Many boards record in the minutes who arrived late and the time of their arrival. This encourages on-time attendance and legally points out who voted on what issues. It's somewhat demeaning, but often practiced for the above reasons. Introduce invited guests such as staff, vendors or other visitors. The minutes should reflect guests who speak.
Boards often require guests to sign a special visitors form.
This is done to shorten the time for introductions and sometimes as a security measure. As previously indicated, board members may request adding items to the agenda. However, last-minute requests should be discouraged. This not only extends the meeting but often the chief executive or board members will not have sufficient time to gather enough information about an issue. Meeting minutes are extremely important.