PROTOCOL GUIDELINES ALLIANCE Index: Prologue ============================================================= PROLOGUE
SUGGESTED PROTOCOL GUIDELINES POR ALLIANCE CONVENTIONS. At all times we have to give appropriate consideration to the rank of each Officer. This is particularly important during introductions and assignment of seats. The Director General, as highest authority within our Organization, has priority over State and National Directors and any other elected or appointed officer. Chairman of the Convention Organizing Committee Note: When the president of a country has been invited to the Opening Ceremonies and accepts or sends his/her representative, then the protocol of the president’s country will prevail. The first rows at both sides of the auditorium will be reserved for the Zone Directors, Advisory Council, Committee Chairmen and previous “Pan American Women”. The Chairman of the Convention Organizing Committee will assign seats at the Presidium. The Committee Members will write ahead of time the cards that will indicate name and rank of each person in the Presidium. They will be placed in front of each seat. The Director General may request that additional introductions be made, such as that of special guests, other elected or appointed Officers of the Alliance or National Associations, members of the Advisory Board, past Pan American Women, etc. The audience will give a standing ovation to the Director General, when she in introduced. It is not proper to applaud a National Anthem.
PROGRAM FOR INAUGURATION CEREMONY 1. Parade of Flags.
PROTOCOL GUIDELINES FOR ASSEMBLY BUSINESS MEETINGS
The business sessions of the Alliance Convention are always presided by the Director General. The Parliamentarian will sit to her right, followed by the Historian, the Director General Ex-Officio, the Corresponding Secretary and the Pan American Woman. The Official Translator will sit the immediate left of the Director General, if needed; otherwise she will sit to the left the Treasurer. When the Official Translator is not needed, the Recording Secretary will sit to the immediate left of the Director General followed by the Assistant Recording Secretary, the Associate Director General, the Treasurer, the Official Translator and the Convention Chairman. The Zone Directors will be seated in the first row of the right side of the audience (looking from the Presidium). Behind them will be Voting Delegates seated by Zone in alphabetical order by Table. The Advisory Council will be seated in the first row of the left side of the audience (looking from the Presidium). Behind the Council will be the Committee Four Zones will be seated on the right and four on the left. All of the voting delegates, except for the Advisory Council, will be seated in the front of the room close to the Presidium. After the Table Delegates, on the right side, will be Past Pan American Women, National Association Presidents, State Directors, and National Secretaries. On the left behind the Table Delegates will be Committee Vice-Chairmen and Committee members. The rest of the room will have open seating. It is the responsibility of the members of the Convention Protocol Committee to inspect ahead of time the auditorium where business meetings will be held. As members arrive, they should be shown to their seats and someone should explain the use of the earphones. As soon as everybody is seated, the aides will stand behind the Presidium to be available to take messages. Before the sessions start, the Convention Chairman should make sure that the professional interpreters are in their booth, ready to interpret when the session is called to order. The Chairmen of the Registration Committee should be ready to present a report every morning, at the beginning of each business meeting. The Chairman of the Alliance Protocol Committee should be available to support the members of the Convention Protocol Committee. Ideally, they should review together the Program and make sure that all details are covered. Furthermore, they should be prepared to face any unpredicted eventuality with dignity and courtesy.
PROTOCOL GUIDELINES FOR ALLIANCE BOARD MEETINGS
When Alliance Board Meetings take place during Convention time, the members of the Protocol Committee will make advance arrangements for the room where it will take place and they will make sure that everything is in order. Tables should be placed in a U shape. The Executive Board and the Director General Ex-Officio will be seated in the middle section. The Zone Directors and half of the Committee Chairmen will be on the right and the Advisory Council members and the other half of the Committee Chairmen on the left. Vice-Chairmen of Committees and Committee members and guests will be seated were there is room. [See the Alliance Business Meeting seating chart] The Alliance banner, the flag of the host country, the flag of the country of our Founder Florence Terry Griswold, and the flag the country of the current Director General will be in their appropriate places in the front of the room. The Convention Chairman will be present before the Meeting starts. She will ascertain whether all Board members have registered and received their Convention materials. She will also respond to any questions and offer assistance, if needed.
PRESS INTERVIEWS AND PICTURES
The Chairman of the Protocol Committee will notify the Director General and other Officers that may be interviewed by the Press. She will inform them of the time, place and estimated duration of the interviews. The interviews will take place in a private, comfortable area. Later on, the members of the Convention Courtesy Committee will get some of the newspapers, magazines, etc. where the interviews were published. These should be given to: The Director General, Alliance Historian, Table Historian and each one of the persons who were interviewed. Usually, the official photographers will bring the Convention pictures that they took at the various events and will exhibit them at the Hotel. It is important that some members of the Courtesy Committee take some of the key pictures to the Director General’s suite, so that she will have an opportunity to select and purchase some pictures for her personal album. Remember that she is a busy person during Convention and unless somebody saves pictures for her, she will end up with no Convention pictures of her own. The Convention Publicity Committee will invite the press, radio and television to the various social events. They should be treated with utmost courtesy so as to enable them to function properly.
HONORING PLAGS AND NATIONAL ANTHEMS
Each country has its own protocol when honoring its flag and national anthem. The Alliance of Pan American Round Tables will respect each custom. It is common When there is a Parade of the Flags, the correct protocol is to have the flag of the host country first, followed by the Alliance banner. The flag of the United States comes next, since it is the country of our Founder, followed by the flag of the current Director General. All the other flags follow, in alphabetical order. We should not applaud a flag. As they go by, we should remain at attention. We may salute the flag of our own country by placing the right hand over the heart. The Alliance banner may be displayed during any Pan American celebration, such as: Pan American Day, installation ceremonies, Alliance Board Meetings, Conventions, etc. At the closing of an Alliance Convention it will be passed to the hostess Table of the next Convention.
PROTOCOL FOR THE CLOSING CEREMONY AND
The gala dinner and closing ceremony of an Alliance Convention is probably the most elegant highlight of the convention. The suggested program for this event is: Dinner
CONVENTION ADJOURNMENT
Dinner should definitely be served at the very beginning of this event. After dinner, the members of the outgoing Alliance Board should take their seats at the Presidium. The following members should occupy the Presidium: Director General, Associate Director General, Recording Secretary, Assistant Recording Secretary, Parliamentarian, Treasurer, Historian, Official Translator, Director General Ex-Officio, Corresponding Secretary, Pan American Woman, [See Alliance Business meeting chart] plus the Convention Chairman and Hostess Table Director. The outgoing Zone Directors will be introduced but will remain where they are seated. The Mistress of Ceremonies should have the names and ranks of each person in the Presidium and he/she will proceed with introductions. The Director General is expected to receive a standing ovation. At her request, the Mistress of Ceremonies may also introduce any other Alliance or National Association Officers, Members of the Advisory Council, State Directors, previous Pan American Women, and all special guests present. The Mistress of Ceremonies will faithfully follow the order of the Program unless, requested to alter it. The Convention Chairman will be alert and ready to solve any problems. After the Installation of the new Board, the outgoing Officers will leave their seats at the Presidium and the newly elected Board members will replace them. The outgoing Recording Secretary will take Minutes of this Closing Ceremony. During the whole event, members of the Convention Protocol Committee and the Alliance Protocol Committee shall work together and will make rounds and make sure that everything is going well and nobody is missing anything. Small details are important for the success of an event, even if things were well planned ahead of time. The main objective is to maintain a friendly and comfortable atmosphere. It is probably impossible to please everybody, but the idea is to leave pleasant memories in the minds of each member that attends a Convention. IMPORTANT: We have by no means covered every Protocol aspect of a Convention in this brief Guide. It is up to the Convention Organizing Committee to draw up its Plan of Action. It will be helpful to adhere to the guidelines of previous conventions and to delegate responsibilities to each member of the Hostess Table. It is advisable to request assistance from the Director General and from the previous Convention Chairman.
ALLIANCE OF PAN AMERICAN ROUND TABLES PROTOCOL GUIDELINES FOR VISITS FROM ALLIANCE DIGNITARIES
A. The chairman of the Alliance Protocol Committee should maintain constant communication with the Director General and be aware, ahead of time, of any trips or visits that the Director General is planning. She will request a complete list of the itinerary, names of officers that will accompany her, then pass this information to each Zone Director of areas to be visited. H. In whatever event where the Director General is present, she should be given an opportunity to say a few words to the audience. In her absence, the highest -ranking Alliance officer should greet the audience. If the highest-ranking Alliance Officer belongs to the hostess Table, the visiting Officer that follows in rank should be asked to present a greeting. It is polite to inform her ahead of time about her participation. These courtesies will emphasize the fact that Tables appreciate the efforts of the visiting guests. We must keep in mind that some of them travel long distances, without any financial compensation. We must also keep in mind that they want to share knowledge and offer suggestions, but they are also entitled to some relaxation and sightseeing. L. When Zone Directors, members of the Alliance Advisory Council (Ex-Directors General), the Pan American Woman or any other Alliance Board member attend an event, they should be afforded special courtesies. Arrangements should be made to welcome them at airports, etc. and hospitality details should be planned. J. Any meeting is always presided by the Table Director. At regular business Table meetings, Alliance Board members that belong to the Table need not be given any special treatment. However, during special celebrations, Seminars, etc., the Table Director should introduce the local Alliance Board member, as recognition of her position.
PROTOCOL GUIDELINES FOR CONVENTIONS
A. The Directors of the National or State Associations will send invitations to their Conventions to: the Alliance Director General, Zone Directors, other Alliance Board members and Pan American Woman. If possible, they will include the Convention Program, lodging details, registration procedures, and other special events where their presence is required. B. Once attendance is confirmed by the Alliance Officers, the Chairman of the Convention Courtesy Committee or the Chairman of the Association Protocol Committee will ascertain time and place of arrival of each guest and make arrangements for meeting them and transporting them to the hotel. C. The Director of the National or State Association presides over this type of Convention; the Alliance Director General will be treated as a Guest of Honor and will be seated at the Presidium during the Opening Ceremony. She should be asked to deliver a brief greeting. D. Any other Alliance Board members present should have reserved seats in the first rows of the audience. It would be polite if the State or National Director does mention their names and rank during the Inauguration Ceremony E. The Alliance Director General and other Alliance Board members present should abstain from raising issues or commentaries during the Convention’s business meetings. Of course, they can intervene if requested to do so by the presiding officer. Any comments may be mentioned during a recess and the presiding officer may ask them to clarify. F. When convention registration takes place, it would be nice to have a special table for the Alliance and Association Officers to register. Both the Director of the Association and the Alliance Director General should not pay the registration fee. G. The Convention Courtesy Committee should make sure that all Alliance guests have transportation to all events and that somebody will show them to their respective seats. H. If the Pan American Woman attends National or State Conventions, she should be honored and asked to say a few words during “Pan American Night.” I. When the Convention concludes, the Courtesy Committee should offer transportation to airports, etc. to each Alliance guest.
TO THE CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE ALLIANCE PROTOCOL COMMITTEE
Every member of this Committee has to be very familiar with these protocol guidelines. The Chairman should supply this Protocol Guide to each member at the beginning of the biennium. It is also important to have read this guide, and to be willing to live up to the responsibilities. At all times, common sense should prevail, as well as the idea that our Board members deserve courtesy and recognition. This adds status to our Organization. You can’t just be a Committee member in name alone. In fact, each Zone representative should initiate fulfillment of responsibilities from the beginning of the biennium. Communication with the Committee Chairman should be frequent in order to facilitate coordination at the international leve1. The Alliance Protocol Committee acts as a Public Relations forum for the entire From the Editor, Helena T. M. Richards: This short “Convention Manual and Protocol Guide” (1992- 1994) does not intend to cover all details pertaining to the subject matter. For further information, you may refer to the following manuals:
REVISED PROTOCOL MANUAL: This new Protocol Manual, presented to the XXXI Biennial Convention of the Alliance of Pan American Round Tables in San José, Costa Rica, September 17—20, 2008 is an update of the 1994 Protocol Guide and uses ideas from the 2007 Protocol Guide of the PART of Texas and the 2005-2007 Protocol Guide of the National Association of Mexico. THE ALLIANCE PROTOCOL COMMITTEE 2006-2008 ============================================================
THE LIGHT OF FRIENDSHIP
The Light of Friendship is read when the Director General lights the Candle, and from this Candle lights the candles of the new Board members or of the new members being installed. And God said, let there be light and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. And so, since the beginning of time, Light represented creation, advancement, and progress. For the Greek God Prometheus 1ight was celestial fire he gave to humans and with it, the development of civilization: the alphabet, the sciences and the arts. On the lonely road, the Light is a guide for the walker. In scientific research, the Light is the objective and proven truth. Por us women, who promote understanding and harmony among the countries of America, the presentation of the Light, a candle lit at the beginning of the terms of each one of our leaders, is to bestow to that multifaceted symbol, the responsibility of bringing closer the attainment of the ideals of the Pan American Round Tables, friendship among the American countries”. Estela Barragán de Rodríguez
The oath is made with the light in the left hand and the right hand over the heart and repeating the words after the Director General or the Officer administering the 0ath. OATH OF THE PAN AMERICAN ROUND TABLES I SWEAR LOYALTY TO THE PAN AMERICAN MOVEMENT AND SHALL “ONE POR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE” “UNA PARA TODAS Y TODAS PARA UNA.”
Reviewed by the AMRP Parliamentarian 2008-2010, Norma |