The Constitution of Mensa establishes that one of our three main purposes is to provide a stimulating intellectual and social environment for our members. The primary avenue for providing that is through Gatherings, and the next one is coming up soon! After taking a break last year due to the nearby Annual Gathering (AG) in Hollywood, Tampa Bay Mensa is back on schedule with Margarita Bay, their annual Memorial Day Regional Gathering (RG) on May 25-28. This has always been a fun event, and if you’ve never been to a Gathering, you owe it to yourself to go, as the total immersion experience is a great way to interact with your fellow Mensans. Registration is now open at http://www.tampa.us.mensa.org/. Tammy Hicks and team are putting together another great event, and I look forward to seeing you there!
If for some reason you can’t join us in Tampa, we also have the Annual Gathering (AG) coming up in July in Indianapolis (not quite as close, of course). Along with several tracks of presentation, games, tournaments, and other events, the Mensa Foundation hosts the Colloquium each year on the day before the AG on a specialized topic. This year it will be on “The Evolution and Revolution of Manufacturing”.
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The American Mensa Committee (AMC) met by teleconference on April 17, 2018. Aside from some housekeeping items including approval of the minutes from the March AMC meeting and cleanup of some obsolete ASIEs, the main purpose of the meeting was the formation of a new Events Committee to replace the AG Policy and Site Selection Committees. This streamlines the existing process, while also removing some obsolete references. Tax Criss (RVC 6) was appointed Chair of the Events Committee, joined by Deb Stone (AMC Treasurer) and John Voymas (RVC 3) as the other voting AMC members. The next meeting of the AMC will be on July 5, 2018 at the JW Marriott Indianapolis Downtown, site of the 2018 Annual Gathering.
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Following the annual renewal period, Region 10 started the year with a membership of 3,389 members – an increase of 114 members over the same date last year. Southwest By South Florida Mensa had the best retention rate at 88%, while once again Central Florida Mensa is the largest group in Region 10, just squeaking by Tampa Bay Mensa, 578 members to 575 members.
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I attended several local group picnics in April, including the Broward Mensa Spring Fling, Tampa Bay Mensa’s Spring Picnic, and Central Florida Mensa’s Annual picnic, as well as more local group Executive Committee (ExComm) meetings (North Florida, Northwest Florida, Central Florida, Tallahassee, and Manasota) in March and April. I hope to finish off the year by visiting Southwest By South Florida Mensa and Miami Mensa before the Annual Gathering, if they have any weekend events in the next few weeks.
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Thanks to all of you who are back for the coming year, and I hope to see you at one of the events in 2018-2019!
Until next month (or until I see you online),
Thomas George Thomas
Email: RVC10@us.mensa.org
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