Tucked in the hills of Ibiza island, a few kilometres beyond the port town of Sant Antoni de Portmany, sits a sprawling farm with an initial land registry dating to the 1500s . It is here the EOS Alliance held its inaugural board retreat. Amid partially restored stone ruins, the team chalked its meeting notes on a nearby wall, as they laid the groundwork for how the Alliance will unfold over the coming year.

As a non-profit with the motto Empowering EOS For All, board members plus the steering group and others crafted a vision, mission, and structure for the Alliance to help the EOS community become ever more empowered.

Board attendees: Galia Benartzi, Brock Pierce, Nix Nolledo, Peter Li.

Absent: Lightning Clearwater, Akon, HaiFeng Lu.

Steering Group Volunteers: Dan Levine, Ian Grigg, Ben Sigman, Amy Wan.

Other Volunteers: Tim Lewis.

Staff Members: Thomas Cox, Myra Wang, Kevin Wilcox.

Highlights

First resolution passed : EOS Alliance will neither seek nor accept Worker Proposal System funds until all board members have been elected, expected September 2019. Passed unanimously by quorum — four of seven board directors present.

: EOS Alliance will neither seek nor accept Worker Proposal System funds until all board members have been elected, expected September 2019. Passed unanimously by quorum — four of seven board directors present. Current board members were appointed ; elected members will replace or confirm the board over an 18 month period.

; elected members will replace or confirm the board over an 18 month period. First election will take place in 90 days , in a process to be published. Election process goal: empower all token holders and interests in EOS.

, in a process to be published. Election process goal: empower all token holders and interests in EOS. Possible first board seat available to exchanges or block producers — important groups with greatest impact on EOS should be represented on board.

— important groups with greatest impact on EOS should be represented on board. In-person Board meetings will be held once per quarter , with board members requested to attend at least two per year in-person. Virtual meetings will be held monthly, during months that don’t include an in-person meeting.

, with board members requested to attend at least two per year in-person. Virtual meetings will be held monthly, during months that don’t include an in-person meeting. Board members informally requested an in-person meeting to be held soon in China , probably Hong Kong

, probably Hong Kong “Sister chains” to the EOS mainnet are good candidates for EOS Alliance support , along with some code forks with their own distribution; support parameters still need to be evaluated. We intend to interpret the word “EOS” in our slogan “Empower EOS for All” in the most inclusive manner possible.

, along with some code forks with their own distribution; support parameters still need to be evaluated. We intend to interpret the word “EOS” in our slogan “Empower EOS for All” in the most inclusive manner possible. Four Alliance structure documents are being prepared for public release : Ends, Executive Limitations, Governance Process, and Board-Staff Linkage. (These are based on the well respected Carver Policy Governance model, which the Alliance has adopted.)

: Ends, Executive Limitations, Governance Process, and Board-Staff Linkage. (These are based on the well respected Carver Policy Governance model, which the Alliance has adopted.) Exploring a “Membership model” for community involvement , to be established for board approval in 30 days.

, to be established for board approval in 30 days. Accountability: Alliance board seeks to be similar to a “liquid democracy” with representatives from all members of EOS, to fully represent token holder interests.

Full Recap

Day 1

Interim Executive Director Thomas Cox led the two day session according to the Carver Model for an effective board. The Alliance board retreat started with introductions and team bonding, as many in the group had never met each other in person. Board members, steering group volunteers and staff all broke off into pairs and spread out around the farm’s front lawn to share backgrounds with one another and articulate their beliefs for blockchain and EOS. Partners then told each others’ stories to the larger group, enhancing connections and understanding between all members.

After regrouping, Brock spoke of the initial vision he presented in Shanghai and called on the board to enhance and build upon the important role the Alliance may play in improving EOS. Thomas, Kevin and Myra offered a report on what the Alliance had worked on to that point, such as the Constitution Dialog meetings, and summarized community activity and sentiment with Alliance happenings.

Who are the “Owners of EOS Alliance”? This is a core question based on the Carver model; it asks a board to decide on whose behalf they are acting. Everyone discussed and listed potential owners — who the non-profit should report to and whose best interests it should represent. When making decisions, who will the Alliance seek to benefit? Board members listed their thoughts and Ian Grigg wrote this list on a wall in chalk:

Token holders.

Dapp developers.

Exchanges.

Block producers.

Arbitrators.

Influencers, including outside media.

Potential future users of EOS dapps.

Engaged regulators, side chains, and other stakeholders.

After a break, the group convened around a goal of forming a vision for the Alliance. Following a brainstorming session, Board members Galia, Nix, Brock and Peter broke off to write a first draft of the overarching themes the Alliance wishes to represent. Determined to present a working draft to the steering group the following day, the board continued their huddle until the sun began to dip below surrounding hills.

Day 2

An overnight thunderstorm soaked the outdoor board table and seats, washing away part of the chalked meeting notes from the wall (fortunately photos had already been taken), and prompting the board and steering group to gather in a large tent on the farm. Snacks of oranges and granola were shared as Galia read the Alliance vision draft and the group drilled into details about board quorum, meeting frequency, code of conduct, and roles.

Brock shared his experience as Chair of the Bitcoin Foundation, including membership model details and working with the media as a positive point of contact. Nix offered the Gestalt method of communication to the group, an approach to effective storytelling by sharing personal examples and strong imagery, and avoiding direct advice-giving. Galia explained her preference for imagining new business paradigms over succumbing to the existing constraints, and the group discussed creating a database of community contacts who can be positive voices the media, curated by the Alliance, and empowering many to speak on behalf of EOS.

Board elections were discussed and a timeline of 90 days established for the first board seat election. Many agreed an ideal board election process shouldn’t give outsize power to large EOS token holders, and preliminary details for an alternative voting process were discussed. One possibility includes a potential non-fungible voting token dropped to EOS owners listed above, with extra weight for possible “proof of engagement” mechanics to be determined.

After a productive morning in the tent during a rolling thunderstorm, board and steering group members gathered back at the partially restored ruins for a wonderful lunch of paella, prepared by Ibiza island locals and eliciting many words of gratitude.

The final afternoon board session convened in an open air room, with an intention to finish the weekend with a strong foundation from which the Alliance may progress. Board member Peter Li offered some advice for building an efficient non-profit, including having a backup director trained and ready to step into the role. Peter provided insight into EOS in China and recommended the Alliance continue its efforts to include Block.one representatives in community discussions.

Discussion continued around the 30 day and 90 day plans for continuing work towards achieving the EOS Alliance vision. Board members Galia, Peter, Brock and Nix passed the first ever motion, as listed above in Highlights — EOS Alliance will neither seek nor accept Worker Proposal System funds until all board members have been elected, expected September 2019. Elected Board members will then be tasked with deciding the future of funding for EOS Alliance.

Afterwards the steering group, Board, and staff members agreed the motion was a great point to adjourn the first ever board retreat. Everyone gathered in a circle and held hands as Brock shared final thoughts: EOS may have a tremendous impact on humanity, and every one of us are blessed to serve in some small role towards helping make a positive change in the world.

Finally, almost everyone put on swimsuits and made their first trip to the beach. Thank you to the wonderful island and people of Ibiza! We look forward to keeping the community posted in the coming weeks and months as the EOS Alliance continues to make progress towards building a robust organization that achieves its mission. Empowering EOS For All.

We seek to inform the community and provide a platform for collaborative decision making. Everyone should have a voice in EOS.