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Arena Magazine 2005 Issue 3 |
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ADM 2005 - making it happen
Organising ADM might look simple but the Herculean task of keeping Usdaw’s parliament running smoothly falls to central office’s administration department.
For eleven months a year the admin team slave away to make sure everything from conference agendas to the kids crèche are on hand at conference exactly when the 1,300 delegates and visitors in the Winter Gardens need them.
And for most of us when ADM finishes that's it for another year, but for the admin team the work then starts all over again for 2006.
Head of administration services Theresa Wilcox is in charge of the large team who pull together the incredibly complex behind the scenes work that means ADM passes without a hitch.
"This is the most important event in the union's calendar and we take great pride in getting it right and making sure the delegates can concentrate on important policy debate," said Theresa.
"The team have a lot of experience preparing for ADM and every year they work incredibly hard to make sure everything is exactly right. It's a tribute to them that people only notice if anything goes wrong which, thankfully, isn't very often." One of the great things about ADM is how it evolves each year using new technology. This year Theresa's team faced a new challenge.
"We took a decision to have a bar coded system for card votes which took a lot of pre-planning, but would guarantee accuracy. We were all a little nervous before the first vote but thanks to teamwork with our computer department, and excellent work by the tellers, it all went very smoothly. This year the union introduced credential badges for visitors which helped boost security at ADM even further."
Executive and administration officer Frank Murphy is in overall charge of the conference organisation and responsible for everything from preparing agenda papers to conference credentials.
"I've seen so many changes in how we run ADM over the years, but Theresa and her team just take it in their stride," said Frank. "I would be lost without their efforts and, even more importantly, their innovative approach to solving problems when they crop up.
"They rightly understand the needs of the delegates and visitors are paramount, and the union owes them a great debt because they always deliver on that commitment every year."
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