Title

• The organisation shall be named PANI - the Publicity Association of Northern Ireland.

Objects

• To promote, improve, develop and further the knowledge of publicity among members and so to foster and encourage public appreciation of the value of publicity in the business and commercial life of Northern Ireland. Also to promote excellence in all aspects of publicity.
• To afford practical guidance to those employing, producing and studying publicity by means of lectures, discussions and other practical methods available for this purpose, and to watch over, promote and project the mutual interests of its members. To provide facilities for the same activities in the interests of the members.
• To develop and maintain a high standard of publicity ethics and practice in Northern Ireland.
• To prevent, as far as possible, practices which discredit the practice of publicity and the Association.
• To afford practical assistance when and where necessary in publicising and supporting designated charities and other such causes as are intended for the common good. To do all other lawful things as are incidental or conducive to the attainments of the above objects.

Membership

• Persons of good standing, who are professionally engaged in publicity shall be eligible for membership of the Association.
• Persons who are studying to qualify for this profession, shall be eligible for student membership. Student members shall not be eligible to hold office in the Association or to vote at meetings.
• Application for membership shall be made to the Honorary Secretary for consideration by the Council at its next meeting. Application shall be made on a form provided by the Association and shall have a proposer and a seconder who are members of the Association. However before the commencement of formal membership, the interim council (steering committee) shall propose and second applications.
• The Council shall have the power to refuse admission to membership of the Association. The Council shall also exercise the right to refuse renewal of any subscription and to call upon any members to resign, to suspend or cancel the membership of any person at any time.
• Any member wishing to resign from membership must give notice in writing to the Honorary Secretary, one month before subscription renewal becomes due.
• In special circumstances, the Council shall have the power to recommend for approval at an Annual General Meeting any person for honorary life membership of the Association, such persons shall have the full rights of the ordinary member.

Subscriptions

• The annual subscription of each category of membership shall be fixed by the Council of the Association and shall be payable in advance on the first day of January in each year and shall cover the period to 31st December of that same year.

Management

• The officers of the Association shall consist of Patron, President and the immediate past Chairman, these being ex-officio.
• The Chairman of the Association shall be the immediate past Vice Chair automatically, however in the extraordinary event of change in Vice Chair the council shall have the right to re-elect a Vice Chair. In the absence of a serving Chairman the said position shall be elected by the Annual General Meeting of the members from the Council.
• In addition to the above offices, the Association shall elect twelve members of Council at its Annual General Meeting. The Council shall elect from these members at the first meeting following the Annual General Meeting; Vice Chairman, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer who shall remain in office for twelve months.
• Any Council member failing to attend four consecutive meetings without reasonable cause shall be considered to have resigned.
• All financial details shall be overlooked by a designated firm of auditors.

Meetings

• BUSINESS MEETINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION SHALL BE HELD AT SUCH TIMES AND IN SUCH PLACES AS THE COUNCIL MAY DECIDE. Members shall be given as much notice as possible of such meetings which will be open to MEMBERS ONLY, although a member may introduce a visitor, provided the same visitor is not brought to more than 2 (two) meetings in any one year.
• The quorum for meetings of the Council shall be 5 (five).
• Events organised and branded, including the Awards Ceremony and charity balls, by the Association shall be carried out in accord with the decisions taken by the Council which shall be based on fairness and impartiality.
• EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETINGS may be convened by the Honorary Secretary giving seven days notice to members - (a) on being so directed by the Council, (b) on the receipt of notice giving reasons for requiring the meeting, signed by not less than fifteen members of the Association. The business at such meetings shall be confined to the object for which it was called.

• NO ALTERATIONS OR ADDITIONS TO THESE RULES OF THE ASSOCIATION SHALL BE MADE OTHERWISE THAN BY RESOLUTION OF A SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING CONVENED FOR THAT PURPOSE.
• ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING WILL BE HELD AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AFTER THE END OF THE ASSOCIATION'S FINANCIAL YEAR, that is the 31st December.
• In the event of annual or bi-annual awards, these shall be overseen by the Council which shall always ensure that all juries chosen are independent of the council members and their businesses.