Page 37 - June 2020
P. 37
How to Bring Over 500 People Together Under the Lockdown
Brian Dodd, DTM
Many convention attendees joined us using their Table Topics and International Speech Contests
laptops, iPads, and smartphones from different on Saturday, May 2 followed on Sunday by the
locations within the Center along with our online Evaluation Contest and a hilarious Humourous
members and guests from around the world. Speech Contest among the seven finalists. It
Then to top things off after the Convention, was hard to believe that all the competitors
Firebirds held their regular meeting with a few were in their own home, in fact, all the Contest
of the attendees still at the convention. In fact, Officials, Judges, and the 500 plus audience to
the security people had to ask Fabiola Cleofa, the International Speech Contest were all in
DTM from Curaçao, and me to leave because their own homes.
they were ready to lock up. Today, twelve years With the magic of Zoom, the online platform
later, I am still floating on the ceiling and over used, the Tech Team lead by John Drinkwater
the moon seeing my dream come true. managed to isolate the Judges, Timers, and the
The District 91 Toastmasters 2020 Spring Ballot counters using their counting software
Conference Online was put on with pizzazz and away from the audience and the contestants. Even
top professionalism—all organized and produced though I have been using Zoom for four years,
by a 100% volunteer organization. District 91 is it took some creative genius of the Tech Team
based in London and covers Southern England to pull this off. Nik Lakhani, one of the dream
and Southern Wales. They not only organized Tech Team, said that they made everything work
top class workshops, keynote speakers, including just hours before the Grand Opening.
the Toastmasters International President Lark Diana Robertson, the Conference Director,
Doley, DTM online from Texas, USA. said it took 45 hours of planning, storyboarding,
The crème de la crème weree the four contests scriptwriting, and practicing for every hour
they held in those two days, starting with the of the Live Conference broadcast. I take my
VOICES! | JUNE 2020 37
