Who said dematerialized GA's were not convivial?

We have seen in a previous article the many advantages brought by the dematerialization of general assemblies of co-ownership in the real estate world.

Indeed, in addition to representing a saving of time and money, not only for the co-ownership but also for the co-owners, the dematerialization of the AGs has enabled the real estate sector and the co-ownership syndicates to completely redefine themselves, in particular via the revaluation of the manager's profession. Do not hesitate to consult our article on the subject right here!

However, in regards of all the advantages brought by this evolution, one could wonder if being able to do everything remotely would not be detrimental to the convivial side of GAs, appreciated by many co-owners.

Indeed, the GA often represents a landmark within the co-ownership, a real unmissable annual meeting for many co-owners who consider it as such. The in-person aspect, very important for many of them, therefore underlies this vision of the GA, which we could possibly lose by operating on a 100% dematerialized mode. Also, some people prefer in-person interaction and may feel less involved in a dematerialized meeting. It is therefore important for the syndicate of co-ownership to be able to find a balance between the advantages and the challenges of holding a dematerialized assembly to guarantee that all the co-owners can participate in it in the way that suits them.

In addition, it often happens during an GA that certain discussions are opened simply with the objective of debating and talking about it as co-owners, not necessarily to make any decision. The pure “exchange” side is therefore an aspect as important as decision-making. It also makes it possible to strengthen the existing link between the co-owners, which, in the long run, also has a positive impact on the overall atmosphere of the co-ownership.

So, how can we not lose this convivial aspect of general meetings, which is very important for a co-ownership's atmosphere?

An accessible solution would be to offer pre-GA meetings organized by the syndicate of co-ownership (for example a week in advance) in order to allow co-owners who wish to meet in person before the GA in a friendly way, drinking a coffee. The meeting would allow the co-owners to informally discuss certain individual and/or collective issues and possibly to defuse certain conflicts directly or to bring them up to the Board of Directors if necessary. It would also save time and money on the professionals who must normally be hired for the GA (President, lawyers, etc.).

In addition, the meeting would be the ideal place to provide useful information to the co-owners on the chosen GA dematerialization tool: functionalities, explanation of the process to respect to follow the dematerialized GAs, clear instructions to avoid confusion, documents to take into account, etc… the goal being that the participants feel involved and at ease to actively participate in the discussion during the dematerialized GA.

By doing so, the GA becomes an instrument of good governance where a report is made on structured resolutions, while minimizing the varias (largely dealt with in the pre-GA meeting). In addition, this process would allow the GA to take place more quickly, by moving all the "informal" subjects to a pre-GA meeting.

In conclusion, it is not because a GA is dematerialized that it is less convivial! Indeed, it is quite possible to combine virtual and in-person, as we saw in our article highlighting the mixed (hybrid) aspect of new GAs. And in particular by organizing pre-GA meetings for the case of the GAs planned in 100% dematerialized mode if possible.

In addition to being convivial and appreciated by the co-owners, this solution offers many advantages, particularly in terms of the efficiency of the subsequent dematerialized GA process.

Bringing together the best of both worlds is possible thanks to agconnect! agconnect is a reliable and secure AG dematerialization platform, in accordance with the law in force.

To learn more about our agconnect tool and how it can help you plan and manage your general meetings in the best way, go to ag-connect.ca!

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn!