President's Report

By Bill Barr, IJA President, Richland, Washington 

 

I would like to talk about the directions of the International Jugglers Association, Inc., for this year and the coming years.

 

One of my goals for the IJA, Inc., is to find out what other associations are doing. What services do they provide their members? What is their newsletter or magazine like? Do they have paid staff? How do they pay their staff? How do they run their conventions?

 

In pursuing this goal I have joined the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). Rich Chamberlin, IJA secretary, and Bill Giduz, publications editor, have also joined in the convention and communications sections, respectively.   I attended the ASAE convention in San Francisco in September.

 

This organization has already proved to be a rich source of information. Much of the material I had thought about gathering regarding other associations is already published by the ASAE and is now available to us. Also the services of the ASAE research librarian, a particularly valuable resource, can be utilized. A copy of JUGGLER'S WORLD is now on file in their library of association publications.

 

While at the ASAE convnetion, I attended a seminar of chief officers of associations that are about our current size. I was impressed with how organizations face many similar situations, and with the fact that the IJA has handled many of these situations quite well. We can be proud of the IJA.

 

Several interesting things happened at the convention in regards to juggling. While I was registering, one of the ASAE people revealed that she knew how to juggle. She had learned while attending college at Rochester Institute of Technology, and her teacher was none other than Greg Moss, IJA championships director!

 

Later, a seminar leader made a reference to juggling. After the session I showed him my name tag, with IJA on it, and he immediately wanted to learn to juggle.

 

One evening as convention goers left the site, we passed by entertainment provided by the City of San Francisco, a juggling act. I set down my convention packet and joined the two performers in a three person feed.

 

At the convention I met hundreds of association executives and spent many hours exchanging ideas with them. Also I met convention directors from cities and hotels all over America and many other countries. Thus in one room I gathered a great deal of information about potential convention sites from a wide variety of places. These contacts should prove to be of particular value to the IJA.

 

I spent a good deal of time with the people from the Showboat Hotel in Las Vegas, site of the 1984 IJA convention, and with people from the Las Vegas convention bureau. Both of these groups have been graciously helpful in the planning of next summer's convention.

 

In August, Rich Chamberlin and I visited the Showboat Hotel, and were impressed with the warm reception we received.

 

While there I had this fantasy - what if every IJA member came to the convention? This might be the place for it to happen! The convention site is self­contained. Members can eat, sleep, juggle, compete, and attend workshops all in one building. In fact, except for the Public Show, which will be held close by, it would be possible to stay in [he same building and attend almost the entire convention.

 

Another attraction of this convention involves the opposite aspect - a large selection of things to do in the area. This convention provides members with an opportunity to see a number of professional jugglers perform in Las Vegas, Reno and Lake Tahoe shows. The entertainment and recreational activities available before, during and after the convention are extensive. The Showboat itself has its own swimming pool, its own golf course and the second largest bowling alley in the world!