MID-WEST FAIRS ASSOCIATION
BYLAWS
Last amended: 3-25-25
Article 1 Name, Boundaries
Section 1 The name of this association shall be "Mid-West Fairs Association."
Section 2 The geographical boundaries of Mid-West Fairs Association are hereby defined to encompass the following states: Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Fairs either inside or outside these boundaries may become members of the Association.
Article 2 Purposes
Section 1 The purposes of this Association shall be to promote and encourage all the worthwhile objectives for which fairs and expositions are organized and operated; to disseminate information of advantage to its members, and hold annual and special meetings.
Article 3 Membership
Section 1 The Association shall have no capital stock.
Section 2 There shall be two types of membership: Active and Honorary.
Section 3 Active membership shall be comprised of fairs and expositions organized as corporations, associations, societies and/or departments of the states d escribed in Art. 1, Section 2. Active membership shall not exceed a total of forty (40) fairs and each fair must be a member of the International Association of Fairs & Expositions. (See qualifying provisions in Art. 3, Sec. 8.) Membership from outside the geographical boundaries of the Association shall not exceed forty (40%) percent of the current active membership.
Section 4 Active member fairs shall designate a representative to attend all member meetings duly held on a noticed basis as specified in these by-laws.
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Article 3 Membership
Section 5 Honorary Life Membership may be accorded to certain persons who have been employed by fairs that have been members of this Association upon the voter approval of two-thirds of the total active membership. Life membership may only be accorded to individuals no longer employed by an IAFE-member fair, no longer active in any officer elected position of the association; and such membership will be suspended if honoree re-establishes fair employment.
Section 6 Any IAFE-member fair wishing to become an active member of the Association must submit a letter of application to the secretary and be approved by a simple majority vote of the current active membership at its next regular meeting. A simple majority vote of the total active membership is required for fairs within the geographic boundaries, two-thirds vote of the total active membership is required for fairs outside the geographic boundaries. Individual ballots may be cast for each proposed applicant to be considered by the membership.
Section 7 Membership shall not be transferable.
Section 8 Any active member fair that does not attend and participate in the annual meeting of the Association for two consecutive years will automatically be dropped from membership. A one-year waiver of this provision may be allowed for a member fair upon a simple majority vote of the current, total membership. Such waiver shall be for cause.
Section 9 From time-to-time, active membership may be expanded by up to no more than three (3) additional positions by a simple majority vote of the current active membership provided the following limitations are observed: Membership expansion may occur only once in any five-year period and only during a period of full membership; Membership expansion may only be effected in response to a current membership application.
Article 4 Dues
Section 1 The annual dues of the Association shall be set one year in advance by a majority of those member fairs present at each annual meeting. Dues statements shall be mailed or electronically sent to the membership on or before November 15 for the coming year and shall be due and payable on or before February 1. Any member fair which fails to submit its dues payment in a timely manner shall be automatically terminated as a member of the Association. Any fair so terminated may apply to re-establish its membership through the process outlined in Art. 3, Section 5 herein.
Section 2 No dues shall be assessed honorary members.
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Article 5 Officers, Duties of Officers, and Vacancies
Section 1 The officers of this Association shall be a President, First Vice President, Second Vice President who shall be elected from the active membership representatives participating at the annual meeting and serve for one year, and/or until their successors are elected and qualified. No person shall be eligible for reelection as President after having served two consecutive years until at least one year has elapsed.
Section 2 The officers shall select a Secretary-Treasurer nominee, as required, and this office shall serve at the direction of the active membership in accordance with the by-laws. The Secretary-Treasurer shall be elected by the active membership at the annual meeting and serve until a successor is nominated and elected.
Section 3 In the event of an officer vacancy of a duly elected position the following actions shall be taken.
- If the elected member representative is no longer affiliated with the active member fair for any reason (death, retirement, loss of job, leaving the position for another job, etc.) and is no longer considered the active member representative, that position will be declared vacant by the Secretary.
- The current remaining officers will move up in place and a meeting will be called to elect a replacement for the vacancy created after the vacancy is declared. (Example: vacant President position will move the first Vice President to the President position. The Second Vice President will move to the First Vice President position.)
- An election will be held to fill the now vacated Second Vice President position by the recommendation of the Nominating Committee.
- In any vacancy, regardless of the chair vacated, an election shall be held to replace the current vacancy, as directed by the Secretary and in accordance with the by-laws.
Section 4 The President shall preside at all meetings of the Association and shall perform such duties as may be assigned by the voting members.
Section 5 The First Vice President shall perform the duties of the President if unable.
Section 6 The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep the records of the Association and receive and disburse the funds of the Association under the direction of its members.
Section 7 The Secretary-Treasurer shall sign all contracts and checks, and shall prepare for each annual meeting an itemized report of all receipts and disbursements included in the financial statement.
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Article 5 Officers, Duties of Officers, and Vacancies
Section 8 The Secretary-Treasurer shall select at least one (1) other active member delegate to be authorized as additional check signer for purposes of ongoing business operations, as needed.
Section 9 The Secretary-Treasurer and/or delegate shall be reimbursed for all reasonable expenses incurred while performing the duties of the office.
Article 6 Meetings
Section 1 The annual meeting of the members of this Association shall be held at the time and place selected by the President or by a committee designated by the President and be approved by a simple majority vote of the active membership.
Section 2 Special meetings of the Association may be called by the President, provided that all active members have been notified for at least ten days before the meeting.
Section 3 Each active member of the Association shall be entitled to one vote. Honorary members shall have no voting privilege.
Section 4 Guest (non-member) attendance and participation at the annual meeting shall be by invitation issued through the office of Secretary. Each active member may submit one (only) guest name to the Secretary for invitation to the next annual meeting. Names of non-member program participants, invited by the program chairperson for that purpose only, must be submitted to the Secretary for the purpose of invitation.
Section 5 A registration fee may be assessed for each individual representative of an active member (fair) or a representative of an invited guest attending the annual meeting, amount to be determined by a recommendation of the Secretary and approved by a simple majority vote of the active membership. This fee shall be due and payable thirty (30) days prior to the annual meeting along with a request for appropriate hotel accommodations.
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Article 7 Fiscal Year
Section 1 The fiscal year of the Association shall end on January 31.
Article 8 Committees
Section 1 The President shall have the power to appoint any committee as may be necessary in the interest of the Association.
Section 2 Committees have the power to meet by conference call; or other electronic means/methods as long as any results derived from such committee be reported in the form of minutes or formal recommendations to the president and secretary prior to the annual meeting, so these results can be included in the meeting agenda for further member consideration.
Article 9 Records
Section 1 All records of the Association shall be in the custody of the Secretary- Treasurer.
Article 10 Amendment
Section 1 These bylaws may be amended by a simple majority vote of the current active membership at any annual or special meetings of the association provided that a copy of the proposed amendments has been mailed to the active members at least thirty days prior to the annual or special meeting.
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