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Saturday 14 May 2016

One week till Rotorua convention!

The contestants are ready, the judges are ready... are you ready for Rotorua?

The District (national) convention kicks off next weekend at the Distinction Hotel in Rotorua. An awesome weekend is planned at this lovely venue.

Image source: Distinction Hotels

On Saturday, the regional evaluation champions will meet in the District Evaluation contest - a test of skill in listening, analysing and giving feedback. We'll also enjoy educational workshops and keynote presentations from a "business maverick" and a long-serving Toastmaster, and will see who's elected to office for next year in the District Annual Business meeting. Saturday will end with revelry at the dine & dance. Make sure to wear a hat representing a culture of your choice!

Image source: mgrush.com

Sunday morning brings the glamour event - the District International speech contest, which will see the winner jetting off to Washington DC to represent New Zealand on the world stage. Before the contest we'll warm up with workshops on the online world of Toastmasters, and another keynote from a well-travelled businesswoman.

If you're travelling to Rotorua for convention, remember:

  • Register to vote by 18 May! Download voter registration forms from the District website. Have a look at the meeting papers on that website, too - it'll help you follow what's happening at the business meeting.
  • 18 May is also the deadline for booking a shuttle from the airport to the hotel. See the latest convention newsletter for details.
  • The registration desk at the Distinction Hotel opens at 3pm Friday and 7am Saturday. Get in early to beat the crowd.
  • If you're looking for something to do on Friday night, come along to the mix and mingle from 5pm. There'll be a chance to see speeches from those standing for office in the Candidates' Showcase at 7.30pm.
And finally, the number one tip from a convention veteran... bring a few snacks to keep in your convention bag! You'll be pleased to have them when you get so busy talking to people that you forget to eat morning tea.

See you there!

Image source: TMC Rotorua

Saturday 7 May 2016

After the annual business meeting: what next?

So you've successfully organised the ABM - found people willing to stand for office, sent around the reports, persuaded enough club members to attend, and even got the wording right on all the motions! Well done! Now that it's all over, though, there's one more thing to do before you relax.

Encouraging someone to be President is half the work - the other half is letting the rest of the world know that you've done it. Well before the new Toastmasters year starts on July 1st, Toastmasters International (TI) need to know who the new President is - and all the other club officers - so that they can get in touch with those people. Otherwise, the new club officers won't be able to access Club Central, and that means the club will have difficulty with everything from paying dues to registering awards and new members.

TI aren't the only people who need a way to contact your club. Members of the public who find your club through the New Zealand club finder will most likely contact you by sending an email to yourclub@toastmasters.org.nz. Is that email going to your current VP Membership - or someone who was in the role two years ago and has since left the club? Updating your details on the New Zealand club finder is important to make sure you don't miss those potential guests.

Any club officer can submit these updates. Here's how.

To submit your new club officer list to Toastmasters International:
  • Login to the TI website
  • Go to Leadership Central on the top menu, then Club Central
  • Click on the name of your club
  • Click on the menu option "View/Update/Print my club officer information" (it's the fifth one from the top)
  • The next screen shows you your current club officers. Click on "Future" at the top to put in new officers for next year (see the image below).
  • The screen will show you a list of positions with drop-down menus next to each. For each position, select the club member on the list who's been elected to that position.
  • Click "Confirm" at the bottom to save the officer list and send it to TI.


To update your information on the New Zealand club finder:
  • Go to the Club Finder and find the login pane on the right-hand side.
  • Login with your member number and password. If you don't know your member number, go back to the TI website and have a look at your profile - your number is shown at the top right.
  • On the Members' Menu at the right (see image below), click on "Club Editor".
  • Scroll down to the "Email Redirections" section and make sure the three addresses listed are correct.
  • Further down the page there's a place to change your current club officers. Make sure you come back closer to the end of the year so you can put in the new officers before they take office!