the top table with Alex Stepney who was the after dinner speaker.For those of you who are not old enough to remember,Alex played in goal for Man Utd when they first won the European Cup in 1968 (yes,I watched it on the TV).I also had the pleasure of meeting 2 recently qualified corporate members.Pictures of this event will follow.
The next day I was at the Lancashire and Cheshire Association dinner,another splendid event and one at which I was able to give a very short speech with the emphasis on short!
At the end of March I was back home at the Scottish Revenues Forum in Glasgow and made a presentation to Ian Guthrie of Scottish Borders on his retirement.Ian has been a longstanding member of the Forum and a fine example of one who has contributed over a number of years at IRRV events.We wish him well in his retirement.
The next event was the East Midlands Association AGM in Lincoln which was well attended.It was also an excellent day weather wise and we were treated to a tour of the cathedral.This was a treat for me being a bit of a Da Vinci Code buff because it was used as the set in the film as Westminster Cathedral.My best wishes go to Roy Thompson in his Presidential year.
My next event was the Metropolitan (or should I now say London) and Home Counties Association AGM.This was held in a downstairs pub and there is no truth in the rumour it was there because of me.It was a night for the Celts though with Andy Cummins installed as President.Again,I wish Andy all the best but I have to say I'm not sure about his gift to me of Irish Whiskey!I've never tried it so I will reserve judgement but nothing can beat the real thing!
Bringing things right up to date,the Council round was held in Fife earlier this week.This was a great honour for me as it came at the start of the celebration of the Institute's 125th year.I'm pleased to see that a number of Associations are planning events round this.We had a celiedh on the Monday night which gave me the opportunity to invite and thank my Council and colleagues for their support in my year of Presidency.We were honoured to be joined by the Provost of Fife,my own Head of Finance and some of my staff as well as members of the Scottish Association Executive.A great time was had by all...and the weather was great!
You can see it's been a busy time but it's clear that a lot of hard work is being put in by members at local level.I've been struck by the commitment of Association officers striving hard to get numbers up at events.The cameraderie is superb and I have been warmly welcomed by all .I still have a lot more to see and am looking forward to them all.
I'm now halfway through my year and thoroughly enjoying it.Come October I don't think there will be many airports in the UK that I won't have visited.Over the next few months it gets even busier.Roll on!!
Next week sees the Keele Revision Course along with a shared services conference,NVQ seminar and the management course.I look forward to meeting current and future Institute members and participating in these events.
Finally,a lot of charity work goes on at Institute events and (rather foolishly) I've agreed to participate in a sponsored cycle run (19 miles) in aid of Leukemia Research.Team IRRV which also includes my partner Dee, Bob Traherne,David and Liz Magor,Gary Watson,Kevin Stewart and members of the East Midlands Association are looking to beat last years sponsorship total.You can support us by visiting www.justgiving.co.uk/teamirrv.All donations for this worthy cause are welcome.I shall give you a full report in my next update.

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Presentation to Ian Guthrie

Ian Guthrie retired from Scottish Borders Council at the end of last month after many years' experience in the revenues field. Here Allan is pictured giving Ian his presentation from the IRRV Scottish Revenues & Benefits Forum, in recognition of Ian's contribution to the work of the Forum.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Allan in Spain!


The photograph above shows Allan & the other IRRV representatives at a reception with the Mayor of Benidorm.


Allan and others at the SUMA Employee of the year dinner in Alicante




A number of well-known faces!

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Scottish Association AGM

Some of the audience


Allan addresses the AGM

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Busy Again

After a short quiet period after Harrogate it's been a busy few days with yet more miles racked up.
Last week started with the Scottish Association AGM.This was,of course,very special for me and it was probably appropriate that this was the first of many Association AGMs I will be attending.I shared a platform with the Director,David Magor, on our Committee of Enquiry into Local Government Finance and we also gave some thoughts on current topical issues.There was also a presentation by one of the major Sheriff Officer firms on the new Bankruptcy and Diligence Act.All in all this was an excellent event with over 100 attending.
Over the next couple of months I will be attending lots of Association events ,conferences,dinners,AGMs and other social events so the diary is certainly hotting up.I will need to check to see if there are any Associaitons which have yet to give me dates for their events as I'd like to get round them all,if possible.
Last week saw the final meetings of our Leonardo Project in Alicante.This involves colleagues from Bulgaria,Czech Republic,Spain and Romania and has been extremely successful.I have been fortunate enough to have attended a few of these meetings and I am always struck at how much we can learn from each other.Our hosts looked after us extremely well and our study tour was in Benidorm.Now before anyone thinks we were having a great time sunbathing I can tell you we had an interesting tour of the City of Benidorm's Council offices.We did manage an hour's leisure time but we certainly felt a bit out of place in Benidorm town with suits,collars and ties on!....and yes it was nice and sunny.
This week I hosted a dinner with the President of the International Association of Assessing Officers from America along with colleagues from Northern Ireland.Now I'm not a valuer but I was fascinated at how they carry out annual revaluations using computor aided mass appraisal (CAMA) something which has just been completed in the Province.Again we have lots to learn from others and for me this only reaffirmed our own Committee of Enquiry finding that this process should be introduced here on the mainland.
I now have a few days rest..oops...I mean time in the office until my next round of official duties,My next Association event will be in 2 weeks time with the Western Association in Plymouth .Those of you who know me will also realise this will be special for me as I am an ardent Plymouth Argyle supporter (don't ask why).And on that subject I am sure you will be aware that Argyle play our Director's team,Watford, in the cup a week Saturday.As ever,David is confident but I think an upset could be on the cards.By the time I do my next update the Pilgrims might be in the cup semis!!

Monday, February 12, 2007

Since my last posting we have now had the first round of Council meetings in 2007 and a very successful benefit conference.
I'm sure members are unaware of the hard work carried out by Council members behind the scenes.Both main Committees,Commercial Services and Law Research and Education had the usual full agendas with the Council meeting on the second day.We also had a full "strategy"morning discussing the way forward for the Institute.I'm sure many members would like to know more about what goes on in Council and I certainly feel it would be worth including a brief summary of business in Insight.I will keep working on that one!
Talking of Insight,it was my privilege to make a presentation to Kate Miller,who for many years,has edited our magazines.Kate is now working on her own novel and we all wish her every success in this venture.The editorial task now falls to our very own "Scoop",John Roberts, who is working hard to liven up both Insight and the Faculty Review.I'm sure John would welcome any constructive comments on how we can improve our mags.I know that all contributions are welcome.I shall refrain from making any comment on this month's Insight feature on the new President other than 500 miles is a gross understatement!!
I'm just back from the benefit conference and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it .Delegate numbers were up on last year and the general feedback seemed to be very positive.I apologise to those who did not quite understand what I was saying from the platform.I am trying hard to talk slowly!Mind you,some people get carried away asking me for my Taggart impression of "there's been a murder!!" To all delegates,thanks for making me feel so welcome.
On a serious note though,I thought the speakers were of the highest quality with the Minister delivering an excellent speech which captured the attention of all delegates.We also had a great exhibition and I certainly look forward to attending this event in future.
As is customery at the conference dinner,Capita's Judith Keitch provided the entertainment with a quiz which yielded £365 towards my sponsored cycle run in May for Leukemia research..Thanks again to Judith for her hard work.I'd also thank all sponsors for their continued support of this and our other conference events.
My next official duty will be in Alicante in 2 weeks where we wind up our Leonardo Project with our European partners.Then the serious stuff starts with a run of Association events.
I have been asked by many how I am enjoying my term of office and how I'm managing the travelling.Well,just to let you know,I'm having great fun and can't believe I'm now into my 4th month.Yes I spend quite a bit of time in airport and railway lounges but it's all worth it.Oh,and by the way,I'm in my office 4 days this week!

Thursday, February 01, 2007

IRRV Council Round in London

Photos below: Allan makes presentation to Kate Miller (to his immediate right) to thank Kate, who has recently stepped down as managing editor of the Institute's various journals. And below that, Kate herself!



Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Happy New Year

I guess you will all have settled back into work and your normal routines but can I wish you all a happy new year.I hope you enjoyed the festive period and didn't go too overboard with the food and drink.For my part,I had an excellent time, which started with the staff Xmas lunch which included a bit of karaoke.I can tell you we have some very talented staff ...at least as far as entertainment is concerned.Some photos may follow!!
This is,of course,the time for new year resolutions.I'm not one for these but as my presidential year goes into full swing my resolve is to get around as many Associations as the diary will allow and meet the grass root memebership.The diary is pretty full already.
My first couple of months in post were quite busy.January has been relatively quiet but things liven up next month starting with the benefits conference at Harrogate.I've never been to this particular event so I am really looking forward to it.
One event I have already signed up for is the East Midlands Association charity cycle ride in May.The Association President's charity is leukemia research and I hope I can raise money through sponsorship for this very worthwhile cause.I'm not really sure what I've let myself in for as cycling is not one of my regular pastimes but it's worth a go.If anyone has ideas for sponsorship please get in touch via HQ.
This Friday I will be in London launching the Institute's Committee of Enquiry into Local Government Finance.Hopefully we will be able to influence Sir Michael Lyons and provide some constructive comment on the Burt Report on the same matter submitted to the Scottish Executive.Then in February, in addition to Harrogate, I will be in Alicante for the final meeting of our Leonardo Project and,believe it or not,visiting the Metropole Hotel in Brighton to get arrangements for this year's conference under way.Oh,and in between I will be in the office doing my day job!
Will be back next month to keep you posted on what I've been up to.

Saturday, December 16, 2006

A Very Happy Christmas and a Guid New Year - from Allan

Below : Allan speaking at the Bankruptcy & Diligence Conference in Falkirk on 13th December
Below : Conference Hall
Below : Allan addresses the Scottish Association's Christmas Reception on 14th December (this followed a visit earlier the same day to the East Midlands' Association Christmas Lunch)

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

We're now well into the festive season and any thoughts that December would be quiet on the IRRV front have been well and truly dashed.It's incredibly busy and started with the Scottish Benefit Conference in Crieff.This was again a great event and you will have seen my trusty camerman was busy there.The conference was a great success and again featured the now traditional Xmas night.This year we had a rare treat with Paul Howarth showing off his dancing skills leaving him billed as coming from DWP (Dancing With Passion).Despite this, Paul made it on the Friday for his usual conference address.
Later this week I will be back with the East Midlands Association at their Xmas lunch followed later with the Scottish Association reception in Edinburgh.The following week I will be joining HQ staff for their Xmas lunch.The staff work incredibly hard but I know from conference they also play hard so I'm really looking forward to that.I'm told there will be some karaoke so I might be dueting with the Director again!I suspect some of that will also be caught on camera.
Regrettably, there was one sad event with the passing of Frank Anderson.Frank was a tireless member of HQ staff who,in spite of his illness,was totally committed to the Institute.He certainly put up a great fight against his illness and was an inspiration to all who knew him.
That should just about do it for 2006 but the diary is already busy for next year.It's a great honour to represent the Institute at various events often involving lunch or dinner with other professional bodies but I want to make sure I get around as many Associations as possible and get the chance to meet members.I already have a number of dates in the diary for events next year so, if there is any Association still to finalise dates with me,please get in touch as soon as possible. You can e mail me or contact Rachel at HQ.
This will probably be my last blog of the year so I will finish by wishing you and your families a merry Xmas and a prosperous new year.

Friday, December 01, 2006

Scottish Benefits Conference Photos!

Below : Dee and Allan at Dinner the night before Conference
Below : Allan opens Scottish Benefits Conference 2006
Below : Christmas Party Night - no prizes for guessing who has the flashing party hat!
Below : Conference Disco!

Monday, November 27, 2006

Well it's only 2 weeks since I posted my initial thoughts and it's been all go ever since.Then there's my trusty cameraman (Fraser MacPherson) who posts photos on the site to keep everyone up to date.

In the last 2 weeks I've hosted a dinner for a delegation from Syria and then,along with RICS and CAAV, we hosted The European Group of Valuers Assembly (TEGOVA).It presented an opportunity to visit the Scottish Parliament for the first time.It's easy to see how the cost of the building kept soaring up but it's definitely a unique building.If you are in Edinburgh and interested in that sort of thing it's well worth a visit and closeby there is Holyrood Palace and Dynamic Earth so it's well positioned for a bit of sightseeing.

We then had dinner in the splendid European room in the City of Edinburgh Chambers.This was followed on the final night with a traditional Scottish evening.The delegates certainly got into the swing of things and draped themselves in tartan for the night.Unfortunately I missed this event due to illness which was a great disappointment to me as I had the kilt ready!

Last week saw my first Association event and appropriately it was a meeting in Dumfries.This was preceeded the previous evening with the traditional annual chinese karaoke.This has been in the President's itinery the last few years and I have to say past Presidents have excelled.It is also a chance for the Director to show off his singing repertoire and,once again the old favourites,Woolly Bully,PS ILove You...need I say more were given an airing.Of course,yours truly was very shy,quiet and retiring (if you believe that you will believe anything!).

The meeting itself was very special for me and I must thank all members of the Scottish Association and in particular its Executive for their support.I definitely see my appointment as testimony to all the great things that have been going on in Scotland over the last few years.

The following evening was my first Association dinner,this time at East Midlands.This was an excellent night and congratulations go to the Association Executive for putting on such a great event.On a personal note,the Beatles tribute band was right up my street and,despite the previous evening,I was in full voice on the dance floor (with apologies to those who were in hearing distance). This event was also my first test at doing a short speech and I think I can safely say I achieved that so that will be the standard for the rest of the year.

This week sees the Scottish Benefits Conference.I'm sure my roving cameraman will be there snapping away so look out for photos of our traditional Xmas night.

So,it's certainly been busy but just in case anyone is wondering (particularly those in Fife) I have been in the office some of the time with the day job.I'm quickly learning to juggle time and I'm already an expert in cheap flights and travel in the UK.I even had to overrule the SatNav in the Director's car going to East Midlands and took 15 minutes off the journey time plus avoiding traffic jams!!
I continue to receive best wishes for my presidential year and being continually told to ensure I make the most of it.I will certainly try my best to achieve that.

Will be back next month with December's highlights.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

President at joint Scottish Association/Forum Meeting

Below - the infamous annual Dumfries Chinese Karaoke with IRRV President, Director and a few others!Below - Allan addresses the Joint Meeting in Dumfries.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Some Opening Thoughts

For my presidential year someone,who shall remain nameless, had the bright idea of me having a blog which for some crazy reason was felt would be interesting to some.It's cetainly different so,as usual,I thought,well,why not...so here we go,nothing too serious though.

I have now been in post for a month and I've very quickly learned that it's going to be a busy year but I'm determined to make the most of it.Thinking over the last month and going back to the conference the feeling I had going onto the stage to the music of The Proclaimers was very special.The welcome from the crowd was fantastic but I suppose it was probably more for the music than me.As for the music,500 miles, I think this will be my signature tune for the year...and for those interested in music trivia The Proclaimers come from Auchtermuchty,a little town only 15 minutes from where I live so it's very apt.

So far it's been quite hectic.My first event was to chair a day conference in Belfast and then there was the Institute's first CRM conference which was very succesful.I've already been to one lunch and one dinner and as I write this I'm about to pack the bags again as I'm off to another dinner in London tomorrow.I will certainly have to watch the old weight and make sure I get plenty exercise.

My first Association dinner is next week with East Midlands and I'm looking forward to meeting grass root members.I will also have to think about my first speech.I know the usual fun at such events is for tables to run sweeps on how long the Presidential speech will be.This year it will be different,instead it will be how short the speech will be!

Thoughts have also been turning to the venue for next year's annual reception and international coference.More on that once definite plans have been made.

Later this week we jointly host the TEGOVA General Assembly being held,appropriately for me,in Edinburgh.On Saturday we're hosting a "traditional Scottish night " so the kilt will be out.

Well,that's all for now,time to get the bags packed.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Welcome to the President's Blog!

This is the first posting to the new blog by Allan Traynor, IRRV National President. More to follow soon ...