Ron D, and Ron W, spoke on the 2017 RI Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, last month.
Ron D, veteran of some 30 Rotary International Conferences, and Ron W, who has just attended his first one, spoke on the 2017 RI Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, last month.
Ron D spoke of the size (25,000 to 30,000), global nature, excitement and structure of RI Conventions which have these basic components:
- pre-convention seminars/events (including a 2 day Peace Conference in Atlanta);
- the House of Friendship (the meeting place for delegates with food, music, booths etc);
- the plenary sessions (speakers in Atlanta including Bill Gates and Jack Nicklaus, a polio survivor);
- the breakout sessions (about 90, with much to learn and enjoy); and the home hosting evening.
Ron D. recommended that everyone attend at least one RI Convention – including next year’s one in Toronto which already has over 10,000 registered and was attracting much buzz in Atlanta.
Ron W. explained how rewarding and exciting his first RI Convention had been and gave some main impressions. One was the striking international flavour, accentuated by national and traditional dress of many from Africa and India, which he saw as regions having a major future in Rotary.
Second, the sheer size and scale of the convention was powerful. Next, there was widespread excitement amongst delegates from many countries about coming to Toronto for the 2017 Convention, given the multicultural nature and the values of Canada and Toronto. Finally, concerning program elements, Ron was struck by the task ahead for complete eradication of polio. Rotary and partners have invested 1.5 billion, but a similar amount is required in the years ahead.
Closure: Bill thanked the speakers and confirmed that next week’s speaker was Patti Pokorchuk MBA, a motivational speaker on the subject of Living Life to the Full.
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