Sun Valley, Idaho is a stunning place. The mountains, the scenic beauty, the biking trails, the golf course[s], the lovely resort, the variety of other elevating places dotting the landscape –make a fantastic place to unwind and be in sync with oneself. To quench your curiosity - especially regular travellers - you must go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Valley,_Idaho to believe [or junk] what am promising.
Having a district conference at such a place is both a boon and a bane. Boon - easy to answer – because ‘the participants have a getaway to enjoy,’ so the enrollments could be higher. Bane, because ‘the participants have a getaway to enjoy’ – they may venture out to enjoy the sun! Yup, it works both ways. In such a case, the conference needs to compete with the destination for the participants’ attention.
And I must say, the Dist Conference stood tall by a few thousand feet. It was extraordinary. It effortlessly caught the attention of the participants – who could have been easily distracted by the infectious outdoor charms of Sun Valley.
True to my natural instincts, I wanted to give the sessions a miss and rent a bike to explore the place. In fact, I did for one afternoon session – after finishing the much-awaited GSE team presentation. I enjoyed my tryst with outdoors so much that I understandably wanted to continue doing the same for more sessions.
But then, so enticing was the power of the draw – the dances and the speeches – at the conference, they held my attention like a magnet. The conference was planned meticulously, and the execution surpassed the plans. The dance competition between Terry and Kathleen [with professional dancers as their partners] was stupendous. The speeches by Terry, Kathleen, Geri and other Rotarian stalwarts were crafty and touched sensitive chords with their messages, to say the least. The notes by Tavia and Carolyn took the mood to a different level – I wasn’t mentally prepared to hear the daughter and the wife of the DG to present such an exemplary account of different perspectives of the DG’s and his family’s involvement with Rotary and the conference. The piano (played by Randy Coryell, Grammy award winner) and flute [played by Cy, Terry’s son] performance was truly breathtaking. I really considered myself fortunate to be a part of this show and it was an honour to have seen the conference from such close quarters.
There were other wonderful things to the conference. It was a brilliant blend of light humour and serious deliberations. The great communication skills of the Americans came to the fore quite prominently. Their ability to put across almost anything with a smile was a hallmark. The religious renditions by people of different faiths – one in each session – was a very appropriate statement, especially in light of global strife amongst religions. The rendition of Om Jai Jagadish Hare by Dipti and Pradip was mellifluous – due credits go to Sangeeta Bhabiji, Pradip’s wife who dictated and helped translate the Bhajan [Hindi for prayer] through Skype. The different awards motivated novices like us [GSE members] to participate in the Rotary events and help create a positive community vibration. The opportunity to meet the many friends we came to know over the duration of GSE was a huge bonus. Equally enjoyable was the ride to the picturesque Stanley, the photo ops, and the brunch at Dave Benion’s camp. As the icing on the cake, the GSE presentation went off quite smoothly. Like true champions, our best performance was during the conference. It was very well appreciated. Our fare included singing the National Anthem [Jana Gana Mana], applying tika [hindi for vermillion] the team presentation, songs, a dance to the tune of Vande Mataran (TRANSLATION??), reciting the Gayatri Mantra and brief demonstration of a couple yoga asanas [exercises].
I strongly recommend that every office bearer of any RID participate in such Dist Conferences--that will help set the bar and give ideas on how a world-class act of organizing a conference can be accomplished. Maybe a workshop to plan and organize such an event would also be useful. Even with the risk of being unpalatable, I would like to say that the quality of Dist Conferences elsewhere [incl RID 3260] can significantly improve if we can assimilate the good points of district conferences such at RID 5400, 2011.
To sign off, I would like to sincerely thank everyone who made this conference worthwhile and comfortable for us. Especially Terry – whose humour and courtesy stood out at all times. Being the leader of the group, he deserves maximum kudos. There were certainly a battery of energetic and creative Rotarians who deserve credit in equal measure and I congratulate all for their passionate involvement and impeccable outcomes. I sincerely hope that one day I will be involved in the planning and execution of such a conference in the future.
Back in Bhubaneshwar
June 5, 2011
Having a district conference at such a place is both a boon and a bane. Boon - easy to answer – because ‘the participants have a getaway to enjoy,’ so the enrollments could be higher. Bane, because ‘the participants have a getaway to enjoy’ – they may venture out to enjoy the sun! Yup, it works both ways. In such a case, the conference needs to compete with the destination for the participants’ attention.
And I must say, the Dist Conference stood tall by a few thousand feet. It was extraordinary. It effortlessly caught the attention of the participants – who could have been easily distracted by the infectious outdoor charms of Sun Valley.
True to my natural instincts, I wanted to give the sessions a miss and rent a bike to explore the place. In fact, I did for one afternoon session – after finishing the much-awaited GSE team presentation. I enjoyed my tryst with outdoors so much that I understandably wanted to continue doing the same for more sessions.
But then, so enticing was the power of the draw – the dances and the speeches – at the conference, they held my attention like a magnet. The conference was planned meticulously, and the execution surpassed the plans. The dance competition between Terry and Kathleen [with professional dancers as their partners] was stupendous. The speeches by Terry, Kathleen, Geri and other Rotarian stalwarts were crafty and touched sensitive chords with their messages, to say the least. The notes by Tavia and Carolyn took the mood to a different level – I wasn’t mentally prepared to hear the daughter and the wife of the DG to present such an exemplary account of different perspectives of the DG’s and his family’s involvement with Rotary and the conference. The piano (played by Randy Coryell, Grammy award winner) and flute [played by Cy, Terry’s son] performance was truly breathtaking. I really considered myself fortunate to be a part of this show and it was an honour to have seen the conference from such close quarters.
There were other wonderful things to the conference. It was a brilliant blend of light humour and serious deliberations. The great communication skills of the Americans came to the fore quite prominently. Their ability to put across almost anything with a smile was a hallmark. The religious renditions by people of different faiths – one in each session – was a very appropriate statement, especially in light of global strife amongst religions. The rendition of Om Jai Jagadish Hare by Dipti and Pradip was mellifluous – due credits go to Sangeeta Bhabiji, Pradip’s wife who dictated and helped translate the Bhajan [Hindi for prayer] through Skype. The different awards motivated novices like us [GSE members] to participate in the Rotary events and help create a positive community vibration. The opportunity to meet the many friends we came to know over the duration of GSE was a huge bonus. Equally enjoyable was the ride to the picturesque Stanley, the photo ops, and the brunch at Dave Benion’s camp. As the icing on the cake, the GSE presentation went off quite smoothly. Like true champions, our best performance was during the conference. It was very well appreciated. Our fare included singing the National Anthem [Jana Gana Mana], applying tika [hindi for vermillion] the team presentation, songs, a dance to the tune of Vande Mataran (TRANSLATION??), reciting the Gayatri Mantra and brief demonstration of a couple yoga asanas [exercises].
I strongly recommend that every office bearer of any RID participate in such Dist Conferences--that will help set the bar and give ideas on how a world-class act of organizing a conference can be accomplished. Maybe a workshop to plan and organize such an event would also be useful. Even with the risk of being unpalatable, I would like to say that the quality of Dist Conferences elsewhere [incl RID 3260] can significantly improve if we can assimilate the good points of district conferences such at RID 5400, 2011.
To sign off, I would like to sincerely thank everyone who made this conference worthwhile and comfortable for us. Especially Terry – whose humour and courtesy stood out at all times. Being the leader of the group, he deserves maximum kudos. There were certainly a battery of energetic and creative Rotarians who deserve credit in equal measure and I congratulate all for their passionate involvement and impeccable outcomes. I sincerely hope that one day I will be involved in the planning and execution of such a conference in the future.
Back in Bhubaneshwar
June 5, 2011
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