Abu Dhabi – Toastmasters Division H Annual Conference – A Huge Success
Abu Dhabi: The Division H Annual Conference was held on Friday 6th April, 2018, and drew an enthusiastic crowd of nearly 350 Toastmasters and guests who came to listen to the top speakers compete for the Best Speaker Titles in the Division. Division H consists of 30 Clubs in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Buraimi.
The Conference was held at the grand and impressive venue of Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, which added positive ambiance and vibes to the event. Emirates Foundation / Kafa’at, were the strategic Partners supporting the event.
At the colorful Opening Ceremony, the Banner March was presented which introduced on the stage all the Leaders from the Clubs, Areas and Division.
The Conference Chair, Ms. Salwa Al Marzouqi in her opening statement welcomed all and stated that each one present will go home enlightened with more knowledge from this wonderful conference.
On behalf of Emirates Foundation Mr. Khaled stated that in order to empower young Emiratis in the art of Leadership & Communication, they are happy to be associated with Toastmasters,
The New Shifts Services founder and CEO, Ms Zeynep Saka, conducted an Educational Session titled “Define – Experiment Change”.
Dr. Sultan Al Hajji, the Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer of Total E&P during his keynote address stated how you will be able to communicate only if you sincerely believe in what you say. It is not what you say, it’s how you say it that matters.
Dr. B.R. Shetty, Chairman of NMC Healthcare, inspired the attendees by telling us how he achieved success by starting from the bottom and how impossible feats can be accomplished through tiny, yet persistent steps.
Mr. Ahmed Shoibi, Sr Vice President (Academic and Student services) at Khalifa University stated that he was highly impressed by the Toastmasters Program and promised to promote and open Toastmaster Clubs for their student’s in their university.
Division H Director Althaf M.S. stated that the entire Division H Team has endeavored to conduct Toastmasters Program every month and have tried to take this wonderful program to as many people as possible. Due to this their new membership addition has grown by 80% & new Club growth by 10%.
Four categories of Speech Contests were held, and all the speakers enthralled the audience with their performance. The following are the winners:-
Evaluation Speech Contest:
1st Place: Raslyn Rasiah
2nd Place: Rumbidzai Madovi
3rd Place: Katrak Merezban
Humourous Speech Contest:
1st Place: Sameer Mohamed Al Jaberi
2nd Place: Aloris Dias
3rd Place: Umakanth Devarajan
Table Topics Speech Contest:
1st Place: Ruddi Barooah
2nd Place: Abraham Thomas
3rd Place: Kawther Madhi
International Speech Contest:
1st Place: Loyola Pinto
2nd Place: Ruddi Barooah
3rd Place: Peter Karagianakis
The first place winners will represent the Division H at the District Conference, which will be held in Oman from 3rd to 5th May 2018.
The meticulous planning and organization of the Division Conference was done by the Division Team comprising of,
– TM Althaf M.S.: Division Director
– TM Salwa Al Marzouqi: Program Quality Director (Training)
– TM Judith Serrao: Program Quality Director (Education)
– TM Shameema Ahmed: Admin Manager
– TM Ceanlia Vermeulen: Club Growth Director
– TM Abdul Nasser: PR Manager
– TM Asif Pirzada: Finance Manager
They were also supported by the Conference support team comprising of
– Education Team: TM Aby Hans / TM Suresh Kumar
– Registration Team: TM Shaju Uthuppan
– Display Team: TM Pratima / TM Ijaz /
– Venue Team: TM Haneef Puttur
The event was also supported by our long-time sponsors M/s Learnect & Al Sitara Gulf Construction and also our support sponsors namely M/s Prestige Engineering, M/s Etihad Airways, Supreme Engineering, Al Hannan Oil field, TM Jayaram Rai, TM Noel Fernandes and also gifts from Sofitel Hotel- Abu Dhabi, Ramee Rose – Abu Dhabi, Grand Millennium Hotel- Abu Dhabi, Ananthara- Dubai & Steps & Strings.
Do you want to become a confident public speaker and strong leader? If so, Toastmasters is the place for you. You’ll find a supportive learn-by-doing environment that allows you to achieve your goals at your own pace. Contact Division H Admin Manager – TM Shameema Ahmed (email: shameema_islam@yahoo.co.in)
