What to expect at a VMGA Meeting:

We generally meet at 10:00.  Most folks arrive a little early to visit, and the local hosts generally have coffee and snacks so we can refresh ourselves.

At 10:00 The President gavels the meeting to order and we are generally welcomed by a representative of our local hosts.  This is when we can learn that we SHOULD have planned to stay all weekend since the festival to beat all festivals or world's best plant sale is ALSO in town this weekend.  We go around the room and introduce ourselves so nobody is a stranger, then do a little business.  We hear from the officers about our standing and recent activities.  We hear from the State Master Gardener Coordinator about what is going on that may interest or affect us, and we hear from each unit about what is going on back at their place.  We break for lunch, and continue until we are finished which is usually not much later than 1:30PM.  Sometimes there is a tour of a local bright spot.

Lunches are usually made available by the local hosts.  They make arrangements and collect a fee to pay the bills.  Generally they make an arrangement with a local sandwich shop to provide a few choices of lunch that generally cost about $7.00.  Usually you can make arrangements to buy the lunch when you arrive.

What should a Unit Representative do at a meeting?

We want the Unit Representatives to prepare a VERY BRIEF announcement of what is newsworthy and unique in your locality since the last meeting.  Perhaps you might mention an upcoming event that you would like the other Unit Representatives to mention to their units back home.  The whole shebang should last 2 - 3 minutes.  Remember that there are sometimes 20 to 30 units present. 

How to Host a VMGA Meeting:

Let the President know that your group really wants to host a meeting, and make certain that your Agent and local association (if you have one) supports the idea.  Most meetings are planned about 18 months in advance.  We are looking for meeting sites in each of the State regions, but it is best if the sites are centrally located.  As proud as you may be of your area, the idea here is to get as many people to attend as possible.  Since most people cannot afford either the time or the money to travel all day Friday to get to a remote meeting site, it really cuts down on the attendance.

When you are selected to host a meeting, get your volunteers together.  You will need help with signs, refreshments and local arrangements.  We want as many of your members to come to the meeting as can, so they can see what VMGA does.

You will need a place large enough for up to 50 folks, although the usual number of attendees is closer to 30. 

You will need to prepare directions and have them available no later than the meeting previous to your meeting (~2 months).  Send the directions in some type of electronic format to the webmaster@vmga.net and the Secretary@vmga.net so that they can begin advertising the meeting at the previous meeting.  It might be a good idea to have a list of local hotels and eateries for those who will be traveling a long distance.  Be sure to have a brief list of the local points of interest and activities that are happening the day of the meeting. Perhaps your meeting place will be near the farmers' market or your teaching garden - Let us know.

We will also need the name and telephone number of a local contact so that we can coordinate an inclement weather plan.  We will need you to provide a telephone number that will be available the day of the meeting at the meeting place, for our members and their families in the event of an emergency.

Generally the local hosts provide some type of snacks, coffee, and tea from a little before the meeting up until meeting time.  Also, we meet through lunch, so there will need to be some type of lunch plan.  Generally the local hosts find a sandwich shop with a short number of selections (including a vegetarian one) that will take orders and provide the lunches for about $7.00 per person.  We absolutely do not want to be a financial burden on you while you host our meeting.  You could feel free to charge a little more for lunch in order to help cover the costs for the coffee etc.  Whatever you decide, remember that not all of our members can comfortably afford an extravagant lunch.  Please keep it affordable.

We like to know what you do.  Some hosts have their president greet us, others invite their agent.  We like that.  It needn't be an elaborate presentation; just a brief description of what is going on, who you are, and what you are proudest of.
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