The curtain goes up. The Secretary pulls out the only known copy of the constitution and blows off the dust. There is a long pause, then a shoulder shrug. Nominations are taken from the floor and twenty minutes later they're still trying to find someone willing to be Treasurer. Other Business opens. The questions start. And go on. And on. Two and a half hours after the curtain went up, the audience files out. Quietly. Nobody's smiling. Nobody's clapping.

Every organisation gets one grand performance a year. This one bombed. But it didn't have to.

In this episode Kate H and Kate M use the theatrical metaphor to walk through everything that needs to happen before Show Night — and on it. The governance content is completely serious. The framing is a lot of fun.

In this episode:

• The production schedule — why five months goes faster than you think and why great AGMs start the moment the financial year closes
• The Production Manager (your Treasurer) — prescribed association status, mandatory audit thresholds and why the AGM is not where the hard questions get asked for the first time
• The Stage Manager (your Secretary) — the constitution as production bible, and what happens when the legal logistics go wrong
• The Programme (your Annual Report) — the centrepiece the audience takes home and why it deserves better than two pages of dense text
• Nominations from the floor — why they're a recipe for chaos and how to close the loophole
• Other Business — not an agenda item, not a thing, and a good chair doesn't put it on the agenda, ask for it, or allow it
• What a five-star review looks like — and why bad reviews last

Free AGM Preparation Checklist from the Committee Companion in the show notes — a production schedule you can work backwards from your AGM date.

Full show notes and free download at thecommitteeroom.com.au