Mandy was very excited about our guest speaker tonight, our very own DGE Elaine Thompson. Elaine recently returned from the International Assembly where she learned how to be a better D.G.
Elaine described the trip to San Diego as a good-news/bad-news cycle with everything from a tire blow-out to extra-long drive time offsetting the wonderful experience at the assembly itself.
Monday began with a bang, literally. Drums were all over the place and everyone started to bang on them. As is customary, the event started with announcing this year’s R.I. presidential theme “Be the Inspiration”.
Tuesday’s session focused on what the new governors could do to strengthen Rotary:
- Appoint a public image team
- Be a brand ambassador
- Promote and use the tools in the brand center
- Use communication channels
- Choose the moment to tell the story
Tuesday evening featured a cultural exchange with everyone dressing in the countries colours or dress.
Elaine’s impression after these first two days was that of an incredible organizational feat to host the assembly. Everything from personalized agendas (for the partners too!) to assigned seating, the event went very smoothly.
On Wednesday, they were told of the Polio fundraising goal of $1500 from each club plus 20% of district designated funds. These are matched 2:1 by the Gates Foundation. Wednesday evening was host hospitality night. Local Rotarians hosted small groups. Elaine and Ed were taken on a tour of the decommissioned aircraft carrier USS Midway then to an outdoor meal at Kansas City BBQ. The restaurant’s claim to fame is that it was the location for the movie Top Gun’s “sleazy bar scene”.
Thursday night had a “Night in the Caribbean” dinner and dance. And Friday was Ed and Elaine’s chance to join the President Elect Luncheon and have their picture taken with the chief. During these days, the general and breakout sessions focused on:
- Leadership
- Membership
- Foundation
- Brand
- Change
Elaine’s personal assessment of the entire week was that of:
- Each speaker was an event
- RFE invitations handed out to several of the countries that D5550 Rotarians were interested in visiting
- Optional technology labs for DGE and partners were run in a Q & A fashion
- Superb organization for the entire event
- An incredible international experience
Questions:
Alan asked if the level of organization helped.
A - Elaine agreed that it did.
Janet asked if they always hold it in the same place.
A - It was in Los Angeles but moved to San Diego a few years ago.
Mandy wanted to know what Elaine’s cultural attire consisted of.
A - All of the Canadians wore red while the zone’s U.S. representatives wore red, white and blue.
