Protocol for Governor’s Visit
Order of Precedence
- Presiding Officer (Club President or Meeting Chair)
- Principal Speaker/District Governor
- 1st Vice District Governor
- 2nd Vice District Governor
- Immediate Past District Governor
- Cabinet Secretary/Cabinet Treasurer
- Region Chairs
- Zone Chairs
- Immediate Past Club President (If the club president is the presiding officer)
- Club Vice President
Cabinet & Convention Head Table Seating Protocol
Order of Precedence
Master of Ceremonies (Host Region Chair)
1st Vice District Governor
District Governor
1st Vice District Governor Guest
International Guest
Lioness Chairperson
District Governor Guest
2nd Vice District Governor
Cabinet Secretary
2nd Vice District Governor Guest
Reserve two tables up front for spouses.
Seating: If spouses are present, they should be seated next to their wife/husband at the head table. If one of the above persons is not present, the next ranking Lion can be moved up. If there is no sufficient room at the head table, a second head table can be created following the same protocol.
Introductions: The Club President/Meeting Chair introduces the Zone Chair who in turn introduces the Region Chair. The Region Chair introduces the District Governor who will introduce the other members of his/her cabinet from the person with the lowest rank on the order of precedence to the person with the highest. When spouses are present, they should be introduced with the Lion member (i.e. DG John Doe and his wife, Lion Mary).
Program: The Governor’s talk should be your only program. No other program should be planned. Induction of new members is most appropriate during the Governor’s visit but please give advance notice.
Borrowing of Other Club’s Property: Borrowing of club property by a visiting Lion is not allowed during the District Governor’s visit or any District, Region or Zone function.
No Exceptions!
Lions Clubs International Official Protocol
The following is the official protocol policy of the International Association of Lions Clubs. Only the principal speaker is required to acknowledge all dignitaries present.
Order of Precedence
Lions shall be recognized in the following order:
International President
Immediate Past International President
International Vice President (according to rank)
International Directors (a) (Board Appointees)*
Past International Presidents (b)
Past International Directors (c)
Chairperson, Council of Governors (a)
District Governors (a)
Association Executive Administrator
Association Secretary**
Association Treasurer**
Past Council Chairpersons (a)**
Immediate Past District Governors (a)**
1st Vice District Governors (a)**
2nd Vice District Governors (a)**
Past District Governors (a)**
Multiple District Secretaries (volunteer) (a)**
Multiple District Treasurers (volunteer) (a)**
District Secretaries (a)**
District Treasurers (a)**
Region Chairpersons (a)**
Zone Chairpersons (a)**
District Chairpersons (a)**
Club Presidents (a)**
Immediate Past Club Presidents (a)**
Club Secretaries (a)**
Club Treasurers (a)**
Past Club Presidents (c)**
Multiple District Secretaries (staff) (a)**
Multiple District Treasurers (staff) (a)**
Explanation of Notes
When more than one is present, they shall be recognized according to the Roman alphabetic order of the first letter of their fully used family name. If the first letter is the same, go to the second letter, and so on. If the last names are identical, the same process should be followed with the first given name, then the middle name. In the unlikely event that the two names are identical, the one with the longest association membership shall be given precedence.
When more than one is present, the one who served most recently is given precedence, and so on.
When more than one is present, precedence should be the same as for past International Presidents (see (b) above). In the event that more than one Past International Director who served during the same term is present, then the criteria specified for (a) should be used.
* Appointees by the international president to committees of the International Board of Directors and the LCIF Executive Committee shall be introduced and otherwise recognized before Lion who have held the same office. During introductions, their appointment shall be mentioned. After their term of appointment has concluded, special recognition shall cease.
** Single, sub and multiple district constitution & by-laws or local customs and practice may alter the order of precedence and/or content of numbers 12 through 2.
General Comments
A Lion holding more than one title shall be recognized for the highest one. In areas that have positions in addition to those listed above, they should be recognized in accordance with local customs, provided that elective officers always have precedence over appointive ones. It is recommended that Melvin Jones Fellows be recognized as a group. In introducing speakers, their status as Fellows should be mentioned.