Loss Prevention Executives Study Group Guidelines

Organization and Operational Guidelines

The Loss Prevention Executive Study Group ("LP") is affiliated with the National Restaurant Association's Executive Study Group Series. The LP welcomes the participation of Loss Prevention and Security leaders from restaurant and hospitality companies' world wide.

PURPOSE:

The LP was formed with the purpose of establishing a dialogue and creating an environment conducive to the exchange of information concerning loss prevention and security techniques and practices as it relates to the hospitality industry. At all meetings, only loss prevention and security related matters will be discussed and in no instance will any other topic be discussed which could be interpreted as restraining trade or competition.

1. A forum for restaurant and hospitality industry Loss Prevention Management to network and share information of common interest for mutual benefit.
   
2. An opportunity to benchmark member programs against industry norms.
   
3. Provide non-binding advice to the National Restaurant Association with regards to industry positioning on a wide range of technical issues.
   
4. Educational updates on topics of current concern to members.
   

MEMBERSHIP:

Membership is limited to restaurant industry loss Prevention or Security executives. There is no membership fee to belong to the organization; however, membership in the National Restaurant Association is strongly encouraged. Voting rights in the LP Executive Study Group are limited to one vote per firm represented at the meeting.

FEES:

There are no membership or initiation fees associated with participation in the LP Executive Study Group. Each member is responsible for his/her own travel, room, and miscellaneous expenses associated with each meeting. There is a meeting fee, payable in advance, based on the anticipated costs associated with conducting each meeting. Anyone who has paid the meeting fee but does not attend the meeting will receive a refund, providing the member has notified the NRA of his/her cancellation at least three (7) days prior to the meeting date.

Annual Meeting Costs:
o NRA member registration fee: $400 per person
o Non-member registration fee: $800 per person

Registration fee includes all meeting materials, meals and breaks. Hotel room expenses and reservations are the responsibility of the attendee; however, a block of rooms will be set aside for the annual meeting.

STEERING COMMITTEE:

It is the intent of the LP to maintain itself on a somewhat informal basis. However, in order to provide for continuity of the LP, its administration on an ongoing basis comes under the responsibility of the steering committee. The Steering Committee is comprised of four active members elected by the LP Executive Study Group. At each meeting, a new member is elected to the Steering Committee for a two-year term and one member steps down. During his/her term on the Steering Committee, each member will assist in some aspect of preparing for and conducting the meetings. He/she traditionally assumes prime responsibility for, and chairs, the third meeting held during his/her term. As meeting Chairperson, he/she also functions as the Chairperson of the Steering Committee.

The Steering Committee will be comprised of the following:

1. Senior Member - Outgoing Steering Committee Member - Responsible for capturing meeting minutes.
   
2. Chairperson - Leads the annual meeting<.br>
3. Program Chair - Liaison with NRA on all meeting arrangements including speaker and topic assignments.
   
4. Program Chair Elect- Most recent elected member. Assists Program Chair.
   
5. Vendor Representative
   

A member may serve on the Steering Committee more than once, as long as his/her new term commences at least two calendar years following the completion of his/her prior term. This provision is designed to get broad-based company participation in administering and overseeing the operations of the LP Executive Study Group.

MEETINGS:

Attendance and Meeting Notification
Eight to ten weeks in advance of the meeting, notification of dates, time and location will be sent to the members of the LP. It is the responsibility of the Steering Committee, in cooperation with the NRA, to see that a mailing list of the LP membership is kept current. The mailing list will include only active attendees - i.e., those who have attended one of the prior three meetings.

Location and Frequency
The LP will meet once a year, typically the second week of May. The meeting site will be selected one year in advance by majority vote of the members present when site selection is discussed. Meeting locations should be purposely moved each time alternating among the east coast, west coast and central part of the country. The intent is to spread both the cost and inconvenience of travel as evenly as possible over the membership, since the geographical dispersion of members is substantial. Further, the accommodations should be functional and comfortable without being luxurious. It is the responsibility of the Steering Committee to ensure that the needs of the LP Executive Study Group are served when meeting locations are selected.

Meeting Format and Agenda
These meetings provide informal, open, and flexible forums to discuss a wide range of topics of interest to the field, and to facilitate the exchange of information and practices among the attendees. These may include:

• Internal Theft Prevention and controls
• Fraud/Theft Patterns
• Royalty Assurance in Franchised restaurants
• Crime statistics & Prevention
• Staffing
• Benchmarking on Compensation, Organizational Structure, etc.

The meetings will be comprised of two full days and one half-day session and for travel convenience, will be held on Monday through Wednesday noon. The utilization of the 2 ½ days in terms of sequence of presentations is at the discretion of the Steering Committee, which has overall responsibility for finalizing the agenda. Below is a sample agenda.

Format
Program is casual, roundtable interactive. Attendees are encouraged to actively participate and share practices, programs, and experiences. Depending on group size, rooms will be set up in a horse shoe manner to better facilitate and encourage active participation.

Presentations are made by LP members, either alone or in panel format, who have had some experience in the topic considered. The program chairperson will assign the topics and allocate the time for each presentation. Typically, a formal presentation will take approximately 30 minutes followed by discussion involving the entire group. The presenter usually moderates these discussions. This approach ensures that the broadest exchange of ideas possible takes place and that all attendees are given ample opportunity to participate. Guest speakers, who could contribute expertise or additional perspective to a particular topic may, and the discretion of the Steering Committee, be invited to make presentations. Members are encouraged to suggest speakers to the Steering Committee. However, in such cases the participation and attendance of these outside s peakers will be limited to only that portion of the meeting dealing with the topic, which they present. Speakers will not be paid an honorarium.

VENDOR SHOW:

Vendors will be included, and organized by the NRA Staff Advisor & Steering Committee. Vendors may volunteer to sponsor meals/breaks/receptions/dinners, etc.

BUSINESS MEETING:

During the Wednesday afternoon business meeting we will determine the following:

1. Election, by majority vote of the attendees, of a new Steering Committee member
   
2. Sampling of interests in topics for the next meeting from attendees.
   
3. Changes to the organization structure and its operational guidelines. All such changes must have a majority vote by the members present in order to be accepted.
   
4. Selection of location and date for the meeting two years from present meeting.

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