Welcome to the FIA Congress 2021! Due to the exceptional circumstances we are all experiencing at the moment, this meeting will be held in virtual mode, with delegates attending remotely. The meeting will be held via Zoom (www.zoom.us), the only online platform enabling simultaneous interpretation at meetings of this size. We advise delegates to log-in ten to five minutes before the due start of each session to enable us to start our business timely.
Please allow some time to familiarize with this platform ahead of our meeting, preferably by taking up a free, basic subscription and experimenting with it. The FIA Secretariat will mail each registered delegate a link to join the FIA virtual Congress about one week ahead. Delegates are advised to check their spam folder before reaching out to the Secretariat, should they not find this email in their inbox.
Please be mindful that the timing of all our Congress meetings and events will be according to Central European Summer Time (CEST or UTC+2). Also note that all Congress sessions will begin at the times indicated in the program. Delegates are asked to start connecting half an hour before the start of each session.
Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in English, French, Spanish and Russian. As the original audio is the default setting, delegates should select the language they are most familiar with at the bottom of the screen from the beginning of each session. This will ensure that the interpretation kicks in as soon as delegates switch to other languages. They should preferably take the floor in the same language they have selected. When listening to the interpretation, delegates will hear the original audio at a lower volume in the background, unless they turn that off in the language menu.
To access the language features, delegates must have the most updated version of Zoom on their computer. All those that may have previously downloaded Zoom are encouraged to check that it is up to date.
We encourage all delegates to avail themselves of the best possible internet connection to maximise interactivity and minimise audio/visual disruptions. We also recommend attending from a quiet place, with no surrounding noises.
Because online interpretation is technically more challenging than the conventional type, as it relies on many factors beyond the control of the provider of remote interpretation, delegates should speak clearly and avoid reading from documents. They should unmute themselves whenever speaking and mute themselves when listening to others.
To improve audio quality, preventing echo and feedback, we recommend using headsets or an external USB microphone to keep voices directional. If these devices are not an option, delegates using their computer’s on-board mike and speakers may eliminate or minimize echo by not maxing out their volume and staying close to their computer mike and camera. Before joining, all delegates should take the time to test their microphone and speakers to ensure they can hear and be heard clearly.
Delegates are encouraged to use the “raise hand” feature to signal their intention to speak. This can be found in the “Reactions” button at the bottom of screen. Using the chat box is recommended for comments whilst other delegates are speaking.
The FIA Congress will be recorded, mostly to help with the minutes but equally for the purpose of ascertaining the presence of the statutory quorum, should there be any doubt about that. Delegates are expected to sign in on the chat box at the beginning of the meeting, with their name and organisation, for the same purpose.
For security reasons, delegates will only be brought into each Congress session from the Zoom waiting room by the FIA Secretariat. Their audio will be muted by default. Should Congress proceedings be disrupted by an unwanted attendee, despite these security settings, all efforts will be deployed to remove him/her immediately from the meeting.
Voting, should any be required, and the FIA Executive Committee elections will be carried out on the FIA online voting platform, hosted by AssociationVoting.com. Ballots may be cast on the FIA online platform from any connected device.
Voting and/or elections will take place on May 7, 2021. Voting will be anonymous and the outcome will be known immediately.
Delegates with voting rights shall enter their personal log-in credentials on https://vote.associationvoting.com/fia to access their ballots. These credentials, together with a short PDF tutorial, will be mailed to the e-mail address provided by them when registering for Congress, prior to our opening session on May 4, 2021. A live demo followed by a Q&A session will be held prior to voting or the elections, to make sure every delegate with voting rights is fully instructed.
All decisions, except alterations of the Constitution, shall be reached by a simple majority of the votes cast. Equality of voting shall be regarded as a negative decision (art. 18 of the FIA Constitution).
The FIA Constitution shall be altered only by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast at Congress (art. 35 of the FIA Constitution).
