The group discussed membership issues, particularly regarding Sahara Holidays and Williams Day, who had not paid their dues for several years. Sonya and Cristina agreed that these members should complete a new application, after which Sonya will issue a new invoice for the current year. Cristina explained that Sahara Holidays, a travel agency, had faced financial difficulties during COVID-19 and requested leniency regarding their unpaid dues. The group decided to continue their discussion about membership matters, as they had several other cases to review.

Cristina discussed two membership issues: a Finnish individual member request and a Mongolian association application. Sebastian clarified that individual members from areas without associations must wait until the next constitutional review in September. Viola confirmed that the Mongolian applicants are tourist guides, though their constitution uses the term "tour guides." The group also discussed pending applications from Northern Cyprus and Croatia, with Cristina explaining that the Cyprus association does not recognize Northern Cyprus as an independent country and prefers training there rather than in Northern Cyprus.

The team provided updates on their current activities and schedules. Viola mentioned being on standby for jury duty and having out-of-office dates, while also catching up on work related to Japan. Cristina discussed her busy work schedule, including filming for cable television, and upcoming travel plans to Florence and Vienna. Ivana shared that she is busy with training and will take a break for Eid. Juan and Sebastian reported being busy with tours and WFTGA work, with Sebastian noting that children's tours are energy-draining. The team briefly discussed the upcoming Japanese meeting scheduled for the next morning, with Sebastian mentioning that he was unprepared due to a longer tour. He expressed confidence that they are on track with their Japan plans and do not need a backup plan.

The team discussed challenges with the Japanese hosts, who lack experience in organizing conferences and have limited technical skills, requiring significant guidance on website development and registration forms. Sebastian expressed frustration over repeated issues with administrative tasks every two years and emphasized the need for better training for guides, while also highlighting the hosts' tendency to prioritize profit over quality. Viola and Cristina noted that the hosts are not traditional tourist guides but interpreters, and suggested considering a long-term partnership with a reliable company like WFTGA to avoid recurring problems. The team agreed to address these issues in future bidding processes and during the General Assembly, while also acknowledging the hosts' contributions to developing the tourism sector.

The team discussed the status of tourist guide training in Japan, where Viola reported that while guides exist, the training level is very low, with only 40 guides starting training. They identified concerns about English language skills and agreed to seek volunteers for online English training, with Heidi offering her assistance as a qualified English tutor. The team also discussed bidding documents, with Sebastian suggesting a deadline of next Friday for document review and Ivana confirming she would create a subfolder for final documents. Sebastian raised the issue of making bidding more accessible to African and Caribbean associations by allowing presentations without physical attendance at conventions.

Sebastian presented a plan for culture cards, offering both digital and plastic versions. The digital card costs €0.50-1 per year and requires API integration, while the plastic card costs €15 and includes €4 for printing, handling, and shipping. Sebastian tested the plastic card process with a German agency that handles tourist guide IDs, aiming to build a database of guide email addresses. Juan expressed concern about the cost of the plastic cards, noting economic challenges in some member countries, and Sebastian acknowledged this by mentioning that other tour manager associations charge €59-€150 for similar cards.

The team discussed several operational updates, including the resignation of Wesley and the need to find a new video editor, while Shubham continues to handle website tasks. Sebastian reported progress on Erasmus funding applications and the closure of their Austrian bank account, with plans to switch to a single Wise account by November. The team also reviewed a document from Sonya containing member fee information and discussed plans for a Virtual General Assembly, with Sebastian suggesting meetings in June and July to discuss constitution changes and membership fees with delegates. A promising conversation with Peter de Bryan was highlighted, where he expressed interest in becoming a speaker at the Japan event, offering potential partnerships and funding opportunities.

The meeting covered several topics, including membership manual updates, website improvements, and training initiatives. Cristina discussed the need to make the membership manual more user-friendly and to update the website with more information about member associations. Viola reported on training matters, including the opening of Cyprus applications and a proposal for free training for area reps. The group also discussed a potential collaboration with Governology for a webinar on constitutions and agreed to schedule a meeting to discuss portfolios and constitution applications.

Juan discussed several financial issues, including unpaid levies, invoices for trainers, and a problem with accessing the bank due to a new passport. He also addressed a refund request from Kelvin Carter, explaining that Stripe fees cannot be refunded. Sebastian presented a proposal from an app developer in Hamburg for creating a guide portal. The developer offered to build the portal for free, with plans to monetize it through highlight tours operated by associations. Sebastian emphasized the potential for high-quality tours worldwide and partnerships with platforms like Airbnb and Booking. He suggested writing down the details and exploring the possibility of developing a course for guides doing highlight tours.

Sebastian discussed two potential partnerships: one with a Norwegian startup that needs funding and another with a Hamburg-based visionary guide who has hotel partnerships. He expressed concerns about the Norwegian startup's request for workshops and product development without compensation, while the Hamburg guide offers a more realistic approach with existing hotel partnerships. The group agreed to move forward with both partnerships while maintaining transparency, with the goal of presenting something to delegates by October or November, avoiding any commitments during the high season.

The team discussed plans for a webinar to launch Japan registration, tentatively scheduled for June 19th at 3 PM CET, though concerns were raised about the timing being late for Japanese participants. Sebastian emphasized the need to prepare the registration website and contract before the event, while also highlighting the organization's challenges in managing multiple portfolios and the need for sustainable funding to support staff and board members. The team acknowledged Sebastian's significant efforts in running operations and agreed to revisit portfolio distribution and organizational structure once current priorities like Japan registration are addressed.