This message from the leadership team of the IAMCR Audience Section was distributed to all the section members on 15 May 2020.
Dear Audience Section members,
We hope this finds you and your families well in this challenging time. Thanks to those of you who have submitted papers for the online versions of the IAMCR2020 conference – we are also preparing some video recordings of a selection of Audience Section papers for the planned online conference in July.
We are contacting you to share news regarding the Audience Section elections this year. One of our vice Chairs Asta Zelenkauskeite comes to the end of her first term as Vice Chair this year. The joint Chairs, Peter Lunt and Annette Hill and the other vice chair Miguel Vicente Marino have a year to go on their current mandate. As you know, this year's IAMCR conference is going to be online. This new virtual format is very promising and interesting, yet it won't allow for a traditional face-to-face business meeting. Conventionally, the candidates nominate themselves in advance, their statements are posted on IAMCR website and at the business meeting candidates present themselves, speak about their strategies and plans, and then voting takes place. In the current online format, we feel that it would be challenging to have meaningful interactions and discussions, given time zones and regional differences of internet speed.
In this context, we suggest postponing the election for the second vice chair role and Asta has kindly agreed to extend her mandate for another year. Next year all our roles will be open for election/re-election and so we hope to have candidates, attend IAMCR2021 and hold a business meeting to elect the new team
Best Regards
Peter Lunt and Annette Hill