It's the season for international conferences and events and I'm just back from an amazing JCI Asia-Pacific Conference (ASPAC for short) in the capital of the Philippines - Manila, and as Eyad is saying in an earlier blog post: It is all true!

Around 3,500 delegates came to Manila for JCI ASPAC and despite a looming typhoon I've never seen as many smiling faces anywhere! The conference was perfect. Really relaxed, lots of fun, great food, great parties, great venues. A big congratulations to JCI Philippines for pulling off an amazing conference!

Opening night with members from the Netherlands, Denmark, Maldives, Philippines and to the right me, Solveig

8 European countries were represented with either national presidents or chief delegates. Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and the UK in addition to members from Italy and Turkey. I was the chief delegate from the UK which means that I represented the UK while there. As chief delegate you get to walk across the stage at the opening ceremony and go to a lot of lunches, receptions and dinners with speeches and announcements.

Opening reception. I'm to the rigth with members from Australia, Mongolia, New Zealand and the US.

Some European delegates to the Asia conference

At JCI Korea night

In addition to all the conference activities and parties there's also trainings and I was lucky to get to do the JCI Designer course in Manila. JCI Designer is a 3 day course where you learn how to design a trianing programme so that it can be used and understood by others. I did Designer with 7 other participants from Nepal, Philippines, Japan and India and I highly recommend traveling to another area to do the JCI official courses. The learnings I got from doing the course (especially as it was about making yourself understood) with people from other regions were amazing. We had had lunches and dinners and I've made friends for life!

With my fellow JCI Designer graduates

With my fellow JCI Designer graduates, Philippino food lunch, yummy!

Next ASPAC is in Hong Kong in 2012, are you coming with me? Jackie Chan will be there!