Having been a member of JCI London for less than a year, I have to confess the idea of attending an International JCI event was a little daunting. A number of older JCI London members had said it would be great, but I still wasn’t totally convinced. How wrong could I have been!

The JCI UK delegation at ECM in Tallin (Alex is second from the left)

From the moment we landed in Tallinn, the local JCI chapter treated us like VIPs. Everything from the hotel and conference centre to regular text message updates were planned to a level of detail that most international events companies would struggle to achieve. The team at JCI Tallinn had literally organised 3 days of 24 hours activity (including the optional 4 hours of sleep each morning). From flying in a guest speaker from the US, organising visits to local businesses, trips to Tallinn’s sites, and the excellent social events in the evenings, there wasn’t a moment where we weren’t either educated, inspired or entertained.

In the brief moments where activities hadn’t been organised for us, we had the opportunity to meet new and reconnect with old friends from across Europe. For me, a great opportunity to understand more about JCI at an international level, learn about projects that had gone well, some that hadn’t, share some of my experiences and discover that regardless of how successful individual chambers were, there were always areas they would like to improve. However, what I was really surprised by, was that regardless of locale, the JCI “spirit” existed within everyone I met.

Sitting back at my desk in London, I’m slightly tired, but totally energised by the past few days, which is just what I needed to help some of my JCI London projects push on to their next stages. But most of all, I can’t wait for my next event!

I’d like to thank all of the JCI Tallinn team for a world class event and would like to pay special thanks to Pille Lodi and her team for putting on an event that was engaging, varied, educational and inspiring in every way and also her personal commitment in ensuring that everyone was looked after throughout. Kati Veskimägi for being an excellent host and president, and last, but not least, Ivar Veskioja for being an outstanding master of ceremonies and ensuring that even after full days of activities, we still had the energy and enthusiasm to watch the sun rise every morning!

I’m honoured that JCI London is twinned with JCI Tallinn and privileged to be a member of such an amazing organisation.

Alex Membrey, JCI London member