12th Annual BNI European Conference – Amsterdam:

26/4/09

my third conference and, I have to say, the best so far. My first, in Southampton I have to admit is just a dull memory. All I can remember is a team building game and that Frank De Raffele was brilliant: I thought about BNI the same way he did.

Dublin was better, I knew the ropes now, was on one of the Steering Committees for the year, there was a great presentation by Andrew Hall and I was sitting next to one of the lovely ladies from BNI Head Office at the Awards Dinner.

I know I’ve only just arrived back, so everything is fresh in my mind, but Amsterdam was without doubt the best!

We started, even before the conference started, at 7.30am Friday morning with a London North West group One2One with Sandra and Andy Hart. I would have been happy to have gone home after breakfast with the advice they gave, but then the conference was opened by Frank De Raffele. What a great way to set the tone for the next two days! My personal highlight of the morning was choosing to attend the Breakout Session by Mike Holman which was straight talking and full of sound practical advice. In the afternoon was an hour of 10 Minute presentations: a very thought provoking one by Peter Hemmen (Netherlands), based on Roger Bannister’s 4 minute mile, about changing your mindset, a great One2One plan from Samantha Rathling (Ireland South & West) which provides a referral every time, but the best in my mind was a sensational 10 Minute by Kathleen Waller (London North West) on how to present an outstanding 10 Minute. It had everything - other than the use of props!

Saturday opened with the National Directors’ Report, this year hosted by Charlie Lawson and Tim Cook, and included a little Directors Quiz. I’m glad to report that I scored in the top 20%! This was followed by another set of Breakout Sessions and, judging by the feedback at the end of the conference, provided the outstanding moment of the whole two days! This was a truly motivating and, for some, life changing, session by Dinah Liversidge, entitled ‘Building Your Business by Building Your Credibility’. A spontaneous standing ovation and queue of people wanting to shake her hand said all that was needed to be said. But still we had the afternoon to come, and for me, overall, this provided my own personal highlight. Rob Brown - what a show! - 'Stand Up and Stand Out'. If I just took 10% of what he showed us and put it into action, it would change me and my business for the better. Again this one session would have made the conference so much more than just worthwhile; in a way it was my own ‘life changing’ moment.

Well, what was left to come? The Black Tie Awards Dinner. Would we get an award this year? Yes we did: an award for opening new chapters. And I was happy to have been able to help London North West win it by launching the Iolanthe chapter during the year. But there was still more to come! After the awards and before the serious part of the evening started, the dancing, Gillian and Martin Lawson had a very special announcement to make. They were retiring with immediate effect, official date 1st May, and Charlie Lawson and Tim Cook were taking over as Joint National Directors.

What a moment when Martin thanked Gillian for all she had done over the last thirteen years, watched by all of their children who had joined us for the occasion.

And the saddest part of the two days? Being caught by Sandra Hart at midnight, while everyone else was dancing, checking my BNI emails!