Page 3 - BSAM 2015 Q1

President’s Message
Iwant to begin my message to you by expressing my sincere thanks to the members of the board of di- rectors and staff of BCI. These are men and women
from ten countries in different regions of the world who are responsible for leading our organization. Co- ordinating and sharing information about bonsai and stone appreciation internationally is not an easy task; however, BCI is now in its fifty-second year of success- fully promoting first bonsai, then viewing stones, to a wide range of people in many countries. Our board is responsible for the publication of this magazine, the BCI web site, staging a yearly convention and, begin- ning next year, the launching of regional BCI conven- tions. Board members also serve as demonstrators and lecturers in many countries and frequently serve as consultants to clubs. Most often, the contributions of the board on behalf of BCI is seldom recognized. The board of director’s donation of time, skill, knowledge, and money is vital to the health and well-being of BCI.
Every one of our officers and members of the board serves in a voluntary capacity and does not receive any pay for their services. Nor do they receive any funds from BCI for their travels to conventions and meetings held in various countries. This policy has been in place for the last two and one-half years and will continue to be followed in the foreseeable future. Some of our board members are invited by clubs and societies to perform demonstrations or give lectures and critiques and they may receive full or partial travel reimbursement and honoraria for their work from the inviting organizations.
BCI has two part-time contractors working on our behalf—our magazine and website editor, Joe Grande and our Business Manager, Carole Roske. Both of these two dedicated individuals contribute far more to BCI than the nominal payments they receive from us. They and the board are responsible for the services provided to you. If you are happy with the services you are receiving, please let them know.
Plans for our 2015 convention are all in place and registrations are being received. Our convention will be held in the exciting international trade center city of Guangzhou in southern China. The former Canton is a wonderful city to visit with sites and activities for all members of a family, not just for bonsai and stone enthusiasts. The first two days of the convention will be devoted to demonstrations, lectures, and exhibits. This is a great opportunity to meet and talk with many outstanding artists. An extensive vendor area will be conveniently located next to the large exhibition of outstanding trees displayed in front of the historic Sun Yatsen Memorial Hall. On the third and fourth
Immediately following the BCI 2015 convention, an exciting eight-day tour to Inner Mongolia and Ningxia in northern China is available. Participants will see some wonderful ancient sites while visiting the major stone markets in Yinchuan and Alashan. These two stone markets are the gateway for most of the fabulous Gobi Desert stones flowing into China and the rest of the world. See page 44 for details.
days of the convention participants will have the op- tion to join a two-day regional tour to see some of the best Lingnan style bonsai in the world. Or, they can choose a stone-related two-day tour that will take them to Yingde, the source of the famous Ying stones in classical and modern stone appreciation. Immedi- ately following the convention, an exciting eight-day tour to Inner Mongolia and Ningxia in northern Chi- na is available. Participants will see some wonderful ancient sites while visiting the major stone markets in Yinchuan and Alashan. These two stone markets are the gateway for most of the fabulous Gobi Desert stones flowing into China and the rest of the world. Participation in this stone tour is limited so get your reservation in early.
I realize that some of our members have experi- enced some difficulties in using our online member- ship registration process on our website. We have been working to make it easier for everyone to use. Our new web site is now 90% complete and, I hope, we can launch this completely revised site by mid-year. In addition, the BCI Facebook page has been expe- riencing phenomenal growth in the last six months and I want to thank Rosemarie Volker for assuming primary responsibility for regular postings on our Facebook page. The new web site combined with the use of different social media will help bring BCI and information about bonsai and stones to a much great- er audience than ever before.
Tom Elias, President Bonsai Clubs International
April/May/June 2015 | BCI | 1